WiFi marketing: a practical guide for venues
What WiFi marketing is, how it works and how to do it well, with campaign ideas you can borrow for your own venue.
The basics
What is WiFi marketing?
WiFi marketing means using your free guest WiFi to start a relationship with the people who use it. Instead of handing out a password, you offer access through a short sign-in page. Guests share a few details, choose whether to hear from you, and get online.
Those details become the foundation of your marketing: a growing list of real customers, what they enjoy and how often they visit. Every contact has actually been through your door, which makes the list far more useful than a count of social media followers.
It also buys you a moment of attention. The sign-in page itself can promote tonight's event or this week's offer to everyone who connects.
Step by step
How WiFi marketing works
From the first connection to the next visit, here is what happens and where you come in.
A guest joins your WiFi
They pick your network and a sign-in page opens in your colours, with your logo and whatever you want to promote that day.
They sign in and choose
A social account or a short form gets them online. Hearing from you is a separate, optional choice, and Wayv records what they decide.
Wayv builds their profile
Each visit is counted and returning devices reconnect automatically. Guests are grouped as new, loyal or lapsed as their visits add up.
You send the right message
Use one-off emails and texts for news and offers, and automated campaigns for welcomes, birthdays and win-backs. Only opted-in guests receive them.
Guests come back
A well-timed message brings people through the door again, and each return visit adds to what you know about them.
Inspiration
Six campaign ideas to try
Each of these works by email or text, and most can run automatically once set up. For ideas tailored to your trade, browse guest WiFi by sector.
Birthday treat
Ask for birthdays at sign-in and send a treat in time for the big day, such as a free dessert or a drink for the birthday guest. Celebrations rarely happen alone.
Thanks for your first visit
Send a friendly note soon after someone's first visit with a reason to return, such as a small offer or a look at what is coming up next week.
We have missed you
Guests who used to visit often but have gone quiet get a warm message and a reason to drop in. Automate it so nobody slips away unnoticed.
Reward your regulars
Give your most loyal guests something they cannot get elsewhere: early access to a tasting evening, a regulars' night or a coffee on the house.
Event reminders
Promote quiz nights, live music, match days or a new seasonal menu to the guests most likely to come, by email in advance or by text on the day.
Quiet-day offer
Fill a slow midweek evening by sending a time-limited offer to local regulars. A voucher in the email makes it simple to redeem at the counter.
Best practice
Four habits of good WiFi marketing
The venues that get the most from guest WiFi treat their list with care. These habits keep guests happy to hear from you.
Get consent right
Only market to guests who opted in, and keep that choice separate from getting online. Wayv handles the opt-in and records it, but your messages should still match what guests signed up for.
Mind the frequency
A couple of genuinely useful messages a month beat a weekly blast. Too many emails lead to unsubscribes, and a smaller list of engaged guests is worth more than a large, tired one.
Make it personal
Use first names, mention the night they love or thank them for their loyalty. Segments such as new, loyal and lapsed let you say something different to each group.
Time it well
Send event reminders on the day, lunch offers mid-morning and birthday messages ahead of the date. Automated campaigns take care of the timing for you.
Results
Measuring your results
WiFi marketing is easier to judge than most advertising, because you can see what happens after you press send. Keep an eye on:
- Opens and clicks for each campaign, to learn which subject lines and offers land.
- The balance of new, loyal and lapsed guests, and how it shifts over the months.
- How often guests come back, and whether lapsed guests return after a win-back message.
- Unsubscribes, which tell you when you are sending too often or saying too little.
Start small, compare what works and do more of it. You can see the reporting tools on our features page, and our guest WiFi FAQs answer the questions venues ask most.
Want help planning your first campaigns? Get in touch and we will share ideas that suit your venue.
Talk to us about guest WiFi for your venue
Every venue is different, so we'll put together a package that fits yours. Tell us a little about your business and we'll be in touch.