Geolocation technologies in marketing

With the growing use of mobile devices, customer location has become a major factor in online marketing. How to attract customers with the help of geolocation technologies, says Eugene Shevchenko, founder of the digital agency UAMASTER.
Location-Based Marketing uses data about the current or past locations of mobile users to show them relevant content.

Tool efficiency

According to Google, 76% of users who search for local businesses on a mobile device, for example, in maps or in the search engine itself, visit this outlet during the day. And 28% make a purchase. In 2019, a Go Gulf study found that 46% of user searches on Google were for local content, and 97% of users were looking for local businesses. According to the results of studies carried out by IPSOS in CEE countries, including Ukraine, the key criteria when choosing a seller using a location search are:
availability of the required product or service,
proximity to the seller or availability of delivery ("I want next to me"),
the speed of receiving goods or services (“I want it quickly”),
and only in fourth place is the price.

Key Resources

This includes Google maps, OpenStreetMaps (Instagram, Maps.me and others collect data from this resource), Foursquare (data collection is performed by Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Snapchat, Twitter, Uber, etc.).

Geo targeting method

Advertisements are shown to potential customers depending on their location, which is determined by the IP addresses of users. A certain disadvantage of geo targeting is that IP addresses rarely show exact location data. The most common method of focusing ad impressions for local businesses is on a specific city or town.

Geofencing or geofencing method

For a more accurate, pinpoint hit, geofencing works more effectively - determining the location using GPS devices. The data obtained in this way is updated while the owner of the smartphone is moving. With this method, options for quickly informing the user are possible. Geofessing can be used on specific areas and even streets. It is especially convenient if the purpose of the application is to attract passing people to a retail outlet, cafe, restaurant. Use cases:

Option 1: "Where I am." Determine the coverage radius of your outlet. For example, for a coffee shop it is 500 meters, for a furniture store - 5 km. In the Google Ads and Facebook Ads advertising systems, when setting up geotargeting, specify your address and set the same coverage radius for advertising (or as close as possible). Be sure to include your address in the text of your advertising message or on the banner.
Additional option: test ads on Facebook Ads with the goal of "point traffic". For this type of goal, you can also set up geotargeting with a radius, and you can select the "how to get" button as the target action. By clicking on it, the user will open a map.
Option 2: "Where my target audience is." If your target audience is travelers or mothers with infants, you can catch them at the airport or maternity hospital. The principle of setting up targeting is similar: we specify the desired address, set the minimum radius. It is important to remember that almost all contacts you get on mobile devices. People are not always ready to make a decision instantly, so it is necessary to use this tool in conjunction with remarketing. By the same principle, you can "catch" visitors to exhibitions, conferences, auto shows and other industry events.
Option 3. Combination of geo-targeting and geofencing.
If you open, for example, a mass-market shoe or furniture store in the regional center, for the first month you need to show ads for the entire city. Thus, you will build the knowledge of the store, and the effect of novelty gives a chance to get customers even from remote parts of the city. In the coming months, only show ads to people who are within 5 km of you.
Option 4. Combining geofencing and mobile application.
For example, a store can implement an application that offers thematic mobile content (fashion, healthy eating, fitness ...), as well as loyalty programs. If the user has an unspent gift card or bonuses / points / cashback, when entering the geofence close to the store, the application sends a reminder to the client. As soon as a customer enters the store, he is given access to information about past purchases, recommendations and product reviews, and their availability on that day.

Local SEO

Search engines understand user requests with a specific geographic reference: "beauty salon on Khreshchatyk", "pizza on Sumskaya", "pharmacy on Deribasovskaya", etc. In order for your business to be shown in such requests, you need to carry out a number of the following works:
add data to the site: full address and phone number, as well as additional SEO texts with the name of the district, microdistrict;
add a company to Google My Business;
register a company in local directories and catalogs;
add a company to online maps;
optimize the site for voice search.

Using Wi-Fi

If you have Wi-Fi for visitors in a coffee shop, store, car dealership, or beauty salon, set up your router so that when connected, all users will go to a special page on your site. Follow these rules:
the page must be accessible only by a direct link (it cannot be accessed from the menu of your site and by advertising);
the page has Google Ads and Facebook Ads remarketing codes;
the page contains information about current promotions, special offers or those products that you need to sell first.
This way, you will stimulate instant sales, and you will also be able to interact with that audience later for repeat visits.