This is definitely an incomplete and imperfect section; additions are especially appreciated here.
Students graduating from college have already gotten addicted to the net and will pay reasonable money to gain it through a commercial provider.
Reach them through advertisements in alt.internet.access.wanted and similar newsgroups. Postings on free college bulletin boards are also likely targets.
Jason Goldberg
The Internet has many wonderful discussion groups on issues ranging
from sex to Unix. Jason Goldberg suggests contacting local groups,
from chess clubs to dog breeders, and showing them a pre-researched
set of resources that can be obtained on the net. For example,
chess enthusiasts would enjoy reading rec.games.chess and the ICS (an
Internet chess server that lets you battle real-time opponents from
around the globe).
There are many people who would like to use the Internet outside of
work. They will pay for an account that gives them privacy from their
employers, allowing them to participate in the "forbbidden" sections
of the net without fear of sanctions.
The internet access wanted newsgroups are probably the best ways to
find these people.
Bulletin boards are getting hooked up to the Internet in massive numbers,
but the culture clash between them and people with "real" Internet access
is very strong. Most bulletin board systems don't offer newsreaders with
killfile or threading capabilities, and as a result the quality of access
tends to be very low. In addition, direct services like Gopher, FTP,
etc, tends to be either non-existant or available at substantial extra
cost. Although this situation is bound to change somewhat, my experience
is that BBS software vendors are remarkably clueless in this regard.
BBS callers are used to paying fairly minimal amounts of money for access,
but this seems to be changing; I know of several large systems that charge
around $ 15/month, which would get you a shell account from a number of
small providers.
The best way to compete with BBSs is to ask to be added to major BBS lists.
A good guest account or new user routine is a must; BBS callers are used
to getting a good taste of what they're getting before they have to pony
up the cash.
They are obviously intrigued, if you look at the sales figures of Internet
books and information. Certainly there has been a massive flood of Internet
stuff, such as the Time cover story, and that has no doubt piqued a
significant amount of interest.
However, it may be quite difficult to reach them. Flyers posted around
bookstores might be a good approach, since people who find Internet books
are undeniably interested in access. I'd love a few more ideas to add to
this section of the FAQ. :-)
The cheapest way to market your services is via the World Wide Web
(WWW). With the commercial online services rapidly getting Web page
access, more of your potential customers than ever can see your
message. And, since people tend to seek out Internet providers in
their area, the WWW is an ideal marketing medium.
B J Herbison
* Find (via Yahoo or B J's own list of ISP listings) all the ISP
listing pages you can. See
http://www.herbison.com/herbison/iap_meta_list.html.
* List the services you are willing to provide in clear, concise
language.
* Keep your entry up to date. Nothing's duller than a stale Web page.
* Review your competition's entries and make sure you measure up.
Don't forget any special services you provide that differentiate
yourself from your competitors.
* Make your own Web page. Don't make it dependant on Netscape; people
in need of an Internet provider will call you from AOL, Prodigy, or
even text only sites.
* Remember that the most important thing about an Internet provider to
your customers is whether it's local to you. You might be impressed
by MCS in Chicago, IL, but if you're in San Diego, CA, you're not
going to be able to use their service! Be sure it's easy for people
to know that you're local to them. B J suggests you check out
http://www.iii.net/iii-info/local-di.htmlfor a clear presentation of
the cold, cruel phone company facts.
Draper Kauffman
"On a guess, if you cound referrals from these new customers, we'll probably
get 60 to 100 paid subscribers for the cost of supporting 10 customers
for a year. Most important for a startup: there's no actual cash outlay!
Compare that to thecost of producing a 60-second TV spot and having it
aired 10 times during prime time."
He adds that this gambit may be effective exactly once, since his
competitors are also going to be doing it next year, and the novelty
value will be gone. But for the virtually zero cost, it's a
phenomenal return. I might add that public radio might do nearly as
well, and many markets have more than one public radio station. So
even if this has been done already by another provider, you may want
to see if there are stations or outlets they've forgotten.
Alicia Salomon
Chris Hawkinson
* The Internet is one of the hottest things in the world right now,
but few know how to use it. Offer and package your expertise by
offering one-day Internet seminars to your local colleges, high
schools or adult education centres. You'll get a few customers,
and you'll also be paid as a teacher as well. Don't miss out on
this negative cost marketing opportunity!
* Produce an Internet newsletter. Write articles about the latest
trends in the net, and the latest hot sites and IRC channels. Include
information about your service and a special offer (introductory
rates, waived set-up fees, etc) to get people interested. This is,
incidentally, also an excellent way to retain customers who might
otherwise lose interest in the net; give them something interesting
to check out every month, and your renewals should soar!
* Produce an Internet column for your local newspaper, free weekly
or computer publication. This could have basically the same content
as your newsletter. Be sure to include your company name and phone
number in the author section. (Example: "David H Dennis is owner
and CEO of David's Amazing Internet Services; modem (818) 997-7500").
* Bundle your service, including free setup or a free month, with
the purchase of a new computer or modem from local computer stores,
or membership in local computer clubs. Present your service at a
local computer users' group meeting and raffle off a free year.
Here are some general suggestions, also from Jason:
Distinguish yourself from the competition; don't make the mistake of
focusing solely on price. The more value-added services you can
offer, such as an Internet newsletter or seminars, the more likely you
are to prosper in this hotly competitive world. Offer monthly
seminars, a newsletter, and/or value-added software. Include Internet
books, videos or software with membership. Make sure people
understand your unique advantages - T1 vs inferior competitors'
options, faster computers, more disk space, etc. Focus on
differentiating yourself, not on raw price!
Set specific goals for your service, and work towards them. "I
would like to add 50 new accounts a month." Is it easier (and
cheaper) to upgrade existing accounts to SLIP than to beat the
bushes for new customers? If you have a lot of former customers,
it might be very cost-effective to lure them back with a mailing
of a special offer. This is especially true if you can show how
you've improved during the time they've been gone. Offer special
deals for customers with accounts on other services - CIS, AOL,
Prodigy, Netcom, etc. Sell additional Internet products - books,
videos, software, other services. Rent or trade your mailing list
to local computer stores or other businesses. Consider a co-op
ad, where you team up with other local businesses to buy a large ad
instead of purchasing multiple small ones.
Encourage your customers to call or write mail when they have a
problem. The "silent majority" of customers don't complain - they
just move to another provider. Be sure you treat the people who
do send you mail with genuine concern, and they will award you
with loyalty, even if you don't manage to fix their problems.
(I [the FAQ maintainer] know this one from personal experience!)
Send them a holiday card, thanking them for their business. Give
them rewards for referring business your way - i.e. a $ 10 discount
on their next subscription per paying subscriber referred.
(Jason Goldberg
Next section: Internet Marketing
12.3 Special Interest Groups
12.4 People with Internet access at work
12.5 Current callers to computer bulletin boards (BBSs)
12.6 The General Public
12.7 Some low-cost marketing ideas (*)
Offer "a low level of free access" to local libraries and schools.
"The publicity and good will alone can make it worthwhile. Further,
since it isn't full access (let's say just to Gopher), users can
quickly get hooked. Lastly, you can use the libraries as an
'information provider' to add more value at the local level.
Offer a reward for new users. Everyone who gets a new user to join
Chris' system gets $ 5 for each $ 55 (yearly) BBS account.
Jason Goldberg