The Revenue EDGE Beacon

Turn the subscriber edge into your Revenue EDGE

The Revenue EDGE Beacon

Turn the subscriber edge into your Revenue EDGE

Perspectives from the EDGE

Everything You Need to Create a Successful Back-to-School Campaign This Year

 

Michael Weening

Executive Vice President and

Chief Operating Officer, Calix

In his now-classic book about marketing, The Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, Seth Godin said, “Once you see the old ways [of marketing] have nowhere to go but down, it becomes even more imperative to create things worth talking about.”

How does this relate to you and your marketing efforts right now?

In a socially noisy, COVID-19 world, a conventional approach to back-to-school marketing won’t work. When big companies like Best Buy and Walmart are plastering media with back-to-school banner ads and social media campaigns, who’s going to notice your ads?

Probably no one.

Untargeted campaigns are pointless (unless you have a huge budget). To stand out and reach today’s subscriber, you need to understand each family and the unique ways you can improve their experience. Then, you need to use data to target the right subscribers, and craft relevant campaigns that grab their attention.

For some families, back-to-school will mean learning in an actual classroom. For others, back-to-school will mean learning from the kitchen table. Each experience comes with a distinct set of consumer needs.

If children are in the classroom, broadband at home won’t be critical—so don’t waste your marketing dollars on a back-to-school campaign that targets that family. Instead, use Calix Marketing Cloud insights to identify families using Zoom all day. If their broadband experience is poor, they’ll be at a real disadvantage (and you can bet they’ll notice a campaign designed to address that challenge).

This month, The Revenue EDGE Beacon focuses on how to leverage data and our EDGE programs to build back-to-school marketing campaigns that cut through the noise, win subscribers with timely, relevant messages, and deliver a big return on investment:

As Terry O’Reilly reminds us in his article, “What a Difference a Difference Makes,” differentiation is key to success. The Coca-Cola Company helped people understand how it was different from PepsiCo. You must do the same by understanding what your subscriber needs. 

In whatever manner students return to school, data will enable your campaigns to deliver the ultimate subscriber experience and ensure you never lose a subscriber to the local Best Buy—or the Google, Plume, and EERO home invaders.  

Enjoy The Revenue EDGE Beacon; and remain confident that Calix only wins if you win. Which is why we always put your brand, your data, and your subscriber first. 

 

From the Desk of Terry O'Reilly

What a Difference a Difference Makes

 

Terry O'Reilly

Host of the CBC Radio show, "Under the Influence."

Co-Founder, The Apostrophe Podcast Company.

Speaker. Author.

One of the most iconic products in the world is the Coke bottle.

Even though Coke is sold mostly in cans these days, you’ll notice The Coca-Cola Company still uses a red bottle silhouette in its marketing. That’s how powerful the image remains today.

Simple ways to stand out in the market.

Back in 1915 when Coca Cola suddenly had lots of competitors, the company wanted to stand out in the marketplace. So, it hired a glass company to create a distinct bottle shape. Coca Cola described the assignment in this very interesting way:

We want the bottle to be so distinct, it could be identified by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground.

The glass company came back with the unique shape we all know today. Slim up top, gently curved in the middle, flat on the bottom.

By 1949, 99 percent of North Americans could identify the Coke bottle by its silhouette alone.

How to differentiate and win more subscribers.

All marketing has one overriding goal: to differentiate a company from all competitors. Standing out in a crowded field is job one.

The brain is not interested in sameness. It looks to catalog unusual differences to remember.

As a service provider, you have a huge opportunity to stand out in the marketplace by providing an entire menu of services in your subscribers’ homes. Much more than just a router or good wi-fi.

To achieve that level of differentiation, you need to actively explore ways to enhance your ability to collect insights. That data can tell you exactly what your subscribers need and want. Then you can be the first to tailor your services to meet and exceed those desires.

In a sea of service offerings, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Finding ways to stand out from the herd not only gives customers a reason to remember you, but also a reason to spend more money with you.

The smartest providers offer the products and services customers want most.

They are the companies that even stand out in the dark.

 
 

ConneXions Spotlight

The Time is Now to Become a Data-Driven Marketer

 

Matt Collins

Chief Marketing Officer, Calix

In this issue of The Revenue EDGE Beacon, we review how Calix can help you design and launch marketing campaigns to support subscribers navigating an unusual (to say the least) back-to-school landscape.

Of course, back-to-school isn’t the only marketing campaign you’ll run this year—not by a long shot.

Ideally, you’ll run campaigns year-round to help subscribers get the most from the Revenue EDGE experience. And we’re always here to help you with your marketing initiatives.

That’s why we’re dedicating an entire day for marketers at ConneXions in October.

Whether you’re a senior marketing executive, new to marketing, or a general manager exploring how data-driven marketing can help drive revenue, ConneXions is an ideal opportunity to learn from peers and industry experts. We’ll share resources to accelerate your go-to-market strategies, nurture your current subscriber relationships, retain your customers, and increase loyalty.

October 28 is the ConneXions day designed just for marketers. Don’t miss it. Here are the top 10 reasons you should join us.

  1. Learn from some of the best marketers in the world (big speaker surprises coming up!) about how you can use data and experiences to stay competitive.
  2. Hear how your service-provider peers use data and insights to deliver meaningful marketing that drive results. 
  3. Explore how to deliver the ultimate subscriber experience.  
  4. Understand how to better drive adoption and engagement of your mobile app and your value-added services.
  5. Discover best practices for building outrageously successful targeted marketing campaigns.
  6. Network with your peers over interactive content, contests, and activities (a virtual conference means even more marketing pros from your team can join the fun).
  7. Participate in the second annual Marketers Summit (October 26). 
  8. Celebrate the latest, breakthrough marketing technology that helps you acquire, retain, and delight your subscribers. 
  9. Discover where to find our free resources and content to jumpstart your marketing activity.
  10. Celebrate your success! Submit your campaigns to the 2020 “Innovations in Revenue EDGE” award campaign and earn a chance to win a complimentary off-site marketing workshop with Decision Counsel (the producers of “The Millers”). 

Join us for this interactive, collaborative, and immersive experience.

 

Your Recommended Action Plan

 

Your Chance to Win the Innovations in Revenue EDGE Award

Are you a data-driven marketer? Are you using Calix Marketing Cloud to uncover new and creative ways to reach subscribers with the Revenue EDGE? Send us your story to be considered for our “Innovations in Revenue EDGE Award!”

Record a brief video (fewer than three minutes) and use WeTransfer to send your file (send to award.submissions@calix.com and look for a verification code from WeTransfer in your inbox—remember to check your Junk folder). Submit by October 1.

Your video should outline three elements:

  1. A brief overview of your company and the objectives of your marketing campaign.
  2. A description of how you’re using data from Calix Marketing Cloud to drive creative marketing campaigns to deploy the Revenue EDGE.
  3. Your marketing campaign results (including any compelling metrics).

The winning video will be showcased during ConneXions, and the team will receive a complimentary marketing workshop with Decision Counsel (the producers of “The Millers” and “InyComm” videos). Good luck!

Questions? Please email Lisa.Gschwandtner@Calix.com.

Data-Driven Marketing

Create Targeted Back-to-School Campaigns With Calix Marketing Cloud

 

Gabe Petersen

Customer Success Senior Manager, Calix

Around the country, many subscribers are adjusting to a new school routine—one that likely involves multiple connected devices and more screen time.

Parents and caregivers need your support to deal with those changes. Did you know you can use Calix Marketing Cloud to identify subscribers who likely have kids at home—and who might also be working at home right alongside them? You can use this data to target your marketing campaigns accordingly.

Leverage your real-time data in Calix Marketing Cloud.

You can use behavioral data in Calix Marketing Cloud to identify targets for a learn-from-home campaign. Unlike every other data engine, the data in Calix Marketing Cloud is refreshed continuously, which means you’ll always have the most accurate information about your subscribers. That means you can:

  • Discover which subscribers are hitting their tier limits during the day. They might benefit from an upgrade to a higher service tier to meet their needs.
  • Offer symmetrical service to subscribers using VPNs or uploading classwork and assignments to the cloud.
  • See which subscribers have added new devices to their network. If they’re using more devices, they might need a higher speed tier or support to get their devices on the network.

Calix Marketing Cloud can identify your best targets for these campaigns. Using the real-time analytics from Calix Marketing Cloud, our most successful customers have already been running targeted ads at subscribers (primarily with digital tactics), based on overall usage and specific application analytics, to ensure they’re targeting subscribers with the highest propensity to upgrade.

Let data guide your promotional considerations.

Consider offering a free upgrade for 30 or 60 days to get people over the initial hump of transitioning back to school, especially if schools in your area are talking about distance learning only for a short period of time. Why? Virtual school days equal more bandwidth usage. Zoom, Google Classroom, and other online school platforms increase usage in the subscriber home. (Realistically, many subscribers will stay at the higher service tier, even after the promotional period.)

If you’re a Revenue EDGE customer, roll campaigns out quickly using amazing content the award-winning Calix marketing team has created just for you (read more about that in Joe Kohegyi’s article, “Use Branded Content to Provide the Ultimate Show-and-Tell”).

To truly win, it’s not enough to just have data. You’ve also got to access and interpret it—and build campaigns around those insights. With Calix Marketing Cloud, you can use data to find which subscribers need back-to-school services so you can drive high value business while optimizing the subscriber experience.

Your Recommended Action Plan

 
 

Market Activation

Offer Parental Controls to Give Subscribers Peace of Mind

 

Bridget Watkins

RVP Customer Success Services, Calix

As your subscribers embark on a back-to-school journey that likely looks different from years past, it begs the question: How can you help parents manage the amount of time kids spend online? 

While parents are juggling all the complexities of shifting education models, a parental control service (like ExperienceIQ™), integrated into in the Wi-Fi network, can add some safety, stability, and consistency—all while addressing some of their top concerns. Your subscribers can:

  1. Set content filters to ensure children have access to age-appropriate content.
  2. Create profiles to ensure “school time” is being spent on school devices or within specific applications (and not on gaming or their favorite applications). 
  3. Set screen-time limits for specific times of day to help kids manage daily schedules. 
  4. Limit the amount of time allowed for specific applications to ensure kids don’t spend the whole day on TikTok or gaming apps.

Deploy parental controls quickly.

Supporting subscribers as kids go back to school will set you apart from your competitors and may even help generate more revenue (66 percent of subscribers will pay for a mobile app that filters content for their kids).

Service providers can easily leverage Revenue EDGE Market Activation resources like campaign materials, how-to videos, social posts, and more to quickly get this service in front of subscribers (just be sure to target the right susbcribers, as Gabe mentioned in his article, "Create Targeted Back-to-School Campaigns With Calix Marketing Cloud"). By following these steps, you'll demonstrate the added value you continue to provide.

If you haven’t already got ExperienceIQ so you can provide this amazing parental control experience, start learning about the value you can get from EDGE Suites. If you need help with packaging/positioning or want to learn more about market activation resources, contact us for a Marketing Consult.

 

Your Recommended Action Plan

 

Campaign Content

Use Branded Content to Provide the Ultimate Show-and-Tell

 

Joe Kohegyi

Director, Marketing Channel Activation, Calix

For many parents and children, this school year will be full of new protocols. How can you help them adjust?

In his article, “What a Difference a Difference Makes,” Terry reminded us of the importance of differentiation. Back-to-school this year is an opportunity for you to differentiate and stand out from your competitors.

Yes, you offer great customer service, fiber-to-the-home, and the ultimate subscriber experience with the latest Wi-Fi technology. But today, these things alone aren’t enough to help you compete.

To stand out, you need to offer a differentiated, ultimate Wi-Fi experience in the home. That’s what makes subscriber services like enhanced parental controls (which you can offer through ExperienceIQ™, available via the CommandIQ™ app) so valuable.

Customize your campaign collateral in minutes.

Full Revenue EDGE customers can take advantage of turnkey marketing collateral to create great content. For example, you can leverage our full “School from Home” program, which is tailored to supplying solutions through BLAST Ultimate Wi-Fi, CommandIQ app, and ExperienceIQ enhanced parental controls.

And with the new Calix Electronic Content Builder, you can easily find and customize a compelling, branded image in minutes (just like the one you see to the left of this article).

Your subscribers are not looking for just another new offering. They are looking for brands that will offer solutions to life's problems. Help them solve their most pressing challenges by leveraging your virtual storefront. You’ll differentiate your brand, build trust, and keep subscribers coming back for more.

 

Your Recommended Action Plan

 

Game Changing Stories

In the Rocky Mountains, Jade Communications Wins Subscribers With a Rock-Solid Value Prop

Dale Legaspi

External Communications Manager, Calix 

Originally founded as a WISP in 1990 and based in Alamosa, Colorado, Jade Communications understands three things: rugged terrain, an extreme climate, and the need to stay hypercompetitive.

Building a foundation for success.

A few years ago, this family-run company shifted to incorporate fiber-to-the-home into its network with Calix Intelligent Access EDGE. This move was the ever-important first step in its business transformation—and it helped Jade save a quarter of a million dollars on its network deployment (and continues to help cut operational costs in the form of reduced truck rolls and lightning-fast service turn-ups).

But that wasn’t enough to help Jade stand out from its five market competitors.

During a team meeting to discuss why subscribers should choose them over anyone else, Jade realized it needed a rock-solid value proposition. It wasn’t enough to have nice customer service reps and a fiber backbone—other providers were already offering that.

Speaking the subscriber’s language.

That’s when Jade decided to focus on virtual storefronts. Investing in the Revenue EDGE put Jade’s network service into subscribers’ homes. There, Jade could provide services subscribers care about most—and can’t get elsewhere. (The Jade team even mandated that all internet subscribers use company-issued GigaSpire BLAST systems, which allowed them to go to market rapidly.)

By leveraging advanced analytics, industry-best Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and the security and control benefits of EDGE Suites, Jade is taking control of its markets with differentiated service offerings. Subscriber churn is down, and Jade subscribers represent the highest adoption of the ProtectIQ™ app among all Revenue EDGE customers.

While southern Colorado isn’t quite a mile high like its northern neighbor, thanks to Jade Communications, its connectivity is miles ahead.

Join us at ConneXions to hear more about Jade’s successful marketing campaigns.

 

Your Recommended Action Plan

 

Featured Webinar

It’s Time to Reset: Using Data to Align to Your Subscribers’ Evolving Needs

You stepped up when your communities depended on your services. You delivered under enormous pressure. You saw sharp shifts in how your subscribers work, learn, and play. Now it’s time to get out of crisis mode and realign your business to evolving subscriber needs.

Watch this recent Calix webinar and learn how to apply data insights to:

  • Discover dramatic changes in subscriber behavior and the long-term implications
  • Identify opportunities to improve subscriber experience and streamline operations
  • Ensure your subscribers are confident in their home network protection
 

Our Favorite Reads for Marketers

Our marketing and leadership teams are always looking for great reads. Here are three worthy of your attention.

How Much Should I Expect to Spend on Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing has proven to be both cost-effective and measurable. Discover how to allocate the right amount of budget based on your business strategy.

Video Marketing on the Rise—An Expansive Scape

Did you know social video content generates 1,200 more shares than images and text combined? See other interesting stats and facts that prove video content is king.

7 Ways to Encourage Your Employees to Take Time Off During the Pandemic

Disconnecting from work regularly makes employees more engaged and productive. Here are some tips for leaders to encourage their workforce to take time off, even during stressful times.

 
 

Top Revenue EDGE Perspectives

Are You Helping Teleworkers Secure Their Home Networks and Stay Loyal to You?

Broadband subscribers are vulnerable to a growing list of online threats and CSPs have an opportunity to protect them. Read our latest blog post to learn how security controls embedded in the residential gateway can protect all the devices in subscriber smart homes from the full range of online threats...

Growth of Wi-Fi 6 Devices Expected to Explode–Will You Be Ready?

The new Wi-Fi 6 standard made its debut in the second half of 2019, but not all of the benefits could be realized owing to a shortage of Wi-Fi 6 compliant user devices. In the past few months, however, that is changing as more and more of the top manufacturers are bringing new Wi-Fi 6 devices to market....

Does Your Back-to-School Plan Include Parental Controls?

Your subscribers may need some different back-to-school supplies this year. Provide parents with the tools they need to manage content and internet usage within the home network....

Help Subscribers Manage Online Experiences for Their Children

Your subscribers are looking for tools that make balancing online life at home easier. The ability to control content and screen time is a critical component to any Ultimate Wi-Fi experience...

Easy Steps to Help You Drive Adoption of Parental Controls with ExperienceIQ

Parental controls can ease worries for your subscribers with kids at home. Learn how you can quickly launch parental control services to help parents balance everything happening online in the home network...

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