“With First Wind’s new website, we wanted to make sure that users had multiple opportunities to find out about First Wind’s unique personality, and it looks like that’s exactly what is happening,” said Ted Page, Principal and Creative Director of Captains of Industry. “The new media center is a great example of how good web content like our videos can help make a website more dynamic and interesting for viewers.”

Captains of Industry has been working with renewable energy companies since they became the agency of record for First Wind in 2007 The Captains assisted in rebranding the company, formerly known as UPC Wind in 2008, and currently provide First Wind with strategic communications counsel, web and print design, and videos.

Captains of Industry has a dedicated clean tech marketing communications group that helps companies in this thriving sector speed their growth through effective storytelling. Captains of Industry developed the branding for Deepwater Wind, a leading offshore wind energy company, and is now working with, Alteris Renewables, the leading installer of solar and wind in the Northeast.

About Captains of Industry
Captains of Industry is an independent marketing and filmmaking company with expertise in renewable energy and viral marketing. The agency has created memorable work for clients ranging from First Wind and Deepwater Wind to Dunkin’ Donuts, Bose Professional systems, Akamai and SolidWorks. In a BusinessWeek CEO Guide to Online Video, two of Captains’ campaigns were ranked among the top ten created nationally. Learn more at www.captainsofindustry.com or follow us on twitter @CaptainsBoston.

###

In addition to being a funny video, Stephen Colbert’s argument brings up some related questions about marketing for renewable and clean energy companies.  There is an intense debate going on in the country, and it seems like the only people participating in that debate in full view of the public are the politicians (and funny talk show hosts).  There is a real opportunity for clean energy companies to step forward and add their experience to the debate of what should be done about global warming.  No one is better suited to discuss the economics of clean energy than the people who are actually creating jobs in solar, wind and other renewable technologies. When Americans see that renewable energy puts more money in the pockets through jobs and other economic development in their towns, and they also understand the true costs of gobal warming, the tide will turn towards renewables. And any company that can become a nationally-noticed figure in this debate can become a real powerhouse – for both change and profits.

A lot of basic, common sense things go into making a great website, and you’ll see some of those reflected here – but also specific considerations to take into account when making a new website for your renewable energy or clean tech company.

1. Get everyone internally to agree on the goals of the website. What’s #1?

If possible, get all your key decision makers in a room and hash this out, and don’t let anyone leave until they’ve signed the document that spells out exactly what the goals for the site are. Your site can’t do all things for all people. It needs focus. So go ahead and make your laundry list, but define a top goal. For example, you may want to clearly show that you have the best solar panel installation process. But your number one goal may be to get the maximum number of consumers and businesses in your area to think of your company first when they’re considering going solar. As you go through the web development process, continually double back and make sure the site will help you achieve your #1 goal. If you stray from the path, back up and start again. Ultimately it’s worth the time and effort to get it right.

2. Define your audiences.

Who do you really, really need to reach? Is it the public at large, the press, investors, or policymakers in Washington (or all of them)? Once your organization has agreed on whom you are trying to connect with, you need to create buyer personas for each target group. The buyer persona outlines in detail exactly what their hot buttons are. To learn more about how to create buyer personas, read David M. Scott’s excellent book, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.”

3. Your messaging should quickly answer these questions: What do you do and why should I care?

It’s a common trap to think that just because you have the best clean technology since the invention of the sun that everyone will instantly ‘get it’ and want to buy it from you, or invest a gazillion dollars in your company. Many companies don’t take the time to be very clear about what they have to offer. In fact, they put total gobbledygook copy on their home pages. The trick is to describe what you do in a way that will appeal directly to the hot buttons for your #1 audience buyer persona. For example, if the buyer persona of the person you really want to influence is a policymaker in Washington who’s keenly interested in reducing America’s reliance on foreign oil, that idea should shape your message. You’ll go from, “Here at WindPro, we make clean energy from wind using our patented Fandibulum Contabulation™ technology,” to “WindPro delivers clean wind energy to homes across America, helping build our energy independence and reduce our reliance on costly foreign oil.” Bingo.

4. Don’t fall into the flower trap.

Just because your company is helping the environment using clean technology, that does not mean your home page design should feature children running through fields of flowers as puppies frolic (healthy puppies fed all-organic puppy chow) as birds chirp and spin in a pristine blue sky. These days clean energy means business, and the environmental aspect – while important – often plays a secondary role to saving money, being efficient, and operating in a sustainable way.

5. Keep it simple.

The whole idea of a technology being “clean” implies a lack of visual pollution. Consider a design that uses lots of white space, with very intuitive navigation.

6. Make it easy for your customers.

One energy company that Captains of Industry worked with tried to recruit business people to focus groups to gauge their understanding of carbon emissions regulations. But they wanted to get people who had at least SOME knowledge of the topic. We’re talking energy managers here, people whose job entails knowing about the complexities of energy. The upshot was that it was next to impossible to get enough people who knew enough to offer significant insights. So, first off, don’t assume your audience knows what you know. Second, put yourself in their shoes when designing your website architecture: will they know where to go and what to click on? Does the copy spell out your technology in a way that’s understandable? Do the images and design elements reinforce the points you are trying to make? Is it really, really easy to know what to do next? To learn more about how to make your website a no brainer (even for smart people) read “Don’t Make Me Think,” by Steve Krug (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Common-Sense-Approach-Usability/dp/0789723107)

7. Use video to create a personality.
In the age of YouTube, building a new website without video is like building a new house without a roof. Nothing lets you tell a story like motion pictures. You can take your technology beyond bits and bytes, and show the personality of your people and your customers. Why does working in clean energy get you out of bed in the morning? What’s your passion? In the clean energy world, especially in solar and wind, your customers need to be reassured that you share their environmental mission. Don’t leave this story to static text on your site. Also, the video should not be some repurposed corporate video (bla, bla, bla), but something new that’s fully integrated into the design and messaging of your new website. Look at First Wind’s media center (link here) (full disclosure, made by us) to get an idea of how video can help tell the story of clean energy in a web environment.

8. Make your news prominent, and update it frequently.
Search engines like Google love frequently updated content, and news from your company is the easiest thing to update on a regular basis. Having the latest news cycle through on your home page tells your audiences that you are a happening company that’s out in the market making news, and Google will (over time) rank you higher because more people are seeking out the latest news from your company.

9. Integrate with social networks.
Be sure to add links to your Twitter account to your site (at least on the home page, and on the contact page), plus links that make it easy to share the site via Digg and other bookmarking sites. AddThis (www.addthis.com) provides a way for people to share on the site of their choosing, with only one icon on your web page.

10. You wouldn’t wear the cheapest suit on the rack when meeting with investors. Don’t cheap out on your website, either.
You can certainly get a website written and designed for $5,000, but it won’t reflect the real quality of your company, or be crafted in a way that will resonate with the right people. It’s unfortunately true that banks usually don’t lend money to people who don’t have money, and if your site looks like it was pieced together with bubble gum, it won’t inspire confidence. Don’t cheap out on your website by making it in-house without the right resources, or hiring a couple of kids to make it for you. Find a professional. Your website is your opportunity to make your company look like the billion dollar company you can become, and is worth the investment.

I’d like to follow up on Ted’s post about logos with a thought I had recently.  I was flipping through a new book a friend showed me, Unforgettable: Images That Have Changed Our Lives by Peter Devenport, and I got to thinking about the importance of making the images that represent your company memorable.  Unforgettable is a collection of the world’s most famous images: King Kong, Elvis twisting his hips, Charles Lindbergh in Paris, Marilyn Monroe over the sewer grate, etc. However, there isn’t a single a picture in the book.  Only blank pages with small captions at the bottom.  I’ll bet you, though, that if we both look at the same page and draw that image, we’ll draw the same one.

All of the images in the book have something in common; they tell the story.  Whether the story is of an era, or an event, or of a group, these images capture it completely.  That is the ultimate goal of a logo.  To capture the story of a company, and of an entire industry.

In renewable energy, that logo is still available for the making.  There’s no logo that captures the clean energy story.  A good logo for renewable energy companies is one that, when seen, a person on the street knows what you do and who you are.  A great logo is if a person on the street thinks the words “solar energy,” “wind energy,” or “renewable energy” and your logo is the image that comes to mind.

Please leave me links to some logos that you think are great!  I’d love to see them.

Lots of companies are jumping in to the clean energy space, and all of them will need logos that tell their story and set them apart from the competition. If you’re with one of these companies, you’re no doubt thinking, “Is there really a difference between making a logo for a clean energy company and other types of companies?” The answer is a resounding YES. Here are 5 tips every clean energy start-up should know.

Don’t make people guess what you do.

First, recognize that clean energy is a relatively new industry, at least as far as the American public is concerned. Everybody knows what gasoline is, but most people – whether they’re investors, the press, or the public – are not going to instantly understand your particular branch of clean energy unless you make it very, very clear. It starts with a descriptive company name, which your graphic elements and tagline can build from (see below on tags). For example, Winergy Power Holdings struggled for years to win a bid to build an offshore wind farm. Winergy had unique technology for building wind farms in deeper waters offshore, where visual impact would be less of an issue for coastal residents. Captains of Industry (full disclosure, that’s us) helped create a new name and logo for the company – Deepwater Wind (www.dwwind.com). The name itself is far more descriptive of their technology. The logo, integrating waves and wind, helps convey the power of ocean wind. Soon after the rebranding, Deepwater Wind beat out a range of competitors to build a large offshore wind project in Rhode Island. The new brand was not the only reason they won, but it was a significant factor.

In an era of tight credit, you have to look solid and credible.

The credit markets are in better shape today than early in 2009, but it’s still pretty rough out there. That means investors are being extra cautious about where they put their money. Your logo must convey a sense of solidity, trust, and credibility. Banks have always known this, and designed their brands accordingly. Check out the logos for Bank of America (www.bankofamerica.com) and State Street (www.statestreet.com). They look chiseled out of stone. Never mind that they got rocked by the financial crisis; just about everybody did. They both came out stronger than before, and are still solid. Also note that each logo is blue, similar in hue to the Deepwater Wind logo. Color theory says that blue connotes financial stability. Green connotes freshness and environmental awareness, used effectively by Solar City: (www.solarcity.com). Note, however, that Solar City is an established company and not a startup, so they may have less of a need to look financially viable. Red connotes excitement and sexiness. You may be passionate about your technology, but it’s your customer’s perceptions that matter, so leave the red for other types of brands (or use it just as an accent color – see www.mobil.com). Notice what color the red is surrounded by?

Since nobody owns the sun or wind, it’s extra important for your logo to convey why you are unique.

What’s going to make your wind energy company look any different from others? Do you use better wind? Think long and hard about what makes your company truly unique before you ever approach a designer about making a logo, then make very sure that your uniqueness is captured. Various font styles and weights each convey a personality. Adding unique graphic elements to the type treatment can augment your personality and help create an image that’s “you.”

Your logo will work harder if it’s connected with a tagline.

Big companies that have been around forever and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on their marketing over years often don’t have taglines, for the simple reason that they don’t need them. But your company may be new. Take this opportunity to reinforce the name of your company and the graphic design of the logo with a tag that helps set you apart. Keep it short – less than 6 words or so. For First Wind (www.firstwind.com), a leading wind energy company, Captains of Industry created the line, “Clean Energy. Made Here.” The company name and tagline says what they do, while instilling pride in the fact that they are building energy independence. ”Made here” can mean America, or even my own town. And it does all this in 4 words.

It has to look good everywhere, from your website to the jacket worn by the turbine construction worker. This may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of companies mess it up. They make a logo that looks nice on the web, but when it gets reproduced on a jersey it looks awful. Make sure your designer shows you how the logo will look on a cap, a shirt, or on the side of a truck. This is especially important for clean energy companies, like solar companies, who may have installers visiting neighborhoods.

A simple logo test
Try this simple test when you’re going through the logo development process. Let’s say your designer has developed 3 possible logos and has boarded them up for your management to review. Show them the logos and ask yourself: “How does this make you feel, and what does it say about us?” If the answers you get back match what you’re trying to get across, that’s a good sign. But don’t make your selection right away. Sleep on it. When you return to work the next day, what logo stuck in your mind? Choose that one.

Contact us to find out how to Captainize your website

Instead of relying on hackneyed appeals to “be green”, we decided it was important for the creative concept to be rooted in the game of golf itself. Being golfers ourselves, we’re familiar with the history of the game and its dedication to preserving the honor of the game as well the course.  The theme – It’s the Right Thing to Do – was employed in a commercial and course signage, while a print ad used a golf theme to illustrate ways to reduce carbon footprints. Feedback from Constellation, from the CEO on down, was extremely positive, and the event was a big success.

Contact us to find out how to Captainize your event marketing

Alteris Renewables, the largest solar installer in the Northeast, came to Captains when they needed to launch an innovative new solar program in Massachusetts. Instead of paying a fortune up front for a solar installation, households could in effect rent the sun. Homeowners put down just $1,000, and pay every month just for the clean energy produced by their solar panels, instead of buying the panels outright. The mailer, showing how easy it now is to be green, helped build the Alteris brand in the state and draw potential customers to a seminar on solar energy.

Contact us to find out how to Captainize your direct mail

UPC Wind came to Captains when they needed to establish a whole new look for the company that would take them to their next level of success. Through a strategic process that involved brainstorming with their senior management, Captains established a new brand, with a new name, logo, tagline, and graphic design, that’s helped them become one of the top wind energy companies in the United States. Their tagline (Clean Energy. Make Here.) gets across everything they’re about in just four words, while the new name and image conveys a sense of credibility and innovation.

Contact us to find out how to Captainize your brand

Contact us to find out how to Captainize your website