Turn guest WiFi into repeat customers

Walk into almost any café, hotel or mall and the first thing many people ask for is the WiFi password. Most businesses hand it over and get nothing back. The guest leaves, and you have no way to invite them back.

Guest WiFi marketing changes that trade. Instead of a password on a chalkboard, guests connect through a simple branded login page. They share an email address or phone number, and you get a contact you can reach again, with their permission.

Why it works

• It's a fair exchange. Guests want to get online. Giving a contact for free WiFi is a trade most people understand.
• You learn who your real customers are. You see how many guests visit, how often they come back, and which branch they visit.
• It reaches people who already like you. These aren't strangers from an ad. They walked in and spent money. They are the easiest people to bring back.

What to send once you have the contacts

1. A welcome message on the day of the visit, with a reason to come back, such as a discount on the next visit.
2. A review request a day later. Happy guests are often glad to leave a review if you ask at the right moment.
3. Win-back messages to guests you haven't seen in a while.
4. Offers for quiet times, such as weekday lunch specials or off-season room rates, sent to the right segment by email, SMS or WhatsApp.

Keep messages useful and infrequent, and always make it easy to opt out.

Getting started

Centipid WiFi Marketing runs on the routers many venues already have, including MikroTik, Ubiquiti and Cisco Meraki, and is set up remotely. Guests sign in through your branded page and are saved to the right location. From there you can segment them and run email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, automations and review requests, with analytics for each branch.

If you already offer free WiFi, you're already paying for the hard part. A login page turns it into a marketing channel.