Geofencing Events to Reach New Customers
Geofencing is a powerful marketing tool that enables businesses to set up virtual boundaries around specific locations. This allows them to deliver targeted advertisements, promotions, or notifications to potential customers when they enter or leave the designated area. Utilizing geofencing to reach new customers at events can be highly effective. Let’s explore how it works and the benefits it offers.
How Geofencing for Events Works:
- Set Up a Virtual Boundary:
Businesses use GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or mobile data to establish a geofence around a specific location, such as a restaurant, an event venue, a stadium, a trade show, or a concert hall.
- Trigger Messages or Ads:
When potential customers enter the geofenced area, they will receive targeted messages through mobile notifications, SMS, social media, or ads on their apps. These messages can promote your business, offer discounts, or encourage them to visit your nearby store or booth.
- Customization Based on User Behavior:
Geofencing can be tailored based on user behavior, demographics, or preferences. For example, different ads may be shown to repeat visitors versus new visitors within the same event.
Benefits of Geofencing for Events:
- Localized Targeting:
Geofencing allows businesses to reach people physically present at a specific event or nearby location, increasing the likelihood of engagement since these customers are already close by.
- Real-Time Engagement:
By triggering real-time notifications or ads, you can catch potential customers’ attention when they’re most likely to take action, such as during or right after the event.
- Highly Relevant Messaging:
You can tailor messages to the context of the event. For instance, if it’s a sports event, your ad could offer a special deal for fans or promote a product related to the theme.
- Drive Foot Traffic:
Geofencing can drive foot traffic to your booth, store, or restaurant near the event venue by offering limited-time deals or promotions that encourage immediate action.
- Competitive Advantage:
You can set up geofences around competitor locations or other event booths. This enables you to reach their audience with offers or promotions that entice them to check out your brand instead.
- Improve ROI on Event Participation:
Suppose your business is participating in an event (like a trade show or festival). In that case, geofencing helps ensure that your investment pays off by driving more traffic to your booth and increasing brand exposure to a targeted audience.
- Data Collection and Analytics:
Geofencing provides valuable data on user behavior, including the number of people who entered the geofenced area, engaged with your ads, or visited your store. This data helps businesses optimize future campaigns and refine their marketing strategies.
- Retargeting Opportunities:
After the event, you can retarget users who entered the geofence with follow-up offers or reminders, keeping your brand at the forefront of your mind and encouraging repeat engagement.
Best Practices for Geofencing Events:
- Optimize Timing:
Send notifications or ads at the right moments during the event, such as during breaks or at the end when people may be more likely to check their phones.
- Incentivize Action:
Include a solid call to action, such as offering exclusive discounts, limited-time offers, or free trials for event attendees.
- Use Contextual Messaging:
Tailor your message to the event. For instance, if it’s a tech conference, mention how your product solves a specific industry challenge.
- Comply with Privacy Laws:
Ensure compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR by providing clear opt-in choices for users and respecting their data privacy.
Real-Life Examples
Restaurants Near Concert Venues:
A restaurant could use geofencing to send notifications to concertgoers promoting a post-show meal deal or drink special for people nearby.
Real Estate Open Houses at Property Fairs:
A real estate agency could geofence a property fair, sending notifications to visitors with invitations to nearby open houses or promotions for newly listed properties.
Health and Beauty:
Health and beauty geofencing may be the most impressionable method of reaching potential customers. A salon, spa, or gym can send promotional offers, coupons, or instant discount notifications for facials or other services. Geofencing can also trigger personalized product recommendations, invites to exclusive events, fitness challenge reminders, and, most importantly, wellness reminders for annual screenings or imaging.
What’s the takeaway? Geofencing at events is a highly effective way to target new customers using location-based marketing. It combines real-time engagement with personalized offers, increasing the likelihood of conversion and driving both online and offline interactions. Are you looking to add more gusto to your marketing plan with geofencing? Visit YCS Group to get the conversation started.
