FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Digital Marketing
Subscriptions and Billing
-
When do I get billed?
You are billed monthly or quarterly depending on the subscription option you selected when purchasing.
You are billed automatically by Stripe on the same day each month that you started your subscription (eg if you started on 5th August, your next automatic billing will be on 5th September).
-
What currency do you bill me in?
All billing is currently in AUD (Australian dollars).
We are currently investigating offering billing in other currencies including USD, EUR, GBP and NZD.
If this is important to you please let us know - to date there have been no objections from customers (and for US customers, the exchange rate is fantastic for you), but we will accelerate this process if it is a hurdle for customers.
-
How do I cancel?
You can easily cancel (or pause or upgrade/downgrade) directly in your payment account area (click here to log in).
When you are billed you will receive an email notification from Stripe (our secure payment processing platform) or PayPal. The email includes a link to manage your subscription. You simply click the link and are taken into your account from where you can cancel.
If you have any issues or questions you can also contact us (using either the private email we provided you or via our Contact page) and we can cancel your subscription for you.
-
How do I know which Pricing Tier to choose?
We offer a range of packages to suit every type of solar dealer.
If you're not sure which is the best fit for you, no problem. Let's organize a call and chat through your requirements.
Alternatively, simply start with our Essentials package and upgrade as needed.
-
Can I pay by credit card?
Yes, you can pay easily from our Get Started page using your credit card.
-
I don't want to pay by credit card, can you invoice me instead?
Yes, no problem, simply use this page to let us know your billing details.
We'll send you your invoice, and once we've confirmed payment we'll get things started.
-
I don't want a monthly subscription yet, can you do you one-off items instead?
Yes, if you're not ready for a monthly subscription yet, we can start with some simple items, such as:
- Google Ads audit
- Website SEO check
- Website content updates
Chat with us and purchase simple hourly packs here.
Digital Marketing Items
-
Do you do all the digital marketing items each month?
No, we don't do every single item every month.
Whilst there are general activities that we ideally do every month (eg website updates, social updates, blog content, paid advertising) it will depend on your circumstances.
Thus, we focus on the outcomes that are highest priority for you for that month.
For example, if your current website is really slow and not converting, it doesn't make sense to waste money on Google ads to send traffic to it. Instead, the top priority will be to ensure your site is fast and works on mobile.
We use our XEN Marketing Scorecard system to prioritise items for maximum results.
-
How do you select which items you do?
Each month (or weekly for Elite tier dealers) we work with you to plan the highest priority items to drive results.
We select the optimal mix of items to drive you leads and customers.
-
Do you design websites?
Yes, we design and develop websites.
However website design and development is not included as part of our Done-For-You solar digital marketing.
If you are interested in discussing a new (or refreshed) website, please reach to us to discuss.
About You
-
How do I know if I am a 'high-quality' solar dealer?
You'll know.
If you're selling high-quality panels, batteries and components, you're all good.
If you're backing up your installs with long-term warranties and excellent on-going support, you're all good.
If you're trying to flog cheap crap for a quick buck, then we're not for you.
If you're using high-pressure sales tactics, badgering people with telemarketing or using backpackers to go door knocking then we're not a fit for you.
-
I service multiple cities. How does this work?
Congratulations on having a growing solar business.
Many of our solar dealers service multiple locations.
As a general approach, as long as you have the same offering in each location we handle all of this as part of our standard pricing tiers.
This is because the strategy, messaging and tactics are easy to duplicate and simply update the location targeting (eg in paid platforms).
The exception to this is when the offering is significantly different in each area. For example if you target different customers (eg first home buyers in one area, but retirees in another) or you are have a different brand in each location, then it requires significant extra work for us to provide the results. In those cases we discuss with you a fair pricing model.
-
I've had bad experiences with marketing companies before. How will this be different?
Sadly, we've heard this from dealers at times. They've been burnt previously working with lazy (or perhaps even dishonest) agencies and ar thus naturally apprehensive.
We get it. It's the same as some solar customers having been burnt by dodgy solar dealers - there are high quality and low quality providers.
Let's chat through your previous experiences, and then we'll gladly connect you with any of the solar dealers we work with - you can ask them directly what their experience has been with us.
One key item to note: since you're not locked into any contracts, there's very little risk. And there's a lot of upside: each month we're working hard to ensure you get results so you continue to work with us. The onus is on us to ensure you are happy.
About Us
-
Where are you located?
XEN Solar is officially located in Sydney, Australia.
However, we work with solar dealers all over Australia, New Zealand and now globally.
We are a remote company (ie all of our team are working remotely) with team members in many different cities.
Thanks to the pandemic, we are optimised for working with customers anywhere - it's simply a process of scheduling meetings and calls in your timezone - which is very easy to do now.
-
How long have you been doing this?
We've been working with solar dealers since 2014. One of our early projects was working with LG Energy to build their digital marketing strategy and then implement it, to drive 1000s of leads each month. We still work closely with LG Energy today.
Over the years we've worked with a range of solars from small (single operators) through to mid-large size dealers (ie with sales teams) right through to corporates like LG Energy.
-
What timezones do you operate in?
We are able to fit in with most timezones.
For example, for US locations we simply organize a call either early morning or late in the evening for us, to fit in with your day.
Strategy and Planning
-
What do we discuss in the monthly planning session?
Each month we have a planning call with you.
We walk you through the results, gather feedback from you and outline the activities we are planning for the coming month.
Depending on how involved you want to be in the tactics, there's very little you need to do - we take care of it all.
However, if you are interested in diving into all the details, we'll happily spend hours go into all the campaigns with you, showing the nuances of what we've found, and the optimizations we've implemented.
Some dealers are: don't bore me with details, just get me results.
Other dealers are: show me everything, I love learning about this.
It is all tailored to what works best for you.
-
What do you mean by strategy?
Strategy and tactics are two terms you'll hear marketing people use.
Strategy = what we are going to do
Tactics = how we are going to do
For example:
A typical strategy for a high-quality solar dealer might be: we're going to focus on selling high-quality packages including LG panels and Tesla batteries to the 40-55 age demographic in specific areas, with a focus on reducing power bills whilst providing reliability during blackouts.
The tactics for that strategy would be: which social channels we target, the targeting on paid advertising platforms, the content that needs to be written on the site and provided as downloadable guides, the SEO optimizations to focus on, and the email nurturing sequence to be added.
These are just simple examples - we discuss with you the appropriate mix for your solar business.
-
What tools and platforms do you use?
We use a mix of tools and platforms to deliver your marketing strategy and campaign implementation.
These include (if appropriate):
- HubSpot
- Landingi
- MailChimp
- Databox
- WordPress
- Teamwork
We will also ideally, if appropriate and efficient, work in with your current systems eg if you currently use specific platforms for your CRM, website, landing pages, etc.
Results and Timeframes
-
How long does it take to get results?
For most dealers, we have campaigns up and running within weeks, driving initial results and providing data we can use to optimize the campaigns.
Most dealers have tried things in the past, or are currently running campaigns, which allows us to analyze the results and optimize based on our years of experience.
There are exceptions however. Sometimes new dealers have nothing in place, not even a website. For these situations we usually advise at least 2 months to get everything setup and driving traffic.
-
I need leads right now - can you do that?
Generally, if you needs leads right away (ie today) we aren't a fit.
Instead, in the short term, consider buying leads from a solar quotes site (eg solarquotes.com.au in Australia is one).
Our approach is best suited for dealers who want to build a digital marketing plan that encompasses all their digital marketing activity and in time removes the need for purchasing leads from a quotes site, but it takes time.
-
How do you measure results?
Results are ideally based around driving new customer purchases. And thus, we focus on marketing activities that will drive leads, that can then be nurtured and handed to you or your sales team.
However, leads is just one part of the mix. Many of our dealers don't have a lead generation problem, instead they want to focus on automating processes, or ensuring that their site is up-to-date, or up-selling existing customers to new products (eg promoting batteries to solar panel customers).
So it's important that we discuss your goals each month, and plan our activities accordingly.