Geotargeting for Mobile Ads: Meeting the Right Audience

A discussion of the benefits of geotargeting for mobile ads and how mobile location data can be used to strategically reach your target audience.

Successful marketing involves an understanding of and the ability to cater to your target audience. But with tens of millions of brands in the U.S. alone, all vying for attention on the apps, the web, and out-of-home media, it’s hard to snag a place in the spotlight.

That’s where geotargeted mobile advertising comes in. Your brand can find its spot in front of the right audience with the help of focused advertising that plays on the demographics and locations of users. Learn more about how to apply your strategy to geotargeted mobile advertising with some of the best tips from First Media.

What Is Geotargeting for Mobile Ads?

Geotargeted mobile advertising takes advantage of the ubiquity of smartphone users around the world. Mobile apps, search engines, and social media networks like Facebook are known to collect accurate and valuable data on their users, from where they live to where they’ve recently traveled to their interests and net worth. Geotargeted advertising lets you use that data to reach and attract your target audience.

Geotargeting vs. Geofencing vs. Geo-conquesting

As you’ll read later, your geolocation marketing efforts will likely include all three tactics, but they’ll serve different purposes.

Geofencing involves creating a geographical boundary or fence, like drawing around a particular area on a map. The mobile location data is collected via IP addresses, beacons using Bluetooth, and other technology so that when users cross into the fenced area, your ads are set to end up on their mobile devices.

In comparison, geotargeting uses that same basic principle but adds a few more details. Geofencing stops at location targeting of users, while geotargeting includes other demographic details besides physical location, like age, interests, etc.

The geo-conquesting approach is more focused on the competitive factor. Brands use location data about their competitors to develop ads that directly compete with their offers, prices, or elements of the user experience.

Benefits of Mobile Geotargeted Advertising

Meeting your target audience is any marketing strategy’s goal, and geolocation allows you to do so simply and effectively.

The prevalence of smartphones means that you can create marketing campaigns that work with your brand for the following:

• Increased Engagement: One of the major advantages of this type of programmatic advertising is its emphasis on customized content for users. That customized content is one of the best ways to improve engagement. Not all users are the same, and by adapting your advertising to meet their interests, behaviors, and more, you have a much better opportunity to reach that level of engagement.
• Diverse Applications: Mobile geo ads aren’t perfect for every situation, but they’re a helpful tool for a variety of industries and marketing purposes. On your own mobile phone, you likely notice more ads from places like car dealerships, retail stores, and local services looking to increase foot traffic to their storefronts. But the applications of geotargeted advertising are much more extensive than you might expect – it just comes down to your ability to manipulate filters effectively.
• Informed Campaign Strategy: The data you get on your mobile marketing ad campaigns can further inform your strategy. Knowing what worked for a specific location, what drove conversions from target users, and where your ad spend went can help you improve future ad campaigns.

One other benefit of these tools: users like them too. While some may disapprove of data collection and use, many mobile users appreciate relevant ads. Including ads offering real-time suggestions for nearby businesses or otherwise tailored ads is of value to many users.

How to Find Your Audience with Geotargeted Mobile Ads

However you’re sending your targeted ads out, and whichever platform you choose, it’s essential to create the most high-performing options with the data you have on your side.

Use Buyer Personas

You’ve done the research to understand who your target audience is. Use that information to inform the ads you place with geotargeting. Your buyer personas and other customer research are invaluable when it comes to making strategic choices about the geographic locations, attributes, and other behaviors of your potential customers.

Get Creative with Call-outs

Any time you can mention a location signifier within your ad, you’re more likely to get the user’s attention. Whether that’s the name of the user’s location, a landmark near it, or another regional connection, do your research on what will engage your audience.

Target Strategically

You have numerous options for filtering through your ideal audience. For example, you can stick to only the region of your targeted audience, form an approach that includes the region and some behavioral characteristics, or exclude certain geographic regions as needed. In many cases, it’s best to restrict your targets rather than stay broad. But whichever approach you take, do so strategically, experiment, and evaluate past and current efforts.

Make Sure You Speak to Them

It goes without saying that because these advertisements are so precise, you have the opportunity – and the obligation – to make sure your creativity matches the specificity. Develop advertising content that’s exciting, accessible, and, most of all, engaging to your specific audience.

Test & Review

Most mobile apps offer reliable metrics on your advertisements’ performance, making it easy to see what’s working and what isn’t. Use that data to rewrite and revise your next digital advertising campaign to be more efficient than the last.

Navigating Mobile Advertising with First Media

Mobile advertising is a powerful and exponentially-growing branch of digital marketing. The evolution of geotargeted mobile advertising is giving brand owners even more capabilities in what they can offer users and how they can expand their businesses. If you’re ready to find the right audience for your content, connect with us at First Media. With a team of highly-skilled individuals, access to revolutionary AI technology, and proven experience, we partner with brands to create content that captures any audience.