Mobile Marketing Can Increase Traffic During Summer Travel Season

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, and signifies the beginning of the 2012 summer travel season for many Americans. This year, many travelers are using their mobile phones to research, book, and review their summer vacations. Business owners in the hospitality industry can win big this travel season by using mobile marketing to offer special deals and reservation options.

Many big brands in travel have already adopted mobile marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy to reach travelers in new ways. Courtyard Hotels by Marriott have added QR codes to their lobbies that allow guests to scan a virtual concierge to find points of interest, restaurant reviews and reservations, and even weather and traffic information around the hotel location. This increases the level of interaction and convenience for many of Courtyard’s guests, adding to the overall guest experience.

Other travel and hospitality businesses can use mobile engagement to increase new visitors and visitor loyalty. Airlines such as American Airlines have embraced mobile to offer a new channel to their customers during the most competitive time of the year for new flight bookings. These airlines use SMS messaging to alert travelers of changes in flight times, available upgrades, or now boarding alerts. In addition, they can use SMS marketing, mobile websites, or mobile applications to offer exclusive pricing offers to its mobile user base. By doing this, they determine exact ROI through unique coupon codes through SMS messaging, number of redemptions on mobile websites and applications through advanced reporting technology. 

Hotels can also benefit from mobile marketing by providing guests on-the-go booking options through mobile marketing. Travelocity recently reported that 60-70% of their mobile bookings are for same-day stays. This channel is a great way to increase hotels’ occupancy rates and deliver a convenient option for travelers. In addition, hotels can use SMS marketing, QR codes to unlock deals and area information, and mobile websites and applications for booking, reviews, and special offers. 

The summer 2012 travel season is the busiest time of the year for most travel and hospitality businesses. Adding mobile marketing to an existing marketing strategy can add convenience for customers and higher bookings for businesses all-year round.

Mobile Marketing can be an Effective Tool for Tourism Industry

Why would the tourist industry be interested in using mobile marketing techniques to attract visitors? Mobile engagement has proven successful in other industries, such as banking, restaurants, and entertainment, so it only makes sense that consumers would want to search travel deals through their mobile devices. Most travelers use their smartphones to search for restaurants, accommodations, and attractions while they are away from home, so it's important that they find the information they are looking for through a fast, user friendly website on their devices.

People who are planning a trip that will take place in the future may use a desktop or laptop computer to conduct their initial research. When it gets closer to the actual departure date, it makes more sense for them to use a handheld device to browse for last-minute deals and online coupons.

Business owners who are offering services that will appeal to tourists will want to make sure that people using these devices can find their web sites by making sure that they have a mobile website set up and ready to go before their busy season starts.

Another great reason to set up a website for mobile devices is that local results tend to rank higher in mobile searches. The mobile engagement platform gives you another chance to connect with visitors who are in the area and who are specifically looking for the service your business provides. Connecting with consumers who are motivated to buy right away is a great strategy for any business, and I can the 2012 summer travel season as a great opportunity to connect with travelers through mobile.