Geofencing has been a hot marketing topic for the last few years and as always the Auto Industry is accepting the new technology and trying to capitalize on it. In case you are not familiar with the term Geofencing, Geofences are virtual perimeters around locations built to trigger notifications of device exit, entry or dwelling. These notifications can be used to trigger events for messaging or ad placement purposes. Recently these techniques of location based marketing have caught the eye of the auto industry, their dealerships and marketing managers and agencies. Here are a few mobile marketing techniques that can help drive auto sales via geofencing.
The Geo-Conquest 
The hot term to Geo-conquest or “Geo-Conquesting” is geo-targeting customers on competitors turf. By placing a geofence around competitors locations you have a few options on detouring customer your way, whether it’s running rich media ads in app, pushing notifications from your app or sending SMS via Thumbvista the goal is the same “come see us, not them”. Even though in a recent article by Mobile Marketer where a Chrysler Exec claimed the Geo-conquesting did not show to be as effective as standard geo-fencing, the interest still remains strong.
Three Examples of Geofence Triggered Marketing For The Auto Industry
1. Thumbvista’s location based SMS – Thumbvista gives auto dealerships the ability to send mobile messages to customers via SMS or MMS triggered by geofences. This is a mobile user opt-in method, meaning that a customer would have to be shopping around (which all do) and opt-in to receive your dealership’s extra incentives, pricing alerts or special events based on time and their location. ( which most want) The way you get these opt-ins can be the tricky part, but there are several options, such as reaching out to customers via current forms of communication from your maintenance and repair department, messaging to opt-in on your website to receive special incentives and also in store or on site promotions to opt-in via keyword or scanning a QR code etc. Once customers are opted-in the marketing agent can set up geofences around their locations, their competitor’s locations or special events and then pick a strategic day and time to check the perimeters and send the messages. See our information deck here.
2. Geofencing Techniques For Targeting New Customers? Try Geo-targeted in Application Banners – Purchasing in mobile application banners show signs to be very effective in promoting vehicle sells and engagement. With this technique marketers can use programmatic advertising to target their campaign as much as possible. If you are not familiar with the term “Programmatic advertising is a media buying tactic that allows marketers to buy and run ad campaigns in real-time. These buys are typically made to target a specific demographic or type of mobile user.” source Mobile Marketer. The way it works for the user is they are at a geofenced / geo-targeted location they open one of their favorite applications for instance to check game scores or the weather and your ad will be placed in the application. Of course this means if they have permitted their current location to be used. Mobile banners can be great for creative rich-media ads that are eye catching and informational to help drive sells and foot traffic.
3. Have an mobile app? Some dealerships have invested in their own applications or work with another application for marketing purposes. For customers that have downloaded the application location based services can be used to create geofenced boundary and push messages to the mobile user. Of course once again the mobile user has to have accepted the ability of push notifications and use of their current location, but this is a location based messaging method that if the incentive is sweet enough could work wonders.
There are many more creative ideas out there using location base marketing for the auto industry. Many agree that the auto industry are among the best in trying new methods to drive foot traffic to their showroom floor. We will be excited to see what the future brings in terms of innovation to both the mobile marketing and the auto industry while working together.
If you would like more information on mobile marketing strategies or starting your own location based marketing campaign via any of the techniques above please contact us today 1-855-554-4900.