Cumberland Connect Taps Calix to Drive Omnichannel Marketing

Calix, Inc. has announced that Cumberland Connect has more than doubled adoption of new revenue-generating services with EDGE Suites in just four months. In addition, Cumberland Connect is achieving email campaign open rates of up to 70 percent by implementing the integrated Calix Marketing Cloud (Marketing Cloud) and Mailchimp solution.

These open rates are250 percent higher than the telecommunications industry average of 20 percent—and represent a dramatic increase over their previous rates. Cumberland Connect is now seamlessly sharing audience segments, augmented with behavioral data, from Marketing Cloud directly with Mailchimp in just a few clicks. Campaign results are in turn shared back into Marketing Cloud.

This enables Cumberland Connect to seamlessly manage contact lists, create targeted messaging, and run email campaigns for premium managed Wi-Fi services delivered via the Revenue EDGE to its more than 10,000 members. As a result, Cumberland Connect can generate incredibly effective end-to-end email marketing campaigns that excite members with new services, engage with existing subscribers, and increase average revenue per user (ARPU) to yield impressive returns on its marketing investments.

Cumberland Connect is a subsidiary of Cumberland Electric Member Corporation, one of the largest electric cooperatives in the United States. To maximize subscriber engagement and build brand loyalty, Cumberland Connect uses Marketing Cloud, which is purpose-built for broadband service provider (BSP) marketers. The seamless integration with Mailchimp enables Cumberland Connect to streamline and simplify the planning, creation, and execution of omnichannel marketing campaigns. These include mobile notifications delivered to the CCFiber SmartIQ app—the branded version of CommandIQ® with an attachment rate that has grown exponentially over the past year.

Cumberland Connect is now creating highly targeted pre- and post-installation experiences that excite members and grow the cooperative’s value. Here are the results the Cumberland Connect team is seeing.

A 63 percent jump in email open rates for targeted campaigns. Cumberland Connect’s previous Mailchimp email campaigns averaged an open rate of 43 percent. With the integrated Marketing Cloud and Mailchimp platforms, engagement rates soared 63 percent higher than before on targeted campaigns, with plans to tailor offerings for premium managed Wi-Fi tiers to members who regularly exceed their usage limits.

In four months, doubled adoption of new revenue-generating services. The recently launched Peace of Mind package, made up of EDGE Suites applications ProtectIQ™ and ExperienceIQ™, provides Cumberland Connect members with home network security and advanced parental controls that ensure a secure and optimal online experience. Delivered via the branded CCFiber SmartIQ app, adoption has more than doubled in just four months, generating new revenue streams and increasing ARPU.

Higher ROI on marketing campaigns with Facebook and Marketing Cloud integration. Cumberland Connect also leverages Facebook to reach new and existing members. The integration of Facebook and Marketing Cloud will simplify new subscriber acquisition by further automating marketing workflows and enabling them to create lookalike audiences that can be used to easily segment, target, and execute omnichannel marketing campaigns.

Additionally, they can measure campaign performance in a fully integrated, holistic fashion—driving even higher marketing return on investment (ROI).

“As avid Mailchimp users, we were delighted when Calix announced this integration and wasted no time putting it to use, with incredible results so far,” said Kaitlyn Bonds, creative director for Cumberland Connect. “With turnkey marketing solutions that drive high-impact results across the business, Calix enables us to continuously raise the bar to create an even more memorable and customized managed Wi-Fi experience for our members. As a result, our marketing operations have realized tremendous ROI. With Calix, we are confident we have a lasting competitive advantage that will serve us well as we continue to grow.”

A Calix customer since 2019, Cumberland Connect delivers its premium managed Wi-Fi experience to members over a cutting-edge fiber broadband network powered by the Network Innovation Platform (AXOS®) and the Intelligent Access EDGE. As a result, it was able to complete its end-to-end network integration 83 percent faster than the industry standard. Cumberland Connect is also leveraging Calix Services to accelerate deployment and maximize operational efficiency—turning up more than 130 members each week. Last year, the cooperative was recognized with an Innovations in Intelligent Access EDGE award.

“We continue to be impressed with the success of Cumberland Connect and the way they embrace go to market innovation,” said Matt Collins, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of commercial operations at Calix. “They've mastered simplified marketing processes that help identify new opportunities to connect with members, improve their experience, and drive adoption of personalized offerings. In particular, the rising take rates for EDGE Suites indicate the Cumberland Connect team has laid a solid foundation for future growth by exciting subscribers and establishing new, recurring revenue streams. We look forward to announcing new integrations that will make it easier than ever for innovative BSPs like Cumberland Connect to achieve go to market success.”