How to Utilize Geotargeting in Digital Marketing: 5 Tips

Digital marketing is growing more and more complicated by the day. With so many factors to bear in mind, deciding what you should focus on can become an uphill task. There are plenty of questions to answer, but one of the most valuable is where to begin. Segmenting site visitors into audiences can be daunting, but it’s a critical initial step that is going to make your digital marketing campaign not only more relevant but also more effective. And an easy way to segment your visitors is to use geo-targeting.

What Is Geotargeting?

Geo-targeting simply refers to the practice of delivering different ads or content to potential as well as existing customers based on their geographical locations. It’s also often referred to as local PPC, used to market products and/or services to local prospects. As such, geotargeting allows you to concentrate your efforts on the target demographics that will guarantee the best results. This technique has proved to be highly beneficial to local small businesses, especially retail shops, service providers, and restaurants.

Here are a few tips to bear in mind when using geotargeting.

Optimize for Google Search

According to Google, well over 70 percent of online activity is linked to local searches. In other words, whenever people search for something online, they look for something that’s close by. If you want prospects to find your business, you need them to know you’re there when they’re nearby. And one of the best ways to do this is by signing up for and optimizing your Google My Business profile.

Pick the Right Online Venue

There’s no shortage of online marketplaces to display your paid ads, which can complicate matters. To maximize conversion and minimize ad spend, consider selecting venues on the basis of factors such as average conversion rates, cost per click and traffic volume. The idea is to increase the chances of running a successful geotargeting campaign that will maximize your online visibility without exceeding your budget.

Choose Your Keywords Carefully

When it comes to geotargeting, you’re free to target virtually any place across the world. However, that doesn’t mean you should be lazy about keyword specificity. Use precise keywords to zero in on areas as well as the demographics within by using targeted keywords. Steer clear of highly competitive keywords and target location-specific keywords. This will help you to stay ahead of your competition and focus on people looking for your products or services at their location.

Use Geo-Fencing

Geo-fencing involves building a virtual fence around a certain area so that you can focus your efforts on the demographic within that boundary. Restaurants and coffee shops, for example, have mastered the art of geofencing. For instance, a coffee shop can create a virtual barrier, say within a 10-minute walk from its premises so that ads are delivered only within that radius. The strategy aims at increasing conversion rates and reducing bounce off rates.

An alternative strategy involves erecting a virtual fence around hotspots relevant to your industry and target people who meet your demographic criteria.

Custom Landing Pages

Marketing is all about making a connection with people. If you want people to buy from you, it’s essential to make them feel like you know them. And landing pages are an excellent opportunity to offer your customers relevant content when they most need it. Structure your landing pages so they demonstrate a relevant landing page, based on the user’s location. This may mean creating location-specific content, using visuals from the surrounding area and reflecting relevant themes.

Creating custom landing pages will not only draw the user to the page but also engage them on a personal level.

Bottom Line

Marketing your business effectively is no easy task, but geotargeting can make things much easier. Armed with a few tips and the information geotargeting provides, you’re better placed to run a more effective marketing campaign.

Rather than a one size fits all campaign, geo-targeting gives you the opportunity to market your products or services based on user locations. Ultimately, that helps to build a relationship with users and increase conversions.