Is Geo-Conquesting Right for Your Small Business?

Geo-aware marketing is an increasingly popular piece of any Pay Per Call campaign, especially for small businesses. Geo-aware marketing uses geo-location information from the GPS chip inside smartphones to target consumers on their mobile devices when they are within a specific geographic location. Understanding how all of this works and whether or not it is right for your business can be tricky.

Geo-Fencing

Geo-fencing is a common tactic of Pay Per Call marketers because it allows them to set specific regions within which previous and potential consumers can be targeted. For example, geo-fencing areas can be set on large scales (such as a 10-mile radius around an airport) or smaller scales (such as a few city blocks around a shopping mall). This is used to trigger a certain action on a consumer’s mobile device, like specially tailored display ads, in-app action, or selected search results.

Geo-Fencing in Geo-Conquesting

The strategy of geo-conquesting focuses on marketing your business and its product/service to consumers when they are near your competitor’s space. By establishing a geo-fencing parameter, you can target customers with special ads to lure them away from the competition. Although new in the world of mobile advertising and Pay Per Call, geo-conquesting has been used for years in traditional marketing.

Related: What is the Difference Between Geo-conquesting and Geo-fencing?

How does it Work?

After you establish a geo-fencing perimeter for your mobile ads, special actions are triggered when consumers enter that range with their mobile device. For some consumers, the special actions take the form of specialized search results and banner ads that promote a unique product at your business or better prices than the competition.

If you have repeat customers that use a dedicated mobile app for your company, the app triggers a special push notice when consumers enter that geo-fencing location. These often include one-time deals and steep discounts, or promote shorter lines in your shop. The idea with in-app notifications is to draw their attention quickly with a unique offering to pull them away from a competitor.

Can it Work for Your Small Business?

Coffee shops are a perfect example of companies using geo-conquesting on mobile devices to generate more foot traffic and higher revenue. Local cafes and coffee shops use special banner ads and one-time push notifications to lure customers away from the likes of Starbucks with promises of faster service, unique local flavors, or limited time offerings.

The success of geo-conquesting relies upon the speed of your marketing efforts and the ability to keep up with on-the-go consumers. Getting real-time, accurate information on a customer’s location is critical to the success of geo-conquesting. Also, customers have to have the “find location” option turned on for mobile devices in general, and apps in particular, in order for the tactic to work.

Most importantly though, you have to offer something creative. If you want your geo-conquesting tactic to work, you have to give customers a valid reason to leave the competition in the dust in favor of your store. Be creative and offer a solution is that is relevant to the individual’s intentions in the moment.

Read More: Exploring Basic Geo Targeting Tactics for Your Small Business