Geolocation as a way of targeting prospects is on an upward trend- and rightly so.
According to a Brightlocal Survey, 95% of shoppers have used the internet to search for local businesses in the past year alone, 11% searching every day, and 53% searching at least twice per month. Geolocation is no exception.
Thanks to this powerful tech tool– your business can now enjoy the kind of marketing opportunities and data that were once a reserve of large enterprises with deep pockets. If you run a business locally and rely on foot traffic, geolocation can act as a magic wand- helping prospects know what you offer and exactly where to find you.
Below you’ll learn the ins and outs of geolocation, how it works, and why it’s the go-to solution for businesses looking to gain the upper hand in their marketing tactics.
What is Geolocation?
Geolocation is the wireless tracking of the physical location of a mobile device- say a smartphone. This technology uses IP addresses, beacons, or GPS sensing to determine the exact location of people in your locality through their connected devices.
How does this work?
The use of HTML5 makes it easier to pinpoint the location of an individual. It also offers them the choice to share their information with the people they trust. This is especially crucial in business since you can target a customer by their exact location.
How Exactly Do You Target Your Audience Through Geolocation?
By using HTML5, geolocation helps you target your customers in the following ways:
1. Geo-targeting
Perhaps the broadest form of location-based services, geo-targeting, uses your client’s web browsers’ IP addresses. However, it isn’t easy to target audiences precisely. This form of targeting is ideal if you’re only eyeing huge marketing regions, like entire states.
2. Geofencing
As geofencing is more precise than geo-targeting, it allows you to target specific customer activity areas such as streets or neighborhoods. Don’t think that limits your reach, though– it can also be useful when targeting entire cities.
With geofencing, you can use a smartphone’s GPS rather than its IP addresses. That means you can track your customers’ location even when they are on the move. In a nutshell, geofencing is suitable for attracting foot traffic but not entirely useful when tailoring very specific or extensive marketing campaigns.
3. Beacons
Last but certainly not least is the use of beacons, which is the most precise form of geolocation. A beacon is a tiny device that you’ll place inside or near your business. It works by receiving data from Bluetooth signals in smart devices.
The best part? This technology pinpoints where clients walk within your business area so that you can target them in the best way possible.
Keep in mind that the type of geolocation service you choose depends on the marketing goals you wish to achieve with it. If your business is heavily-reliant on foot traffic, it’s best to choose geofencing as the more cost-efficient option.
Why Geolocation Matters to You & Your Business
By the end of 2020, research predicts that around 4.8 billion people in the world will own a smartphone. This creates an endless sea of opportunities for retailers to target almost half of the world’s population through geolocation. With that in mind, your business should not miss out on the perks of this technology.
Here are five ways your business can benefit from geolocation:
- Rewarding loyal clients– Location-based technology can promote loyalty and improve sales. When you track the frequency of your customers’ visits, you’ll find it easier to offer incentives such as discounts, recognitions, or even preferential treatment.
- Access to highly targeted audiences- You’ll find it easier to connect with clients near you when you opt for this technology. As these people are likely to frequent your business, your marketing campaign will undoubtedly become more effective.
- Measured results- Thanks to geolocation, your business can effectively track check-ins and gain a significant foothold on client traffic and sales. The technology also allows SMEs to improve their search engine rankings by capitalizing on geographically oriented review sites, such as Yelp.
- Attracting new clients– Perhaps the most outstanding benefit of location-based marketing is the ability to target prospective new clients. By using geolocation technology, your business can effectively convert online and foot traffic into loyal clients.
- Establishing better client connections- The geolocation tech also helps businesses to create a better relationship with their clients and a chance to know them more. Your enterprise is not only onboarding new clients but also tapping useful data about the existing ones.
Any Security Issues Related to Geolocation?
Like any other trending technology, geolocation has its fair share of privacy and security concerns. Keep in mind that GPS data and additional delicate information could fall into the wrong hands and potentially cause irreversible harm. Medical and bank stores are the most obvious victims of such sinister actions.
First off, your competitors might result in dubious methods to gain a competitive edge. Through corporate espionage, they could ‘steal’ your customers’ geodata and use it to divert foot traffic to their stores.
By making public the geolocation of your business, you’re also putting its remote equipment or facilities in danger. This could attract thieves who might estimate your net worth and eventually plot an attack on your brick-and-mortar store.
Another security concern of geolocation is its vulnerability to controlled web attacks. Because you can’t keep track of who else views, shares, or retains client web data, you run the risk of exposing it to cybercriminals. Remember, a data breach could deal a huge blow to your transparency as a business. Worse still, you might end up compromising the email addresses, passwords, and other delicate client data. Case in point? The Yahoo data breach in 2013.
Thankfully, MetaLocator can put away your geolocation concerns once and for all. MetaLocator is certified in both SOC2 Type I and Type II. SOC 2 certification involves an independent audit and review of MetaLocator’s handling of customer data, hiring, operations, vulnerability management, penetration testing and other variables. This involves annual independent audits of our security practices, policies and procedures. We continuously monitor over 500 security controls to keep your data and Website safe.
How We Can Help
Ready to give us a try? Our store locator software is only a click away. Learn more about MetaLocator by scheduling a demo or contacting us today and we will be more than willing to assist.