Restaurant Marketing & Customer Experience Blog

WiFi Marketing: Keys to Getting Buy-In from Your Boss

Written by Robin Johnston | Mar 15, 2018 11:00:00 AM

If your boss is pressuring you yet again with the same old mantra - "We need a new approach. We need to bring in new customers!" Then you have come to the right place. I'll give you the insider tips that you need so you can get buy-in from your boss to start using WiFi Marketing in your business.

WiFi Marketing is one of those buzzwords that gets people talking, but often gets left on the table after the conversation ends. 

It can be intimidating. 

You know that it's going to involve some sort of technology and has to tie into a greater marketing strategy to make it worthwhile.  But it can be pretty confusing to figure out where to go from there.

So let me break down the basics for you.  For starters, you basically only have 3 ways that you can impact the boss' bottom line.

  1. You have to get more new customers to walk in the door and open their wallets.
  2. You need to customers that have been there before to come back more often.
  3. Or they need to spend more while they are there.

It's really that simple.  

You've also probably either already been using email marketing in your business, or you've looked into starting it.  Email is a great tool to help you stay in touch with customers and tell them what's going on in your business and build a relationship.  Basically - it's a great way to help get existing customers back in more often and encourage them to spend more when they come.

The challenge is getting their email from them on the first visit.

When you add in WiFi marketing, you are basically using your WiFi as the incentive to get the customer to part with their email address.  You are also able to collect more information about their visit that can assist you with more personalized marketing strategies.

Nearly two-thirds of all US Consumers prefer WiFi to cellular access according to a report from Deloitte.  So it's a powerful motivator. 

People use their devices all the time and are always looking for ways to keep their data cost down while enjoying higher speeds that only WiFi can provide.  They expect to have access that's fast, available, and free, and they don't mind giving their email address to you to access it.

Would it work for you?

This isn't a new tactic.  Companies like Starbucks and McDonald's have been using it for nearly a decade.  

People stay longer and spend more when they have WiFi.  Research has shown that 77% of consumers spend more time in businesses with WiFi and they spend 63% more money in those locations during their visits.

But, more to the point, if any of the following would be helpful to your marketing strategy, then it's a good chance that WiFi Marketing would be successful:

  • Can you imagine running a personalized upsell promotion specifically for people that come in regularly, but don't spend much while they are there?
  • What about increasing return customers by segmenting and targeting people that used to come in regularly, but haven't been in for several weeks?
  • Is it helpful for your business to have raving reviews online?

Would those kinds of campaigns benefit you?  If so, let's keep going!

THE PROOF YOU NEED TO GATHER

The first step is to research the projected ROI from running this type of campaign.  As with any marketing tactic, you have to know what it's going to take to get it running, and how you're going to measure the success of it. 

One useful tool to assist in this process is case studies published by vendors that show how companies like yours have found results.

Next, you will want to choose a vendor with robust analytics capabilities and schedule a demo. 

You will need the data they can provide to be able to really segment and target your audience like we were talking about before.  You need more than just a list of emails... you need that extra information that will help you personalize and maximize your ROI.  So choose your vendor wisely.

Learn More

With the right technology and a clear, comprehensive strategy, you can drive revenue with your Wi-Fi.  Download our free e-book to discover five actionable strategies for capturing information, analyzing customer behavior data, and combining Wi-Fi tools with automated marketing.