As they say, location, location, location. I started an ISP in Oklahoma back in the mid 90s. Instead of running a ton of advertising to drive traffic to the p

As they say, location, location, location. I started an ISP in Oklahoma back in the mid 90s. Instead of running a ton of advertising to drive traffic to the phones or website, I opened a store front in an 800 sqft unit attached to the front of the local Best Buy. I did my selling in person, and used some unique branding to help people remember us. This worked because a) dialup ISPs sold to a localized area, and b) the newness of the Internet scared people. I lost count of how many computers passed through our doors getting configured correctly for access. In a pure online play, I think the equivalent of location is channel strategy. Find partners who are a close fit to your offering, and work hard to form a good relationship with them early on. If you can provide a service to their customers that adds value, it's a win for both sides.