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Net Neutrality Explained

It’s happening again.

The fight for Net Neutrality is raging across the interwebs.

Frankly, I’m amazed that it has come up again, but here we are.

Having worked in internet marketing for almost two decades, I have always been aware of the the issues surrounding it. So I generally take for granted that everyone knows what it is and why it’s needed.

But when I ask my friends and family, even my lawyer friends, they really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Or some have a basic understanding at best.

So I’m going to simplify the issue and try my very best to leave politics out.

What Is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers and governments regulating the Internet should treat all data on the Internet the same. What this means to the everyday person is that they cannot discriminate or charge different prices by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication.

What Does All The Lingo Mean?

 

There are three basic rules that make up the FCC’s Net Neutrality Order from 2015. This is what broadband providers cannot do.

1. No Blocking: They cannot block any content, apps, services or devices as long as they are lawful and non harmful.
2. No Throttling: They can’t slow down traffic to a specific app or service.
3. No Paid Prioritization: They can’t accept fees for favored treatment. For example, Netflix can’t pay Comcast to be streamed faster than Hulu.

Why Do We Need Net Neutrality?

Great question, and I’m so glad you asked.

Opponents of Net Neutrality are basically large internet service providers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon. There is no consumer or consumer group that is arguing against it or has voiced any problems with it.

The reason that this even became an issue is that some of the big boys were caught doing the opposite of what it stands for. Why did they do these things? Because there was competing tech involved, and like any business would, they wanted to squash that.

• In 2004 The Madison River Communications company was fined $15,000 by the FCC for restricting their customers’ access to Vonage because it was a competitor in its VOIP service.
• In 2007 Comcast was secretly slowing (throttling) uploads from peer-to-peer file sharing applications like BitTorrent. The FCC caught them and ordered them to stop doing it.
• In 2009, AT&T blocked the Skype app on its cellular network. The app enabled users to make free and low cost calls. Note that at the time, AT&T was the exclusive carrier for iPhones in the US Market.
• In 2011, Verizon blocked its customers from installing the Google Wallet app for mobile payments on their phones. The app was in direct competition with the new company named Isis that was formed in partnership by Verizon, AT&T and T-mobile to facilitate mobile payments.
• In 2012 AT&T Announced that FaceTime would not be available to customers of their MobileShare plans with “unlimited” data plans in which multiple devices share a single limit for total data usage. Several interest groups announced their intent to file a formal complaint with the FCC. This resulted in AT&T lifting those restrictions a couple of months later.

Basically, the argument that we don’t need these rules because companies will self govern is flawed since the companies everyone is so worried about were already caught doing what the rules would protect against.

When did Net Neutrality Start?

Net Neutrality has been a legal firestorm for years. It was “established” as a term in 2003, and by 2004 it was adopted by the FCC in their guidelines.

• In 2004, the FCC made an attempt to establish guidelines without regulation by releasing their Internet Freedom Guidelines.
• In 2008, The FCC was involved in a sticky lawsuit with Comcast over their throttling of BitTorrent traffic.
• In 2010, the FCC Open Internet Order was passed which established Net Neutrality and gave ISPs the current restrictions.
• In 2014, a case with Verizon put a damper on the FCC’s enforcement ability when the DC Circuit Court ruled in Verizon’s favor stating that ISPs could not be classified as common carriers.
• In 2015, The FCC passed Title II Net Neutrality Rules. This all goes back to the Communications Act of 1934 where Title II of the act defines the concept of common carriers. The classification basically states that ISPs are supplying a common public service and not a proprietary product, just like a phone call or radio signal.

The specific text which stops ISPs from being able to throttle traffic is in section 202 of Title II.

“It shall be unlawful for any common carrier to make any unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities, or services for or in connection with like communication service, directly or indirectly, by any means or device, or to make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, class of persons, or locality, or to subject any particular person, class of persons, or locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage.”

Why Are We Even Talking About This Again?

The newly appointed FCC Commissioner, Ajit Pai, has expressed opposition to Title II classification and is seeking to roll back the 2015 decision even though these rules were already upheld by an appeals court in 2016.

As soon as Pai made his announcement, the FCC released a set of myths and facts about Title II supporting his intention to remove the current rules to sway public opinion on the matter.

My favorite is the one where they state that Title II was bad for online privacy.  According to the document, “Title II put Americans’ online privacy at risk by stripping the Federal Trade Commission of its jurisdiction over broadband providers’ privacy and data security practices.”

What they neglected to add was that when the authority was shifted from the FTC to the FCC, the FCC had put in place stronger rules which were repealed before they took effect.

Here’s an article by TechCrunch detailing the Myths vs Facts with the dissection of those supposed facts.

What are the arguments FOR dismantling Net Neutrality?

There are always two sides to an argument, and although this one is basically the ISPs and carriers versus the public and non ISP internet companies, we should still know what is being said and whether there is truth to it. One of the things that makes the internet so awesome-sauce to me is the ability to go back in recent history and easily find statements and warnings and then see how they panned out. For example, back in 2010, there was an article written for the Brookings Institution by Robert E. Litan and Hal J. Singer stating the case for Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality.

Here are some of the claims made in that article.

Net Neutrality will bring price regulation, which will have a negative impact on investment.

It did not bring any price regulation, and as we all know, innovation has been happening at an amazingly rapid pace. In fact, most carriers have been stumbling over each other to offer unlimited plans and increased services.

Not allowing priority delivery will impede innovation.

The article claims “Absent net neutrality restrictions, entrepreneurs in their garages would devote significant energies trying to topple Google with the next killer application. But if real-time applications are not permitted to run as they were intended, these creative energies will flow elsewhere.”

Again, not true at all. We are living through the most amazing, fast paced time in the history of innovation. Nothing has been stopped, and because the kids in their garages get to develop and test their apps and creations with a free flowing internet, they aren’t being squashed by powerful entities not allowing them access or by paid prioritization.

A Few More Myths Debunked

There are still a few more myths that have been circulating throughout the years. Here are a few of the more popular ones.

1. Does this mean the government is taking over the internet? Not at all. It falls under the same laws regulating phones, radio signals, etc.
2. Will my broadband bill go up due to extra government taxes? There are zero new taxes as a result of Net Neutrality.
3. Will the FCC have a say in the cost of broadband and wireless service? No. Think about your services and the offerings that have been made available to you in the past 2-3 years. The rules don’t regulate broadband rates.
4. Are the providers banned from effectively managing their traffic? Not at all. They can manage their traffic in the interest of making their network run more smoothly and ban things like SPAM, but they can’t block a service simply because it uses too much bandwidth like a Netflix.

Why Are Tech Giants in Support of Net Neutrality?

Microsoft, Google, GE, Carbonite and most other tech giants who support Net Neutrality regulation aren’t doing it as a service to the public. This is, after all, a fight over business. These companies are worried that the ISPs will crush their businesses if they decide to offer competing services.

So while it benefits the consumer that they are on our side for the moment, don’t mistaken that as anything other than a business decision. This Boston Globe article breaks down their motivation.

I hope this post has broken down the issue in a way that makes it clear for you. I did my best to not get political and lay out the facts, but I may have fallen short here and there.

I’d love your thoughts on Net Neutrality and specifically what your views on these rules are.

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5 Signs You’re an Entrepreneur

Easy Marketing Funnels For Newbies

I decided to write this post because I couldn’t tell you how many times I have had a client ready to spend marketing dollars on a Facebook or Instagram or Email campaign who didn’t have a funnel. I have to explain to them why I can’t take their money, which is painful for me. It sucks to tell someone no, when they are ready to pay you. The success-hungry immigrant in me wants to smack myself.

Depending on the client, many times we can educate them about what they need and it turns into new business anyway, as we then close a deal on both building out a funnel and traffic generation. Those are happy meetings for yours truly. And sometimes, no matter how much I explain it and give great examples of why they need it, it just doesn’t sink in and I have to wave goodbye to the opportunity.

On some occasions the client will be back months later after another agency gladly took their money and couldn’t deliver what they really wanted which is always SALES. Then we get the joys of dealing with someone who is already wary of digital agencies.

So if you are thinking of “Boosting” a Facebook post or launching a new email campaign, please do yourself a favor and keep reading.

What is a Marketing Funnel?

A marketing funnel is an upside-down cone or pyramid that represents the steps a potential customer may take to eventually become a sale.

The funnel is wider at the top where there is awareness and interest and gets narrower towards the bottom, when you are closer to the sale being closed.

The Funnel Confusion

Just do a Google search and you will find a ridiculous amount of funnel graphics. That’s because of two things.

1. There are different types of funnels
2. Any funnel can be customized to suit your needs as a marketer.

Each funnel is different and applies to different scenarios and goals. For example, there is a sales funnel, a marketing funnel, a conversion funnel and so on. Then within each of these, there are more granular funnels like the webinar funnel or the trial upgrade funnel. For the purpose of this post, I am assuming that you just want to know what a funnel is and how it will help you make more sales online.

Define Your Goal

Before you can build out a good funnel, you need to establish what you want from people who view your ads. I know a lot of the gurus talk about subscribers, and they are correct. But let’s not use a cookie-cutter approach for every single business. I see so many “gurus” selling the same template or approach to everyone, and that just doesn’t work.

If you are a car dealership, you want foot traffic. You want people to call your sales team. You don’t need to give away a 12 day course. You could, but the car sales cycle is different from a digital product.

The sales happen in person, so your ultimate goal is to get someone to come in. Your immediate goal with a campaign is to get someone on the phone, so you need to create a landing page with your phone number for inbound calls and a lead capture form for them to send you their details to receive a call. You should be testing different landing pages with variations on your headlines and CTA including web versus mobile. For the purpose of this post we will keep things simple.

Your funnel will look something like this:

• Step 1: Traffic Generation (Facebook ad, Instagram ad, Email Campaign, etc). This is also known as the “Awareness” stage in the funnel.
• Step 2: Landing page with Toll Free number and CTA (Call-to-action) to request a free quote
  This is where you already have the visitor’s attention, so give them a good reason to contact you such as asking a question about a problem your visitor may have. For example, “Want to do ABC without having to pay XYZ? Give them a REASON to want you to contact them.
  • Step 2A: If Visitor Calls, then sales person receives call and asks to take down the prospect’s contact information for follow-up
  • Step2B: If Visitor completes form, ask to opt them into your newsletter. Sales person receives contact details and immediately calls the prospect.
• Step 3: Follow up email sequence based on user’s position in your funnel.
  • If User did not come in to store, email them offering a special deal or incentive to come in.
  • If User came into the store but did not convert (make a purchase), call or email them with a new offer or find out what they need from you to get the sale. Maybe they need a different interest rate or a competitor has a better price. Find out why the sale wasn’t made and offer to fix it and get the sale.
• Step 4: Conversion. If you made the sale, make sure to follow up with them and “nurture” this customer. Touch base monthly with dealership news. Offer them a referral bonus if they refer someone to you. You should basically spoil them to the point where they love you and tell their friends about you, because then they are helping you jump back into “Step 1” which is awareness. Word of mouth is a great traffic generator.

Now let’s talk about some of the main funnel elements.

Landing Page

Your landing page does not have to be uber pretty or fancy. Your prospects care about one thing, what you can do for them. As I stated before, asking a question is a great way to focus on them and their pain points. Here are a few tactics to consider when you want to capture a lead, which is what your landing page is all about.

• Add a lead magnet. Generally a freebie that you are giving away in exchange for someone’s email. A lead magnet can be a free eBook, checklist or anything else that you can give away for free.
  A lead magnet can even be a quiz where you email the results to the user, enabling you to capture their email and opt them in to your list.Here’s an example of a quiz lead magnet for home improvement.
• Use white space. Keep the message front and center and don’t feel like you need to throw everything on the page. People are skimmers. They will not read it all. No one has any time for that.
• Add social sharing buttons. Not only does this help with bringing in more traffic (top of the funnel), but it also helps you establish authority. The more shares that are seen on your page, the more cool factor you have going.
• Use testimonials. Nothing sells better than happy customers, so kick up your testimonials and showcase your peeps.

Targeted Follow-Up Sequence

 

Following up is essential. That’s why a good doctor’s office gives you a follow-up call to remind you about your appointment.

It takes about 7 contacts with a lead before they will turn into a sale. People don’t like parting with their hard earned cash, so you need to earn their trust first. You need to cultivate a relationship, let them get to know you. So once you capture their info, do something about it and send them emails to warm them up.

Post Sale

One word. Amazon. It is 2017 and I still am not getting contacted by over 80% of the companies I buy from on Amazon. This lady here is a power user of Amazon Prime thanks to my constant travels. Not a week goes by that I don’t order something for either myself, my family or a gift for someone. I have even used it for gifts to clients. You simply cannot beat it.

However, of all the people I have bought from, only about 20% are following up with me to ask me how I liked their products and offer to send me specials, deals or just a monthly newsletter. I mean, I already converted for you. Hit me up sellers!

Here is a letter from a seller who gets it.

Your current customers can offer you a wealth of traffic assistance. They can be recurring content creators. How many people do you think would love to post about their great experience? They generally won’t without a bit of encouragement, so encourage them. Send them gifts, birthday cards, whatever! Keep them happy and spoiled and they will be your brand ambassadors.

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Celebrating International Women’s Day with Coca-Cola & Prizes!

5 Tips On Being a Great Boss

I hate jerky co-workers.

And I can’t respect the bosses who let them get away with it even more so.

I certainly do not ascribe to the “Steve Jobs principle” where it’s OK to be a mean person if the work output is exceptional.

Frankly, I’ll take my chances with work that is “OK” and take the time to develop the talent of the responsible party if they are a decent person.

I have always had the philosophy that we spend so many hours of our lives at work and away from our families that we owe it to ourselves and our work families to be, ya know, not a jerk.

When I was younger, I took this to be common sense, but as I’ve gotten older and spent more time in the business world and work environments, I’ve learned that such is not the case.

I have been both an employee and an employer, and I still can’t wrap my mind around the people who are permitted to make other folks’s lives miserable.

So if you’re a boss of any type, I’m going to do you a total solid here. I’m going to give you some tips on how to not be the type of boss that everyone hates, because I’ve had my share, and I always promised myself I’d never permit anyone I dealt with to be the victim of a work jerk or a bad environment if I could help it.

And you almost always can.

Be polite

Everyone knows you’re in charge. It costs you nothing to be polite and make others feel worthy with a simple please, a smile and a thank you. When you are kind to people and polite, it’s like watching a butterfly come out of a cocoon sometimes. People start to feel great and they start to want to do better because they enjoy the manner in which they are treated.

Kindness begets kindness.

Give credit where credit is due.

This one is really more geared toward management. I have had my share of good ideas and hard work claimed by a manager or upper executive in my day. And I kept all of those people in a little folder in my memory titled “People Who I Will Never Work With Again Because They Will Always Screw You Over”.

There is nothing cooler than giving someone credit for their idea. It costs you nothing.

Think about it in a purely selfish manner. Your team is supposed to make you look good. Your people should be awesome, and when you give kudos it shows you are managing valuable assets.  It takes a great manager to manage highly valuable people very well.

End bad hires quickly

You want to do something for your team that they would appreciate? Cut out the cancer in the group and get rid of them. Yes, I know that’s pretty brutal. I’m not talking about the person who is clearly having a rough month because they are going through a divorce and it’s rocked their very existence.

I’m referring to the jerk who eats everyone’s food, is totally rude and makes everyone’s work harder because they have to do extra stuff just to deal with their screw ups. You know who I’m talking about. Every office, unfortunately, has at least one. It’s the idiot who always makes off-color jokes that makes everyone uncomfortable because you know he really means what he’s pretending to joke about. Or it’s the lady who does just the bare minimum until it’s time to clock out and her other teammates have to work extra just to make sure deadlines are met.

When you put that kind of pressure on your team, they feel neglected and wonder why they are putting in so much effort when it’s simply paid off with the same benefits as the people who don’t care.

If you know you hired this garbage, throw them out with the next pickup. Seriously, save yourself and especially your team the stress of dealing with the office jerk.

Listen

Your team is in the trenches every day. Listen to what they have to say about clients, productivity and other team members. Make it OK for them to come and chat about what concerns them and give them the option communicate things anonymously in case it’s a sensitive topic.

The things you learn from listening are priceless. Make sure you give kudos and reward anyone for ideas that bring about good changes and increased revenue as well.

Be Giving

Everyone loves being treated to some goodies. Make Fridays the day you bring in free breakfast or lunch.

Go to your local spa and get a discount to send your staff to them. You’ll get a heck of a deal when you ask, and they’d love the business.

Take the team and significant others out for drinks once per month.

My point is, it doesn’t have to be expensive, and you can use your cool boss selling skills to make some deals. You just have to show your crew that you really appreciate them. And when you keep the work environment free of jerks and show some appreciation, you’ll get it all back tenfold.

As I stated previously, these are all very common sense things to put into play, but you’d be surprised at how many bosses really miss the mark with these.

I’d love to hear about your favorite boss and why they were or are your favorite.

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