Your ISP marketing strategy must get results to maintain ongoing profitability. This is true whether you use guerilla tactics like handing out flyers or if you spend thousands of dollars on mailers and Facebook ads.

To know whether a campaign is successful, the time and money spent has to result in enough revenue to justify the investment.
Track and measure every aspect of your marketing, even if all you do is hand out business cards. If your tactics aren’t getting the results you want, then you can save money on printing cards and use it toward something that pays!

These steps tell you how to measure your ISP’s marketing success, in two distinct categories:

Category #1: Measuring ISP Marketing Strategy Success: Tracking Methods

Each tactic should have a way to measure a recipient’s response. When a new subscriber calls to request an install, trace the action back to the specific tactic that ignited the call.
Ask, “How did you hear about us?” when a customer calls in or fills out a form online. Their answer tells you how they found you.

If you use mailers and coupons in your campaigns they should have a unique code. This code will tell you which channel and message brings in the most money.

Each campaign can have more than one tracking method to measure response from different customer demographics, each phase of the campaign (Spring, Summer, Fall), or more. You can even track whether customers prefer one strategy over another.

To measure which ISP marketing strategy is preferred over another (Facebook vs. Instagram; email vs. direct mail, ads about feature A or ads about feature b), conduct an A/B test to see which method captures more sales.

Now, let’s dig deeper…

Profits are determined by the results you get from your overall ISP marketing strategy.

TACTIC 1: Codes

Coupon codes have been used for decades and are an easy way to track the effectiveness of mail, email or guerilla tactics. Print a code on the mailer or postcard, near the offer, and ask the customer to enter it for online requests or have the code handy when they call in.

If you send mailers to existing customers to remind them of the best internet packages, or tell them about a new service, use a unique code and message. Your prospect list will get another message and code.

If you mail monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly, use different codes for mailers that are sent in different time-frames to see whether there is a seasonal aspect to your mailers. Here’s an example of codes applied to quarterly mailings:

Quarter 1, Winter ‘22, Customers, Mail                 Coupon code: W22CM

 Quarter 1, Winter ‘22, Prospects, Mail                 Coupon code: W22PM
Quarter 1, Winter ‘22, Customers, Email                Coupon code: W22CE
Quarter 1, Winter ‘22, Prospects, Email                Coupon code: W22PE
Pro Tip: It’s easier to get sales from customers versus prospects. If you’re offering a package discount, consider giving prospects a deeper discount.

TACTIC 2: Landing Pages

Create a landing page to capture visitors who want to find out more about your internet service. When they fill out the “request for information form” (RFI). or schedule an appointment online, keep track of it.

Your “Request an Installation” form (RFI) should give the prospect an opportunity to leave their email address and opt-in for future offers. This serves as an “Opt-in”, giving you permission to email them.
Be sure the landing page includes the unique value of your internet service, (inexpensive, high speed and jitter-free, for example), and ask them to either sign up for an install or request more information.

Pro Tip: Add a field to the RFI Form for the coupon code to track the origin of each conversion.

Measure the success of your ISP marketing strategy.

Category #2 – Measuring ISP Marketing Strategy Success: Metrics

Marketing success is usually determined by greater market awareness or sales. Choose the measurements that will show you whether your campaigns are performing as they should.

TACTIC 3: Measure Response Rates – Awareness and Curiosity

Measuring the results – coupon codes, calls, visits to websites – shows whether your campaign is creating awareness and curiosity. Then, figure out whether your response rate is above or below average.

According to the 2019 Data and Marketing Association, the average response rate for direct mail is 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospect lists. For email alone, it’s about a 1% rate.

If you’re advertising with Facebook ads the average rate of response or click-through rate (CTR) in 2020 for Technology businesses was 1.06%. The average cost per click (CPC) was $1.27. (1)

If your campaign is performing at lower-than-average rates, analyze the elements of your marketing campaign. Could your offer be better? Is your email’s or mailer’s message clear? Would a larger postcard or 4-color mailer perform better?

If your tactic is exceeding your expectations, figure out what’s working so you can duplicate it again and again.

TACTIC 4: Measure Conversion Rates – Engagement

If you want to go beyond awareness to engagement, measure how many prospects request more information from you or request an install. In these situations, capturing the coupon code is critical to determine whether the sale was influenced by your marketing or something else – like a referral from a satisfied customer.

Each sale or completed RFI form that’s driven by the campaign is a conversion. A conversion could be influenced by how your company and product are represented, the advertised offer or it could be an enthusiastic installer. It’s valuable information that lets you know whether your mailer is performing, needs to be adjusted or abandoned.

TACTIC 5: Assess Campaign Profitability

Calculate the cost of creating your marketing campaigns, technology costs to create landing pages and RFI forms, and gathering the sales data. Subtract the cost from the revenue attributed to the campaign to determine campaign profitability.

If you spent $12,500 for a landing page, Facebook or Google ads, postcards, lists, the cost of mailing, printing flyers, extra staff to take phone calls, and the campaign brought in $28,000 in fees projected over a calendar year, that’s a 124% return on your investment.

Implement a review process for each of your ISP marketing strategies, campaign and tactic. If one strategy yields a bigger return and costs less, then that channel (mail, guerilla, social media, email) should be used in every campaign.

When you have the data you need, it’s time to act. By executing each step and knowing how to measure marketing results, you have the best chance of creating profitable campaigns.

To further your ISP’s success, partner with vendors that provide consistent technical and service support. Visp.net offers technical, business and service support to ensure your success and scalability. After all, your success is essential.

Sources:

1.      Retrieved on 8/7/2021, from: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/02/28/facebook-advertising-benchmarks