Have you ever seen an irrelevant ad on, let’s say, YouTube that wasn’t even in the language you’re familiar with? That’s what happens when apps don’t use geo targeting. Geo-targeting apps have one job: to make sure you’re seeing things that actually matter based on your location.
Go to YouTube and open the Trending tab. The videos you’ll see there are what most people around you are watching. Similarly, the media in the explore page of a new Instagram or TikTok account reflects what’s trending locally. All these apps are using geo targeting to display this content.
In this blog, we’ll explore how these apps work and what benefits they offer. But before starting, let’s take a quick look at what geo targeting is!
Table of Contents
What Is Geo Targeting?
In the past, businesses relied on billboards, newspapers, and TV ads in hopes of attracting potential customers. But the targeting was broad, and the reach, though wide, wasn’t precise. Companies couldn’t tailor their messages to fit the specific needs of someone in one city versus another.
However, with the rise of technology, especially mobile devices, and location services, pinpointing a customer’s location is now possible. And this has paved the way for a marketing strategy we now call geo targeting.
This strategy allows businesses to tailor their content based on a user’s geographic location. It works to customize the experience of current and potential customers based on their surroundings. To get their location, the strategy uses means like location services, IP addresses, and GPS data. This location data then contributes to delivering personalized content, ads, and services.
For instance, Amazon uses geo targeting to serve you more relevant product suggestions. If you’re in a cooler region, it might show you winter jackets, but a visitor from a hotter region may see lighter clothing options.
Aside from just smartly spending the advertising budget, directing marketing campaigns towards a target location also delivers better results. They can target campaigns on different geographical levels:
- City-based targeting: Allows reaching customers in a specific city
- Zip-code-based targeting: Narrows down target audience even more by targeting specific neighborhoods or regions
- Radius-based targeting: Focuses on a small area around their store or event location to reach people within walking or driving distance
Besides websites, geo targeting is now a key feature in many mobile apps too. This includes all types of apps including social media, e-commerce, games and more.
One unique thing about geo targeting apps is that they enable real-time targeting, unlike websites.
How Do Geo-Targeting Apps Work?
One benefit of normalized mobile device use is that marketers can now connect with users on a personal level. Geo targeting mobile apps make this connection possible.
Geo targeting apps use location-based services (LBS) to get the actual location of users and deliver them with content accordingly. Whenever you open the app, it detects your current location using sources such as GPS, cell tower triangulation, and sometimes Wi-Fi signals.
However, before apps can access this information, they must have the user’s consent. There are regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) to ensure transparency.
According to these regulations, apps must explicitly explain what data they’re collecting and what purposes they’ll use the data for. Moreover, the apps must also give mobile users the option to opt in or out. This is why when you open a geo targeting app, you get a cookie consent form.
You may have noticed that Uber localizes fare estimates and food delivery menus based on your location. It doesn’t only use your location to connect you with drivers. When you open Uber Eats in NYC, the restaurants that appear are unique to your location.
The ads and promotions might also highlight local favorites. The app’s algorithm also makes predictions based on past behaviors and local trends.
Similarly, Netflix also uses geo targeting and geo filtering to show content on its homepage based on what’s trending locally. The homepages of two Netflix users in different regions are never the same.
4 Benefits of Geo Targeting for Mobile Apps
Geo targeting mobile apps generate more revenue than apps stuck in the stone age. Let’s explore why these apps perform better.
1. Increased Engagement & Conversion
Delivering content that fits a user’s current location feels more personal and relevant to the user. A notification about a limited-time sale at a nearby store has more chances of making users check it out.
Since users carry their e-wallets on their mobile phones, they’re less likely to think twice before making a purchase.
2. Improved Marketing Strategies
Instead of casting a wide net, geo targeted marketing campaigns focus on potential customers in specific regions. Marketers conduct thorough research in finding locations which could improve the return on investment while consuming less ad spend.
For example, it makes sense for a clothing business to promote raincoat ads only in rainy areas. Broadcasting the campaign mindlessly across regions would waste money without even attracting target customers.
3. Enhanced Customer Experience
When an app delivers content useful to users’ current location and situation, users add it to their good books. The experience feels just like when you’re in a supermarket and easily find all the needed items in front of you.
Your mind takes a positive note of this experience, and you become a frequent shopper at that store.
Personalizing user experience (UX) through a geo targeting app has a similar effect on users. It increases the user’s trust in your app and contributes to a lasting customer relationship.
4. Better Data-Driven Decisions
Another by-product of geo targeting apps is that you get to collect large amounts of location-based data. Smart businesses utilize this data to identify buying patterns in relation to geographic locations. There are certain places and times when users spend with a free hand.
The collected data can be the main source of these insights, which businesses can use to make data-driven decisions. And since data rarely lies, decisions based on it are less likely to disappoint.
Case Study: Bumble — a Popular Geo Targeted Dating App
While it’s clear why businesses use geo targeting in their apps and websites, our love lives have also become dependent on it.
Almost all dating apps like Bumble use your current location to show potential friends/partners matches within your vicinity. Bumble, particularly, makes sure you’re swiping on people who are actually nearby.
And this is the right way to do that, too. After all, what’s the point in matching with someone if they’re halfway across the country?
When you turn on your phone’s GPS, Bumble immediately detects your location and shows profiles within the radius you’ve set. It doesn’t show profiles based merely on the city you’re in; rather, it uses your exact position on the globe.
So, if you’re on the outskirts of a city, you’ll start seeing profiles from the neighboring city, too.
The real potential of geo targeting is Bumble’s Travel mode feature. The feature lets you set your location to another city before you even arrive. This can be really handy when you’re planning a trip and want to connect with locals before landing there.
FAQ
What are geo-targeting apps?
Geo targeting apps use location-based services to track a user’s current location and deliver tailored content, ads, or services. You can see geo targeting in action in movie recommendations on Netflix, product suggestions on Amazon, etc.
What are the benefits of using geo-targeting apps?
Using geo targeting in apps increases conversions, attracts quality leads, reduces ad spend, and enables businesses to make data-driven decisions. It has become a no-brainer option for almost all businesses.
Let geoPlugin Empower Your Geo Targeting Apps
If you have programmed the functions to deliver content dynamically to different audiences, geolocation data remains the final puzzle piece. Once you plug that in, your app will start delivering experiences based on the user’s location.
Geo targeting apps depend on geolocation services like geoPlugin to geolocate app users. It only takes geoPlugin, a user’s IP address, to retrieve a set of location details about them. This information contains country, city, zip code, and even exact geographical coordinates.
You’ll require each of these location details at different stages of your geo targeted marketing campaigns. All you have to do is integrate free geoPlugin’s API into your app.
So try geoPlugin today, which will benefit both your users and your business!
