Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and delivering next-generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. With more than 66,000 employees and being a Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola continues to look for new, enthusiastic approaches to communicate with current and potential customers.
As part of Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business group, the broadband sector focuses on the delivery of broadband services. Its technology enables cable and telecommunications operators to create and execute on new business opportunities by providing innovative products and services to the home. In recent years, this industry has seen an explosion in technology advancements to help supply end-users with high-speed broadband data services, such as video and digital voice solutions.
Cable and telecommunications operators are continually looking for technologies to deliver upon an enhanced experience for the customer, but can often find it difficult to stay on top of what the world’s leading suppliers have recently announced and what transpires at major industry events. Motorola’s customers look to the company to help keep them abreast of today’s industry debates and issues as well as update them on technologies that enhance (and ultimately grow) their customer relationships.
Communicating technology
Motorola’s communications and PR company, Fleishman Hillard, developed a Broadband Connections newsletter. The campaign strategy was simple – it was to communicate in one of the more approachable interfaces (email), discuss updates and innovative new products and solutions tailored to the customers’ market needs, and educate on the rapidly ever-changing cable and telecommunications industries. Each newsletter highlighted significant achievements and advancements for Motorola products, such as how DOCSIS solutions can create better opportunities for cable operators to deliver increased bandwidth. The newsletters also incorporated industry specific white papers and editorials on hot topics, including how to create new revenue streams or increase customer retention.
The target reader audience for this newsletter campaign were senior-level decision makers within Motorola’s current customer base. Each industry-specific newsletter – cable and telecommunications – is delivered on a bi-annual basis at a cost of less than $3000 per email issue. From an external communications standpoint, Motorola’s global communications teams will often forward along the latest issue to a select group of core media and industry analysts. Within the forwarded email, the communicators will incorporate a personal note to coincide with specific recommended topics contained in the newsletters pertaining to the journalist’s particular beat.
Results
Since the inaugural issue went out in June 2005, Motorola’s Broadband Connections newsletter has averaged a 36 percent open rate and 23 percent after-open click through rate for items within each issue. Additionally, this newsletter is written and designed in-house and distributed via Experian’s Cheetahmail. Feedback from readers has been primarily focused on their appreciation for the overall tone of the newsletter not coming across as a marketing pitch.
