In the business world today, there are so many marketing trends out there, that it can be difficult to know which ones you should invest your resources into and which one should be better left alone.

There are many companies out there today, selling Wi-Fi marketing, who tout the amazing benefits that this form of marketing could give your business. 

Is this just another fly-by-night advertisement ruse or is this something that actually could help your business in a sustainable way?

Unless you understand what Wi-Fi marketing really is, how do you know if it truly will benefit you?

Have I seen this before?

Have you ever gone into a hotel, restaurant, or other establishment and had to log into the Wi-Fi by giving your email address, phone number, or social media credentials? They are using Wi-Fi marketing.  

Simply put: Wi-Fi marketing is when you offer free Wi-Fi to your customers in exchange for some information about them. And you then use that information as a way to communicate with them.

You can communicate with them by a number of means including; text message, email, tweet, push notification, or some other form of messaging.

Imagine being able to notify a potential customer directly to their phone, while they are using it,  when they are within walking distance to your location!

That’s the power of WiFi marketing.

How does it work you ask?

How does WiFi marketing work?

Here’s how it looks: An individual walks into your store and sees a sign stating there is free WiFi ( and maybe an incentive to log in). Upon joining, with either their Facebook, email, phone number, etc, they will be redirected to a splash page, that should have information about the business, possibly another marketing message or notification, and terms and conditions. After agreeing to the terms and conditions, they will be redirected 1 more time to the internet.

Some locations allow full Internet access so shoppers can use their devices as they normally would. Others only direct shoppers to their own online store or mobile app enabling you to better drive consumers to your promotions.

Either way once logged in, you now get access to certain information about them, from details like name, age, birthday, or picture, to specific information like length of stay on your WiFi, movement patterns through your store, and what they purchased (if connected to POS).

You can also begin to send notifications, emails, and text messages to them, directly on their phone.

But there is so much more to WiFi marketing than just sending a notification to a person near you, or giving a coupon.

Let’s look at some of the benefits below.

What are the benefits of WiFi Marketing?

Considering the massive amounts of mobile devices in the world today (more than actual humans) and that 80%+ of people will use their phones during a shopping experience, to check things like prices and ratings, it is safe to say that mobile devices are a great way to reach your target audience. 

Using WiFi marketing is just one of the ways a physical location can use the digital experience to create a quality customer experience. As well as, there are additional benefits when offering Free WiFi in exchange for customer information.

Increased security:

 When giving out your WiFi password to anyone who walks by, you are putting your company at major risk! It may seem harmless, but hackers who gain access to your network, also gain access to everyone else who is visible on your public network, including your business. This allows them to do things from looking through other people’s computer files to hacking your credit card terminal (it’s connected to the internet), or accessing your accounting information (likely, also online). 

With WiFi marketing, everyone gets their own secure access to the internet, which does not allow them to see anyone (or anything) else on the network. This helps secure everyone and gives them the added security of not having to remember a password.

Understand your customers: 

 Because your customer is connecting to your Wi-Fi using an email, phone number, or social login, they are agreeing to give you access to some sort of information about them. This information can begin to create an image of who your ideal (and most frequent) customers are. 

When employing WiFi Marketing, you will get a better understanding of the demographics of those who come into your location, and possibly even those who walk by. For instance, by allowing Facebook logins into your WiFi, you might discover that Thursday is the busiest day of the week for working women, but Monday is the business day overall, or your younger consumers are likely to return more often but spend less than their older counterparts, or you might find that people spend more money inside of your location around their birthday. 

The knowledge you gain is virtually unlimited, giving you a better look at the consumers inside of your location and their behaviors.

Improve store operations:  

Speaking of behaviors, with Wifi marketing, you get an amazing amount of information, not only about your customers but also what they are doing. With Wi-Fi marketing software, you can track and monitor foot traffic and trends in your location. Some wifi marketing companies allow you to see heatmaps of the heaviest foot traffic area in your location. You can use them to see patterns like most people in any given area, length of time people stay in certain locations, movement patterns throughout your store, and more..

And because you get 1 dashboard that connects all of your locations, you can make decisions at the company, region, local, and individual location. You will see if customers are visiting multiple locations, where holes in your footprint are, and if certain items sell better in certain locations, allowing you to adjust your stock accordingly.

Imagine the staffing and layout decision you will be able to make armed with this knowledge!

Promote a product or campaign: 

As your customers log into your Wi-Fi service, you can start to send push notifications marketing additional products or services to them. Some companies allow you to use your new knowledge of foot traffic and customer movement to send personalized push notifications in certain sections of your location. For example, if a customer walks into a bakery in your grocery store, you can send them coupons or marketing messages for products in that section, you can even send coupons for products they previously purchased! Because these codes are exclusive, they can be tracked to measure how effective they are!

This form of WiFi marketing doesn’t just have to be used with customers inside of your location, customers near your store could receive push notifications that you’re having a sale or enjoy exclusive coupons on your items. Even customers that are nowhere near your store can receive incentives to go in, increasing the return rates of customers and growing your business by attracting people who might not have come in that day..

By using data tied to each individuals movement and purchasing habits, you now have a powerful way to personalize the shopping experience for each customer.

Build a loyal following:

 No matter what data you collect or send to your customers, these individuals are becoming a list you can market in the future, even when they are miles away. Some companies use their landing page promotions and push notifications to encourage customers to sign up for their newsletters or connect on social media, furthering their exposure to their target audience, generating more profit. They might even add an incentive for connecting in certain ways.

Now you can alert them to new promotions or simply remind them that you exist, increasing customer loyalty. 

With dedicated landing pages, you can also recommend lesser-known products, share your company story, let them know about holiday hours, or upsell them while they are waiting in line. 

You can change your landing pages with the seasons, or even A/B test them, to know which marketing message is working best with your audience, to increase ROI.

Increased sales: 

This should be the main goal of any product or service you purchase— driving sales — and WiFi marketing is no exception. With all the tips and tricks to use WiFi marketing properly, you will find an increase in loyalty, customer satisfaction, and repeat visits, all leading to a greater profit for your company. When you use a service like WiFi marketing, you’re giving clients what they want, and they will reward you for it.

The Benefits of Wi-Fi Marketing Outweigh the Investment Costs

Wi-Fi marketing can increase the number of customers to your business, build brand loyalty, and grow your average ticket, so when you calculate the benefits versus the costs, you can start to see that WiFi marketing is a good investment and one that is likely here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Now the only question is, which WiFi marketing is right for your business?