Solar marketing works when it brings homeowners who can tell you their usage, their roof and their reason for asking, and when the ad that brought them in made no promise you cannot keep. For installers, the second half matters as much as the first. Regulators watch savings, rebate and price claims closely, and an ad that overpromises creates enquiries you cannot honestly close.
This guide covers marketing for installers in Australia. It is general information, not legal advice. For buying leads from others, see solar leads in Australia: what to ask before you buy exclusive ones.
Ask the bill questions in the ad and the form
Your ad and form decide what arrives. Ask for these on the form, or on the first call if the form cannot hold them, before a salesperson spends an hour on a site visit.
- Do they own the home? A renter cannot decide on a roof.
- What do they pay now? A recent bill, or at least roughly the quarterly amount and whether they are home in the day.
- What is the roof? Type, age, direction, shading, and whether it is single or double storey.
- Do they have a system already? An upgrade is a different conversation from a first install.
- Are they thinking about a battery?
- Who decides? If there are two owners, you want both on the call or at the visit.
Bill-based questions do most of the qualifying. A homeowner who has a bill to hand, and wants to talk about it, is much closer to a decision than one who wants “a price for 6.6 kW”. The broader approach is in how to qualify an enquiry before you quote.
Where solar enquiries come from
- Google search and your profile. People searching “solar installer” with a suburb name are close to buying. A Google Business Profile with your service area and real photos of installs is the base.
- Facebook and Instagram ads. These reach homeowners who were not searching. They suit a specific message, such as a bill-focused question or a battery offer, and a short form. Expect more tyre kickers and call them quickly.
- Referrals and past customers. Satisfied customers with a battery question years later are a real source. Keep the list.
- Partnerships. Electricians, builders, and renovators know who is re-roofing or building.
- Shared-lead marketplaces. The same enquiry often goes to several installers at once. Buying enquiries is covered in the solar leads guide linked above.
Run ads in your own account if you can. How ads are set up in your account explains what that gives you.
Solar marketing claims the ACCC watches
The ACCC’s guidance on solar panel systems and home batteries lists what sellers must not mislead people about: how much electricity a system produces, how much a customer will save on bills, what size system or battery they need, what it costs, whether they are eligible for rebates or feed-in tariffs, where the product was made, and the installer’s experience, accreditations or qualifications.
It also says sellers must not hide extra charges that affect the total price, costs of ending a solar power agreement early, the assumptions behind savings estimates, or possible delays.
It singles out headline phrases common in solar lead advertising: “no cost solar”, “you are eligible for the government subsidies” and “will pay for itself”. The ACCC says these can be misleading when the terms and conditions contradict them.
The ACCC’s general page on advertising and promotions adds that a business must be able to prove any claim it advertises. Its page on false or misleading claims says claims about the future need reasonable grounds when they are made, and fine print cannot contradict the main message.
In practice:
- Do not put a dollar saving in an ad unless you can show how it was worked out, including the assumptions.
- Do not say a homeowner is “eligible” for a rebate before you know their circumstances.
- Do not use “free” or “no cost” unless it is true after every condition.
- Say who the installer is and what accreditation you actually hold.
- If you buy enquiries, ask to see the ads that produced them. A homeowner who saw “no cost solar” expects it from you.
The ACCC page also notes that non-compliance can cost a business its accreditation, including access to small-scale technology certificates under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. The scheme’s pages sit on the Clean Energy Regulator site. Check the current rules for your situation with the regulators directly.
The quote visit and the follow-up
Solar quotes are considered purchases. The homeowner compares two or three, checks the brand, and talks to a partner. Silence after a quote is normal.
- Send the quote the same day as the visit, with the assumptions for any savings figure written next to it.
- Follow up in two or three days with a question, not a nudge: “Did the battery option make sense for your evening use?”
- Follow up again at the end of the week and then at two to three weeks.
- Keep a note of what they said they cared about, such as export limits, brand, or timing, and answer that.
Wording that suits this is in follow-up email after a quote.
Batteries as a second conversation
Batteries change what you ask. A homeowner with panels already may ask only about a battery. A homeowner without panels may want both. The questions that matter here are their evening use, whether they have a backup need, and what their inverter is.
Interest is real. When we checked in November 2026, the Clean Energy Regulator’s home page showed 438,000 approved battery installations in the first year of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. That is the regulator’s figure, it will change, and it says nothing about what you will win. Rebate rules and sizes change, so do not copy a rebate figure into an ad. Link to the official scheme pages or say “ask us what applies to you”.
Keep the battery as a separate step in your follow-up. People who bought panels a few years ago are a warm list, and they may need a different message from a first-time buyer. See the solar and batteries trade page for how the two fit together.
Common questions
How do solar installers get more enquiries?
Through a good Google profile, search and social ads in their own account, referrals, and partners such as electricians and builders. Judge each by signed quotes.
Can I say how much a customer will save in an ad?
Only if you can prove it and show the assumptions. The ACCC lists bill savings among claims that must not mislead, and says assumptions must not be hidden.
Is “no cost solar” safe to use?
Not if the terms contradict it. The ACCC names the phrase as one that can be misleading when the conditions say otherwise.
Are Facebook ads good for solar?
They can bring enquiries, but from people who were not searching. Expect to qualify harder and call quickly.