Some crazy ideas, especially for people selling to residential.

The big problem: people without Internet. They don’t know what they are missing. They may not have a computer (or an internet.

One way to demo is to load up a tablet with apps that show the many facets of the Internet. Not just Facebook and Netflix, but job searches, networking and special interest stuff (like cooking or fitness)

What about giving away tablets or Chromebooks wrapped in a 2 or 3 year agreement like the cellcos?

For people that say mobile Internet is all I need: What about wi-fi offload to prevent data overage charges? Again here, a hardware-broadband bundle might work.

Another thought is to bundle a FreedomPOP phone with your service. It’s free on wi-fi. And it offers a Privacy Phone (Samsung SII) for the fanatics. FreedomPOP also sells 4G mobile Internet via the Clearwire network at very inexpensive rates. 4G backup?

TVs, Roku, Xbox, smartphones, tablets, video cameras, Nest thermometers – just a few of the items that need wi-fi. Give your users a bunch of reasons to have wi-fi!! Your wi-fi.

Training and more training… because not everyone knows how to use tablets, iPhones, etc. Be the Expert.

Frontier Ekes Out More Voice Line Value with Text-to-Landline Service: via Zipwhip. Many ways to add texting to landlines or SMS to VoIP. More ideas along this vein in my article at TMC.

TV Bundles like Roku or Amazon Fire or Chromecast with Broadband. AT&T is bundling HBO with U-Verse. Many channels are online for pay (like CBS). Frontier has a deal for broadband with a Tivo of over-the-air and online content. “The deal, which will kick-off in mid-2015, will have Frontier offering a TiVo Roamio OTA DVR. This slimmed down DVR set-top-box features a digital over-the-air (OTA) antenna for local OTA broadcast signals, access to OTT video content like Netflix, and other features including WiFi connectivity.”

Lessons from Google Fiber’s rollout

Find out what your customers want. It may not be TV – especially with the cord cutting. One of my non-techie 30-something friends just installed Chromecast to cut the cable. Many friends watch TV on their iPad. So how many people in a few years will buy a new TV? Not unless it becomes a video calling device too. (Right now it just monitors you.)

Some crazy ideas, especially for people selling to residential.

The big problem: people without Internet. They don’t know what they are missing. They may not have a computer (or an internet.

One way to demo is to load up a tablet with apps that show the many facets of the Internet. Not just Facebook and Netflix, but job searches, networking and special interest stuff (like cooking or fitness)

What about giving away tablets or Chromebooks wrapped in a 2 or 3 year agreement like the cellcos?

For people that say mobile Internet is all I need: What about wi-fi offload to prevent data overage charges? Again here, a hardware-broadband bundle might work.

Another thought is to bundle a FreedomPOP phone with your service. It’s free on wi-fi. And it offers a Privacy Phone (Samsung SII) for the fanatics. FreedomPOP also sells 4G mobile Internet via the Clearwire network at very inexpensive rates. 4G backup?

TVs, Roku, Xbox, smartphones, tablets, video cameras, Nest thermometers – just a few of the items that need wi-fi. Give your users a bunch of reasons to have wi-fi!! Your wi-fi.

Training and more training… because not everyone knows how to use tablets, iPhones, etc. Be the Expert.

Frontier Ekes Out More Voice Line Value with Text-to-Landline Service: via Zipwhip. Many ways to add texting to landlines or SMS to VoIP. More ideas along this vein in my article at TMC.

TV Bundles like Roku or Amazon Fire or Chromecast with Broadband. AT&T is bundling HBO with U-Verse. Many channels are online for pay (like CBS). Frontier has a deal for broadband with a Tivo of over-the-air and online content. “The deal, which will kick-off in mid-2015, will have Frontier offering a TiVo Roamio OTA DVR. This slimmed down DVR set-top-box features a digital over-the-air (OTA) antenna for local OTA broadcast signals, access to OTT video content like Netflix, and other features including WiFi connectivity.”

Lessons from Google Fiber’s rollout

Find out what your customers want. It may not be TV – especially with the cord cutting. One of my non-techie 30-something friends just installed Chromecast to cut the cable. Many friends watch TV on their iPad. So how many people in a few years will buy a new TV? Not unless it becomes a video calling device too. (Right now it just monitors you.)

J2 Global owns a lot of companies including efax, Ziff-Davis, CRM and an email marketing platform called Campaigner. Campaigner “announced the results of its marketing trends survey detailing key industry insights and identifying specific areas of focus for 2015.”

“53% of respondents report that higher click-through rates and email interaction are the number one email marketing priorities for 2015.” Email is still used for closing sales; social media is for reach or noise.

Marketing today is about salience and engagement. Salience being staying in front of your market as top of mind for when they do pull the trigger on the sale. Engagement being a way to get referrals, give customer care and retain customers.

2 infographics:

How to Grow Your Email Contact List in 2015

Summary of the Trends

J2 Global owns a lot of companies including efax, Ziff-Davis, CRM and an email marketing platform called Campaigner. Campaigner “announced the results of its marketing trends survey detailing key industry insights and identifying specific areas of focus for 2015.”

“53% of respondents report that higher click-through rates and email interaction are the number one email marketing priorities for 2015.” Email is still used for closing sales; social media is for reach or noise.

Marketing today is about salience and engagement. Salience being staying in front of your market as top of mind for when they do pull the trigger on the sale. Engagement being a way to get referrals, give customer care and retain customers.

2 infographics:

How to Grow Your Email Contact List in 2015

Summary of the Trends

Borrowing a page from Google Fiber, Allied Telecom has asked people to vote on its next route.

It is probably a good idea to get input but you need an anchor tenant for most fiber builds.

On the FISPA list, in discussion about the FCC’s order to circumvent state laws in Tenn and NC to prevent muni networks, there was discussion about cherry picking – that muni networks would cherry pick your best customers. Haven’t we been cherry picking their best customers for years? Isn’t that the very nature of our business?

It seems to me that muni networks are just one more competitor to strategize against. One client has 5 fiber players in his market — 5 including att, c-link, cable and 2 others!!! That’s a bigger problem than one muni network.

If you have been reading this blog for long, you know that 40% of the people buy on price, the rest buy on value. So if you know how to market and sell your services you are aces.