SOLAR TODAY Blog

By Corey Dahl
SOLAR TODAY Associate Editor 

Forget trying to build brand recognition among your potential customers. In solar today, it's all about building brand connection.

While brand recognition means your company is known, brand connection means your company is known for doing something unique. It's an important distinction in an increasingly crowded solar marketplace, says Alan Brew, a principal at RiechesBaird and the host of "Building Brand Recognition" at Solar Power International today.

As the demand for solar ramps up, companies need to work harder to differentiate themselves, he said. Brew regularly hears from companies whose mission statements read like trade association statements -- promising to advance solar instead of advancing the business or the brand. Company heads argue that they need to make the case for solar first, but Brew disagrees.

"By the time you think it's time, it's too late; the game is over," he said. "You have to differentiate or die now."

Companies can't expect to dominate the whole solar industry, Brew said. They must find their niche and own it. As the industry matures, companies will consolidate and brands will dominate. Companies that spread themselves too thin will struggle, he said, while those that send a clear message about unique strengths will thrive.

"It's all about categories -- finding where you can grow," he said. "You can't fight every front in the war. On the energy landscape, which peak can you own? You can't own solar. "

Once a company has found its niche, then it's time to build connections with consumers. Consumer choices are often based on irrational, emotional issues, Brew said. Companies must understand their customers, speak the customers' language and always deliver on their brands' promises in order to make it past the "I'll think about it" stage to the "I want to buy from them again and again" stage.

"Choice often comes down to one thing -- connection," Brew said. "Connection is, ‘We believe in you, we believe in what you're doing and we trust you."