One way that marketers get to know who you are, where you live, and what you like is through geotargeting. This tactic allows them to deliver relevant content to users based on their geographic location. This can be done through IP addresses, device IDs, and GPS signals.
Believe it or not, location-based technology is a brilliant innovation that creates a whole new realm of possibilities for marketers.
I am sure you are familiar with those bothersome notifications that pop up every time you download an application, requesting to turn on your location services. Well, there’s a reason these frequently appear.
By agreeing to the notification, apps can use your location or even your recent searches to help you find nearby attractions and entertainment. However, in accepting this request, you are also granting outside parties permission to utilize your data, and in turn, you become a target for marketers.
According to Google’s “Micro-Moments” study, 87 percent of people have their phone with them at all times, and 30 percent admit they feel anxious when they don’t have it. With the intelligence geotargeting provides, marketers can seamlessly gain knowledge about where their audience lives, works, and spends their free time.
When marketers learn how often users are in a particular area, this acquired data can help them deliver targeted messaging to prospects even if they are no longer in the neighborhood. Yes, even historical locations can be used to distribute relevant content and can forecast a consumer’s interests and future intentions. With geotargeting, it’s all about delivering a pertinent message to the right person at the optimal moment.
Why Geotargeting Works
The United States is considered an individualist society, a place where citizens can seek private satisfactions, think independently, and focus on self-fulfillment. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that users appreciate being labeled as autonomous. Therefore, we must market to prospects as individuals instead of placing them into a collective sales funnel.
A prospect’s location defines not only their environment at the time, but it also establishes their mindset, making it even simpler to deliver relevant content. A suitable ad will allow the marketer to reach their ultimate goal: a sale.
Aside from the importance of a consumer’s individuality, one must take into consideration the prominence of GPS usage. According to Pew Research Center, 95 percent of those in the 18 to 29 demographic get directions, recommendations, and other information related to location from their smartphones while 94 percent of users that are 30 to 49 years of age do the same. And don’t think Baby Boomers don’t utilize their fair share of geotargeting technologies either because, in fact, 82 percent of this generation takes part in the same practices.
It has even been proven that 70 percent of consumers are willing to share information about their location if they believe they will receive incentives such as special offers, coupons, or loyalty points.
Simply put, geotargeting redirects leads to your website and encourages more on-location foot traffic.
How Can Geotargeting Help the Multifamily Industry?
For multifamily housing professionals, geotargeting is an inventive way to locate prospects using contemporary technological means.
Geotargeting can help marketers in the multifamily housing industry pursue the highly qualified prospects they desire to onboard. Think about it: technology that specifically targets smartphone users in your neighborhood or the area you aim to market your community in through a mobile advertising platform that never leaves the side of your prospective residents. It really is ingenious!
To begin your geotargeting campaign, you must identify your market. Is your property luxury, student, or senior? What is the desired income bracket you’d like your residents to be in? What type of floor plans are you trying to fill in your apartment community? It’s always important to test your target your audience before implementing any sort of strategy.
Once you decide to begin your campaign, there are plenty of apps at your disposal.
With apps such as Waze, the world’s largest community-based navigation app, you have the opportunity to add your property to a map, reaching millions of drivers on their daily commute.
Apple’s Maps Connect is another great choice for your geo-location marketing strategy. With this app, you can add details about your property such as your website, price range, and phone number, making this information easily accessible to prospects in your area.
Even though Facebook is not necessarily a navigation tool, you can also use its local awareness advertisements to your advantage. The social media platform enables businesses to display ads to leads that are within close proximity to their location, increasing the likelihood of an impromptu visit. With 798 million daily active mobile users, properties can easily connect with on-the-go prospects. For example, if a potential resident happens to pass your apartment community, an ad could pop up in the corner of their profile, encouraging them to tour your property on the spot.
If you’re searching for an affordable marketing campaign to capture a local audience, geotargeting allows you to attract prospects that are looking for their ideal apartment home with relevant content. Once you begin to implement your game plan, you can target those who are typically in your neighborhood and enjoy nearby restaurants, shopping, and entertainment venues. With mobile usage surpassing the utilization of PCs, it has never been a better moment to shift your strategy towards mobile users as location data becomes more accurate and available.