INTRODUCTION
According to a “Hotel & Accommodation Bookings” survey conducted by Statista, 80% of respondents value WiFi more than any other service a hotel provides. That should come as no surprise with business travelers who bring their laptops and leisure travelers who bring their streaming devices.
In addition, a survey by Roomzzz shows that 65% of hotel guests logged into WiFi within seven minutes of checking in, which reinforces just how valuable WiFi is to travelers.
Facebook WiFi allows you to tap into this demand to drive traffic to your Facebook page, increase engagement and gain valuable insights to use for future marketing efforts. It works by connecting to your existing WiFi and prompting people to check into your Facebook page to access the internet.
Here are some tips on how to use Facebook WiFi for your hotel, resort or bed and breakfast.
HOW TO SET UP FACEBOOK WIFI FOR YOUR HOTEL
To use Facebook WiFi, you must already have WiFi set up at your establishment. You must also be an admin of your hotel’s Facebook business page. Check this by going to your Facebook page settings and viewing “Page Roles.”
If you have a compatible router, such as TP-Link or Netgear, you should be able to set up Facebook WiFi in about 20 minutes. Each router has its own steps for connecting to Facebook WiFi, so make sure to view instructions specific to your manufacturer. You can access this information in the “Facebook Wi-Fi” section under Page Settings.
Before you proceed, make sure a physical address is listed in the “About” section of your hotel’s page. You’ll need to add it to activate Facebook WiFi.
Once enabled, go back to your Page Settings to connect your Facebook page to Facebook WiFi. You can also customize settings. For instance, you can limit your guests’ time on your network by setting a specific session length.
Test the connection with your mobile device–you will see a prompt to connect to the network with Facebook if it’s working.
Alternatively, you can print a QR code for guests to scan to access your internet. With this method, they will have the option to check in to your hotel’s Facebook business page or enter the guest WiFi password without checking in. While this is the easiest way to get started with Facebook WiFi, there are some limitations.
For example, the QR code method doesn’t allow for custom settings, like session length or check-in options, or certain insights, such as returning visitors. Guests also will be able to reuse your password until you change it.
You can adjust your WiFi settings at any time by going to the “Facebook Wi-Fi” section of Page Settings.
HOW TO USE FACEBOOK WIFI TO MARKET TO GUESTS
Like most of Meta’s products, Facebook WiFi is designed with marketing in mind. First, it can help boost brand visibility by making your page discoverable to people searching for WiFi on Facebook. It also can drastically increase page traffic, as it encourages people to check in to use the network. Since check-ins appear on your guests’ personal Facebook timelines, this also makes your hotel visible to their friends.
Access the Check-in Insights (under Page Insights) to learn how Facebook WiFi is driving traffic to your page. If you use a supported router, you can view the average number of check-ins and unique visitors, as well as a breakdown of new and returning visitors. These metrics reset each month, so if someone visits your hotel (and checks in to use your WiFi) once in April and once in May, they would be categorized as a new user for each of those months.
You also can react and respond to Facebook WiFi check-ins from your Check-in Insights. If you’re able to respond in real-time, you can leverage this opportunity to engage with your guests, share timely information or upsell amenities like your in-house restaurant.
Once you have more than 100 WiFi check-ins, you can use the information you gather to create custom and lookalike audiences for your Facebook Ads. For instance, you can create a custom audience made up of the new and returning guests who checked in to your Facebook Wifi during their stays. From there, you can launch a customized campaign that retargets those people with a special offer or incentive to return.
At the same time, you can create a lookalike audience that resembles the custom audience you created. Instead of focusing on guest retention, you should introduce your hotel to this audience and give them a reason to stay with you.
Both types of audiences will update automatically as you continue to collect data from Facebook WiFi. That means you won’t have to adjust your targeting as often, but you should still refresh your ads and scale up your budget as your audiences grow.