Twitter Uses Geo-Targeted Options For Tweets
A few months ago, Twitter gave the go-ahead to geo-targeted advertising. Initially, the feature was trialed with Coca Cola and Wendy’s and it proved to be very successful. The ads were dubbed “targeted tweets” by Twitter, and this allowed brands to reach specific audiences without having to send tweets to all their followers. It is a feature that is now available to everyone, not just big business.
Today, Twitter is expanding its geo-targeted tweets to reach markets in both the UK and Japan. As a result, advertisers will have more options. According to Twitter’s Product Manager, April Underwood, geo-targeted marketing can be teamed up with targeted tweets, resulting in Promoted Tweets being delivered to a deliberate, regional audience. This means that a business’ specific tweets will reach the required audience, instead of being a blanket tweet that may be ignored by many. This is a feature that will come in particularly handy due to the use of smartphones and mobile apps that take into account the phone owner’s location. So, if the Tweeter has a special offer or wishes to impart particular knowledge concerning a certain place, then this is a feature that is going to serve them well. Whilst it is not yet available nationwide, if the set-up proves successful, it surely will not be long before the technology will roll out across the globe.
Great Ways To Target Local Customers
When people think of the internet they often think that it is best for reaching a global audience, and while this is true, the rise of geo-targeted marketing means that using the internet can also be a great way to drive people to your locally based business.
Targeting traffic should be part of your online marketing strategy and recent research has shown that as much as 80% of the people performing a search online are actually seeking out a locally based business.
Displaying online ads that are geo-targeted is an excellent way of not only reaching people who are looking for the goods or services you provide but also finding the people seeking those same things in the area where you are located. Using keywords, increase your ranking by fine tuning them to make sure that you are including details of your location in your content.
A large number of searches for local businesses are performed on mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones, so make sure that your website is optimized for mobile viewers.
Special offers that are only available to local customers are another great way to drive local traffic to your site. Offer discounts or free items, run competitions for local people to enter and think about other creative ways that you can help to drive the traffic that will benefit your business the most to your website.
Time To Integrate Geo-Targeted Marketing In Your Advertising Strategy
More and more people are using their mobile and smartphones in order to access information on the move so it is those companies who are utilizing geo-targeted marketing that are the ones who are seeing real benefit from this trend.
A recent survey found that 74% of smartphone owners as well as 46% of all mobile phone owners over 18 have used their devices to access information that was location based. It is no longer a case of “if” you should invest in geo-targeted marketing any more.
One eMarketer said: “The burning question for most marketers is how to connect with these locally minded consumers. From geotargeted alerts or push notifications to offering location-aware apps, deploying local/social networking tactics, building out a location-based loyalty program or all of the above. Facebook has sharpened its focus on amplifying local offers across the network and enabling business to tap in to its wealth of location data to, among other things, fuel commerce.”
More and more people are expected to move to smartphone ownership over the coming years and as people move away from their PCs to mobile devices they will be looking towards those companies who can point them towards what they need based on their location. You can no longer afford to let your competitors take the lead when it comes to geo-targeted marketing, the time to act is now.
How To Make Sure You Make The Most Of Local Marketing
When it comes to promoting businesses, online businesses are in the unique position that they can target customers on a global scale or, by using geo-targeted marketing, target local buyers. In recent years geo-targeted marketing has really started to flourish and there are a number of things you can do to make sure that you are ideally placed to take advantage of this type of marketing.
Firstly, it is always an idea to get a plan in place and then stick to that plan. Know what your goals are and how you are going to go about making those goals become a reality. If your business has no experience when it comes to putting together a marketing plan it is a good idea to hire experts who can steer you in the right direction.
Next you need to make sure that your advertising campaigns are geo-targeted if you are wishing to attract customers from a local area, otherwise your campaign will go global and reach people who are not going to convert in to sales.
With any campaign it is always a great idea to engage with your customers, both present and potential, online. Get active on social media sites and respond to questions in a friendly, professional matter and do not be afraid to start conversations yourself. Companies who seem to have “personalities” fare much better on social media than those who just use it to promote themselves.
Are You Maximizing Your Geo-Targeted Advertising?
Geo-targeted marketing has made great strides in recent years and with the rise of smartphones more and more people are looking for information that is local, as they are on the move.
Geo-targeted marketing works well for those businesses who wish to offer their customers a service that is tailored to suit their needs depending on whereabouts they are in the world. As well as offering those people with physical stores the chance to target people who are nearby and looking for the services or products that the company provides, it also gives online retailers a chance to diversify their product range and provide a more personalized experience for a company’s website visitors.
As more and more people come to understand just how geo-targeted information can help them they are becoming more willing to share location information as they browse. Using geo-targeted marketing, you can not only personalize your customers experience but you can also access a range of data that will let you know just how well certain pages or products are performing based on geography, which will enable you to find ways to enhance or improve your service.
Geo-targeted marketing will also give you invaluable information about your customers needs and requirements based on their location so that you can constantly improve your services, meaning that you not only benefit from geo-targeted marketing but your customers do too. This helps to foster brand loyalty and keep them returning to your site or store.
