Geography is important when creating targeted marketing campaigns. Geo-targeting is the practice of delivering content to a consumer, via mobile or web, using geographic location information about an individual. Why restrict your reach to consumers located in a defined geographic area such as a state or a city? Often, location provides deeper more identifiable traits about a person’s wants, needs or interests.
Promoting events and products by using geo-targeted emails focused on areas in which your brand has a high concentration, can drive traffic to your site, whether brick and mortar or online. As you can imagine, this can have a huge impact regardless of your vertical.
As mobile use grows and location data becomes more accurate and available, the effectiveness of geo-targeting improves along with it. Your target market is not always at home. In fact, a majority of searches for local information takes place on mobile devices, while on the move. Consumers doing these types of searches often share their location information from their mobile device during these searches to receive the most relevant results. Why not send ads specific to the current location of the consumer?
Follow these tips for successful geo-targeting campaigns.
1. Target an Audience with Specific Wants or Needs based on Location.
Stadiums, airports, universities, and malls are examples of areas that can be targeted to reach specific interest groups. For example, stadiums provide an opportunity to focus on short events with an audience defined by that event. Whether two opposing teams are playing football, or fans attending a concert, these locations bring consumers heavy in one demographic. A Taylor Swift concert, for example, will present a demographic opportunity that is likely quite different than the crowd attending a Monday Night football game.
Use these characteristics to time and target your marketing.
2. On the flip side, don’t target locations where your audience is not.
Define the area you want to reach, and eliminate the area you would like to exclude. Exclude a venue, a neighborhood, or even just one side of the street can be specifically targeting for exclusion or for marketing. For example, clubs and bars whose target is university students, may choose to exclude this area during summer break, or quarantine as the case may be. Excluding an area can be cost effective as well. Don’t waste marketing dollars when your target moves locations.
3. Define a Boundary around your Area of Interest
Geo-fencing, as this is known, allows you to define a perimeter around a physical location where you want to deliver your ads. These are those somewhat “creepy” messages you receive from a store you just happen to be walking by at that very moment. Set a one mile boundary around your coffee shop to reach consumers nearby and drive them into your shop. Or, expand the perimeter to include a nearby office complex to reach consumers who may want to grab coffee before going into work. Of course, you can also target customers around a competitor’s location, with a discount or special that will push them toward your location instead.
Digital Segment has the location data you need to execute a successful geo-location marketing campaign. As stores and restaurants reopen, football season has kicked off and travel is on the horizon, don’t expect your desired audience to stay at home. Target them as they venture out with our help.