TECH WATCH

Harnessing the power of mobile marketing

The hospitality, travel, and leisure industries were some of the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the good news is that renewed hope for these crucial South African sectors may lie in the hands of mobile marketing. Despite anxiety over the continued effects of the pandemic, digital tech is here to assist these industries in recovering from recent turbulence and returning to their former glory.

By James Bayhack, Sub-Saharan Africa director at CM.com.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, most experts are confident that the international travel industry will begin to return to a pre-pandemic performance by 2024. Already, global regions have enjoyed a significant rebound from the start of 2022. Africa experienced 51 per cent growth in January, and travel to and within South Africa showed signs of recovery in the year’s first quarter.

Although it’s been a difficult period, challenges present opportunities. The Covid-19 pandemic compelled governments and companies to use technology in response to the crisis, marking an accelerated convergence of the digital and physical. With this increased importance of digital tech, marketing techniques and approaches to customer experience need to change to match changing consumer behaviour.

Research shows that we have a mobile penetration rate of almost 180 per cent and that 91 per cent of phones in South Africa are smartphones. These numbers show just how central mobile devices are to people’s lives. Mobile marketing solutions consider how hospitality, travel, and leisure experiences should be adapted to better reach customers who are back on the road and in the air — with evolved expectations. The modern traveller wants to find accommodation and experiences through a digital medium. The hospitality industry can make the most of this through several innovative mobile marketing solutions.

Unique ways to speak to the customer

Mobile marketing is about reaching people where they are — on their mobile devices, interacting through several channels, whether that’s websites, email, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media platforms. The current consumer landscape dictates that mobile marketing is an important aspect of online marketing that businesses cannot ignore. Mobile devices offer the perfect opportunity for businesses to enhance the customer journey by providing information and features that show just how much they pay attention to their customers’ needs.

In the hospitality, travel, and leisure industries, mobile marketing solutions create new conditions for a personalised and seamless experience, especially as the pandemic and other recent global and local events have significantly changed customer behaviour. Given the extensive access to consumer data, businesses in this sector can create more customised marketing strategies and form closer relationships with travellers. When we think about mobile marketing in this respect, online communication is vital because of how specific the consumer process is. Travellers expect almost everything relating to a trip to be available on their mobile device, from notifications and booking confirmations to avoiding queues and even receiving sales or discount information based on their preferences.

Changing times call for changing mobile marketing strategies

Heavily centred on creating experiences and relationships with customers, businesses in the hospitality industry must employ mobile marketing solutions that inspire customer loyalty while increasing customer leads. The modern traveller wants to plan a trip ahead of time and research preferred destinations. To help with this, a mobile-friendly website is a necessity. However, the traditional desktop website is not enough. Businesses must ensure that their mobile-first website is visually captivating, with concise text, a touchbased interface, and built on a quickly downloadable platform.

Consider how customers receive further communication about their trip and how this communication can be automated. Google’s business messages meet consumers in their moments of need, and traditionally when looking to plan a trip, it all begins with a Google search. This mobile conversational channel helps customers reach a business with the scale of Google Search and Maps and helps brand websites create valuable, unsynchronised experiences. Another effective channel, Instagram Direct, personalises a business’s relationship with its customers — igniting discovery and driving sales at every phase of its journey. Through Facebook and Instagram ads, one ‘click to chat’ can kill two birds with one stone, that is, displaying pictures of beautiful travel destinations while offering instant support.

These channels can all be integrated into a single customer support software, making it easier to respond to customer interests or queries. A business will have a record of previous interactions with a customer, adding to more personalised conversations and context for future reference. Creating different segments and following communication with conditional content or better recommendations – based on a customer’s initial interest or previous bookings (beach vs. bush location) – allow for higher booking and conversion rates.

Connectivity is a key business differentiator

Mobile marketing could be a major differentiator for businesses in the hospitality industry. With hybrid and remote work still popular among South African employees (a Cisco survey shows that 95 per cent of South African respondents want to work in a hybrid or fully remote working model), there are many opportunities for the travel market to take advantage of. Businesses can use mobile marketing to create innovative solutions to attract this on-the-go audience that can now combine travel and work.

No matter how big or small an organisation is, every hospitality business can benefit from affordable mobile marketing. Your target audience will always have their phones with them wherever they are, providing direct access to travellers and the opportunity to perform locationspecific marketing. And, unlike other marketing channels, mobile marketing encompasses many marketing opportunities in a single device.

Brands have certainly had to re-evaluate their relevance in a post-pandemic world. With an increased focus on digital customer experience, mobile marketing gives businesses agility that embodies a perfect balance between traveller experiences and automation and highlights the convergence of strategies to drive recovery and growth in this vital industry.

Who is James Bayhack?

James Bayhack is the subSaharan director for CM.com and African spokesperson. He leads the company’s sub-Saharan operations by ensuring responsible and strategic planning and design of organisational communication systems. Driven by the desire to successfully establish a Kenyan entity alongside the newly appointed Country Manager — James also oversees the company’s ongoing expansion efforts into emerging markets. Having been with CM.com for nearly six-and-a-half years, James continues to prove his worth after first joining the company at the start of 2016 as country manager for southern Africa. His responsibilities included overseeing the company’s affiliates in South Africa. In addition, he was responsible for managing overall operations, recruiting staff and establishing budgets. James holds an IMM graduate diploma in marketing management and is an avid triathlete, having successfully completed the Norseman Extreme Triathlon in Norway.