Sharing is Caring, and when it comes to sharing solar, it means caring for literally the whole planet. If you are using solar energy to power your home and taking advantage of green energy, refer a friend to solar.
Referral programs are an amazing source of extending the business and like any other industry, solar is also using these programs to reach more people.
Well, referral programs in the solar business are much more beneficial to the environment and also earn you incentives. Here we have listed a few solar referral programs you might want to look at.
How Solar Referral Program Work
Solar companies urge their users to share their solar with friends and family. These programs are set to reward the solar owners who have shared their products.
The incentives motivate consumers to do word-of-mouth marketing.
In this way, solar companies extend their business and get their target audience.
Some companies offer discounts and some offer offer cash. If a customer sends multiple referrals they can even get tiered rewards.
Solar companies need these kinds of programs to reach their audience which may not be much effective by other means of advertisement.
Referral programs encourage people to spread the word because they know they will get something in return. Therefore, solar companies need to engage their customers in such programs.
Benefits of Solar Referral Programs
Referral programs bring many benefits to the table, especially in growing niches. As solar energy is yet to be explored many people around the world do not use solar panels due to unfamiliarity with the solar installation process, return on investment, and the reduction of bills.
Therefore, when someone who already uses solar panels vouchs for the system’s advantages, the decision-making becomes easier.
Solar panels are a huge investment and often take some time to go through the purchase funnel. Therefore, referral programs can help speed up the process of sales and reduce customer acquisition costs.
Solar referral programs also help generate organic customer reviews. When more people become attracted to the product by trusting their friends and family, solar companies get real customer reviews.
Companies that have more generous referral programs than their competitors can attract more customers. Referral marketing is beneficial for all parties therefore, it should be considered by solar companies.
Types of Solar Referral Programs
Solar referral programs are very valuable for companies and they know it. Therefore, some companies devise their programs very thoughtfully. There are three types of solar referral programs you might encounter.
Single-Sided
Single-sided incentives are the most common referral programs because they are easy to manage. The customer who is making a referral gets a reward. Usually, this reward is money but it can also be a discount or a gift card.
This program is wildly used but can be less effective because the referred customer is not getting anything, so it may seem self-serving.
Double-sided
With a double-sided referral program, there are incentives for both the referring and the referred customer. However, the reward for the referred customer is only applicable if he becomes a customer.
This type of referral is more effective for both parties but the company has to put extra time, money, and cost into devising these programs.
No Incentives
Referral programs do not always involve rewards because customers refer to the services without expecting anything in return. These referrals only happen if the customers have an excellent experience.
These types of referrals are genuine and do not cost anything to the company. However, they must provide the best possible services to satisfy their customer.
Examples of Solar Referal Programs
Multiple solar companies offer referral programs across the U.S., there are a few we picked for you.
- Freedom Solar Power Referral Program
Freedom Solar Power has a referral program that offers $500 to their existing customers when their referral goes solar with the company. These $500 can be deposited directly to your bank accounts or a digital visa gift card that is delivered through email.
Freedom Solar’s customers are claiming to be very excited with this program and the ones who made the referral got their money, a customer reviewed the program saying, “ The referral program for our neighbors and parents going solar allowed us to get rewards. My wife and I decided to use that reward money for a nice spring vacation in Mexico.”
Freedom Solar app allows customers to submit referrals for friends and family who want to go green. The rewards are also received through the app. You get a promotional payment or Freedom Solar rebates.
Their app is avail nationwide on Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You can track the solar installation process of your referral through this app and see where they are in their journey of energy independence. Once their installation is complete, you will receive a payment notification in the app.
- Sungevity Solar Referal Program
Sungevity also offers a single-sided referral program that also works for tiers. The incentives depend on how many customers are referred. You get $500 for one referral and can refer three customers maximum to receive, the reward doubles with each referral.
The best thing about Sungevity’s program is, anyone can refer to them and get a reward even if they are not an existing customer. No matter if you are an employee or a person with a knack for sales, refer to Sungevity and earn some cash.
They also have an app for referring, tracking the progress, and claiming the reward. The app also notifies when a referral completes its solar purchase.
- SunPro’s Two-Sided Referral Program
SunPro is another solar energy company that offers a two-sided referral program. They also manage the referrals via app and anyone can join but their referring system is very interesting.
They offer rewards for every process of solar installation. For example, if you make a qualified referral to a friend, you will get $35 and the friend will get $25. If the friend completes the solar installation, you will get $1000 and when the friend gets a new roof, you will get $500.
SunPro also offers participants a $20 bonus when their friend downloads the app and submits their first qualified referral.
Sunpower has paid around $4 million through the referral program and there is no limit to the referrals a person can make.
Final Analysis
Solar companies are becoming proactive in spreading their business through referral systems. Every company offers something unique that can benefit its customers as well as the growth of their business.
Having a good customer base allows companies to start such programs because they can not get a referral if they have no existing customers.
If you are already a customer of a solar company, keep an eye on their solar news to know the kind of program they are offering so that you can make a bit more money from your investment.
