With the continual rise of smart-phone usage, and more people accessing information online via their mobile phones, it’s becoming clear that businesses operating in the travel sector need to be at top speed when it comes to engaging with new audiences on a larger scale.
Gain some momentum on your marketing with mobile messaging
Advertorial – Mobile experts Textlocal explain how the travel and tourism industry needs to embrace mobile in 2012
With the continual rise of smart-phone usage, and more people accessing information online via their mobile phones, it’s becoming clear that businesses operating in the travel sector need to be at top speed when it comes to engaging with new audiences on a larger scale.
Recent research by network firm Cisco even states that by 2016 there will be more mobile phones on the planet than humans, so common sense would suggest that over the next few years people will look to search for the best places to travel, research on smartphones, receive promotions and ultimately book holidays, all in the palms of their hands.
The rise of discount voucher sites like Groupon, along with online advice and guidance sites like TripAdvisor have all played their role in the travel sector embracing the digital age. Just this week it was reported how Hotels.com are examining trends on how mobile messaging technology is changing the travel industry and how they are wanting to position themselves as pioneers in this space.
This year is even more important for UK travel businesses to ensure they have a robust mobile marketing strategy as they prepare for the Olympic Games 2012. The impact of this event on the travel and tourism industry will be astronomical, and for a short period businesses need to capitalise on a captivated audience.
So the question is, how do you rapidly reach out to a mass audience on the fly? How do you capture their contact details and communicate targeted messages to them in seconds about travel updates, alerts or promotions? Mobile messaging is the answer.
The key advantage of mobile messaging is the flexibility it gives you to engage with a mass audience instantly. For example a travel agent could advertise a short code in a prime location, inviting people to text in to receive discounted offers while there in town.
Using short codes, and even QR codes so that people can opt-in to receive your marketing is powerful, even more so when used with location-based targeting. No other marketing tool can do this while consumers are on the move, instantly and as cost-effectively as mobile messaging.
Mobile messaging is the only medium that has an open rate of 97.5%. It gives a campaign the added power to communicate with targeted customers and build on the relationship you have with them, based on permission and trust. Adding Bulk SMS to a campaign allows consumers to text for more information, making the follow up activity more targeted.
