Now is the time to get ready for Winter
As the summer reaches its final weeks, most hospitality businesses will start to think about their winter season. We all know that winter is usually not as busy or rewarding as summer, but it can be.
Leading studies have shown that companies that regularly engage with their customers, have a higher rate of loyal returning customers. These customers will come to their favourite cafes and restaurants all year round.
But the challenge is, how do you engage with your customers? Everyone has Facebook and Instagram. Some businesses even do paid advertising on these platforms as well as Google Ads. But again, how do you know your customers are seeing your marketing efforts?
Being able to connect directly with your customers is an invaluable benefit. Having your customers know you have an event on this weekend or because the frequent your business often, they are a VIP for you is paramount. Every customer likes to feel special.
With WiFi Marketing, this an many more marketing activities can be done.
According to data from Cisco, 96% of consumers prefer to shop at businesses that have free WiFi, and they’re also more likely to return. And Oracle found that almost 60% of customers actually demand WiFi from a business.
With that in mind, a recent survey conducted by Surge Social showed that 68% of people are happy to share their contact details for marketing purposes in return for free WiFi at a business.
The Benefits of WiFi Marketing
The benefits of WiFi marketing in a hospitality environment are two-fold: There are advantages from both the consumers’ and merchants’ point-of-view.
For the customer:
Convenience: Customers have access to a potentially faster network than their mobile phone service provider’s, and they can also save on data usage.
Improved experience: Almost 62% of businesses that provide free WiFi report that their customers stay longer, according to Devicescape survey. This could indicate that shoppers are enjoying their experiences more, and therefore willing to spend more time and money with your brand.
For the retailer:
Increased sales: The main goal for most businesses — driving sales — receives a boost when you engage in WiFi marketing. That Deviscape survey found that half of businesses report that customers spend more money now that they have Open WiFi.
Understand your customers: WiFi marketing grants you access to a wealth of data and knowledge about your customers. You can use these insights to understand your business, the customer experience, and what makes your customers tick. (And if you have more than one location, be sure to do a comparative analysis, too!)
Build an audience: Whether you’re collecting email address or social profiles (or both), these customers are becoming a list of interested individuals to whom you can market in the future. Not only that, you’ll have information about their, in location and/or online behavior, which creates a richer customer profile that you can leverage for more targeted ads and promotions. Toronto’s Tokyo Smoke implemented Yelp’s WiFi marketing platform and gained 35 new sign-ons per week — that’s a passive and effortless way to continually grow your list.
Promote an event or campaign: There are a number of ways businesses can use WiFi marketing to promote their brand. This can start with the message on your splash page, through to retargeted ads and automated follow-up email/SMS campaigns. Bolivia’s Mall Las Brisas, for example, uses WiFi marketing to promote personalized offers based on users’ activity and Facebook profiles. You can also use automated email/SMS campaigns to request feedback and reviews or to reward returning clients.
Finally:
If you’re going to all this trouble to provide a network for your customers, you’ll want to make sure they know about it and actually use it. Leverage in-store signage and the universal WiFi network icon to raise awareness among customers. You could also incentivize using the network — maybe they get a discount or free gift for trying out your new fancy new WiFi network.
Encourage guests to use your WiFi for Social Media Posts or Reviews. Maybe, offer rewards for doing this while they are onsite. These are just some of the examples of how WiFi Marketing can help you increase your business throughout the year.
Want to discover how WiFi Marketing can benefit your business? Get in touch with Surge Social today:
