This is from my workshop conducted in Centennial, CO for communities in that state that want to get faster, better broadband for their constituents.

1. Building the Gigabit City
in Colorado

2. Objectives of Workshop
• Building blocks for strategy foundation
• Improve ability to advance broadband
• Basic skills for ongoing tasks
• Leverage the e-book

3. Workshop Format
• General overview of skillset
• Apply knowledge to your community
• Collaboration

4. Workshop Sessions
1. Stakeholder assessment
2. Winning the political game
3. Data gathering
4. Ownership, funding options
5. Marketing strategy & tactics

5. I. Stakeholder Assessment
• Provide 30,000-foot view
• Initial insight to potential impact
• Captains to lead the charge
• Keys to anchor tenants

6. Stakeholder Categories
• Local government
• Education
• Nonprofit organizations
• Medical/healthcare

7. Stakeholder Categories (more)
• Real Estate
• Largest companies
• Media
• Agriculture

8. Art of the Possible
• Educate to possibilities
• Relate benefits to their world
• What’s that worth to you?
• Many will sell themselves

9. II. Winning the Political Game

10. III. Constituent Data Collection
• More you know, greater the ROI
• Multiple ways to gather
• Ongoing process
• Gather info, increase supporters

11. Build on Stakeholder Info
• Test assumptions
• Determine depth of support
• Pre-sell broadband
• Ideally – start a movement

12. Constituent Groups
• Local government
• Business owners
• Students/educators
• Medical community

13. Constituent Groups (more)
• General population - demographics
• General population - occupation
• Appropriate subgroups

15. IV. Organization Structure
• City or county owns infrastructure
• Public utility owns network
• Community creates nonprofit
• Community creates co-op

16. Organization Structure (more)
• Use existing nonprofit
• Existing co-op transitions
• Public private partnership
• Business people create company

17. Funding Options
• Municipal bonds
• Jurisdiction offers assets
• Constituents invests
• Pre-pay for buildout
• Take it to the bank

18. V. What Is Marketing?
• Education
• Translation
• Motivation – the call to action

19. 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

20. How Will Marketing Succeed?
• Project team learns or hires the skillset
• Understand your various markets
• Plan thoroughly
• Execute well

21. How Will Marketing Fail
• You don’t understand stakeholders
• Your messaging sucks
• People have the wrong expectations
• Underestimate competitors

22. Good Marketing Begins with
Great Vision
• What is the network to accomplish
• How will primary stakeholders benefit
• How will you measure success

23. Take Me to the Pilot
• You can pilot test anything
• Don’t try to test everything
• Prior previous planning is key

24. Know What You’re Marketing
• Benefits
• Infrastructure
• Services
• The community

25. Know Who You’re Marketing To
• What did needs assessment uncover
• Shape marketing messages
accordingly
• Constituents evolve, come and go

26. 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?

27. Create Marketing Roadmap from
the Answers
• Answers define technology
• Translate technology to benefits
• Created vehicles to deliver the
messages

28. 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

29. Grab Your Partner Dosey Doe
• Partners offload marketing expenses
• They enable faster market penetration
• They create barriers to competition

30. Typical Targets
• Government agencies
• Medical/Healthcare community
• Businesses
• K-12 schools, colleges, universities

31. 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

32. Build Following While Building
Infrastructure
• Articulate the value proposition
• Encourage early commitment
• Prepare internal operations
• Kick butt & take names

33. 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

34. 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

35. Think Globally, Act Locally
• Integrate with other communication
• Deliver on the promise
• Turn satisfied customers into minimarketers

36. Execute Well Designed Launch
• Encourage word of mouth
• Constantly gather data
• Adapt and perform
• It’s the economy, stupid

37. Brace for the Backlash
• Know thy enemy
• Use incumbents’ strength against
them
• Power of “hometown team”
• Never, ever compete on price!

38. Marketing Your Community
• On par with costs, education & workforce
• Coordinate your efforts
• Make the network a marketing vehicle