In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of the folks who spend countless hours in coffee shops or even restaurants are actually not there because of the rich-tasting coffee or the mouth-watering menu. If you look closely, the single cup of coffee they ordered that should take you a couple of minutes to finish off actually takes them several hours to down. Why is that? It’s because of free WiFi offered by these establishments. You may think that companies or businesses that offer WiFi services to the general public are doing this out of their genuine concern for the need of man to stay connected. In reality, however, offering a public WiFi system is actually a golden opportunity to market one’s products and services. Here’s how.

Whenever people come to your establishment whether to buy something, avail of a service, or simply to connect to the internet using your free WiFi services, you are essentially opening the virtual gates to your business. You may offer this free internet connection as an added value to whatever it is they are purchasing or availing of in your establishment. It’s as natural as any other give-and-take relationship wherein a person buys something from you and you provide this something. On top of what they bought, you’re offering a value-added service that this person will surely appreciate. And he doesn’t have to pay for it anymore. But, there is clearly a unique benefit to this approach. By giving them something for their attention, you are actually engaging them to do something. And what is that?

When you give them access to your free WiFi system, they will be directed to your login page where you can be as creative as you wish in making an impact. This is marketing 101. You can design your custom-branded log-in page that they will really remember. As long as you appeal to their senses, just having your logo or brand on the page they’re going to spend time logging in is already an opportunity to market your brand.

You can also ask them to log in a variety of ways. They can log using their existing social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn. They can also log in using their email address or even their phone number or any other information which you can then use for your targeted marketing activities. Now, if you use their social profile as login credential, you can employ social media marketing techniques to really increase your marketing leverage. The same is true with other information used in the login process.

It is through this login information that you can then ‘reconnect’ with your customers in the near future, offering them rewards, discounts, and even digital coupons. You can even send them automated messages if an email address was used in the login process.

So how do you market through your public WiFi system? Simple! Give them something they need in exchange for the opportunity to login to your free WiFi services. In turn, you can use these pieces of information to direct your targeted marketing activities.

To get started with WIFI marketing --