How NY State Solar Quadrupled Its Web Lead Volume with Lead Capture AI
“In less than a month utilizing Aurora’s Lead Capture AI, we were able to quadruple our web lead volume, and we see 25% higher set rates from our organic leads compared to those generated through other marketing channels.
In my estimation, Lead Capture AI is effective because the tool leverages engaging visuals with readily quantified benefits, helping potential clients understand not only their savings, but what solar would realistically look like on their home.”
Richard Murdocco Vice President of Marketing NY State Solar
4x
increase in web leads
25%
higher set rate from web compared to other channels
About NY State Solar
With nearly 200 employees and six locations across New York City and Long Island, NY State Solar (NYSS) is a premier solar developer specializing in the sale, design, and installation of customized residential and commercial photovoltaic systems. In fact, the New York State Energy and Research Authority (NYSERDA) designates NYSS as a Quality Installer, meaning their installation services are within the top 10% in quality across the entire state. The company’s focus on quality and excellent customer service enabled the firm to experience rapid growth, making them among the top five solar installers across New York State, as based on the number of completed residential installations.
The Challenge
While New York State’s growing efforts to make solar highly accessible to its residents has helped increase the demand for solar, educating homeowners about the solar installation process remains a challenge across the industry. To bridge the gap, NY State Solar wanted a way to both educate and engage more closely with homeowners looking to go solar, giving them the information and confidence they need to feel supported throughout the buying process. As a result, the business decided to revamp its advertising strategies and needed a strong leader and the right technology to drive their marketing efforts.
Aurora’s tool helps us overcome a big hurdle that any company in the solar industry faces— how do we help consumers picture having our products integrated with their home?
The Solution
To help propel their growth strategy, the company hired Richard Murdocco, Senior Director of Marketing, to lead their digital transformation and deliver innovative marketing solutions. “Our management was very supportive of transformative change on the communicative side of the business,” Richard said. “They knew that we had a huge opportunity in front of us, so they were always open to giving the marketing team the tools we needed to succeed.”
That’s why Richard knew he needed Lead Capture AI, Aurora’s interactive AI-powered solution that offers homeowners a personalized visual estimate in minutes with just an address and one month’s utility bill. While other teams in the organization already use Aurora for selling and designing solar systems, Richard immediately saw the potential for Lead Capture AI to transform his team’s digital marketing strategy. “Lead Capture AI is a no-brainer,” Richard explains. “The process for the homeowner is compelling: It helps them actually see what a system will look like on the home, and it quantifies the benefits for them. Aurora’s tool helps us overcome a big hurdle that any company in the solar industry faces— how do we help consumers picture having our products integrated with their home?”
Within his first six months at NYSS, Richard’s team rebuilt the NYSS website from the ground up to make Lead Capture AI the primary CTA across the site. Over the course of three weeks, Richard and his development team embedded Lead Capture AI across NYSS’ web experience and integrated incoming leads with their CRM, so that their sales team could quickly follow up on the warm leads. As Richard explains, “Lead Capture AI helps homeowners better evaluate the impact of solar on their home, so whenever we see leads come in from Lead Capture AI, we know those leads are both high-intent and high-quality leads.”
The Result
Now that Lead Capture AI is embedded across the NYSS site, the company’s organic web performance and downstream sales performance have greatly improved. The volume of web leads increased four-fold in less than a month after implementing Lead Capture AI, and they found that set rates from web leads are about 25% higher when compared to other avenues. According to Richard, “With Lead Capture AI, we increased both the volume and quality of leads coming from organic web traffic. Lead Capture AI leads are higher caliber than the leads that come from any other marketing channel.”
With Lead Capture AI, we increased both the volume and quality of leads coming from organic web traffic. Lead Capture AI leads are higher caliber than the leads that come from any other marketing channel.
What's Next
Aurora’s Lead Capture AI is the only solution of its kind in the market; delivering a personalized visual solar estimate on demand was just not possible for NYSS before Aurora. As the company continues to rapidly grow and expand into new markets, NYSS trusts Aurora Solar to help power its solar operations, from first impression to final installation. “On the design side of the business, Aurora has always been a great partner with NY State Solar,” Murdocco noted. “With Lead Capture AI, Aurora gives my marketing efforts another powerful tool to use in our ongoing mission of helping communities across New York go green.”