5 Tips for Effectively Using Geofencing

Posted on by John Flynn - CEO - Copley Advertising

5 Tips for Effectively Using Geofencing

Statistics show that 65% of consumers open the push notifications they receive.  Geo-fencing provides consumers with location-based push notifications that are relevant. The pop-ups and push notifications that appear as a result of geofencing are linked to a customer’s interests.  So, the customer can find exactly what he or she needs from your company that much faster. This increases foot traffic to your store and widens your customer base. Geo-fencing, when used effectively, gives companies a competitive edge.  Instant.ly reports that “many businesses have experienced click-through rates on geofencing campaigns that are as much as 70% higher than standard ads.”  Numbers don’t lie. Jumping on the geofencing bandwagon can only mean immeasurable success for your business.

Reaping the benefits of geofencing, however, requires understanding how it works and how to use it effectively. These tips will help you get the most out of your geofencing campaign. Discuss them with your digital marketing campaign manager. If you’re doing your own digital marketing, feel free to contact us at Copley Advertising to get expert advice.

Know what is Required

Geofencing is an expanded form of beacon technology. Beacons work within a narrow parameter, such as a particular aisle in your store. Geofencing, on the other hand, encompasses a wider boundary.  With geofencing, you use mapping software to physical identify the broad region you want to target.  Whenever someone enters that region, the tagged smartphone or app sends a targeted message to the person’s phone. Geofencing is about being at the right place at the right time.  In order to work effectively, a link must be made to GPS, cellular data and/ or Wi-Fi connection.

Carefully Consider your Message

Your aim is to get people to come into your store. Most geofencing campaigns provide special discounts or offers through the pop-ups and push notifications of an app. You have to give a little to get a little. So, it’s more than telling people that your store is in that location. There must be a clear call to action that gives people the impetus to step into the store and make a purchase. Customers who enjoy the experience will keep coming back.

Personalize

Geo-fencing works better when users opt-in. Your app should give the user the option to turn on location services. It should also give the user the option to turn these services off if necessary. Users should also be able to create their own profiles. This provides a more targeted marketing approach since you’ll be able to accurately determine each user’s interests.  Giving users control over their profiles allows them to control the data they provide. Respecting potential customers’ privacy is crucial.

Use the Data

Each geofencing campaign generates data that can be used to measure the campaign’s success. Neglecting the data is a recipe for failure. Track the data in real-time to determine its strengths and pitfalls. Using this knowledge to inform present and future decisions differentiate effective marketers from ineffective marketers.

Strategically Define Geofences

Each geofence should encompass areas where people are most likely to be. It is highly likely that this will not be where your business is. Setting location parameters around a competitor’s store has proven effective for numerous brands.

Copley Advertising has a team of geofencing experts who are willing to help you create an effective geofencing campaign. We will do all of the technical work for you.  Let us help you make the magic happen.  Have questions?  [email protected]

Geofencing: Retail and Retargeting

Posted on by John Flynn - CEO - Copley Advertising

Buyer interest is crucial for business success.  Retargeting and geofencing work in tandem to zoom in on buyers who are genuinely interested in your brand.  The tools of mobile geofencing (retargeting, geofencing, device ID capture, video ads, and others) fit the marketing needs for retailers.

What is retargeting?  When a device user clicks on an ad we place their ID in a retargeting folder.  We can then start a separate retargeting campaign geared to the devices that engaged the ad.  These devices can be anywhere in the US and they will still receive the ad.  The rate of engagement for a retargeting campaign can run from 2X to 16X compared to a regular campaign.

Reason #1: Numbers Don’t Lie

Statistics show that 75 percent of consumers notice retargeted ads. Furthermore, Khalid Selah states that “the average click-through rate for display ads is 0.07 percent, while the average click-through for retargeted ads is about 0.7 percent.”  Essentially, people are more likely to click on retargeted ads than display ads. Therefore, effectively using retargeted ads in geofencing has the potential to generate a higher ROI than other digital marketing strategies.

Reason #2:  Offers a Personal Approach

The best-retargeted ads appeal to specific interests of the consumer. These ads can be created to mimic a particular group of customer’s spending and purchasing patterns. Customers are more likely to respond to ads that relate to what they like… even if they don’t need it.

Reason #3: Location Specificity

No other form of retargeted advertising reaches customers who are in direct proximity of our brick and mortar store. Impulse is powerful. Think about those sweet treats that are strategically positioned at check-out counters in supermarkets. Often dubbed “impulse buys”, we are tempted to purchase these treats because they’re consistently in our field of vision. The same is true for retargeted ads.  Walking into a mall and seeing an ad for a product you want feeds your temptation to head to the store selling that product.   After all, it’s right there.

Copley Advertising has a team of talented digital marketers and programmers who can merge your retargeting campaigns with geofencing. We’ll help you entice people to enter your store.  Never forget that retargeting is statistically proven to produce results, provide a personalized experience for the customer, and reach the customer exactly where he or she is.  Contact us at [email protected].

Geofencing: A great tool in retailer’s marketing workshop

Posted on by John Flynn - CEO - Copley Advertising

Location. Location. Location.  Geofencing is all about location. Over the past decade, several marketing tools have been developed to help retailers more effectively reach customers. According to CIO “geofencing is a location-based service that sends messages to smartphone users who enter a defined geographic area.”  This form of location-based marketing helps retailers lure customers into their stores using special deals, promotions, and coupons. At Copley Advertising, we allow you to create a geofence within a 50feet or 500mile radius of your target location.  We then tag all smartphones in this geofence and incorporate your desired ad in one of the thousands of apps we have access to. When the tagged user opens the app and clicks on the ad, we place that customer ID in our retargeting folder for future campaigns.

Picture this. You own a trendy teenager and young adult clothing store in a fairly popular mall. However, the foot traffic into your store is far less than what you think it should be. You decide to give geo-fencing a shot. As soon as anyone enters the mall, you send a digital advertisement to the person’s smartphone for a limited time only discount coupon.  Within a day you notice that the number of customers in your store has increased by 2 percent. That number triples by the end of the week.

Geo-fencing provides numerous benefits to retailers. Some of these benefits include: appealing to the unique interests of customers within a particular geographical region, helping customers find your store, directing foot traffic away from your competition, effectively analyzing campaigns, and providing a personalized experience to customers.

Appealing to the Local Customer

There are some common interests that remain constant regardless of the region in which a customer lives. However, buyer characteristics vary slightly from one region to another. The location specificity of geo-fencing allows you to send targeted advertisements that are relevant to people in that location. Advertisements could surround local events, celebrations, or interests.  Customers will be more interested in a brand that is relevant to them.

Finding Your Store with Ease

With geofencing, the idea is to lure customers into your store. Geo-fencing impressions allow you to provide specific directions to your store. Mapping out the path, as well as providing enticing deals, makes it less likely that a customer will give your competitors a second glance.

Providing Useful Information

Geo-fencing campaigns are useless if data isn’t adequately analyzed. Geo-fencing impressions provide several data metrics that help you determine the effectiveness of your campaign. Metrics include: how many people targeted offers were brought to the store, how many sales resulted from target offers, how long customers spend in the store, how often a customer visits the store and so on.  Having this data can be very useful in guiding future campaigns and adjusting aspects of your store to meet your customer’s needs.

Personalization Separates the Winners from the Losers

Humans love to feel important. Your ability to provide each customer with deals related to products he or she loves that will separate you from your competition. Geo-fencing impressions can be programmed to get specific data about each customer. This data includes spending patterns and the areas the customer frequently visits in your store. You can use what you learn to create targeted geo-fencing ads that add value to the customer and compel him or her to make a purchase.

Copley Advertising provides geofencing services for a variety of clients.  Each geo-fencing impression we create is tailored to meet the specific needs of our customers. We will help you stand out from the competition and drive more foot traffic to your store. Email us at [email protected].