Meet Our Heroes
Horizon Electric Solar isn’t your typical solar company. They’re not the ones slapping panels on roofs and calling it a day. With over 30 years of boots-on-the-ground experience in Northern California, Horizon Electric Solar specializes in something much more personal: carefully crafted solar and battery backup systems designed to actually cover 100% of your energy needs.
Founded by a team who genuinely cares about the details, Horizon focuses on homeowners in Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake, and surrounding areas who are tired of watching their PG&E bills climb month after month. Their reputation is built on precision, trust, and real expertise in both solar installation and battery backup systems that keep the lights on when the grid goes down.
While other companies treat solar like a one-size-fits-all product, Horizon treats it like a custom solution. They’re not just selling panels. They’re selling peace of mind, energy independence, and savings that actually show up on your bill.
Their Goals
Denita Coker, who leads operations at Horizon Electric Solar, came to us with a clear vision: reach homeowners aged 30 to 70 with solid credit who were ready to take control of their energy costs. The goal wasn’t just to generate leads. It was to connect with people who were actively looking to lower their PG&E bills and finally escape the utility treadmill.
Horizon wanted to dominate their local market across Northern California’s zip codes, from Redding to Red Bluff and everywhere in between. They needed a system that could bring in qualified prospects consistently, at a budget that made sense for a local service business just starting to invest in digital advertising.
And they wanted to stand out in a crowded market full of national solar brands and local competitors who were all shouting the same generic promises.
The Challenge
Horizon Electric Solar had zero paid advertising presence online. No Google Ads. No Facebook campaigns. No Instagram strategy. Nothing.
In an industry flooded with aggressive national players and fly-by-night installers, they were invisible to the exact people searching for solar solutions every single day. Meanwhile, their competitors were pouring money into PPC and social ads, often without any real differentiation or local expertise.
The solar market is also notoriously tricky. Homeowners are skeptical. They’ve been burned by pushy salespeople, misleading financing offers, and companies that overpromise and underdeliver. Trust is everything, and building it online from scratch is no small task.
On top of that, Horizon’s advertising budget was modest: $500 per month. That meant every dollar had to work overtime. There was no room for waste, no tolerance for guesswork. We had to build something efficient, targeted, and scalable from day one.
And the final layer of difficulty? Horizon needed to compete not just on price, but on value, expertise, and trust, all while reaching a very specific audience in a hyper-local market.
Our Process
We knew this wasn’t going to be a spray-and-pray campaign. Horizon Electric Solar needed surgical precision, strategic messaging, and a multi-platform approach that could turn cold traffic into warm leads fast.
Phase One: Building the Foundation
First, we set up their Google Ads account from scratch. This wasn’t just about flipping on some search ads and hoping for clicks. We built campaigns around high-intent keywords like “solar installation Redding,” “lower PG&E bill,” “solar battery backup,” and “best solar company near me.” Every keyword was chosen to match the exact search behavior of homeowners ready to take action.
We structured the campaigns with tight geographical targeting, focusing exclusively on the 30+ zip codes Horizon served across Northern California. No wasted impressions. No clicks from people outside their service area.
At the same time, we launched Facebook and Instagram campaigns designed to build awareness and trust. The messaging was all about Horizon’s 30 years of experience, their meticulous approach to system design, and their commitment to making sure every installation actually covered 100% of the customer’s energy needs. We positioned them as the anti-generic-solar-company: the local experts who care about getting it right.
Visuals were clean, professional, and grounded in real work. No stock photos of smiling families pointing at the sun. Just real installations, real systems, and real results.
Phase Two: Targeting and Testing
We dialed in the audience to homeowners aged 30 to 70 with household incomes that suggested they could qualify for financing and had credit scores of 650 or higher. We layered in behavioral signals like homeownership, interest in sustainability, and engagement with home improvement content.
On Google, we tested different ad copy angles. Some emphasized savings (“Cut Your PG&E Bill by 70%”), others leaned into reliability (“30 Years of Solar Expertise You Can Trust”), and still others focused on the battery backup angle (“Power When the Grid Goes Down”).
On Facebook and Instagram, we ran carousel ads showcasing completed projects, video testimonials from happy clients, and educational content about how solar actually works and why most companies don’t design systems correctly.
We also built out a lead capture system with a simple, mobile-friendly landing page focused on one thing: getting homeowners to request a free consultation. No clutter. No distractions. Just a clear value proposition and an easy way to take the next step.
Phase Three: Optimization and Scale
Once the campaigns were live, we monitored performance daily. We killed underperforming ads fast and doubled down on the winners. On Google, we adjusted bids based on conversion data and added negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic.
On Facebook and Instagram, we refined our audience segments, tested new creative variations, and experimented with retargeting strategies to bring back people who had engaged with Horizon’s content but hadn’t converted yet.
We also started tracking lead quality, not just lead volume. It’s one thing to get someone to fill out a form. It’s another thing to get someone who actually has a roof that qualifies, a decent credit score, and the motivation to move forward. We worked with Denita to fine-tune the funnel based on real feedback from the sales process.
As results improved, we gradually increased spend in the highest-performing areas, always making sure ROI stayed strong.
Results
Within the first 90 days, Horizon Electric Solar went from zero digital advertising presence to becoming one of the most visible solar providers in their market.
Here’s what we achieved:
- Generated 87 qualified leads in the first three months, with an average cost per lead of $23
- Booked 34 in-home consultations, resulting in a consultation rate of 39%
- Closed 11 solar installations valued at over $220,000 in total revenue
- Achieved a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 14.6x, meaning every dollar spent generated nearly $15 in sales
- Reduced cost per acquisition (CPA) by 41% between month one and month three as we optimized campaigns
- Increased website traffic by 340% compared to the pre-campaign baseline
- Grew Facebook and Instagram engagement by 280%, building a local following of engaged homeowners
Horizon Electric Solar didn’t just get leads. They got the right leads. Homeowners with solid credit, real motivation, and properties that were perfect fits for solar and battery backup.
And because the campaigns were built on a foundation of trust, transparency, and expertise, the leads that came through were already pre-sold on Horizon’s value. They weren’t shopping around for the cheapest option. They were looking for the best solution, and Horizon delivered.
From a standing start with a $500 monthly budget, we helped Horizon Electric Solar become the go-to solar authority in Northern California. They’re no longer invisible. They’re the company homeowners call when they’re serious about cutting their PG&E bills and taking control of their energy future.
