As telephone and cable companies evolve into broadband providers they have the advantage of leveraging the applications (apps) their customers crave. Apps such as picture sharing tools, use of social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace and, of course, YouTube – are giving companies the power to provide the desired user-generated and professional-grade content their customer’s are consuming every day.
The idea that consumers want to interact with content is no longer fringe but a reality. We see it with apps on our phones, apps and widgets on our computers and on our TV screens. This change is not lost on consumer electronics manufacturers – from cameras to camcorders and heart rate monitors to baby monitors – we are uploading, downloading, emailing and sharing via our broadband connections and accessing on any device that has a screen. This revolution of content that we as consumers desire is a boon for broadband providers. Companies that provide innovative solutions to accessing this content are the ones that will keep and generate new customers.
This brings me to image. We all have one but for some companies they still may be thought of as the telephone company or the TV/cable provider. In a sense – companies with compelling broadband services are now multi-content and multi-screen providers. If you are in the business of delivering broadband and your customers and potential customers don’t look to you for their converging needs, then you may want to reconsider your marketing plan and start marketing the apps.
Tanya Sullivan is President of Plus One Strategic Communications, LLC, a communications firm specializing in the rural telecommunications industry.
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