BROADCASTS.com

Many communities must understand\xa0that, without a well-crafted and executed\xa0creative marketing strategy, their broadband networks will have limited success. This is particularly true in states such as North Carolina that have a hostile political climate for public\xa0networks. Salisbury, NC has held their own for four years, but plans to turn on the marketing afterburners to accelerate their growth and impact on the community.\n\nSalisbury Mayor Paul Woodson and Mayor Pro Tem Maggie Blackwell present constituents and listeners with\xa0details on some of their marketing ideas. The city launched\xa0its Fibrant\xa0fiber network in 2010\xa0and has\xa0steadily increased its subscriber base\xa0in the face of stiff incumbent opposition. They recently upgraded Fibrant to 1 gigabit per second service, which they expect will\xa0improve\xa0economic development, healthcare service delivery, education and government services.\xa0\xa0\xa0\n\nCity leaders see their marketing efforts moving forward on two fronts: 1) increasing marketing messages that educate various constituencies about the benefits of gigabit services, and 2) raising Salisbury's national profile as a forward-looking gig city that is a center of innovation. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem describe several of Fibrant's past marketing successes, and provide other community broadband teams with advice on how to market effectively against well-financed adversaries.