Building the Gigabit City in Colorado workshop

Building the Gigabit City in Colorado

Objectives of Workshop

•Building blocks for strategy foundation

• Improve ability to advance broadband

•Basic skills for ongoing tasks

• Leverage the e-book

Workshop Format

•General overview of skillset

•Apply knowledge to your community

•Collaboration

Workshop Sessions1. Stakeholder assessment

2. Winning the political game

3. Data gathering

4. Ownership, funding options

5. Marketing strategy & tactics

I. Stakeholder Assessment• Provide 30,000-foot view

• Initial insight to potential impact

•Captains to lead the charge

•Keys to anchor tenants

Stakeholder Categories

• Local government

• Education

•Nonprofit organizations

•Medical/healthcare

Stakeholder Categories (more)•Real Estate

• Largest companies

•Media

•Agriculture

Art of the Possible

• Educate to possibilities

•Relate benefits to their world

•What’s that worth to you?

•Many will sell themselves

II. Winning the Political Game

III. Constituent Data Collection

•More you know, greater the ROI

•Multiple ways to gather

•Ongoing process

•Gather info, increase supporters

Build on Stakeholder Info• Test assumptions

•Determine depth of support

• Pre-sell broadband

• Ideally – start a movement

Constituent Groups

• Local government

•Business owners

• Students/educators

•Medical community

Constituent Groups (more)

•General population - demographics

•General population - occupation

•Appropriate subgroups

IV. Organization Structure

•City or county owns infrastructure

• Public utility owns network

•Community creates nonprofit

•Community creates co-op

Organization Structure (more)

•Use existing nonprofit

• Existing co-op transitions

• Public private partnership

•Business people create company

Funding Options•Municipal bonds

• Jurisdiction offers assets

•Constituents invests

• Pre-pay for buildout

• Take it to the bank

V. What Is Marketing?

• Education

• Translation

•Motivation – the call to action

Why Is Marketing Important?

• People have to know about network

• People have to understand benefits

• If no one uses broadband, you’re hosed!

• Poor marketing = few users, low revenue

How Will Marketing Succeed?

• Project team learns or hires the skillset

•Understand your various markets

• Plan thoroughly

• Execute well

How Will Marketing Fail

• You don’t understand stakeholders

• Your messaging sucks

• People have the wrong expectations

•Underestimate competitors

Good Marketing Begins with Great Vision

•What is the network to accomplish

•How will primary stakeholders benefit

•How will you measure success

Take Me to the Pilot

• You can pilot test anything

•Don’t try to test everything

• Prior previous planning is key

Know What You’re Marketing

•Benefits

• Infrastructure

• Services

• The community

Know Who You’re Marketing To

•What did needs assessment uncover

• Shape marketing messages accordingly

•Constituents evolve, come and go

What You Ask Is Key• If you have broadband, how can you help

yourself, help others?

•How would broadband change what you do, how you do it?

•What are impacts of this change?

Create Marketing Roadmap from the Answers

•Answers define technology

• Translate technology to benefits

•Created vehicles to deliver the messages

ID Marketing Partners

•Who can make/save money, operate better

•Who’s dedicated to the public good

•Who has marketing leverage

•Who’s willing to commit

Grab Your Partner Dosey Doe

• Partners offload marketing expenses

• They enable faster market penetration

• They create barriers to competition

Typical Targets

•Government agencies

•Medical/Healthcare community

•Businesses

•K-12 schools, colleges, universities

Marketing Starts Long Before Service Begins

•Constituents need clear picture of network and its benefits

• They need to understand progress, delays

•Will you have an aggressive PR effort

Build Following While Building Infrastructure

•Articulate the value proposition

• Encourage early commitment

• Prepare internal operations

•Kick butt & take names

Launching the Service

• The pilot project as marketing foundation

•Make it a big #$%@#! deal

•Roll out the usual suspects

•Make the network a marketing vehicle

What’s in Your Tool Box?•Marketing points strong, consistent, used by

everyone, every thing

•Media relations carries the day

•What role will marcom play

•KISS me, fool

Think Globally, Act Locally

• Integrate with other communication

•Deliver on the promise

• Turn satisfied customers into mini-marketers

Execute Well Designed Launch

• Encourage word of mouth

•Constantly gather data

•Adapt and perform

• It’s the economy, stupid

Brace for the Backlash•Know thy enemy

•Use incumbents’ strength against them

• Power of “hometown team”

•Never, ever compete on price!

Marketing Your Community

•On par with costs, education & workforce

•Coordinate your efforts

•Make the network a marketing vehicle