For brick and mortar businesses, getting people in the building has always been important. In recent years, geotargeting has been a great tool to help accomplish that goal. Since the pandemic and the quarantine measures that came with it, getting customers back into stores has been a challenge. Many cities and states across the country have undergone prolonged shutdowns and are only just now starting the reopen. As lockdown measures are lifted and Americans cautiously return to going out, businesses are looking for creative ways to restore foot traffic. Here are a few tips for how to get customers back into stores using geotargeting.
Loyal Customers
Start by remarketing to your most loyal customers. They have already proven to be your most valuable segment of customers so they should be the first people that you message to let them know that you have reopened. The probability that they will be excited by your reopening is much higher compared to those that have never been to your store before. It’s also a good idea to continue remarketing to them with some consistency as things ramp up. You can even try offering a customer loyalty or reward program to those that visit often.
Go Hyper-Local
This is a more location specific example of using geotargeting to serve ads. Find a specific neighborhood (or a few) where you get most of your business from. Once you know where most of your customers live, you can geofence those areas and send tailored marketing messages to the people in those neighborhoods. It stands to reason that, if there are already a lot of people in a given neighborhood that like your store, there might be others whose business you’re missing out on. Serve them a note with a strong call to action so they know where to find you and are inspired to come visit.
Expand Your Geofences
If you already have existing geofences, it might be a good idea to widen their reach to account for these socially distanced times. For example, let’s say you are geoconquesting a competitor by putting a geofence around their building so that you can market to anyone that enters. If they are now doing all of their business outside, like in the parking lot or on the sidewalk, your geofence is now useless. Expand any existing geofences to include parking lots and walkways and make that standard practice for any new fences for the foreseeable future.
Activities Related to Your Brand
For most industries, you can name a handful of activities that most of your customers share. Try geofencing those areas that you know your customers frequent. If you’re advertising for a gym or fitness apparel, geofence local trails used for running, hiking, and biking. Auto dealerships can fence auto repair shops. Sports goods stores might fence golf courses, tennis courts, or sports fields. Home improvement stores could fence moving truck companies, new home developments, or new apartment complexes.
Vary Your Messaging
However you use geotargeting to get customers back onsite, be sure to test the success of your messaging, use what works, and throw out what doesn’t. Use A/B testing to find out which call to action, coupons, promos, and incentives work best. This will make sure that your messaging stays both fresh and profitable.