KMC Telecom: Bringing Broadband to Small Town America

KMC Telecom operated state-of-the-art fiber optic networks in 25 Tier III cities. Now they needed to go where no telecom fiber had gone before: into 15 Tier IV markets with populations under 100,000. Timeline: 3 months. Could KMC build local awareness to pave the way and drive sales in each new market?

KMC hired Crawford to take on the role of company PR Department. We created the company’s first corporate PR policy and drew up a master plan with components for local, financial, policy and crisis PR. We wrote all-new customer-focused company collaterals, and media trained city sales managers in each pending market. Most important: our template for local PR.

Strategy: As the new year opened, Crawford unveiled a new era of broadband in Small Town America – targeting local dailies, weeklies, radio and TV stations for KMC’s launch story across all 15 new markets. On the heels of this PR blitz, we set-up seminars to educate local businesses on advanced telecom services, and orchestrated sponsorship of local sports events for charities to involve KMC with area leaders. Ongoing: Booking city managers to speak at local Chamber of Commerce luncheons; placing benefits-oriented bylines on broadband in area business weeklies; announcing new offices, local hiring, breaking news on product launches. By mid-year, KMC was “in tight” with business leaders in each new market – and logging sales.