2. Introduction
In regards to a successful marketing idea in the hotel & hospitality industry, marketers seek
individuals to fill rooms, provide the guests with a positive experience, and maintain the
customers‟ loyalty. Also, marketers strive to obtain non-existing customers to purchase rooms in
order to gain more notoriety. Today, hotel marketers can promote their product and accomplish
customer loyalty by targeting groups through the use of social media via the internet.
The Significance of Mobile Phones and Marketing
In society, most everyone has internet access via computer but the growing trend is that there is
an increasing amount of people purchasing Smartphones to access the mobile web wherever they
go. According to a well-respected research firm, Nielsen, “over half of the U.S. population (50.4
percent) currently owns a smart device. In addition, well over half the population (70 percent)
use social media regularly.” (Doyle, 2012) The fact is, the percentage of users with mobile smart
devices is increasing and social media via mobile web marketing is the easiest and best way for
the hotel marketers to reach out to the majority of social media consumers. In addition, a study
conducted based on U.S. businesses resorting to mobile marketing states that 84% of those
businesses reported an increase in profits. ("Impact of mobile," 2012)This knowledge alone
mandates the hospitality & hotel industry to market their product via mobile marketing to
improve sales and profits. In addition to the benefits of marketing through mobile internet, it is
particularly easier for travelers to search for hotel rates and locations via mobile web.
Social Local Mobile
With that said, marketers in the hospitality & hotel industry are seeking to promote their hotel
information to guests by applying marketing techniques to the booming social media trend called
Social Local Mobile a.k.aSoLoMo. According to the SoLoMo Manifesto, “SoLoMo is described
as the convergence of Social, Local, and Mobile into a unified approach and is used with
integrated technology to amount to the proverbial Holy Grail of marketing.” Social Local Mobile
consists of social networks (So) geo-location (Lo) and mobile devices (Mo).
Social Marketing Approach
The social part is made up of mobile phone apps such as Facebook or Twitter that allow
communication through hotels, friends and networks. These apps are often used by users to
share experiences regarding their stay at the hotel. Offering exceptional service to guests may
result in the consumer using their social apps to share their experience, which will result in
attracting new guests. From this perspective, Social Local Mobile is virtually cost effective for
the marketing team and has the potential to reach a broad range of the guests‟ friends and social
networks. Other than Facebook and Twitter, another social networking application that benefits
the hotel guest is called LivingSocial or Groupon. Many hotels that have created an account with
these applications provide guests a special „deal-of-the-day‟ discount to visitors who use their
3. services. With the help of social media applications the range of potential population being
reached is limitless.
Location Marketing Approach
The Geo-Location marketing approach refers to the GPS based social media platforms such as
Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare. The importance of a location-based
engagement opens a direct network between the consumer and brand that is unlike any other.
Engagements like check-ins and tagged tweets are being shared with a consumer‟s social graph
via Facebook, Twitter, Google and FourSquare. When a consumer‟s social graph has been
reached, word of mouth marketing takes place and that results in a cost free marketing technique.
In addition, location based marketing can enable users to find a hotel by using their mobile
phone. “For example, the Accorhotels.com Smartphone application informs geo-located
smartphone users of the hotels in the vicinity (it lists 3,000 Accor brand hotels worldwide), and
allows them to calculate their itinerary, record their preferences, access promotions, see
presentation videos and lastly send precious information to their contacts.” ("Accor hotels:
reserve," 2012)
Mobile Marketing Approach
The mobile marketing approach gives the customer the ability to use the internet at anytime and
anywhere to check out reviews, find special offers, and obtain coupons that the hotel is
promoting. Social Local Mobile users are part of an internet community, and this community is
growing very rapidly. The potential for mobile marketing techniques better a hotels chances to
increase sales and profits. The majority of hotels need local traffic to survive, and using Social
Local Mobile is one of the best options for reaching out to current and future guests.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotels Impact On Social Local Mobile Marketing In The World Of
Business
Social Local Mobile has had a profound effect on the hotel & hospitality industry and there is an
optimistic outlook for hotels and other businesses to use this specific marketing strategy. Ritz-
Carlton In the hospitality industry, the Ritz-Carlton has used the Social Local Mobile strategy to
connect with current and potential consumers. The Ritz-Carlton hotel uses the application called
FourSquare, and has created what they call the World Concierge. The World Concierge is a one
of a kind service that provides consumers with hundreds of traveling tips, VIP access, plus
insights about local destinations and trending landmarks near the location of the hotel that is
being visited. The World Concierge via Foursquare is made possible by the marketing and sales
director, who continues to seek new and existing insights from experienced and knowledgeable
concierges that are employed with the Ritz-Carlton. The benefit of The World Concierge is that
hotel guests gain immediate access to valued information by „checking in‟ at a Ritz-Carlton
hotel. Individuals that aren‟t staying at the hotel can also follow Ritz-Carlton on Facebook or
Twitter to obtain access to The World Concierge.
4. Reaction and Thoughts Regarding The Ritz-Carlton Marketing Techniques
I believe that the Ritz-Carlton Hotels did a fabulous job using Social Local Mobile to their
advantage for several reasons. For starters, they took advantage of the opportunity to use
FourSquare to connect with their target market. Also, they are reaching out to new consumers by
giving them a taste of the lavish benefits that the Ritz-Carlton hotel offers. By marketing with the
Social Local Mobile app, FourSquare, and developing their own unique service travelers are
blessed with the access to the wisdom of The Ritz-Carlton staff wherever they go via mobile
web! This is particularly important for Ritz-Carlton hotels sales and profits because it is yet
another luxurious service given to the consumer that‟s accessible via mobile web. I believe that
the Ritz-Carlton marketing team are excellent innovators and do an outstanding job of achieving
quality service. However, I recognize that the Ritz-Carlton‟s majority of guests are loyal
customers that are mostly the upper class, therefore, the middle and lower class groups probably
won‟t ever hear about The World Concierge service offered via Foursquare unless they visit the
hotel itself. Given that fact, the mobile audience that follows their brand is fairly limited and
marketers need to target all classes in order to gain maximum profits.
NH Hotels Impact On Social Local Mobile Marketing In The World Of Business
Story telling with pictures is one of the most efficient ways to captivate an audience. Through the
social media application, Instagram, hotel marketers have the ability to capture positive
experiences through photos and share these events via Facebook and Twitter in order to better
sell their product to consumers. Likewise, consumers have the ability to use Instagram to reach
out to friends and networks. This is exactly what NH hotels are doing to market their product and
capture more guests to their hotel. NH hotels have given the opportunity to its followers a
challenge to capture a moment when something is beginning, or in other words a wake-up
moment. It is important to note that NH Hotels slogan is, „Wake up to a better world‟ This
particular brand of hotel encourages social media followers to take the pictures via mobile phone
using Instagram and share the picture on Twitter using the hashtag #WakeUpPics. The panel of
judges then goes about choosing the winner based on uniqueness and creativity and prizes are
given to the winners of the completion. ("Nhhoteles," 2012)
Reaction And Thoughts Regarding NH Hotels Marketing Techniques
I believe that this marketing strategy for NH Hotels is very smart because it involves and
connects their followers through Instagram. Given that Instagram is one of the largest social
media networks around their content has the opportunity to be viewed by many consumers if
their competition can reach a large amount of users. Also, it is a creative marketing strategy to
incorporate their slogan with the twitter hashtag to begin to make their hotel well known to hotel
coinsurers. However, I believe that NH Hotels should encourage their followers to be involved
with their hotel and take pictures in regards to their experience while staying at the hotel rather
than just capturing any particular moment “wake up” moment. I believe this because at the
5. moment they are just interacting and connecting with followers instead of selling their
consumers the product.
Banking with Social Media Apps
There is a social media application called simple, this app offers bankers the ability to control
their finances via the mobile web. This new service requires only two tools: a Visa debit card and
a smart phone. The app allows bankers to do all their banking needs, such as set up direct
deposit, make transfers to other bankers and even offers the consumer the control to set up bill
pay. The good news for bankers seeking to use this mobile app is that it is free to set up an
account. In addition, there are no monthly fees such as account maintenance fees and debit card
fees.
Auto Dealers using Social Media Apps
Auto dealerships are attracting a large amount of customers via Facebook. Liquid motors, a
trending car dealership offers potential and existing customers with a new Facebook application
called New Car Research. New car research allows Facebook users the ability to obtain
information on the newer models of cars that Liquid Motors sells. The application allows
viewers to view photos of each new car model and view the specific features the vehicle has to
offer. Also, consumers can request a quote for their car insurance.
Interview with a SoLoMo Professional
When researching the effects of Social, Local, and Mobile applications on business, numbers are
always important, but it is also important to get a first-hand account of how these applications
are being used for marketing of local hospitality businesses. When researching the most local
restaurant to interview in Menomonie, Raw Deal is the best choice; it is very famous for being
local and offering local foods to the public. Raw Deal was founded in 2006, it began as an
organic locally-grown restaurant/coffee shop. It has branched out to many vegetarian and vegan
consumers who have a hard time finding restaurants to eat at. Just as the business started Mobile
Apps began to take off, the business tried to move forward and to serve its tech savvy customer
outlet.
Lindsey Baker Discusses Raw Deals Step into Social Media
When approached Lindsey Baker, Operations Manager of the Raw Deal, had a lot of great points
about how Social Media and Social Local Mobile applications has changed Raw Deals business
and sales, “Facebook can be our biggest advertiser and helps us manage events and figure out
what kind of deals we should give and what kind of turn out we are going to get. It really helps
when the college is in session to get people to come to our events.” She also adds, “Seeing how
much people use and enjoy using phone and phone apps, we came up with our own texting
program to give out local deals by texting them so they can get a discount on certain days, it is
6. called our „VIP program‟.” Lindsey pointed out that many times people who were may not have
gone out of their way will come in just because of the personal discounts, in their own way Raw
Deal has created their own kind of SoLoMo application, though much like Foursquare it has you
visit the location to get the discounts. Being prompted on applications such as Foursquare and
Instragram, newer popular applications in the SoLoMo segment, Lindsey explains that,
“Foursquare is being used but I think people are only using it to become major, some of our
regulars were fighting over that, so I guess it brought them in. Instragram is interesting but we
haven‟t used it as of yet to market to people.” When asked about other social media Lindsey
explained, “There is so much out there. We have tried Twitter and it failed, there was just not
enough interest. Mostly we stick to Facebook because so far it has shown to be where our
customers are, it helps bring in people from Eau Claire and the outer Minneapolis areas. We
offer a little local organic spice not every business can give you.” Facebook has helped Raw
Deal advertise for events and help people get the information they need about its local organic
vegan menu options, when asked about advertising outside of SoLoMo Lindsey states, “We
never felt like television was a worthwhile outlet, we have done a few adds in organic magazines
and stuff like that. But for the most part if it isn‟t spread through internet it is still spread by word
of mouth.
The Future for Raw Deal
Lindsey was very interested in the point of view we had about Raw Deal and how it could get
more college age consumers. When asked about how she felt Raw Deal was keeping up with
other business around them she stated, “We are trying to keep relevant, we keep having events
and we keep our local crowd involved whether by using Facebook or word of mouth. We keep
coming up with new ways to be relevant whether it is with our specials, or creating a new dish
that will interest the consumer. You got to have a reason to come and we try to give you one.”
Social Local Mobile applications are working hard to promote and help advertise for business.
Though Raw Deal has yet to see a day when all their customers come in with Smartphones, it
will be able to change when that day does come. The greatest thing about this business is its
willingness to change with the times and give the consumers what they want.
Conclusion
Given the large scale of social media users, social media applications are the best way to reach
out to new and existing consumers. Whether marketing through the hotel & hospitality industry,
banking, auto dealership or any other industry it is the current and future trend in marketing. In
conclusion, industries using Social, Local and Mobile applications via mobile web are more
likely to gain higher sales and profits
7. References
Nhhoteles. (2012, 10 1). Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/NHHoteles
Accor hotels: reserve an. (2012, 10 1). Retrieved from
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/mobile/index.shtml
Impact of mobile marketing.(2012, 08 06). Retrieved from
http://www.mediaconverged.com/post/28843267744/impact-of-mobile-marketing
Accorhotels.com
Doyle, K. (2012, 6 19).Solomo-why it matter. Retrieved from
http://newsroom.cisco.com/uk/feature-content?type=webcontent&articleId=985956
Allison, S. (2012, 5 1). Luxury goes mobile. Retrieved from
http://news.marriott.com/2012/05/luxury-goes-mobile-the-ritz-carlton-hotel-company-llc-debuts-
mobile-app-with-personal-tips-from-pres.
Baker, L. (2012, 10 01).Interview by E Flottmeyer [Personal Interview].SoLoMo Interview.
