It’s the time of year when many people look to escape the last of the cold winter or rainy spring by taking a vacation. The natural consumer desire to unwind presents key marketing opportunities to those who work in the travel industry. As reviewed in a previous post, Mobile Marketing is a powerful tool for travel and tourism professionals, because it provides unprecedented levels of communication and the ability to conduct real-time marketing campaigns.

A recent post in Mobile Commerce Daily outlined a great idea for travel pros to integrate mobile into their mix this vacation season. The basic idea is to conduct promotions that utilize a mix of SMS Marketing and e-mail marketing. This potent, two step communication engages consumers with e-mail newsletters or messaging, and then further engages users with a targeted marketing message. This is a powerful mobile marketing tip. Here’s how it works:

A travel agent sends a newsletter to their e-mail opt-in list. The newsletter highlights an exclusive Hawaii vacation package for two at a discounted price. The newsletter includes a link that prompts users to opt-in to their mobile opt-in list in order to be notified when the Hawaii packages are available for sale and when they have been sold out. The next week, customers who have opted in, receive a SMS communication from the travel agent, alerting them that packages are available and that mobile opt-in customers can purchase them at a deeply discounted rate. They click on a link in the text and are taken to a mobile website, where they can purchase the Hawaii package immediately, from their smartphone. When packages are sold out, the opt-in list is sent a text alerting them to the status and urging them to visit the travel agent’s mobile or standard website for more great vacation opportunities.

The above is just one of the many scenarios that an E-Mail/SMS Mobile Advertising campaign provides for travel professionals. The benefits of this type of advertising campaign span beyond an instant boost in sales. The texts that you send will be to a highly qualified audience. They opted in to receive the text, so there is a base of interest. Between the e-mail communication and SMS, customers will have to opt-in twice. This means, they would be doubled opted-in, which means you’re definitely legally compliant. And, you can get a good read on e-mail messaging, texts, and overall promotions that work, using the data gained from this kind of mobile advertising campaign.

For more information about mobile advertising for the Travel Industry and powerful mobile tools for any marketing campaign, visit www.mowbi.com. Or call 1-800-985-9277. E-mail WBouton@mowbi.com or Bill@mowbi.com.