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You’re happy when you go into a business and they offer free Wi-Fi. Don’t you want your customers to feel that way too?

Let’s face it.

Nobody likes having to eat into their monthly data allowance to look something up on the fly. When you are home, your phone is connected to your Wi-Fi. And, when you go into a business that makes their Wi-Fi available to their customers, you’re grateful.

Guess what that means?

The free Wi-Fi you offer your customers is also – drum roll, please – a terrific marketing opportunity .

Handle it right, and you can use that connection to build your list, gather information about your customers, and even improve your customer service.

Here’s how.

What is Wi-Fi Marketing?

Wi-Fi marketing is simply marketing that’s targeted to a customer’s mobile device.

When you make your Wi-Fi available to customers, you can begin collecting information about them even before they get access.

Once you have their information and they’re online with you, you can target them with ads, including both general ads and offers tailored specifically to their behavior when they’re in your store, or in the proximity of your store!

As you might expect, Wi-Fi marketing is best suited to businesses with a physical location.

If you own a restaurant, bar, club, or retail store – or any other business where customers come to see you regularly – you can benefit from using Wi-Fi marketing.

Using Wi-Fi Marketing to Build Your List

Do you have an email list?

Granting customers access to your Wi-Fi, or an ‘open’ SECONDARY Wi-Fi connection, is a great way to build your list.

You could open up your Wi-Fi without gathering information about your customers, but why would you?

Most people would be willing to give up their email address to get some free Wi-Fi.

You can tether your Wi-Fi login to a simple opt-in box that asks for the customer’s email address and first name.

Once you have their email addresses, you can use them to send promotions and relevant content that will help turn them from one-time visitors into loyal customers.

Another option, if you’re using SMS marketing (or want to), is to ask customers for their mobile number instead of (or in addition to) their email address. A word of caution, though – as I’ve told you before – adding one extra field to a form can decrease your conversion rate. My advice is to pick either an email address or a mobile number and go from there.

Wi-Fi Marketing Ideas to Try

Building your list is only the start of what you can do with Wi-Fi marketing. Here are some other ideas that you may want to consider.

Collect Customer Analytics

Having access to your customers’ mobile devices means that you can collect a huge amount of data about them without any fuss. Wi-Fi marketing allows you to collect:

• Demographic information
• Purchasing behavior
• Physical behavior (the frequency of their visits)

You can use the information you collect to tailor specific offers to your customers and send them notifications of upcoming sales and events.

Social Wi-Fi Marketing

Another option is to allow customers to log in to your Wi-Fi using their social media accounts. You’ve seen this on a lot of sites, I bet. Many customers will choose the convenience of logging in with an existing account over creating a new one.

You might wonder about this one. After all, it doesn’t allow you to collect email addresses or mobile numbers.

Is it really worthwhile?

I’d say it depends. If your social media game is strong – and it should be by now! – then you can use your Wi-Fi login as a way of encouraging people to follow your social media accounts.

When people follow you on Facebook and Instagram, you get access to both their demographic information and their personal interests. This data can help you do a better job of targeting them with marketing and offers.

Inform Customers  

Wi-Fi marketing offers you the ability to provide relevant and useful information about your business and products directly to your customers.

A lot of products have a learning curve. Whether you’re introducing a new product or offering up ideas of ways to use an existing one, your Wi-Fi marketing can help you prime your customers to buy from you.

It’s also a way of engaging with your customers on an ongoing basis. People like to feel connected to the brands they use. You can connect in a way that doesn’t seem pushy, by giving people access to your Wi-Fi connection.

Think of it as wireless lead nurturing.

Every person who walks into your business could turn into a long-term customer. Wi-Fi marketing can help you move them down that road.

Provide Customer Service

In an ideal world, every customer would be thrilled with you and they’d buy from you for the rest of their lives.

But we don’t live in an ideal world. You know that.

Wireless marketing can allow you to follow up with customers after they leave your business and gather information about their experience. For example, you could send them a survey to complete. Or, you could simply touch base with a quick email or text.

Either way, you’re letting them know that you care about them and their experience and that you’re willing to do what’s necessary to turn them into loyal customers.

Reward Customers

When people visit your business regularly, it’s a good idea to reward them. With Wi-Fi marketing, rewarding them is easy.

Because you can track who accesses your Wi-Fi, you’ll know when a customer visits you more than once, buys something, or makes multiple purchases.

You can use that information to target them with a thank you email or text that includes a coupon for their next visit or an exclusive offer based on their buying behavior.

This kind of direct marketing is hugely effective because it makes each customer feel valued. It’s a great way to turn a one-time buyer into a loyal customer.

Wi-Fi isn’t just for you…  

You can use it to connect with customers, gather valuable data about them, and give them incentives to buy from you again… and again.

You think about that,

Written by Ruben Santiago

Ruben Santiago is a bilingual Digital Marketer and Business Coach, and the Hispanic Marketing Director/Content Producer for Builderall. Ruben specializes in helping everyday people generate new income streams by utilizing the Builderall platform for their online businesses, as well as sharing the Builderall Business professional affiliate opportunity.