RSS Feedswhat is the best way to promote an alternative energy business?
I have recently started an alternative energy with very cost effective products (wind water and solar) which I am finding very hard to promote even with a website
Firstly, try to position ur product, i think 2 ways r there like eco friendly future energy concept other is cost effective so price competitive approch. But if u chose eco friendly approcah u can keep a high profit margin and do so. So the real question is how to promote? It also depend on ur target market. If its the upper sector indivial market then l guess personal selling will be one attractive way as the product is technical. And this way will also can be used for B2B market. Other way is trade fairs this way u can demostrate the product with a big target audience. If u choose the low cost positioning l guess a consumenr fair or local press will do a good job. Since u r targeting international consumenrs one suggestion is seek for agents in other counties. As l mention energy business is quite technical so l guess internet still now is not much reacherble for these market. Goodluck to u. And thks for the additional details.
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June 30th, 2009
Firstly, try to position ur product, i think 2 ways r there like eco friendly future energy concept other is cost effective so price competitive approch. But if u chose eco friendly approcah u can keep a high profit margin and do so. So the real question is how to promote? It also depend on ur target market. If its the upper sector indivial market then l guess personal selling will be one attractive way as the product is technical. And this way will also can be used for B2B market. Other way is trade fairs this way u can demostrate the product with a big target audience. If u choose the low cost positioning l guess a consumenr fair or local press will do a good job. Since u r targeting international consumenrs one suggestion is seek for agents in other counties. As l mention energy business is quite technical so l guess internet still now is not much reacherble for these market. Goodluck to u. And thks for the additional details.
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June 30th, 2009
You could focus on the non-polluting and costeffective aspects of your product.Position your product as the future of mankind.
References :
June 30th, 2009
If you're selling to a local market:
You need to produce press releases for your local markets to get mentioned in newspapers, magazines, radio, and on local TV.
You could offer free seminars about alternative energy, sponsored by the local library, or local chamber of commerce.
Get in touch with contractors, show them what you have to offer, and explain what kind of commission you can offer them for referrals that lead to sales.
Start writing articles explaining the benefits of each type of alternative energy, comparing the different ones, submit them to online article banks, and also send out again to local papers, etc. Make sure your website and contact information is listed.
Google Adwords, Yahoo/Overture could be used to get pre-qualified leads.
ok, that's all I can come up with for the moment..
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June 30th, 2009
Good Question!
Anyone trying to break into the alternative energy market has several barriers or challenges to overcome, dependent on where they are in the world:
1. Competition – not just for energy, but for alternative energy too
2. Poor government incentives for offsetting capital cost of technology
3. Marketing the products – alternative energy has a range of benefits and advantages over conventional energy – not only can the relevant advantages be hard to fully comprehend, they can be even harder to market.
4. Installation / implementation – careful planning needs to be done to ensure that you can maximise the benefits of a particular energy technology in a particular situation, so that your marketing can (a) be optimised and (b) be truthful.
My suggestion on marketing your company is to focus on one particular market or application to start with, in order to gain a stable base from which to grow your business. You may well find that the knowledge you need to acquire to excel in even a small field is broad, deep and ever-changing. Gaining proficiency in one sector is therefore a good exercise in preparation and learning.
Choose the market with a combination of:
- best technology advantages (availability, improvements over incumbent technology etc)
- best profit opportunity (cost of equipment vs price you can charge, including installation, maintenance etc)
- best financial incentives – planning to take advantage of government incentives can make the difference between success and failure in this sector
- your enjoyment! No matter how much you want to do this right now, at some point you will hate it with a passion because starting your own business is hard and frustrating. At least choose what you'd like to be doing!
- existing market (i.e. micro wind turbines in the UK – lots of demand but very few deliverable products that are optimised with regards to price, payment structures, government renewables obligation incentives etc)
- least competitors: don't try to take on bigger companies unless you have a niche of your own, or some serious funding
Once you've chosen your market, you will then have to concentrate on marketing.
Choose your channels:
Magazines – there's bound to be a relevant publication. Invest in some advertising with the best you can find. Go for contra deals (i.e. a free product for an advert), or anything else you can do to leverage your costs down. e.g. refocus magazine is a good one to start with.
Web – find websites that promote alternative energy technologies (again, the closer the website's readership to your target audience the better!). You will need a serious number of links, and some good content, to get rated meaningfully on a major search engine for a popular search term. Make partnerships, use guerilla tactics (blogs, Yahoo Answers etc
) to promote your site. Consider Google Pay-per-click advertising? Consider email marketing.
Exhibitions – is there an industry event you can attend? Can you afford to exhibit? Is there any local development agency / RDA funding available to help you? Get all the help and advice you can from government and local angels. If you can't exhibit alone, ask to share someone's stand and chip in for the costs?
Local advertising – shop windows, word of mouth, just get your company and services known. Using a well-thought out initial target sector should allow you to use snappy and easy-to-grasp marketing images and slogans, don't try to change people's paradigms in one line! Sell the advantages!
Keep it up! Don't be disheartened if you find this hard work. It really is!
One last idea – contact Fuel Cell Markets Ltd – a company that specialises in commercialising alternative energy technologies. They can set you up with an site integrated to their marketplace which will give you instant traffic and visibility, as well as offering a service that will give you a real head start in terms of networking and technology comprehension. Yes I do know them!
References :
http://www.fuelcellmarkets.com