Book Review:
ISP Marketing Survival Guide

ISP Marketing Survival Guide:
Proven Strategies and Secrets for
Outmaneuvering the Competition
by Christopher M. Knight
Paperback - 320 pages (January 21, 2000)
John Wiley & Sons, New York
ISBN: 0471376795

ISP Planet asked respected ISP marketing maven Brock Henderson to review a book penned by renowned ISP marketing guru Chris Knight. The result may surprise you.

by Brock Henderson

Direct and to the point
This book is an exceptional marketing tome. It's exceptional because Knight realizes that marketing is far more than sales pitches or advertising campaigns, it's your attitude toward your customers — it's your very identity.

The book provides fascinating reading for anyone interested in marketing, but the ISP Marketing Survival Guide is essential reading for those who own or market an Internet service.

The ISP Marketing Survival Guide is not just another "how to" book about marketing — it's about operating a quality Internet service that is of value to your clients.

Knight identifies nine different topics ranging from building a "marketing arsenal" to detailing "the only three ways to grow your ISP," and then attacks each with clear thinking and solid judgment.

As if that isn't enough, Knight provides the reader with "case studies" about national ISPs like EarthLink, Inc. and VillageNet, Inc. as well as regional and international ISPs. His analytical skills reviewing other ISP's experiences substantiate Knights marketing prowess.

Great for young and old alike
Knight's ISP Marketing Survival Guide is filled with dynamic information — even established ISP professionals will benefit from reading this insightful collection of marketing information.

One sensitive issue always on an ISP owner's mind is the revolving door known as "customer churn." Knight shows the reader that ISP owners may directly control up to 85 percent of their customer churn if they stand behind their service guarantees, protect subscriber privacy, and give customer's their money back if your ISP fails to deliver what clients expect.

Each chapter is filled with intelligent data you can easily and quickly incorporate into your business. The books forces you to answer tough questions like why you're in the business and what you expect to gain from operating an ISP.

Knight also lets the reader know that you don't necessarily have to have all the right answers. Before he starts a list of 23 basic business questions, Knight informs the reader that "knowing which questions to ask" is far more valuable than "knowing all the answers."

You'll get idea, after idea, about how to put some muscle into your marketing strategy and grow your business. For example, Knight helps you determine who your target market is, the size of the market, and if your ISP is suited to meet the markets needs.

Next, Knight helps you build a a direct-hit advertising campaign targeting the most profitable segment of your market, including minute details like how to write headlines that will grab your audiences' attention!

It's must-read information for any ISP owner that wants to grow his or her business because the level of detail the book provides is astonishing. Even the Appendices provide eye-opening information, like an example of a working "Marketing Budget," a table that explains how to calculate the "Cost of Goods Sold," and a "Recommended Reading" list.

Final thoughts
If you can't recoup the $25 cost of this book within a month … maybe it's time for you to find another line of work.

Knight's ISP Marketing Survival Guide is exciting to read because it opens your mind to the possibilities available to you and your Internet business. It has become my Bible for marketing an ISP.

— End

For three years Brock Henderson was the Director of Marketing for IgLou Internet Services, a full-service ISP serving Cincinnati, Nashville metropolitan areas as well as Louisville and Lexington, KY.; now Mr. Henderson is a Marketing Consultant to ISP's and those in the Internet Technology field.