11 perfect examples of telco customer acquisition
If you work in the marketing or digital department for a telco, customer acquisition is often the goal to chase. With most products securing a customer for at least a month, occasionally rising to as many as 24, the initial conversion-driving process tends to be half the battle.
The telecom industry’s emphasis on acquisition has remained unchanged for years. However, the rules for landing a new customer have certainly changed, especially with the rise of eCommerce.
Like fashion, beauty, and consumer electronics, the telecom industry has been deeply impacted by the emergence of online shopping and servicing. Customers now readily take to their connected devices to sign up for services, gain continued support, and take advantage of online promotions, offers, and discounts.
That’s right – they are now changing the industry that powers these connections, and many would argue for the better.
Why telco customer acquisition is changing
Physical stores were once the customers' preferred destination for signing up for internet, mobile, and TV services and reporting issues. Due to inherent nervousness in committing to a new contract, these stores still play a hugely important role in telco.
Nevertheless, we’re now increasingly relying on online platforms to acquire customers, especially younger ones.
A recent Salesforce survey reveals that 51% of telco customers prefer doing all their business online. Meanwhile, 40% still opt for a physical store. The closure of physical retail during COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of a digital-first approach. Yet, according to a survey conducted before the pandemic, telcos already forecasted that 52% of smartphones would eventually be purchased online.
Telcos invest heavily in eCommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce to provide a seamless, personalized experience. This reduces overhead costs and increases convenience, so we can expect online services to become even more critical.
Optimizing the customer journey through segmentation, personalized marketing, and loyalty programs is key to driving conversions, repeat purchases, revenue, and profit. Cross-selling and upselling strategies are also being tested to enhance profitability and customer retention.
The new rules for telco customer acquisition
With the shift online, telcos have a new acquisition rulebook.
Segmentation is key
New telco customers usually get better deals than existing ones. Now, there's an expectation for a personalized experience. Show and hide offers based on your customer. Don’t offer deals they can't use.
Clear information based on FAQs
Customers who are not heading to a store need websites to answer their questions. Chatbots and social media accounts are key for specific inquiries. Landing pages should have expandable sections covering the basics.
You need a play for everything
Some customers need lots of guidance, while others know what they want. Another might be ready to leave, while another is ready to convert. The modern telco site needs to react to these micro-moments.
Now that we have the structure for a telco customer acquisition strategy let’s examine some examples in action.
Example #1 TalkTalk segmentation
Personalization should come into the customer journey as early as possible.
UK-based telco TalkTalk requests a postcode before it showcases prices and offers on its broadband.
Once I enter that information, I receive tailored advice on services in my area, which reassures me about speeds.
You might also notice the button directing existing customers to their area for information and deals. In terms of segmentation from the start, it’s a winner in our book.
Example #2 AT&T deal page
Research shows that a quarter of telco buyers switch providers after finding a better deal. Only 18% do this because of poor service, which signifies the importance of converting one particular audience segment: deal seekers.
AT&T appreciates the risk of customers leaving its site to look for a deal. Its response is to create the best place to find one.
Here’s a slick, intuitive offers page for new customers to browse deals by product category.
Example #3 O2 free accessory
Incentivizing sales while trying to retain margin is a tricky situation.
It’s why so many telco companies offer accessories with a new device rather than a discount for the contract.
Here, O2 offers a free pair of Pixel buds to anyone purchasing a Google Pixel 7a. We’ve also seen instances within the telecom industry where smaller accessories like chargers and cases are offered. Of course, this only reduces the cost of conversion.
Example #4 Mobiles.co.uk margin booster
When we know the inside track about a great customer acquisition campaign within the telecom industry, we’ll tell it. Here is an example that utilized RevLifter’s intelligent offers.
Overview
Part of landing a new customer is about giving value for money without sacrificing profit. Just ask the telco brand Mobiles.co.uk, which is part of the Carphone Warehouse Group.
Challenge
Mobiles.co.uk wanted to drive more profitable sales and increase its conversion rate.
In what became an award-winning campaign, RevLifter used overlays to recommend tariffs that gave customers value for money and delivered more profitable sales for Mobiles.co.uk – a win-win!
Solution
RevLifter used a special telco data feed from affiliate network Awin to calculate the visitor’s margin once a product was added to the cart. It then delivered a personalized offer to upsell to a better tariff.
It worked as follows:
- The customer adds the handset and tariff to their cart at Mobiles.co.uk.
- The customer is recommended a tariff with more data, which provides more value for money than their current product.
- When you push the ‘unlock your special offer’ button, the cart automatically switches from the old tariff to the suggested one.
In addition to producing excellent results, the campaign claimed several awards. These included Best Use of Data at the UK Performance Marketing Awards and Best eCommerce Campaign at the Global Marketing Awards.
For more information, read the full case study.
Example #5 T Mobile answers our FAQs
We love proactivity at RevLifter. T Mobile manages it here by fielding FAQs related to the Google Pixel 7a.
Want to transfer phone numbers? When you push the ‘unlock your special offer’ button, the cart automatically switches from the old tariff to What are the payment options?
I enter my information and get an instant response, all on the product page.
Example #6 Sparklight for gamers
Internet speeds are a vital consideration for any broadband customer. For gamers, they’re essential.
We’re a big fan of how Sparklight has a dedicated area for those who require consistently high speeds for streaming or gaming.
Example #7 Mobiles.co.uk sticky on-site tool
When you browse any site, you give away certain clues regarding what you’re looking for.
It’s up to the telco provider to read these signals and highlight products that match your needs.
Regarding the solution that displays these recommendations, we’ve found great results with ‘sticky’ on-site tools.
These icons expand on personalized deals, suggestions, and messages from the provider.
Here’s a great example at Mobiles.co.uk.
Example #8 giffgaff goes big with data
It’s essential to play to your strengths where possible. For example, sim-only provider giffgaff doesn’t go with deals at the top of its page. Instead, it broadcasts the savings made by its community of members.
There is a more extensive section covering why customers should choose giffgaff. But for a first impression, it’s a striking one.
Example #9 Three’s Customer Assistant
We landed on Three’s site to check out its acquisition tools, and what a surprise we got.
On the left is an expandable tab. Click it, and you can enter information to help the network select a device and a plan to go with it.
Click away, and you’re back on the homepage to conduct your search.
We’ve snapped some of the data and results we provided. It might not be helpful for customers with a specific device in mind. However, we can see the value for those looking for inspiration.
Example #10 BT counts down
One of the most prominent players in the UK telecom industry, BT tends to run seasonal or quarterly promotions on its internet and TV packages. One benefit is that it can countdown when an offer is unavailable.
The timer drives a real sense of urgency and gives a new customer something extra to consider.
Example #11 Plusnet monitors exit intent
On our travels, we tested the exit-intent strategies of most of the examples listed above. We wanted to see what happened when we displayed tell-tell signs of abandonment, like lengthy dwell times and mouse movements toward the close window button.
When we tried to close the page of internet provider Plusnet, we received a pop-up asking us to stay.
RevLifter runs similar exit campaigns for telco brands, and the results are awe-inspiring.
Admittedly, there is room for refinement with Plusnet’s example. We see three reasons to choose Plusnet, but clicking the button takes us back to the homepage. This would be an excellent opportunity to direct a customer to a page with examples of deals.
We’d even recommend something similar to Three’s Assistant to help customers assess their options.
Telco customer acquisition: is it changing?
As more customers sign up for telco services online, the art of telco customer acquisition must change with it. Is telco customer acquisition changing? It’s a yes from us. We can see that internet, mobile, and TV providers are equipping their sites with tools to satisfy all their different types of customers from the start. From our research of the telecom industry, three points were evident:
Personalization starts at the very first step
On many sites, we were greeted with a box to enter our details so the telco could issue a deal or advise us on its service. It’s positive to see providers placing value on tailored service and personalized marketing.
Customer assistants are a hit
Considering many customers need advice and inspiration, we were delighted to see many telcos using sticky on-site tools to deliver recommendations. These tools help in cross-selling and upselling, ultimately driving conversions and revenue.
Younger audiences are a big focus
It was surprising to see many providers having dedicated areas for gamers to browse high-speed packages. It’s worth noting that many telcos have set up smaller ‘challenger’ brands that are marketed toward younger age groups. There is a focus on these audiences and their demands, optimizing for repeat purchases and loyalty programs through targeted offers, promotions, and discounts.
Technology keeps pushing things forward
eCommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce are being leveraged for better segmentation and online shopping experiences. Telcos invest in testing and optimization to enhance customer acquisition strategies, aiming for increased profit and revenue through effective retail practices.
