With technology we find we have more choices, but some of them are scary. Geolocation mobile marketing has been proving to be a highly effective tool when done right, but it is scary to implement because the consequences of delivering on customers expectations is so high. You have to know your market, their expectations, the experiences they wish to participate in , and how they engage with your brand, services, or products. This article by Ray Pun gives great insights into the process and how to succeed.
5 Ways To Get Started With Geolocation Mobile Marketing
by Ray Pun
Strategic Marketing Director For Mobile Solutions
Adobe
As I write, my eyes keeps shifting to the red, underlined word “geolocation” in my document. It’s a new term, even to Microsoft Word.
Indeed, the introduction of new technology has introduced a new lexicon. But while your spell check may not be able to keep up, as a marketer, you can. Today’s leading marketers are adapting language and strategies to new geolocation technologies that are being introduced–and it’s paying off.
If you missed the first three parts of the geolocation series, here’s a synopsis:
- Part 1 (“What Marketers Need To Know About Geolocation Targeting”) discussed the geolocation basics, including language you need to know in order to speak intelligently about the topic.
- Part 2 (“iBeacons: A Lighthouse For The 21st Century Marketer”) covered iBeacons and examined whether they represent a guiding light “for marketers wading through thedarkness of digital channels and signs of digital distress.”
- Part 3 (“Geolocation Marketing Must Aim At 3 Customer Values”) explored a trio of customer values that can guide marketers in selecting the geolocation activities and technologies that make the most sense for organizational goals.
Today, in the fourth part of this series on geolocation marketing, I’m going to outline five simple ways for you to get started with geolocation mobile marketing.
1. Consider your customer’s top values: As I wrote in part 3 of this series, remember to consider what your customer values first, and then apply the appropriate geolocation technology to reach your customers. You need to understand who your customers are and what they care about before you plan how to reach them through geolocation. Briefly, the top three customer values that I identified are “ease and convenience,” “time and money,” and “wow and delight.”
What are your customer’s top values? If you don’t know, then perhaps you need to take a step back and gather some customer insight data before you begin.
2. Create clear marketing goals: As marketers we should always define clear goals and objectives. For example, do you want to drive customer loyalty or improve customer service? If increasing customer loyalty is high on your list, then creating a geofence around your stores or points of interest that are linked to a check-in reward system may be a good geolocation strategy. Best Buy did this.
3. Make sure your location data is right: Are you thinking you’d like to start with location-based advertising? The Mobile Marketing Association’s “Location Terminology Guide” advises: “Before starting any mobile advertising program, make sure to validate with your ad provider that the location data they are utilizing matches up to the targeting technique you are looking to deploy.”
4. Be aware of privacy and transparency laws: There’s too much for me to cover in this step, so I’ll simply advise you to consult the Digital Advertising Alliance’s “Self-Regulatory Principles to the Mobile Environment” report. In particular, section four, “Transparency and Control for Precise Location Data,” offers guidance on what your organization can do to be more transparent in collecting location data.
5. Build some geofences: If after going through all of these steps you’re still uncertain about which geolocation technology is right for your organization, you can always start by building some fences–geofences, that is. Remember, geofencing is the practice of identifying your brick-and-mortar locations and any areas of interest where your customers might be found. This includes competing locations, branded locations (billboards, etc.), entertainment and sports venues, and more.
How Taco Bell Uses Geolocation
I’ll conclude with a story about Taco Bell, the fast-food chain that is successfully keeping pace with its target market, those perpetually connected Millennials.
First, Taco Bell understands who its customers are, what they value, and how they behave. The company has done its research. For example, Jeff Jenkins, senior manager of mobile experience at Taco Bell, is able to note such details as “more than 60 percent of Taco Bell orders are customized.” These customers obviously want customized tacos that are piping hot, and Taco Bell is prepared to use geolocation mobile marketing to deliver it.
After developing an app and testing it in several Southern California locations, Mobile Commerce Daily reports that Taco Bell will carry out a wider implementation later this year. How is geolocation involved in improving the customer experience? Taco Bell enables customers to order in advance via its mobile app. The app has a “GPS locator that will tell the kitchen when a customer who has placed an order is nearby so it can have the order ready and still hot when the customer arrives.”
How’s that for delivering not only “wow and delight,” but also ease, convenience, and customer savings? Marketers, let’s embrace the fact that, as technology evolves, so must the language (e.g., geolocation, iBeacons, geofence) and tactics of marketing.
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