Cleantech isn’t just an industry—it’s a diverse collection of industries that share a focus on building a better tomorrow. But even the most innovative solutions—from cutting-edge solar panels to advanced battery storage—can get lost if no one understands or sees your story.
And that’s a risk that’s particularly acute in cleantech, no matter the size of the company.
For startups and mid-stage ventures, the pressure is even higher. You’re competing for contracts, funding, attention, and sometimes even regulatory approval in a fickle space that seems to rewrite the rulebook every time the sun comes up. Without the right marketing moves, even breakthrough tech can get lost in the shadows.
Still, that’s no reason to give up, and let’s face it, if you’re in the clean technology space, you care about the stakes too much to walk away. A win in cleantech is often a win for the world, so let’s get after it. Here are a few of the key opportunities and cleantech marketing strategies we’re seeing that gain the biggest results today:
1. Tell Your Story Early
Many cleantech innovators wait until their tech is fully developed before they even think about marketing. Big mistake. By then, someone else may already be shaking hands at ribbon cuttings while you’re still planning for perfection. Getting your story out early shapes how investors, partners, and communities see you—and it can give you a huge advantage when you need signatures on contracts or votes on public approval.
Take Birch Creek Energy, for example. We helped build their brand and digital presence from the start—connecting leaders with landowners, regulators, utilities, and potential employees. That early positioning paid off, helping Birch Creek Energy become the #3 fastest-growing company in America and #1 in Energy on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list. (Read our Birch Creek case study to learn more.)
Pull quote:
“Tech is cool, but people are human, and humans need stories to care. Look for an agency that gets both tech and humans – and you can communicate just about anything.” – Mike Schaffer, Echo-Factory CEO
Takeaway: Don’t wait. Build your brand early, tell your story clearly, and stake your claim as a leader from day one.
2. Make Complex Tech Easy to Get
Some cleantech solutions are mind-boggling—hydrogen electrolysis, power-to-gas, modular geothermal. If people don’t get it, they tune out. The trick? Keep it simple yet compelling.
Pull quote:
“The most effective videos are smart but still accessible to different audiences – think ‘TED Talk’ not ‘doctoral dissertation.’”
– Mike Schaffer, Echo-Factory CEO
Expert advice: Use visuals, analogies, or a quick video to show why your tech matters. Make people understand and care, and the details can come later.
3. Connect to ESG and Policy Opportunities
Regulations, incentives, and corporate sustainability targets through Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) create big opportunities. Companies that tie their solutions to these forces get attention, funding, and contracts faster. Sometimes even a simple rebrand can make your business sound less like an evil sci-fi movie villain and more like the future people want to invest in.
Here’s an example: When Unifrax and Lydall merged, they needed a brand fast, turning to Echo-Factory for help get it done in record time. Enter Alkegen, a new name and look that conveyed transformation and sustainability. Plus, the company’s “Alkegen Arc” visual symbol isn’t just pretty—it signals their mission: helping the planet breathe easier, live greener, and go further than ever before. (Read our Alkegen case study for more detail.)
Pull quote:
“Great agencies help align cleantech solutions with industry challenges and policy changes to get people on your side before negativity starts to bubble up.”
– Mike Schaffer, Echo-Factory CEO
Tip: Make ESG central to your story—it’s no longer an optional add-on, so prep for it early.
4. Reach the Right People Online
Long sales cycles, technical buyers, and multiple stakeholders make broad digital campaigns a waste of money and time. Cleantech needs precision.
Tactics:
- Target sustainability leads, procurement managers, or energy planners on LinkedIn
- Use search and retargeting campaigns to stay top-of-mind
- Offer helpful tools, like ROI calculators or white papers, to turn interest into actionable leads
Agencies with cleantech and extensive B2B experience go straight for the movers and shakers. Remember: You don’t always need to reach everyone. Focus your digital campaigns where decision-makers spend time online, and nurture them with tailored content that guides them down the pipeline.
Pro tip: Yes, when we talk about nurture, we mean thinking tactically about all the details and emotions that matter – not just incentives or guilt.
5. Make Events Work for You
Conferences, summits, and tradeshows are goldmines if you plan well.
Tips:
- Secure speaking slots and panel spots—don’t just stand in a booth
- Promote events in advance, capture live moments on social, and follow up afterward
- Make every touchpoint tell a cohesive story about your brand and solution
Pull quote:
“The right visuals at in-person events are just as critical as covers for books. Even ebook covers lead people to judgements about the content, and your booth materials are just as important. The best deliver cohesive images and phrasing that express your story fast.”
– Mike Schaffer, Echo-Factory CEO
Well-planned events turn visibility into credibility, and they can lead not only to contacts and contracts, but new partners, too.
Pro tip: Yes, your cool free tote bags help, but your story is the thing you really want people to take home.
6. Partner to Amplify Your Reach
Partnerships can turn tides faster than fighting the good fight on your own. Utilities, NGOs, fellow innovators, and academic institutions can bring audiences, credibility, and networks it would take a decade to build alone. So, as you plan your marketing campaigns, hunt for like-minded partnerships where each party gets to win.
Tip to remember: Great agencies can help you coordinate campaigns, co-host webinars, or co-publish content – and sometimes they’re even great mediators and heavy-lifters when working between two overworked marketing departments!
Let’s Talk
The cleantech world moves fast—and marketing is moving with it. Founders and marketing leads who act quickly, tell stories that actually stick, target the right people, and team up with the right partners? They scale faster and win more. At Echo-Factory, we often team up with amazing—but understaffed—marketing leaders who need a collaborative boost and a tactical crew to help them get it all done.
If that sounds like you, don’t hesitate to reach out – let’s talk and create a plan to get your stories out in the world where they can inspire action.
