This is the fifth and last installment in the exclusive RCR five-part series highlighting the results of the 1997 National Wireless Opinion Poll conducted by TynanGroup, Inc., of Santa Barbara, Calif., in December. The margin of error associated with the results is 4 percent. This article explores specific strategies to get your sites on line faster and easier.
Remember, the wireless carrier’s product is not selling phones, it is selling airtime. The problem is delivering this product. Building the wireless delivery system, the network, has a fatal flaw that most consumer products do not have-real estate. Landowners and public decisionmakers can say no. Carriers are not completely in control. And today, carriers are faced with the dilemma of obtaining city approvals and permits under the direct fire of concerned, no-growth communities.
In this age of NIMBYism, the wireless industry will continue to thrive only if it can master one thing: The ability to deliver its product and at the same time not destroy its image with the consumer and their community. This will not happen by itself. Only a carefully designed corporate strategic plan will win public approval.
But first let’s go over the rules. Public decisionmakers are influenced by one thing-politics. People are politics. So to win the vote of decisionmakers, you must educate people.
Education is key
Americans love convenience and love the wireless phone. At the same time, Americans fear things they don’t understand and they don’t understand wireless. Wireless technology is actually an easy sell if you can help a community understand its significant benefits and low impacts. Most neighborhood issues and concerns regarding wireless siting disappear with simple, early education. And by doing this, you differentiate yourself from other carriers and achieve better community relations.
Good business
And education doesn’t just help tower siting, it makes-and keeps-customers. Remember that every month you send your customers bad news-a bill. Sure, wireless users will increase in time, but their understanding of its technology may not.
For those of you building new personal communications services markets, early community education on PCS is a wonderful way to introduce your service. Remember from our first article in this series, only 15 percent of America has ever heard of PCS. How many times have we heard the question, “I have a cellular phone and it works just fine, why we do we need this new thing?”
For those of you who have operational networks, education not only finds new customers but keeps them. The opinion poll shows that wireless users are just as clueless on how wireless works as non-users. Proactive education to customers is the only time you give your customers good news. It tells them you care-that you are trying to improve service. It should be central to any customer retention/anti-churn program.
The poll also tells us that wireless users are your best chance for finding friends and making advocates. Thus, they should also be central to a community outreach plan.
Start internally
Ask yourself the following questions:
Do your employees know how wireless works?
Have they seen a cell site?
Do they understand the government approval process?
Have they ever been to a public hearing?
Do they understand that they have a vested interest in successful siting?
Every year, Hyatt Hotels have “In Touch Day,” where Hyatt corporate executives and their 30,000 employees across the world change jobs for one day. Wouldn’t it be great if marketing spends a day with RF engineering or real estate? Or how about accounting spending a Tuesday night at the planning commission. Or maybe a field trip to the switch or a cell site? Everyone in your organization must be “in touch” and have a critical understanding of the product-airtime.
A new paradigm
You must not think of your plan simply in terms of a public relations or a site development function. To be successful, it must be a corporate focus. This may initiate a new corporate paradigm for your company. This means a commitment from the top, making your educational plan part of the process-not a separate function.
The various company departments have many relationships both internally and externally. Coordinated efforts can leverage these relationships into action. To be truly effective it must involve a team approach to developing the product and delivering the message.
For example:
Real estate: Through research, identifies problem communities and neighborhoods throughout the market area and thus initiates “strategic avoidance.”
Engineering: Gives latitude in siting to account for problem communities. Drives search rings with real estate to help facilitate creative solutions.
Legal: Cultivates relationships and assists municipalities in writing new ordinances for towers so sites can be processed “over the counter” vs. with public hearings.
Marketing: Promotes messages of emergency protection and safety vs. “seamless coverage.”
Human resources: Encourages involvement of all employees in the approval process by informing employees of ways they can help, such as attending hearings, writing to the planning commission, writing to the local newspaper, etc.
Accounting: Helps identify, via accounts payable, natural friends who have a stake in your company’s success.
The plan
You can’t just wish for easier and faster siting, you must plan to achieve it. A complete corporatewide strategic plan is the real answer to your success. The wireless benefits are so great and the product is so successful, wireless indeed has the advantage. It simply needs a plan. In developing your plan, you must first know what your customers want.
In our training workshops, we use an interactive brainstorming technique called Mini/Max (minimize weaknesses, maximize strengths). We have all the participants shout out wireless strengths and weaknesses. We then make our strengths the focus of our message.
We then develop our weaknesses as our response plan. Once you know all the questions that can be thrown at you, you can easily develop the answers. This Q & A plan then becomes the center of internal media/speaker’s training and decisionmaker workshops.
“What about ice accumulation on your antennas and falling on my kids,” says the concerned neighbor.
“Our structure will only have about one fourth of the surface area of an oak tree. So you can see that this is not a concern, but you raised an important issue. When natural disasters such as ice storms occur, wireless has always been there to provide emergency communication when land lines have failed,” responds the savvy spokesperson.
Your team knows all the questions (RCR, Feb. 17, p. 16) so make sure they are armed with all the answers. Remember, every answer must contain your message, which highlights strengths of your service and shares the benefits.
Direct the message
Direct-mail campaigns, including brochures, supporter postcards, and personalized letters, can target existing customers, likely supporters, emergency officials and opinion leaders. The mailing must demonstrate an understanding of the prospect’s needs and the ability to solve the prospect’s problems. Our opinion poll research identified needs, concerns and issues the average American has regarding wireless technology.
Keep it simple
America is flooded with an avalanche of messages every few minutes from a variety of media. That’s why simple message development is fundamental. Americans also read at about a sixth-grade level, so keep it simple and specific. And always, always, emphasize benefits over features.
Share it early
The earlier, the better. Let’s face it, we are dealing with public opinion-a powerful phenomenon born from someone’s self-interest. Once it’s voiced, look out-you’ll be amazed how contagious negative opinions can be. Early and
effective education is the only way to head off negative attitudes before they develop.
Combine your efforts
Testing has indicated that direct-marketing campaigns launched in conjunction with other media campaigns produces a higher response than an isolated direct campaign. Also, when the direct campaign includes three mailings, varying in copy but not in the offer, that continue over the length of the project, the response rate will be at least double.
Other grassroots strategies include using earned media to further educate and mobilize a community. Letters to the editor, editorial board meetings and opinion editorials (op-eds) help set the stage for gaining project approval. Using earned media allows companies to create the gossip and position their projects for favorable news coverage.
Incorporated into every winning marketing campaign are keys to persuasion. If your customers’ attitudes are positive towards broadcast antennas, that’s a bonus. But if they have positive attitudes and do not act upon them-support you at a public hearing-their warm-fuzzy feelings won’t get your sites built.
So, to persuade supporters into action, you need to make friends with them. If people understand you, it will be easier to get their attention. If you satisfy a basic need, you’ll get them to take action.
As you go forward, remember that public relations is not the key, the public is the key. Focus on the public at the most important level, their community, and you will win in delivering your product-airtime. Good luck.
For a copy of the complete 200-page opinion poll including all questions, results and cross-tabs or to receive a company profile, call TynanGroup Inc., 2927 De La Vina St., Santa Barbara, Calif., 93105, (805) 898-0567, fax (805) 898-9897.
