Did you know it’s possible to target your local audience right through their phones with something called “geofencing?”
This technology allows you to get in front of an audience, raising awareness of your brand, products, services, and more.
In this article, we’ll give you a rundown on exactly what geo-pinpointing or geofencing is, how it can grow your mobile marketing strategy, and a few real life examples of how the technology can work.
What is Geofencing?
Geofencing, or geo-pinpointing, is defined as “a technology that defines a virtual boundary around a real-world geographical area” by Techopedia, and is quite easy to understand, even if you don’t feel you’re technologically inclined.
It simply means that it creates a virtual perimeter that can be used in conjunction with technology, allowing you to specifically target those in the perimeter with your marketing.
When someone enters that space, it can trigger your geofencing marketing depending on how you designed your strategy. You can opt to have these notifications or ads trigger within tiny spaces (like 20 feet) or within a larger area.
Since more people than ever before carry their smartphones with them 24/7 and each phone is equipped with GPS or RFID software, this marketing strategy allows you to get in front of your audience, even when they’re on the go.
How Can Geofencing Work with Your Mobile Marketing Strategy
With more smartphones, geofencing gives you the opportunity to build brand awareness within a set area, making this an excellent strategy if your business relies on local customers.
It’s a quick and easy way to increase customer reach as well as brand awareness, while also reducing the cost of your marketing.
To make the most of this mobile technology though, you need to know your audience and know where they will be.
As with any marketing strategy, you don’t want to waste cash targeting the wrong people. You’ll need data before you dive in.
Geofencing can be used in a variety of different ways alongside your mobile marketing strategy and combine your online and offline marketing plans, increasing customer engagement. A few examples would be:
Geotargeting
Geotargeting is fairly straightforward. When a person and their phone or mobile device are in a specific area, your marketing efforts will be triggered.
With a Mobile Application
If your company has a mobile application, certain notifications may be triggered depending on their exact location. For example, a theme park may suggest a certain food item if you enter one area of the park or an upcoming event if you are in the area when the event is about to begin.
To Advertise a Mobile Application
These marketing campaigns can also be designed to set up advertisements that trigger mobile alerts. If a car dealership has a mobile app, they could draw a geofence around their property that prompts visitors to download the app.
Retargeting
If your customer has expressed interest in your company in the past on their mobile phones, retargeting can be used with geofencing to give your customers ads on pages they visit within a set area.
You can also set up an ad to appear at a later date with the right strategy, even if the potential customer visited a competitor.
If an individual goes into a personal injury attorney’s office, for example, and you’ve geofenced that area, your strategy can be set up to send them an ad for your practice the following day.
Display Advertising
Just as you target potential customers with ads on various websites (local newspapers, major news outlets, or just about any site with ads) based on their interests, you can use this strategy along with geofencing. This could be used to build brand awareness just by being in the right place.
Who Can Benefit from Geo-Pinpointing?
If you rely on local customers, you can absolutely benefit from geo-pinpointing. Here are just a few examples of how various companies can take advantage.
Personal Injury Attorney
Your customers will almost always come from your immediate area and your marketing strategy probably already accounts for that, but you can narrow your strategy down even further.
You can use the mobile technology to target potential clients who are in the hospital, at a doctor’s office, repair shop, or even at an intersection that sees an above average amount of accidents.
Car Dealership
You know your audience is likely going from dealership to dealership. If your area has an extensive area with dealerships, such as a car city, you can use geofencing to start targeting your customers as soon as they enter that space or as soon as they walk into a competitor’s.
You can also opt to have the technology pinpoint potential customers who are at a repair shop.
Doctor or Dentist
Those in medical professions can also take advantage of geo-pinpointing. As with lawyers, they can target hospitals or even other doctor’s offices.
Marina
Marinas can opt to create a more personalized ad campaign to highlight a feature that your marina has that the competitor doesn’t. You may also try to target more affluent areas or events to raise awareness of your brand.
Geofencing, or geo-pinpointing, is an excellent way to get in front of your potential customers, even if they’re not at home.
Mobile phones present unique opportunities for companies to increase awareness and conversions while also cutting down on marketing expenses.
