If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think about geotargeting very often. But if you’re a marketer, it’s something you should be thinking about all the time!
Geotargeting is a powerful tool that allows you to deliver your ads to people who meet specific targeting criteria and are inside a defined radius. By using geotargeting, you can make sure that your ads are reaching the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
So what are some of the best ways to use geotargeting? Here are a few ideas:
– If you have a brick-and-mortar business, you can use geotargeting to deliver ads to people who are within a certain distance of your store. This is a great way to drive foot traffic and increase sales.
– If you’re holding an event, you can use geotargeting to deliver ads to people who are in the vicinity of the event. This is a great way to increase attendance and get people excited about what you have to offer.
– If you’re launching a new product or service, you can use geotargeting to deliver ads to people who live in the area where the product or service will be available. This is a great way to generate buzz and build anticipation for your launch.
Geotargeting Campaigns: The Main Three Criteria
- Location
- Targeting Criteria
- Ad Delivery
These are the three key parameters you need to consider when setting up a geotargeting campaign. Let’s take a closer look at each one:
Geotargeting Location:
The first step is to identify the location or locations that you want to target. The main four criteria used for location are:
- Zip Codes
- Metro Areas
- Congressional Districts
- States
Geotargeting Criteria: Demographic Overlays
Demographic overlays are criteria used to target specific groups of people. One way to target a specific group of people is to use demographic overlays.
Demographic overlays are criteria that take into account various factors, such as age, gender, or income level.
This allows businesses to tailor their products and services to appeal to a particular group.
For example, a company selling baby products would use an overlay that includes parents of young children.
By using these criteria, businesses can more effectively reach the consumers they want to target.
The next step is to identify the targeting criteria you want to use. There are over 400 categories that can be used to define your audience. Categories range from occupation to a residence having pets. Talk with your friendly representative at www.getgeofencing.com to go over options.
Under the targeting criteria, there are two (2) main categories.
1 – Residential Targeting
2- Property Targeting
Residential Targeting:
As stated, there are several hundred categories listed under residential targeting that can be used to define your audience within an area. Some sub-category examples include:
- Age
- Education
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Language
- Life Events
- Marital Status
- Number of Children
- Pets
- Vehicles
Property Targeting:
Property targeting provides data on properties at a county level. Some examples include:
- Single Family Residence
- Condominium
- Mobile Home
- Townhouse
- Duplex
- Apartment
- Commercial Building
- Office Building
The list is almost endless. But it is safe to say, geotargeting can curate a real-time audience matching the profile of your likely customer.
Ad Delivery
Ad Delivery: The last step is to decide how you want your ads to be delivered. The main four options for ad delivery are:
1- Display Ads
2- Video Ads
3- Audio Ads
4- Text Ads
Display Ads:
Display ads are the most commonly used type of geotargeting ad. They are typically small banner ads that are displayed on websites or apps.
Video Ads:
Video ads are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people consume video content online. They are usually short, 15-second ads that are played before, during, or after a video.
Audio Ads:
Audio ads are typically played on streaming music platforms like Spotify or Pandora. They are usually short, 15-second ads that are played between songs.
Text Ads:
Text ads are the least intrusive type of geotargeting ad. They are typically small, text-based ads that are displayed on websites or apps.
The ad, or creative is critical to the success of your campaign. Make sure to work with a team of creatives that understand geotargeting and can create ad copy and visuals that resonate with your target audience. For more tips on ad design, click here
Programmatic Distribution
Ads are delivered via programmatic distribution. What this means is this targets the user and whatever website or app they visit. Simply explained, when a user accesses a website or app, there is a 100-millisecond delay. In that delay, algorithms bid on available advertising inventory on that website or app. The highest bidder’s ad is then served to the user. This all happens in real-time and is done automatically by computers, hence the term “programmatic.”
Programmatic buying has been around for about a decade, but it has only recently become the dominant way that digital ads are bought and sold.
Dayparting
Dayparting is the process of scheduling your geotargeting ads to run at specific times of the day or week. The most common days and times for geotargeting ads are:
Monday – Friday: 8 am – 10 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10 am – 8 pm
The reason for this is that people are more likely to be online and using their devices during these times.
Geotargeting and Precision
The key difference with geotargeting is that it hones in on a specific consumer criterion, such as demographics, behaviors, interests, and a person’s location. This allows you to be much more precise with your targeting than you could be with other types of marketing. And when you’re more precise with your targeting, you’re more likely to see better results.
Geotargeting can also exclude specific locations. This targeting tends to work better for larger geographical audiences because ads can be more specifically defined by demographic overlays. When geotargeting is used to exclude locations, it can be very effective in reducing wasted spending on ads that are not likely to convert.
Geotargeting is a powerful tool that can be used to reach your target audience with laser precision. Whether you’re targeting consumers in specific metro areas or congressional districts, geotargeting has the ability to reach the right people at the right time with the right message.
If you’re looking to get started with geotargeting, the team at www.getgeofencing.com can help you get set up and running in no time.