Don't Get Married (Until You Read This)

Members of the ISP-Marketing list discuss the value of advertising in a new market before you have a POP there. Some suggest that the secret lies in guerilla marketing tactics.

[January 25, 2002]

On the ISP-Marketing list in January, RF inquired,

"Would it be wise to start advertising in my target market prior to opening for business, so that I get some name recognition in place before my doors are open? If so, what kind of advertising should I use and how early should I begin?"

A number of respondents were enthusiastic about the idea:

[BH advised] "This can be very effective. I'd say to start four to six weeks prior-but be sure you have an active phone number from the beginning, because you will get some calls seeking information."

[NS agreed] "I've done this before, and I would do it again, because it did pay for itself. We got some new customers; it was worth it."

[CD noted] "I started a small ISP and about three months before it was operational, I did teasers in a local rag. Each week was a different teaser, and it got an overwhelming response."

Others warned against it:

[EA observed] "If I saw an ad for an ISP, I'd only read it if I was a PC buyer and wanted access right away, or if I was mad at my existing provider and wanted to switch. Telling me that you are starting some time in the future would not do much for me, and you would probably wind up giving your competition some business at your expense. Consumer Internet customers want instant gratification."

[CG agreed] "I would caution against any type of 'pre-selling' in an attempt to build up a waiting list. If in the end you cannot deliver on the exact date you promise, you'll end up losing those customers and ultimately tarnishing the name and the service you're trying so hard to promote."

[JG added] "For the type of business you are entering, don't do it. Open for business, debug your system and service people, then start advertising. When you have no service, only a promise, expectations are high and your competitors can strike preemptively. Once you have a service, some local customers, and a local track record, then you'll have something to crow about."

FJ recalled a perfect example of this kind of advertising:

"By far the best 'teaser' ad was seen in Michigan years ago. Think about this one; it could also work in print media if it were placed in the same section every day. A company rented a billboard in a high-traffic area of town. The billboard simply said, 'DON'T GET MARRIED.' This caused so much interest that people began calling local TV and radio stations to ask about it. Of course, no one knew who did it. Calls were placed to the billboard company, who wouldn't comment. A 'reward' was put out by a local radio station for anyone to solve the mystery, and no one won. A month later, the billboard was changed to read, 'UNTIL YOU VISIT BARRY'S TUX SHOP.' I don't know how many additional tuxes were rented, but people sure knew the name!"

—End