How Location Data Can Help Marketers Create Successful Campaigns
The holy grail of marketers is getting the right message to the right person, at the right time and place. As we move on into the 21st century, getting the place right can be more challenging than ever. Thanks to the digital revolution and internet, consumers move through a seemingly infinite number of places, often several at once. Welcome to the multi-channel world.
For a marketer, there has never been more channels to consider. Email, facebook ads, google ads, phone calls, direct mail, TV spots, YouTube ads just to mention a few.
Even though technology brings more tools to the table, enabling increasingly detailed information on consumer behavior, the art of execution is still as important. No matter how clever a campaign is on paper, if the marketing effort is misdirected it could harm the brand.
Two examples of misdirected marketing are:
- Wrong place – it’s right message, but the wrong audience
- Wrong message – you reach your target audience but the message is irrelevant
We’ve all experienced these – and it’s obvious that there’s a negative bias towards ads of that feel completely irrelevant to us.
On the other hand, ads served at the right time and place, with the right message are more likely to actually provide value to the customers. They are relevant.
Location data can provide you with a crucial component in getting the message, person, place and time right. However, it’s important to understand that a single location is not enough to start sending promos. Just because I walked down this aisle of the grocery store doesn’t mean I’m the right audience for your message.
The real magic happens when multiple location data points over time are combined to understand the person’s context. This is the difference between knowing that someone walked passed the coffee shelf and knowing that someone is an avid coffee lover.
Quality location data over time can be used to answer the big questions of marketing:
- what is my customer segment?
- what message is relevant to this segment?
- what is a suitable time to deliver my message?
The result of this is a win-win situation for both marketers and consumers. For marketers, less money is spent on ads, increased conversion rates and less negative bias from misdirected ads. From the consumer’s point of view, this means less interruptions, less annoyance, and promos that actually resonate with us as individuals.
The promise of location-based marketing is monumental, but the most important thing is still to get it right. Companies that are able to carefully balance branding intentions against user privacy concerns will be the ones to reap the benefits of location-based marketing.