Marketing to mobile devices, beyond a doubt, brings better results than its more traditional predecessors. Studies show that the average American checks their phone once every 12 minutes. 10% of Americans check their phone every 4 minutes. What’s everyone doing? Well, 90% of mobile time is inside of an app.
However, mobile marketing brings about a new set of challenges for marketers across the board. On average, only 4% of mobile users continue to use an app over one year. So while geofencing on an app gives your business the advantage of being at arms length from your potential customer, it also can quickly turn into a nuisance if applied incorrectly.
For this reason, most marketers find themselves moving towards more relevant, contextual targeting. Time and place are two of the most important elements when it comes to mobile and context. Mobile, as suggested by the name, is constantly moving and evolving and therefore inherits the style of “location-based channel.” Technologies that tap into the world of location data, such as beacons and geofencing marketing, are becoming more and more popular in marketing strategies.
What is Geofencing for Apps?
Geofencing by definition, allows mobile apps to take advantage of location-based marketing tactics. Marketers can collect information and engage app users as they enter, leave or stay in certain geographical areas.
There are several ways a marketer can use geofencing. Most use the app to interact with users within a defined area to learn about their online behaviors from their location data.
Mobile Apps Geofencing Tactics
A few examples of how businesses can get the greatest ROI from mobile application geofencing tactics include:
- Increase your company’s foot traffic by sending promotional offers to potential shoppers as they pass by a certain store.
- Suggest products or services based on your customer’s previous in-app behaviors.
- Integrate social media sharing into your application, to boost brand awareness.
- Improve customer service by capturing feedback or allowing customers to communicate through your mobile app.
- Build fences around your competitors and push incentivized content to redirect potential customers.
Geofencing Triggers From Mobile Apps
A geofence could also be set up by people seeking to use geofencing capabilities in their mobile apps. Some “lifestyle” or “productivity” apps may allow a user to choose an address or location where they would want to trigger a specific alert or push notification as a reminder.
This is called an “if this, then that” function, where an app is programmed to trigger a second action following an initial desired time, location, or action.Home automation services often allow users to control their home’s Wi-Fi connected devices from a remote location using the app, and increasingly provide automated functions such as automatically locking or unlocking doors, engaging or disengaging alarms, changing climate control settings, or other actions based on desired triggers often using geofencing.
Nearly every drone being made today is pre-programmed to accommodate geofencing, which are usually set up surrounding airports, open-air venues, and even the White House, where the FAA has set up drone-resistant geofence barriers capable of stopping a drone in mid-air, while other triggers may send a warning message to the user.
Considerations for Geofencing Apps
A mobile app that uses geofencing will require user permission to monitor their location and/or send them notifications.
Your geofencing software should be optimized, not only for accuracy, but also for battery usage. You’ll want to choose a system that has a decent balance between the two. Applications that are extremely accurate will drain your user’s battery life. This will eventually push them to delete the app from their mobile device.
You’ll want to pay attention to online behaviors. Go beyond the basic push notification, here. You can use this information to target your audience in a more personalized (and more effective) way.
Don’t spam your audience. Super urban areas will typically have a ton of geofences, already. You’ll want to avoid over notifying and research your tactics before employing them. Be sure to use anti-spam tools, as well.
It may be easier to use a social media platform, such as Facebook or Snapchat, and run location based ads, instead.
Get Started with Mobile Application Geofencing
If you want to start geofencing from your mobile app, here’s a few basic steps to get you on your way:
- Make sure your existing app strategy will merge well with geofencing.
- Choose your geofencing software.
- Test your geofencing software.
- Implement the new software into your app.
- Start creating your geofencing notification campaigns!
Geofencing can be a profitable tool for connecting with your potential customers. By using these geofencing techniques with your existing mobile app, you will give your business the competitive edge it needs to succeed. Geofencing apps can help build brand loyalty, generate better engagement and maximize your marketing efforts. Need more info? Call us at 318-678-5020.
