Marketing guides
Marketing guides for physical venues
Practical guides to customer data, campaigns and measuring what brings people back to your venues.
Guide topics
Start with a topic
Five guides to the marketing work a venue does, each listing the guides written under it.
List building and data capture
WiFi email capture
How to turn guest WiFi logins into a consented email list, and what to ask guests for.Campaigns and automation
Venue email campaigns
Which automations and one-off campaigns bring guests back, and when to send each one.Segmentation and targeting
Customer segmentation
How to group guests by what they do, so each group gets the message that brings it back.Deliverability and compliance
Email compliance
Consent and opt-outs under CAN-SPAM, the UK rules for guests there, and keeping your email out of the spam folder.Analytics and ROI
Email marketing ROI
How to measure the visits and revenue your emails cause, not just the opens they get.
ComparisonsSquare Marketing and Toast marketing alternatives
You will be able to decide whether Square Marketing, Toast Marketing or Purple Engage should build and run your venue marketing list.
Email MarketingWin-back emails for lapsed hotel and restaurant guests: timing and offers
You will be able to define when a hotel or restaurant guest has lapsed, using their last guest WiFi login and your own median return interval.
Email MarketingGmail and Yahoo sender requirements: what venue marketers need to change
Use this guide to figure out whether Gmail and Yahoo treat your venue as a bulk sender, and what to fix first.
Email List BuildingHow to build a guest WiFi email list that actually converts
You will be able to turn your guest WiFi login into a consented sign-up form, choose what to ask for and how to word the opt-in, and set up visit-triggered emails.
ComplianceEmail deliverability for venues: a compliance checklist
You will be able to decide whether your venue's email program is ready to send at bulk volume.
Email marketingBuilding a restaurant loyalty program on email and WiFi
You will be able to build a restaurant loyalty program that runs on guest WiFi and email, with no app or punch card.
Campaign StrategyEvent marketing for bars and pubs: an SMS and email campaign checklist
Use this checklist to plan bar event campaigns that reach the guests most likely to attend.
AIAI for restaurant and venue marketing: an implementation checklist
You will be able to decide where AI earns its place in your venue email marketing, set up the checks it needs, and prove its effect.
First-party dataCustomer data platform cost for hospitality groups: build, buy or use your WiFi data
You will be able to choose between building a data stack, buying a packaged customer data platform (CDP) or using consented guest WiFi data.
ComparisonsHubSpot vs Purple Engage for multi-site venues
Decide whether HubSpot, Purple Engage or both should run marketing across your venue estate.
Paid socialLookalike audiences for hotels: a setup checklist using first-party guest data
You will be able to build a Meta lookalike audience that finds new guests likely to book direct, seeded from consented guest WiFi opt-ins joined to booking-engine data.
ComparisonsHotel CRM vs email marketing tool: what a venue CRM adds
Decide whether your hotel needs a guest CRM that builds a consented marketing list from guest WiFi logins, or whether an email tool such as Mailchimp or Klaviyo is…
Campaign StrategyStadium fan marketing with WiFi data: a game-day campaign checklist
You will be able to plan a full game-day email program from guest WiFi logins: capture consented fan emails, tag each record by game, and run pre-game, halftime and…
Journeys and automationCustomer journey automation for gyms and fitness centers: an implementation guide
Use this guide to turn a new member's first 90 days into timed email and SMS steps, triggered by guest WiFi visits and consented opt-ins.
OffersDiscounts vs added-value offers for restaurants: protecting your margin
You will be able to decide, sitting by sitting and guest by guest, whether a percentage discount or a free extra protects more margin.
OffersDigital coupons and offers for bars and pubs: redemption tracking and ROI
You will be able to issue unique, single-use pub coupons to a consented guest WiFi list and hold back a random 10% holdout.
Surveys and feedbackNPS surveys for multi-site restaurant groups: comparing loyalty across sites
You will be able to choose between a centralized group NPS program and site-led surveys, then compare loyalty fairly across your restaurants.
Surveys and feedbackPost-visit feedback survey checklist for hotels and restaurants
You will be able to design a three- to five-question post-visit survey, set send times by venue type and build a consented send list from guest WiFi logins.
Reviews and reputationTripAdvisor vs Google reviews for hotels: where to focus review requests
Decide, venue by venue, whether post-stay review requests should go to Google or Tripadvisor, based on where your bookings start and your review gap with nearby…
Reviews and reputationGoogle review requests for restaurants: a compliant checklist
You will be able to set up a Google review request program for your restaurant that stays inside Google's policy, the TCPA and CAN-SPAM, and CCPA/CPRA.
Paid socialMeta Conversions API integration for restaurants: measuring ads against real visits
You will be able to decide whether to send consented guest WiFi visits to Meta's Conversions API, and set it up in six steps.
Paid socialMeta custom audiences from guest WiFi data: a checklist for venues
You will be able to decide whether your guest WiFi data is ready to feed Meta custom audiences, and run the routine yourself.
SMS and WhatsAppWhatsApp vs SMS for restaurant marketing: cost and reach compared
Decide whether WhatsApp or SMS should carry your restaurant offers and booking messages by comparing reach, billing units, consent rules and template approval.
SMS and WhatsAppSMS vs email for bars and pubs: which channel brings guests back
You will be able to decide which bar and pub messages belong in SMS and which belong in email, and work out what each send costs.
SMS and WhatsAppWhatsApp marketing for hotels: opt-in rules and a setup checklist
You will be able to decide where to capture WhatsApp consent at your hotel, which Meta-approved template category each message belongs in, and what to measure weekly.
SMS and WhatsAppSMS marketing for restaurants: costs, consent and what to send
You will be able to work out what each restaurant text really costs per segment, collect SMS consent at your guest WiFi login that meets the TCPA and CAN-SPAM, and send…
AnalyticsAttributing return visits to your email campaigns
This guide explains how physical venues can attribute return visits directly to their email marketing campaigns - the metric that generic tools like Mailchimp and…
First-party dataHow to build an email list from your WiFi (without buying one)
This guide outlines how physical venues can turn their guest WiFi into their largest source of first-party data.
ComplianceCAN-SPAM compliance for US restaurants and venues
Email marketingTurning retail foot traffic into an email list
ComplianceEmail deliverability basics for venue marketers
Campaign StrategyWhat to email guests after their first visit
ComparisonsMailchimp alternatives for restaurants and hospitality
AnalyticsProving marketing ROI to venue owners with WiFi data
Email marketingDriving direct bookings with hotel email marketing
SegmentationRFM segmentation for restaurants and hospitality
AnalyticsRevenue per send: the email metric venues should track
SegmentationSegmenting email by location for multi-site venues
Email marketingPre-stay and post-stay email sequences for hotels
Email List BuildingCollect customer emails in a restaurant without sign-up forms
Email List BuildingQR codes vs WiFi login for collecting customer emails
ComplianceManaging consent and unsubscribes for venue email
Managing email consent correctly is the difference between a high-converting guest database and a GDPR liability.
Email marketingEmail marketing for shopping centers and malls
Shopping centers capture millions of foot traffic visits each year but rarely own the relationship with the shopper.
Campaign StrategyEvent and seasonal promotion emails for venues
This guide details how venues can use first-party WiFi data to execute highly targeted event and seasonal email marketing campaigns.
ComparisonsThe best email marketing software for restaurants, compared
This guide compares send-only email tools like Mailchimp and Klaviyo against build-and-send platforms like Purple Engage.
Campaign StrategySMS and email: multi-channel campaigns for venues
This guide explains how to orchestrate SMS and email into a single, automated campaign strategy for physical venues.
ComparisonsGuest WiFi marketing software compared: Purple Engage, Beambox, and Adentro
This guide compares Purple Engage, Beambox, and Adentro to help marketing directors and venue operators choose the right guest WiFi marketing software.
ComparisonsMailchimp for hotels: where it falls short for venues
This guide explains why generic email tools like Mailchimp fall short for hotels, as they track inbox metrics rather than physical return visits.
Email marketingEmail marketing for multi-location restaurant groups
Running a consistent email program across a multi-location restaurant group requires more than a good sending tool.
Email marketingEmail marketing for cafes and coffee shops
Cafe email marketing is the highest-ROI channel available to independent and multi-site coffee shops, but it fails when operators cannot build a list.
ComplianceWhy purchased email lists fail venues
Buying email lists is one of the fastest ways to damage your sender reputation, violate GDPR, and waste marketing budgets.
AnalyticsCustomer lifetime value for restaurants and hotels
A practical guide for hospitality marketers on calculating and increasing customer lifetime value (CLV) using verified visit data.
SegmentationUsing dwell time and visit data to segment venue guests
This guide shows marketing directors and CRM managers how to build behavioral segments from dwell time and visit frequency data captured through guest WiFi.
SegmentationFirst-time vs. regular guests: tailoring email by customer type
This guide explains why first-time guests and returning regulars require fundamentally different email messaging to drive repeat visits.
Campaign StrategyBirthday and anniversary email campaigns for venues
This guide details how venues can implement automated birthday and anniversary email campaigns to drive high-intent return visits.
Campaign StrategyAutomated review-request emails for venues
This guide explains how to build automated review-request emails using verified guest WiFi data to increase your Google rating.
Email List BuildingGrow a first-party email list without discounting your margin
This guide shows how physical venues can build a high-quality, CCPA/CPRA-compliant email list using guest WiFi, eliminating the need for margin-eroding discounts.
Email List BuildingEmail capture rate benchmarks for venues
This guide sets out what a healthy email capture rate looks like for physical venues and shows how branded guest WiFi login pages lift it.
Email marketingEmail marketing for bars and pubs
This guide shows owner-operators and marketing managers at bars and pubs how to build a regulars list from guest WiFi logins and use it to fill quiet nights with…
ComplianceThe TCPA and CAN-SPAM and the soft opt-in: email marketing rules for venues
This guide explains what the TCPA and CAN-SPAM require for venue email marketing and why the soft opt-in exception is structurally insufficient for physical venues.
Campaign StrategyWelcome email series for first-time venue guests
A welcome email series is the fastest way to turn a first-time venue guest into a repeat customer.
Email List BuildingGuest WiFi email capture: how it works and what to expect
Guest WiFi email capture turns every WiFi login into a verified, GDPR-aligned contact in a database you own.
SegmentationSegmenting guests by visit frequency: how to reward your best customers
This guide explains how to segment physical venue guests based on visit frequency using WiFi login data.
Campaign StrategyWiFi-triggered email campaigns: what to send and when
WiFi-triggered email campaigns let venue operators turn every guest WiFi login into an automated marketing action - welcome sequences, loyalty rewards, win-back flows…
ComplianceCCPA/CPRA-compliant email marketing for venues: a practical checklist
This practical checklist guides venue marketers through the essentials of CCPA/CPRA-compliant email marketing.
AnalyticsMeasuring email ROI for physical venues: beyond open rates
Most venue marketers track opens and clicks, but these metrics fail to show whether an email campaign actually drove foot traffic.
Campaign StrategyWin-back campaigns for venues: how to bring lapsed guests back
This guide shows venue operators and marketing managers how to build automated win-back email campaigns that target guests who have not visited in 30, 60, or 90 days.
First-party dataEmail segmentation for venues: a practical guide
Email segmentation for venues explains how physical venue operators - restaurants, hotels, bars, and retailers - can move beyond generic broadcast emails to targeted…
Email marketingHow to increase customer retention with email marketing
This guide explains how to increase customer retention with email marketing by turning guest WiFi into an automated first-party data capture engine.
ComparisonsPurple Engage vs. Mailchimp: What Venue Marketers Need to Know
This guide compares Purple Engage with Mailchimp for marketing directors and owner-operators at physical venues.
First-Party DataFirst-party data for venues: why your WiFi is your best marketing channel
Third-party cookies are disappearing, leaving venue marketers without a reliable way to reach past guests.
Email marketingEmail automation for hotels: a practical guide
Email automation for hotels turns guest WiFi logins into verified, GDPR-compliant first-party data.
Email marketingWiFi marketing for retail: turn foot traffic into a customer list
This guide explains how retail venues can use their existing guest WiFi to capture first-party data and build a GDPR-compliant customer list.
First-party dataFirst-party data for venues: what it is and how to collect it
A plain-English definition of first-party data, why it matters more every year as third-party cookies disappear, and how a physical venue collects and activates it.
Email marketingEmail marketing for restaurants: a practical guide
Why email beats paid social for restaurants, how to build the list from your guest WiFi, what to send to first-timers, regulars, and lapsed diners, and how to measure…