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Q: Markets for I.S.P ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Markets for I.S.P
Category: Reference, Education and News > Consumer Information
Asked by: gotribe-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 13 Aug 2003 17:33 PDT
Expires: 12 Sep 2003 17:33 PDT
Question ID: 244476
What are main target markets for I.S.P companies?  What are aspects
are important to these users is it speed, price, service? Examples of
ad campaigns or surveys saying what important for customers would be
useful.

Please provide links where you got your information if applicable.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Markets for I.S.P
Answered By: bobbie7-ga on 13 Aug 2003 23:25 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello again Gotribe,


What are main target markets for ISP companies?  

The consumer demographics for the ISP industry are very broad

“While most ISPs take the shotgun approach to targeting their
marketing, a savvy market planner will also zero in on a handful of
growing segments and reap the rewards. Psychographics is merely a step
further into demographics and is an attempt to understand the "why" of
demographics; ostensibly to interpret, even forecast, changing
demographics. Once you can understand the general mindset of the
target consumer, the easier it will be to plan for changes in
demographics.”

Source: ISP Planet
http://www.isp-planet.com/marketing/beau2b.html


==================
ISP Target Markets
==================


---------------------
Millennial generation
---------------------

“They are currently age 14 and younger. They are very materialistic,
selfish, disrespectful, aware of the world, and technologically
literate. They are trying to grow up too fast and don't have good role
models to look up to, possibly because of the selfish and
self-centered nature of their Generation-X parents.”

-  Kids under 14 years old have serious buying power

-  “Show them how much fun they will have connecting with their
friends using instant messaging, e-mail, live chat, and more.(..)Prove
to them that your ISP will help give them confidence or help them grow
up faster, and you will capture their interest.”

“This generation's technological savvy-ness removes any need to be
cautious with technical jargon or complex installation procedures.”

(..)

“The materialistic needs of this generation can also be used to your
advantage via co-branded promotions with brands that they know and
trust.”


------------
Generation-X
------------


“15 to 35 years old, selfish, cynical, live in the present (though
they may use the past or future as excuses for why they don't have
what they want in life yet), like to experiment, look for fast and
immediate results and may still depend a lot on their parents. They
question authority and feel like they carry the burden of previous
generations. Some have called this generation slackers, disloyal,
independent, money hungry, selfish, transient, and disrespectful.”

“To sell this generation on your ISP's services, show them how they
can get instant setup, support, access, and answers to their questions
faster than the other guy could do for them.”

(..)

“This generation is also very technologically savvy, and you do not
need to treat its members as if they are all newbies, but you do have
to deliver speed and fast Internet access, or many will leave you
faster than you know what hit you.”

“This is the best generation to upsell or cross sell your ISP
services, because this generation is also known for their impulse
buying patterns.”


---------------
Boom generation
---------------
 
- 36 to 53 Year olds

“They have a strong set of ideals and traditions, are very
family-oriented, fearful of the future, politically conservative, and
fairly socially liberal.”

“They have money because many are in the prime of their earning years,
and that means members of this generation will be interested in how
they can use their Internet service to manage their finances and
investment portfolios.”

- "family-friendly" features

“This is the generation for which you want to make the Internet
experience easy and provide or guarantee fast human technical support
at hours when they want it most.”


-----------------
Silent generation
-----------------

- 54 to 71+ years old
- Retired or near retirement
- Were very hard working
- Economically conscious and trusting of the government. 
- They are very optimistic about the future and hold a strong set of
moral obligations.

“This is the least technology-oriented generation and that means you
need to drop all of the techno-jargon and show them how your ISP is
the easiest to use versus your Generation-X competitors who are a
bunch of disrespectful nerds who only speak techno-babble.”

“This is also the value generation, which means you have to show how
your ISP is economical and provides a great value for their money.
This generation may respond very well to coupons and discount offers.
Show them also how they can use the Internet to keep in touch with
their families, children and grandchildren.”

(..)

“If you can offer them in home installation or one to three hours of
Internet setup and training, you will find that this generation may
respond well to such offers.”


Source: ISP Planet
http://www.isp-planet.com/marketing/generations.html
http://www.isp-planet.com/marketing/generations2.html



=============================================

The top-rated characteristics in choosing an ISP are:

-------------------------------------------------------
Mean Importance of ISP Attributes
Scale ranges from 5 (most important) to 1 (unimportant)
-------------------------------------------------------
Attributes                            Mean Importance
-------------------------------------------------------
Network Reliability                                4.73
Value for the Price                                4.57
Network performance                                4.55
Customer service responsiveness                    4.48
Time to get service up and running                 4.21
Technical support                                  4.20
Availability of broadband service                  4.14
-------------------------------------------------------

You may view the full chart with further rated attributes of what ISP
customers want at the following URL

Source: ZDNET
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/download/0/1212/ISP_Attributes.pdf


=============================================


Scott Poretsky 
Avici Systems, Inc. 
June 3, 2002

“Reliability is the single biggest criteria in selecting an ISP,
according to Interactive Week/Telechoice.”
http://www.nanog.org/mtg-0206/ppt/poretsky/sld004.htm


=============================================


There’s an excellent graph illustrating the results of the ISP
Customer Survey in the following presentation on page six.
http://www.koren21.net/workshop/2002/pdf/523-9.pdf


=============================================


Earthlink comes top in US ISP survey

Earthlink has been ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction
among dial-up Internet service providers (ISPs) in the US.

The ISP also shares the top spot among high-speed providers, according
to a new study from J.D. Power and Associates.

Earthlink’s top ranking among dial-up ISPs was due to high scores for
- customer service
- performance and reliability
- image
- email service
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358291&rel=true


=============================================


“EarthLink is   says that a recent survey of its user base identified
seven types of ISP customers: independents, those seeking convenience,
tech-savvy folks, those seeking value, those seeking community,
newbies, and families. EarthLink scored highest among the tech savvy,
the independent, and those seeking convenience. A relatively small
portion of its user base were newbies, community-seekers, and
families.”

"Because our users are more sophisticated," said Jim Anderson,
EarthLink vice president of product development, "we see demand trends
ahead of time."

EarthLink sees demand growing in the following five categories: 

Spam blocking 
Privacy and protection tools 
Virus blocking 
Parental controls 
Additional e-mail services

"For dial-up users, it's important that suspect e-mails not get
downloaded," enthused Rob Kaiser, EarthLink vice president for
narrowband marketing.

Source: ISP Planet
http://isp-planet.com/marketing/2003/elnk_030207.html


=============================================



"Flexibility and efficiency are key attributes our ISP customers want
and what the Williams Communications IP network was designed to
deliver," Moor said. "We offer high-capacity, very flexible programs
for ISPs that need anything from T1 to OC12 connectivity. We got into
the wholesale business to be an enabling force for ISPs, which is why
we don't compete with our customers for the end user, like UUNET."
http://www.isp-planet.com/business/2001/williams_t1.html


 
Search Criteria:

"ISP customers want"
ISP customer survey
“ISP Customer Satisfaction Survey”
ISP Target Market
ISP demographics



I hope the above information meet your needs.  If anything is unclear
please request clarification and I'll be glad to offer further
assistance.


Best Regards,
Bobbie7

Request for Answer Clarification by gotribe-ga on 14 Aug 2003 00:05 PDT
Great Answer again.  Just request any target market for
bussiness(ranging from small to large corporation.  Also two of links
http://www.koren21.net/workshop/2002/pdf/523-9.pdf
http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/download/0/1212/ISP_Attributes.pdf
I was unable to open and error popped on screen state. "There was
error while loading the plug-in 'AcroFill.api' The plug-in is
incompatible with this version of the Viewer.  Do  you know how to fix
this or copy the graph into the document.
Thanks again

Clarification of Answer by bobbie7-ga on 14 Aug 2003 00:28 PDT
Hello again Gotribe,

In order to view the two pdf files cited in my answer, you'll need to
have the latest version Adobe Acrobat reader software installed on
your computer.

A free download is available here:
  
Adobe 
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html 


I’ll see what I can find for target markets for businesses and will
get back to you.

Thanks,
Bobbie7

Clarification of Answer by bobbie7-ga on 14 Aug 2003 01:27 PDT
Additional information that may be of your interest:


According to Cahners In-Stat Group, U.S. companies of all sizes are
expected to invest heavily in their Internet infrastructure in the
coming years.
 
 “Analysts project that businesses of all sizes will continue to
invest in upgrading their infrastructures and use the Net to lure new
customers.”

(..)

“The biggest opportunities for technology providers will likely prove
to be the "corporate market" or large and mid-sized businesses, which
are expected to boost their spending on Internet technology and
services from $49 billion in 2000 to $110 billion by 2004.”

Larger firms

“They see the Internet as a cost-effective means to improve
communication across groups: employees, the supply chain, customers,
etc. and are likely to improve the intelligence and robustness of this
communication.“

Smaller firms

“They are still defining themselves online. Given this, their focus
will likely be to simply build a relevant point of presence on the Web
and use it effectively."

Source: ISP Planet
http://www.isp-planet.com/research/in-stat_010117.html


================================


Public broadband connectivity continues to be corporate-driven and is
targeted to meet the needs of the business traveler.

"Service providers and hardware manufacturers in this space are
intently focused on enabling those applications that are most demanded
by business travelers and ensuring a level of network security
appropriate for the confidential corporate content that will flow over
them," Cravens said. "While kiosk access is, principally, a
pay-as-you-go service, WLAN providers base their revenue model on
pre-paid subscription plans."

Source: ISP Planet
http://www.isp-planet.com/research/2002/wlan_020116.html


================================

Institutional users:

“These may be corporate or educational facilities.  Their primary
requirement is dependable connectivity.  They are probably
multi-homed for redundancy, but typically don't provide transit
services.  They may have their own networking group, and may
or may not have a 24x7 shop.”

Business users:

“They aren't in the business of being an ISP and don't want to be,
that's what they pay the service provider to be.  May be multi-homed,
bread and butter for your typical managed services operation.  May
have one or two servers on site.  Typically not a 24x7 operation.  Web
hosting, e-commerce, managed router/LAN.  Expect lots of hand
holding.”

http://ops.ietf.org/lists/grip/msg00110.html


================================


Small Businesses:

“Research from IDC has found that most small businesses want to
establish a basic Web presence, not dive right into building an online
store or e-commerce website. IDC says most small-businesses want an
e-commerce option—down the road.”

“Local shops are bread and butter accounts for local ISPs. Local
business owners like to work with local businesses. This localized
relationship allows small businesses to take their name online and
provides local recurring revenues in the form of hosting fees for
independent ISPs.”

Source: ISP Planet
http://www.isp-planet.com/business/2001/topline_ventures.html


================================


“In-Stat/MDR also found, based on a survey of 200 US based ISPs, that
Internet access remains the number one revenue source for
business-oriented ISPs. Access services generate approximately 46.9%
of revenues. The most common access services sold by business-oriented
ISPs remain dial-up and dedicated access.”

“Other services generating significant service revenues include Web
hosting and value-add services, such as IP-VPN and managed security.”

Source: Instat http://www.instat.com/catalog/Pcatalogue.asp?Segment=Advanced%20Carrier%20Business%20Services


I hope this helps!

Best wishes,
Bobbie7
gotribe-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars and gave an additional tip of: $5.00
Thanks for the information.  It would have taking me days to find what
you did.  Great Job

Comments  
Subject: Re: Markets for I.S.P
From: bobbie7-ga on 14 Aug 2003 01:29 PDT
 
Thanks again for the great rating and tip! I'm happy that you are
pleased with my research.
--Bobbie7

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