How broadband companies are attracting young, techie consumers
Broadband service providers, especially the new and smaller ones, know and understand that the internet service market has changed and will continue to keep changing. That’s why many are adopting new strategies to make their services attractive to new customers. The following are some of the most popular ones in current use:
Flexible Plans
One of the most prevalent and viable ways internet service providers use to attract new customers is offering flexible broadband subscription plans. These are plans that basically don’t tie a subscriber to a fixed speed and data limit. These plans allow subscribers to easily change to a new speed and data cap scheme easily, online or through a telephone call. Flexible plans, however, are not to be equated to per-data-consumption billing. In most cases, these flexible plans still have specific speed and data limit schemes. What makes them flexible is the ease of changing these schemes and the (usually) non-need for a fee to change to a new speed or data limit.
Flexible plans allow broadband subscribers to try the different plans and decide which one is best for them. Even tech savvy broadband users are not that particular in measuring the data they consume so it helps having the option to try the different plans or schemes available and determine which one is the most suitable after actually having first hand experience with them. Flexibility here, by the way, also includes the option offered by most ISPs to pay for “add-on” services like additional data allocation in case a subscriber has already exhausted the data allotment. This “add-on” can be requested online or by phone and the charge will just be included in the bill for the next month.
Custom Plans
Another good strategy of broadband companies in attracting young and tech-savvy subscribers is the introduction of custom internet broadband plans. There are companies that offer something like a “plan builder” for those who are looking for a home broadband or business broadband service but are not sure of what specific plan to get. Popular custom options include the option to go for a packaged phone & broadband deal, or to alternatively forego the phone service and opt for a naked deal, with broadband internet service as a standalone.
These custom plans are somewhat the reverse of flexible plans as they make customers specify the features or details of the service before they apply for it. However, there are companies that offer custom plans that can also be easily modified later on, something that can be considered “custom-flexible.”
No-contract and short-contract plans
No-contract broadband plans are becoming popular in different parts of the world. It’s easy to spot their advantages. For one, subscribers are no longer obliged to pay for any pre-termination fee in case they have to move to some place where the service is no longer available. Also, no-contract services allow customers to ditch the service and shift to a new one without worries. No-contract services, however, are quite rare. What’s more commonly offered are considerably shorter contract like those for 6 months or a rolling one-month contract. They are not as great as no-contract broadband services but certainly better than getting stuck to a typical 12-month or 24-month contract.
Free Streaming Services
There are also companies that try to market their broadband plans attractive by incorporating popular streaming services like those of Pandora, Spotify, HOOQ, and Netflix. Admittedly, these services don’t matter to internet users who have been accustomed to downloading music, movies, and TV shows for free, but for those “real money-making” customers who “faithfully” and legally pay for most of what they get online, these offers can mean something.
Emphasis on Mobile
Mobile internet access has already overtaken desktop or traditional internet access in different parts of the world. It only makes sense for internet service companies to make the most of the fast-growing mobile internet market. That’s why many are offering more attractive mobile internet packages with lower prices, faster speeds, and higher data allocations. There are also those that tie up with other companies to offer interesting packages to customers. In the steadily growing internet services market of the Philippines, for example, ISPs have tied up with TV networks to provide content on mobile devices. Of course, ISPs have also been exploiting the popularity of social media to attract new subscribers. Many have been offering free Facebook and free messaging app connections, albeit limitedly.
Going Prepaid
In connection to putting emphasis on mobile internet, there are broadband companies that have also explored the feasibility of prepaid internet service options. With the advent of LTE connections, mobile internet has become faster and more reliable, making prepaid 4G mobile internet a welcome service especially for those who limitedly use their postpaid mobile data for the fear of incurring huge charges. Prepaid 4G/LTE is a great way to attract occasional mobile internet service users and is also an excellent way to let potential customers experience how fast the LTE services of an ISP are.
To remain competitive, broadband companies need to know their potential customers better. For better or for worse, customers nowadays are becoming more and more tech-savvy. The traditional schemes no longer work. The strategies mentioned above don’t necessarily try to target the specific interests of tech enthusiasts but they are things that also jibe with the interests and preferences of those who can be considered techie internet users without alienating other customers.