Wi-Fi hot spots are nothing new. For several years, people have been using coffee shops, restaurants and book stores as places to check email, surf the Web, make FREE VOIP phone and video calls around the world. What is relatively new on the local scene is being able to do this without having to pay a fee. More than ever before, the public is seeing access to The Internet in public places being provided for free. But, how is that possible? Sometimes the owner of the establishment providing the Wi-Fi simply pays for it. After all, Wi-Fi tends to attract a large crowd wherever it is made available. Often, just being able to attract a large crowd on a recurring basis is reason enough to provide FREE Wi-Fi.
However, with the ever-increasing popularity of wikinomics, the idea of mutual collaboration is taking hold around the world - even in small towns across America. For example, in Hidden Valley Lake, CA a small Mom & Pop Thai restaurant recently decided to offer FREE Wi-Fi to its customers. However, they could not afford to pay for both the Internet connection and a secure Wi-Fi account. And, that is where I come into the picture as a special "third party." I rounded up local advertisers to pay for the their secure Wi-Fi account and created a online presence at Squidoo.com to promote how this little restaurant is reaching out to its community. Amazingly, people around the world - including chefs - are encouraging this small restaurant in this special outreach. See for yourself at the Squidoo.com site, Ting's Thai Kitchen.
If you are not familiar with how Squidoo.com works, it provides individuals with the opportunity to create one page blogs (called lenses) that are built with modules. These modules are amazing. Many are provided by well-known online companies like Flickr.com, Amazon.com and Youtube.com. While there is no limit to the number of lenses you can freely create on Squidoo.com, there is an amazing number of Squidoo groups you can request to actually promote your lenses. Consequently, a single web location on Squidoo can promote your idea in a great many ways and places.
This FREE Wi-Fi Hot Spot arrangement with splash page advertising is really win/win/win situation. First, FREE Wi-Fi benefits the general public. They get to check email, surf the Web, make FREE VOIP phone and video calls (via Skype and Google Talk) to friends around the world while waiting to be served a specially-prepared meal of Thai cuisine. It is not costing the public any money to be online in this restaurant hot spot. Second, it benefits the restaurant because the FREE Wi-Fi draws more customers to the restaurant to eat. In fact, the restaurant owner must input a password in every mobile device for Internet access to be achieved. And, that does not happen until AFTER the meal is ordered. Plus, Internet access is only for one hour and then the party is automatically logged off the Net. No one comes into the restaurant to eat a meal and spend the afternoon or evening online. Third, the splash page advertising can feature print, audio and video promotion at a fraction of what newspapers, radio and TV stations charge. The advertisers at Ting's Thai Kitchen are only being charged $79.00 for THREE MONTHS of promotion. Keep in mind that promotion is taking place at the restaurant via the FREE Wi-Fi and online at the Squidoo lens, simultaneously.
What Ting's Thai Kitchen is accomplishing in Hidden Valley Lake can be duplicated by any restaurant that has Internet access. In fact, FREE Wi-Fi does not have to take place at a restaurant, coffee shop or book store. Any place where large group of people gather on a regular basis, FREE Wi-Fi is going to be welcome. You will find FREE Wi-Fi being utilized today in such diverse places as marinas, auto body shops and water parks.
While FREE Wi-Fi Hot Spots can prove beneficial to store-front businesses by attracting more foot traffic, the splash page advertising aspect can be beneficial to any business wanting to pursue it - including home businesses. In fact, the splash page advertisers can request marketing feedback at the end of every month on how many people have looked at their ads and how often. Such feedback is not available through the traditional media of newspaper, radio and TV.
FREE Wi-Fi is a great tool through which a Chamber of Commerce can help its members to be more successful through the mutual collaboration of splash page advertising. It is also a great tool for BNI and other serious networking groups. Even the Small Business Administration, SCORE and the Sirolli Institute with their array of enterprise facilitation chapters around the world should take advantage of all FREE Wi-Fi has to offer. And, last but not least, professional web designers should use FREE-Wi-Fi as a second venue through which to provide additional services to their customers.
The Wikinomics business model is changing the way the world works. FREE Wi-Fi with splash page advertising is part of that change. I encourage you to embrace it. Take full advantage of what this technological innovation involving collaboration can do for your business. People caring...people connecting...people having a good design. That's a business model that generates good business.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
