You understand the basics of how geofencing works, in general. But, you aren’t quite sure how you can implement the strategy for your specific business. In this post, we provide a few geofencing examples to get you on the right track to success!
If you want to reach more local consumers and entice potential customers to visit your business, then geofencing may be a great way to grow your business.
Before we dive into the geofencing examples, let’s tackle some of the basics.
What are Geofencing Examples?
Geofencing examples are real instances of using location-based marketing strategies to engage with an audience. Businesses can set up virtual boundaries, known as geofences, around specific locations, such as a store, venue, or competitor’s premises. When users enter or exit the predefined geofenced areas, they receive targeted promotions or notifications on their mobile devices.
Geofencing can be employed in various industries. Industries that greatly benefit from geofencing marketing include retail, hospitality, and events, as geofencing delivers timely and relevant content that enhances the consumer experience, drives SEO website traffic, and boosts sales.
By examining geofencing examples, digital marketers can gain insights into successful implementations, optimize their own geofencing campaigns, and tap into the full potential of this innovative approach.
What is Geofencing?
Put simply, the definition of geofencing is the practice of using preset virtual barriers when sending targeted paid ads to those who enter those selected areas.
With geofencing advertising, you can deliver personalized deals and experiences for customers in a specific location. This location is typically near your business, an event location, or your competitor’s business location.
We typically use geofencing advertising in Google search ads or in social media feeds.
What is Geofencing Used For?
Geofences are parameters created around the location of a smartphone or other trackable device. The process of geofencing has mainly been used by marketers who are able to send targeted messages to a selected audience within this target parameter.
Examples of Geofencing
Here are some examples of how small businesses could use geofencing marketing to enhance their digital marketing efforts and unleash the full power of geofencing:
Geofencing Examples for Retail Stores
This strategy has been around for a few years and is typically used by retailers to increase traffic into physical brick-and-mortar locations.
A retail store could create a geofence in an area surrounding its physical location. When users pass through the designated area, they would receive a location-based alert. For this geofencing example, the retail store would typically offer a deal that might make the consumer much more likely to stop in and shop at the store.
Apps are no longer considered a stand-alone feature.
Many companies integrate this technology into their in-store experience. This helps better merge their online and in-store worlds.
A good geofencing example is using an app to scan a barcode located inside the store to find the price. The store apps switch to “in-store” mode once the customer enters the pre-set border. Menu items such as “product locator” appear on the app once you’re inside.
Geofencing app advertising is great for a variety of business models.
Geofencing Examples for Auto Dealers
Auto dealerships are constantly looking for new, innovative ways to market their brand.
Here are a few ways auto dealerships can use geofencing marketing:
- Set up a geofenced ad that targets individuals who are leaving a competing dealership. Auto dealers can send a direct message to car shoppers with an offer for zero percent financing on a comparable car model. The customer is likely to drive to the advertised location since the deal addressed a particular need they had at the time.
- Geofence your own location or “sister locations” to keep it top of mind or to offer additional incentives to customers who are shopping currently.
- Target major local events with geofencing marketing. Only target events where you believe a large portion of the audience will be in the market for a new car. For example, an auto enthusiast gathering or a car show would be a good place to geofence.
Geofencing for Events
The classic geofencing example, in its simplest nature, is geofencing event locations.
Concert and event producers can geofence venues for art or music events with offers for upcoming events that are relevant.
Artists and musicians can set up geofences around different tour stops prior to the event itself. Then, the artists can promote upcoming shows for those who are likely to revisit the location. This same process would provide the ability to collect data about people within the geofenced area.
This will better help the artists or their marketing team understand the mindset of the attendees. Also, this data helps artists predict and prepare for future event turnouts.
A few ideal geofencing locations include:
- Stadiums
- Arenas
- Convention Centers
- Trade Shows
- Parks
- Festivals
- Campuses
- Conferences
Geofencing for Attorneys
An attorney, lawyer, or law firm can set up geofencing advertising campaigns to target specific areas of interest.
Geofencing examples here might include:
- Personal injury firms may target hospitals, clinics, or emergency rooms as part of a local personal injury attorney advertising strategy. Other options include chiropractors, physical therapists, or even collision repair shops.
- Defense firms can target jails, courthouses, bars, or clubs as part of a local criminal defense advertising strategy.
- Bankruptcy firms can target debt facilities, loan offices, or pawn shops as part of a local bankruptcy advertising strategy.
- Family law firms can use geofencing to target family courts or family counselors as part of a local family law advertising strategy.
- Divorce lawyers can target therapist offices or counseling centers as part of a local divorce attorney advertising strategy.
- Estate planning lawyers can target events, seminars, or conferences related to retirement planning services or senior living as part of a local estate planning advertising campaign.
- Immigration firms can target clients visiting foreign embassies or consulates as part of a local immigration advertising strategy.
Geofencing is fantastic for basic lawyer lead generation. For more information on lawyer marketing, take a look at these Law firm Marketing Ideas.
Geofencing for Medical Practices and Hospitals
In healthcare, medical practices, or hospitals whether they be for-profit or not, can improve their marketing strategy by actively using geofencing as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy.
- Telehealth providers can target clinics or doctor’s offices as part of a local physician marketing strategy.
- Chiropractors may target local gyms showcasing the benefits of healthy alignments as part of their local chiropractic ads campaign.
- Women’s health professionals can target health clinics and adoption agencies as part of a local fertility clinic marketing campaign.
- Physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons can target colleges, sports arenas, or places where injuries are common as part of a local physical therapist marketing strategy or a local orthopedic advertising campaign.
- Urgent care centers can geofence local emergency rooms as part of a local urgent care marketing strategy.
- Hospital management can use geofencing not only for local hospital advertising but also for sending messages to specific departments.
How Can I Use Geofencing Effectively?
As we’ve laid out, many businesses effectively use geofencing to drive high-value leads. Here are a few pointers to use geofencing marketing the most effectively:
Keep Geofences Small
When learning how to set up a geofence, most understand that the whole point of investing in geofencing marketing is to narrow down the scope of your advertisements. You don’t want to create geofences that are too large. This will result in blowing through your marketing budget too quickly.
Geotargeting works more effectively if your target audience is within walking distance of your business.
The smaller your geofences, the more likely your leads are to convert.
Use Data to Your Advantage
When you create a geofence for your advertising/marketing strategy, you don’t always have to set up your fence around your business, specifically. You can run profitable geofencing campaigns by setting up your geofence where your target audience is most likely to engage with your content.
Geofencing Competitor Locations
One common practice is setting up a geofence around a competitor’s place of business.
This is known as competitor geofencing. It allows you to deliver ads and notifications that may get a similar audience to convert from your competitor’s business to yours.
Geofencing Perpendicular Locations
Another common practice is geofencing at perpendicular locations.
What Does this mean?
For example, Uber often geofences around hotels or airports. While neither of these is a competitor for Uber, you can see where the two businesses would be likely to intersect. So, put simply, Uber meets its consumers at the location where they may typically need its services.
A more simplified example would include a plastic surgeon or MedSpa targeting wealthy neighborhoods near the offices as part of a local plastic surgery advertising or local Medspa advertising campaign.
Give Consumers a Reason to Take Action
While we’re sure that you will take the time necessary to craft a compelling message, you really need to ensure that your providing a genuinely good deal for consumers.
You can utilize sales, exclusive discounts, personalized offers, “act now” offers, etc. to get potential customers to visit your location.
The better or more enticing the deal is, the more likely you are to see conversions off of your geofencing ads.
Work With The Best Geofencing Marketing Agency
Even if a geofenced offer, advertisement, or notification doesn’t actually inspire an immediate visit or a sale, it still can allow business owners to know exactly what location a consumer passed through and where they were when they received the message. This user-specific data should help with future refining targeting efforts. It depends on which types of messages and targeted users were the most successful.
If you need help with geofencing marketing, call us at 318-678-5070 to speak with one of our strategists about how geofencing can help your business.
Digital Logic is a full-service marketing firm that offers some of the best PPC management services, SEO services, and website development services.
