How to Reach More Customers with Geofencing – Part 2

In part 1 of this article, I introduced geofencing for business owners who may not be familiar with it. I gave some examples showing how businesses are putting it to use. In this follow on article, I’m going over some resources to help you get started with it.

Figuring out how to target customers based on their location sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. There are two main options to consider:

1. Create an app for your business and include location with it. If you already have an app, you may have the ability to target customers locationally already. Set it up to send notifications within a certain radius of your store.
2. If you want to send an ad to every mobile user in the area, whether they have your app or not, you’ll need to partner with a company that specializes in mobile advertising.

The good thing about creating an app is that you can do it at a relatively low cost. This used to be VERY expensive, but the costs are going down. Then you tell your customers about it so they can download it. Then it’s easy to send them special deals and discounts they won’t get anywhere else. The chances are good that your regular and most loyal customers will happily download your app.

If you decide to build an app, here are some resources you may want to try:

• OutSystems has an app builder that you can try for free. They claim to be able to cut app development time by up to 75%.
• Buildfire also has a free trial and has every function you can imagine available.
• Flutter is an open-source app builder that you can use for free.
• Radar is an app builder that’s specifically designed for geofencing.

You may opt for geofencing software instead. Here are some suggestions.

• Plot Projects is a company that specializes in locational marketing. Their PlotProjects SDK can be added to an existing app or they can help you build an app from scratch with the geofencing capabilities you want.
• Herow is a privacy-first mobile solution that can help you optimize your locational marketing. In addition to tracking customer behavior, it provides statistics and analytics to help you refine your marketing.
• Pathsense offers a variety of geofencing modules that you can use to connect with both iOS and Android users via your app and other tools.
• HERE Location Based Services offers a full array of location-based services, including store mapping and geofencing. They offer an app builder as well.

The above geofencing options are all free with some offer premium options as well. What I hope you’ll take away from this is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started with geofencing. It can be a low-cost and highly effective way to connect with your audience.

If you’re someone who’s already used geofencing and wondering how to adapt it to online marketing, I suggest using your data first, to connect with your existing audience online and then, to create a lookalike audience. Doing so will help you connect with a new group of potential customers for your business.

Geofencing is one of those things I think is going to increase exponentially in the next five years. Now is a great time to implement it — and get a leg up on your competitors!