5 Fast Facts About Mobile Marketing in the Hospitality Industry

This modern traveller is looking for accommodation, tours and experiences through a digital medium. The hospitality industry needs to connect with this eager audience via mobile marketing to get a piece of the pie. 

What Is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing is an omnichannel, digital marketing strategy that reaches your preferred target audience via smartphones and tablets using websites, email, SMS, messaging and social media apps. If you’re looking to create an effective mobile marketing strategy, you need to consider ways to engage with new and potential guests across all these platforms. 

5 Fast Facts About Mobile Marketing Strategies For Hospitality

To get the maximum benefit from this automated form of marketing, you need to know the facts about mobile marketing and how this can be used to your benefit. Here’s a look at our top five fast facts. 

1. Users want a mobile-friendly website

A mobile-friendly website is an absolute must for those in the hospitality industry, as many searchers will be looking for accommodation, places to dine or things to do while on the go. The traditional desktop website remains a valuable asset for this industry, but this simply won’t suffice in the technologically driven mobile age. 

There are several ways that mobile and traditional hospitality sites will differ. When it comes to mobile, you’ll need to ensure:

• The digital platforms download faster
• The site uses captivating but minimalist visuals
• The site provides concise text information
• Your local SEO is optimised so you’re accessible on mobile SERPs
• The site has a touch-based interface with buttons in the reach zone.

2. Users check their emails on their mobiles

An important thing to remember when creating a mobile marketing strategy is that this automated platform must be consent-based across the entire customer journey. This extends into all communication platforms, including email marketing. Currently, around 50% to 65% of emails are viewed on a mobile device which means you need to optimise all your email marketing for mobile viewing. Some of the ways you can achieve a mobile-friendly marketing strategy are to:

• Divide the email information into separate paragraphs
• Focus each paragraph on one topic
• Ensure the paragraphs are short and suited to scanning
• Include a sub-heading and graphic with each section
• Prioritise the messages by placing the most important ones first
• Ensure your email is tailored and permission-based – this can be achieved through. 

3. SMS and messaging are the preferred forms of communication

Once your guests have booked, you want to retain customer attention and enhance customer experience through their preferred form of communication. 

Those who are leading the way in hospitality mobile marketing are incorporating SMS and messaging apps for keeping current customers engaged, and maintaining this engagement even after they’ve left. Though Google’s Business Messages offers many advantages to meet travellers in their moment of need, SMS still remains the primary form of mobile marketing as it doesn’t require internet connectivity and is not limited to smartphones. However, The hospitality industry can use opt-in messaging to:

• Welcome and thank guests for their stay
• Provide tips and advice on local events, facilities and restaurants
• Send automatic reminders for bookings
• Remind guests of check-in and check-out times
• Receive room service orders
• Request feedback or reviews;
• Respond to frequently asked questions
• Share information about other locations
• Encourage guests to sign up for loyalty programmes
• Build brand loyalty through exclusive deals. 

4. Smartphone functionality is extensive

Beyond the marketing capabilities of mobile phones, the hospitality industry can further extend the user experience by leveraging the technological strengths of this prolific device. Some of the ways those in hospitality can extend the mobile phone offerings include:

• Automated, keyless check-in and check-out where the guest doesn’t rely on a physical key or keycard but simply uses their mobile phone. 
• Mobile apps allow customers to communicate directly with the hospitality business. This gathers personalised user data that creates a more specific customer profile. 
• Mobile apps allow guests to communicate directly with the staff, but also with other guests through a private social messaging service. 

5. Guests want a personalised user experience 

With so much access to customer data, those in the hospitality industry are able to create more customised marketing strategies when dealing with new and potential guests. By spending a bit of time getting to know customers through data access, those in hospitality can start to form more one-on-one relationships with their customers, which results in customer loyalty and retention. 

What are the benefits of mobile marketing?

Mobile marketing is proving to be one of the major differentiators setting leaders in the hospitality industry apart as travellers forge ahead in a digitally-driven world. The emergence of flexible work hours and a mobile workforce has created a whole new travel market. 

People are now able to combine travel and work, as long as there is access to WiFi. Those in the hospitality really need to move fast in terms of mobile marketing and come up with innovative solutions to attract this on-the-go audience. 

Here’s a look at the benefits you will start to enjoy once properly implemented.

Direct access

For better or worse, everyone is sitting on their smartphones, or walking around with their smartphones in very easy reach, up to 24-hours a day. There is no other device, and probably never has been another device, quite as ubiquitous as the smartphone. That’s why it’s the ideal tool for marketing purposes. Through a mobile marketing strategy, you’re enjoying direct access to an audience that is keen on your product. This makes for a much higher conversion rate and a better chance of customer retention.

Location-specific

The on-the-go market always has their smartphones with them wherever they go, and these clever little devices come with GPS tracking. This allows you to perform location-specific marketing to attract new customers that wandered into the region and are looking for something in the hospitality industry. Features such as geofencing allow you to send alerts and notifications when a potential client enters a certain area. 

Bigger audience reach

While mobile marketing allows you to reach those who’ve meandered into your hospitable region, it also allows you to reach out to more than six billion smartphone users globally! Through a mobile marketing strategy, you’re able to connect with a massive potential market through a careful, targeted approach. 

Omnichannel marketing 

The other massive benefit of mobile marketing is that, unlike other marketing channels, mobile marketing encompasses a range of marketing opportunities in a single device. With omnichannel marketing, you can choose to go with email marketing, SMS marketing, mobile website marketing, mobile app marketing, in-game marketing and even QR codes. And within these channels, you can also go with a range of advertising formats, from banner to video ads. 

Personalisation

Customers want to feel seen and heard in the modern age which is why mobile marketing is so effective. Using data gathered through customer relationship software, you’re able to completely customise the marketing approach so that new and existing guests enjoy that personal touch. 

Cost-effectiveness

When compared with traditional marketing approaches, mobile marketing is actually incredibly affordable, particularly when you factor in the greater reach and complexity of this form of targeted marketing. Because it’s so affordable, mobile marketing works for hospitality businesses of all sizes. 

For a complete mobile marketing solution for all establishments within the hospitality industry, CM.com is the industry leader. We build omnichannel marketing campaigns that unlock customer data for a personalised approach – that brings results. Increase your customer experience, increase your customer retention and build your brand with CM.com.