INTRODUCTION

None of us can imagine our lives without the telecommunication industry. Sending/receiving voice messages, texts, images and videos on mobile has become an essential part of our day to day activities. According to Deloitte, “US consumers are looking at their devices more than 9 billion times a day in the aggregate, up 13 percent from last year.” Moreover, emerging technologies have given rise to autonomous vehicles, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), mpayments, mobile applications etc.

The major concern for you, as a telecom company is that today, there are hundreds of players in the market and brand visibility is becoming increasingly crucial. So, what steps should you take? Let’s see what the top players in the market are doing!

Entice them with social campaigns

Verizon Group has social media channels for different categories, like careers, news, foundation, enterprise etc. Each category has a different social media page, for Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook etc. Why do you think they did this? They took the pains to create different kinds of content for engaging people who have particular interests. No doubt, social media is the most effective medium to connect you and your customers.

AT&T’s Twitter handle promises to be “Your up-to-the-minute feed for our news, products and offers” and its LinkedIn page

provides useful tips and helpful articles about life and career. The company had also come up with a wonderful campaign “It Can Wait” for road safety.

So how do they do that? Well, you too can come up with some amazing social media campaigns. Think about your target audience (i.e. their interests, challenges, ambitions etc.) before planning your campaign. You can also hire an agency to do this for you. No matter who does it, the idea is to create something that appeals to the prospects and draw them closer to you.

Master Your Storytelling Through Videos

That was a powerful video. It doesn’t just strike a chord with the viewers, but also asks you to “share if you agree”. A perfectly placed call to action is as important as the content. There is no denying the fact that videos put your point across more effectively and produce a higher impact. Adage also mentioned that Vodafone’s “#ConnectedSheCan” ranked third out of all brands’ video campaigns during the International Women’s day week. It accumulated 19.4 million views in a week. Yes, a video can reach this magnitude of people in such a short span!

If you are planning to promote your organization in a professional manner, corporate videos are what you need. These videos can help you showcase your capabilities, strengths, values, history etc. Many a times, you need to demonstrate the benefits you offer, in a such a way that it hooks the audience. You may also need to explain some complex concept, processes or products in a simple manner. Explainer videos can help you with that. China Telecom Global shared this animated explainer video, featuring a character called Lorry Sam:

You can include cute characters, mascots, funny characters or a protagonist with whom your viewers can empathize with, to engage your audience even more. People easily recognize them and associate them with your brand. (Remember Vodafone’s Zoo Zoo and Hutch’s Pug?) AT&T’s “It’s Not Complicated” videos, starring Actor Beck Bennett and kids got a lot of attention and love all because of the adorable kids.

You can also take some inspiration from Verizon and share videos focusing on careers or CSR. If you wish to show your customers that you are concerned about them, lend a helping hand like Vodafone, who offers support videos on all important topics. More the number of your YouTube videos, better your ranking on Google!

Be ‘Event’ful.

Verizon hosted the Verizon Innovative App Challenge and the winners were announced by President Obama! What better way to connect with the society?

Videos and Social media engagement is a must but occasional face to face interaction with people goes a long way in building relations. So, sponsor some relevant events or participate in some trade show or exhibition to increase your visibility. You can also introduce some programs for your employees. After all, they are the building blocks of your organization. For instance, Deutsche Telekom introduced levelUP! for its managers.

Always inform people that you are going to organize or attend an event. Keep updating about the developments and the exciting things to come. After the event, post a summary of what happened there. China Telecom participates in a lot of events and you will find a lot of posts on their Twitter handle.

Whatever campaigns or events you organize (or support), use all your (relevant) social media channels for an integrated communication. So, upload videos on YouTube and post them on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as well. LinkedIn is the most popular place for professional networking. So, Vodafone posted the following video on its Linked page (where people come looking for suitable jobs and good employers)

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have also become preferred platforms for two-way communication. You can even enable comments on your videos. It’s important to respond promptly on these platforms. Also, be ready to take some complaints and criticism with patience and positivity.

Stay flexible with your apps.

As a telecom company, you definitely know the popularity of mobile apps. It is your duty to create some apps that make your customer’s life easy. Additionally, apps ensure that the users stay connected to your brand on a regular basis. So, what’s new in that? Well, you need to update yourself with the changing times. For instance, My Verizon app is compatible with Apple watch too!

Embrace New Technologies

Telecom sector has the power help new technologies penetrate the market. Well, it’s a win-win situation because these technologies can bring a lot of revenue for the industry. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR & VR) are two such technologies that rely on the network speeds…..and they can also do wonders to promote a telecom company.

Just like telegraphs were replaced by telephones and telephones by video conferencing; time has come when Virtual Reality calls will re-define communication. Many companies are already developing this. You too can grab some eyeballs with such innovative offerings. Earlier, we had mentioned a campaign by AT&T, “It Can Wait”. The company jazzed up their website with a 360-experience. They also shared a virtual reality film to take you through a special journey of a TOMS customer…in an immersive experience.

Augmented reality can also have several applications. Provide your customers the ability to locate and navigate to nearby the restaurants, hospitals or petrol pumps, by just capturing the locality in their mobile phone camera!

Such applications can gather a lot of crowd at the events. Check out how Globe Telecom and TW Telecom created AR apps and showcased them on social media & events. You can also publish print ads that can come to life once they are scanned by a mobile’s camera. An interactive AR ad promises a great deal of engagement and entertainment.

These were some amazing techniques that the leading companies in telecom industry have adopted. Now it’s time for you to swing into action and do something amazing for your brand.