Using Geo-Targeted Marketing to Skyrocket Audience Engagement

Author: Rohan Ayyar / Source: Marketing Insider Group The widespread integration of GPS technology and smartphones has changed the face o

Author: Rohan Ayyar / Source: Marketing Insider Group

The widespread integration of GPS technology and smartphones has changed the face of marketing. The primary goal of geo-targeting is to deliver content to consumers – largely through the mobile internet – based on their geographic location. By doing this, businesses can tweak the reach of their messaging, so it only goes out to consumers that stand to benefit the most from it. Targeting your message to the most culturally receptive and situationally relevant audience results in a better ROI.

Multiple surveys on data collection and privacy have shown that the majority of consumers are willing to share their location with businesses if they believe they are getting something of value in return, including loyalty points and discounts. Considering this tradeoff, geo-targeting can be a gold mine of customer behavior data. Here are three valuable tips for using it to boost engagement across the board.

Tie Relevant Content to Location-Specific Landing Pages

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of digital marketing is that it enables brands to distribute their messages with a high-level of precision. Content is the backbone of digital marketing. Therefore, it’s not only important to target the right viewers, you need to provide the most relevant, high-quality material that reinforces your unique selling proposition.

Some of the most significant trends in retail point towards the integration of content with location targeting:

Retailers who promote transparency will flourish: This transparency comes from clear and unambiguous marketing copy.
Stores providing unique in-store experiences will thrive: Technology aided marketing messages via in-store displays, consumer education, and product demos are on the rise and will soon be ubiquitous.
Smaller stores will prevail over larger ones: This will lead to more localized foot traffic, requiring hyperlocal messaging.
Personalization will become increasingly important to consumers: Location is one of the biggest personalization factors and content is one of the primary areas of personalization barring the product itself.
Retailers will continue to invest in omnichannel marketing: This requires multiple content formats to be delivered by local media.
Retailtainment will pervade the industry: Content in the local language and locally relevant settings is the essence of entertainment.
Data will continue to be a significant component of retail success: Data, of course, needs to be locally applicable, while appropriate content is helps package company data in the form of brand messaging aimed at addressing customers’ pain points.

Your chances of gaining a conversion are much better if users are directed to a location-targeted page. For this, you can use geo-aware “perimeter tools” like Moasis to detect where the user is when they visit your interface, personalize the product experience for them, and show them targeted programmatic ads.

Start by focusing on the region or cities that provide the most value to your brand. If you have physical stores, this should be easy. Be sure that your content fulfills certain needs or answers questions relevant to the area. Your goal should be to find the best opportunities to do this while developing meaningful relationships with customers and brand loyalists.

If you want to go a step further, connect with some of the top influencers in the area. Partnering with them to help distribute your content will not only draw more attention to your store or website, it will do wonders to build brand credibility.