UK Lead Generation Podcast

James Dooley:
So if I am looking to grow a commercial solar business and I have some marketing budget, what do you recommend spending it on? How can I get a consistent flow of enquiries?

Kasra Dash:
If you're looking to grow a commercial solar business, specifically on the commercial side rather than residential, the UK has a lot of government grants and tax relief available. There are tax incentives that reduce corporation tax, so my first play would be educational blog posts or videos. After that, I’d run social media ads because many people don’t know these incentives exist. This isn’t just for SEO or PPC—people might not be aware at all, so disruptive marketing helps you get in front of business owners. LinkedIn ads could work, or even connecting directly with CEOs, CFOs, and managing directors and telling them about the tax relief available. That would be my first approach.

My second play would be for people who want leads today. I’d still do SEO to rank for commercial solar panel installs in specific areas, but that can take months. PPC can be expensive, so I would team up with lead generation companies. At fatrank.com, we provide a consistent flow of commercial solar leads. You can fill in your details, go through the qualification process, and if accepted, you’ll get consistent leads and only pay for converted jobs. But you shouldn’t rely on just one supplier—diversify, vet them, and choose the best ones. Many companies resell the same lead multiple times; Fat Rank gives exclusive real-time leads and charges only on conversion.

Away from lead generation, what's your view on PPC, social media ads, or traditional marketing?

James Dooley:
PPC is something I avoid because of click fraud. Competitors can click on your ads and burn your budget without converting. You also get window shoppers who click multiple ads and don’t buy, which quickly becomes expensive. A safer strategy is building social proof—social media presence, video footage, before-and-afters, and video testimonials from clients. These help with trust. They may not directly bring more clients, but they help convert them when people compare your brand against others.

Building an SEO-optimised site also helps. SEO shouldn’t be judged month-to-month—it’s a 12-month investment. Build pages for commercial solar energy, battery storage, EV chargers, and energy tariff optimisation. Also add location-based pages, like “Commercial Solar Company Manchester” or “Commercial Solar Company Oldham.” Blog articles and paid ads to promote them also help.

Something you mentioned that I think is great is EV chargers. A commercial solar company might not install EV chargers, but I’d still want to rank for them, and also for heat pumps. People looking for heat pumps tend to worry about running costs, and solar reduces those. If someone enquires about heat pumps, you could refer them to a good contractor and build reciprocal relationships. If you get work for them, they’ll refer commercial solar work back to you. You can build relationships with EV charger companies and heat pump companies—shouldering niches where you complement each other. It works both ways, especially for upsells.

From an SEO standpoint, I’d definitely want to rank for all of these. I’d also network on LinkedIn to connect with EV charger business owners and heat pump business owners.

Kasra Dash:
Definitely. And if you guys want a free strategy call with Fat Rank and see if you qualify for consistent enquiries, the link is down below or you can head over to fatrank.com.