Earlier this month I presented at EyeForTravel's Online Marketing Strategies for Travel 2012 Conference in Miami. The session, titled "Best Practices for Mobile Strategies in 2012 and Beyond," focused on the expanding mobile distribution channel and explored tablets as a distinct digital marketing device. This article is a continuation of my thoughts shared at the conference, as well as an attempt to help hoteliers realign their mobile marketing strategies mid-year, by providing valuable action steps they can take now and beyond 2012.
The Mobile Marketing and Distribution Channel is Exploding The mobile channel is not just a mere extension of the traditional "desktop" channel. Morgan Stanley projects that by 2014, mobile web users will surpass "traditional" desktop Internet users. This exploding distribution and marketing channel has its own rules and best practices, providing immense revenue opportunities and competitive advantages to smart hotel and travel marketers. Hotel guests and travel consumers in general are already mobile-ready, and hoteliers and travel suppliers have to respond adequately to this growing demand for mobile travel services. Fifty percent of U.S. adults and 80% of business travelers already have smartphones. Twenty-four percent of leisure travelers and 36% of business travelers have already purchased travel via their mobile devices (PhoCusWright). The mobile channel has become a real travel planning and hotel distribution channel, especially for drive-in and last-minute travel markets. The U.S. hospitality industry is experiencing staggering growth rates in leisure and unmanaged business travel bookings via the mobile channel:
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