If you’re deciding to run a mobile-only marketing campaign you’re following a popular trend of many advertisers. Attention is the currency of marketing. Smartphones garner a lot of our attention and people spend a lot of time on the internet on their phones. Earlier this year comScore broke down the highest users of mobile internet minutes in the world and Americans are not the only ones glued to their phones:
When planning a mobile campaign, the buying terms can often sound so similar it can confuse even the savviest marketer. Here is a guide to know what types of mobile targeting are out there, and how they work:
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- Geo-Fencing is when you target people in real time while at a competitor’s or specific locations or brand name businesses and try to serve them the client’s ads – no targeting categories added in. This means you hit everyone in this fence regardless of age, gender, income level, etc. When doing this at a competitor’s location is can also be called Geo-Conquesting although it is the same as a geo-fence.
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- Geo-Retargeting is when you target people who have been to a location you specify (i.e. a competitor’s location, an event, etc.) and serve them the client’s ads. We can geo-retarget people from ANY Location Category or Brand Category, or from any location you provide an address to.
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- Geo-Retargeting Lookalike is when we target people who are in the same areas/neighborhoods as people you are geo-retargeting. In other words, they are similar to the people being geo-retargeted.
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- Behavioral Targeting is targeting people who have recently shown a certain behavior or are in a certain type of demographic in the last 30-90 days (i.e., Clothing & Retail Chain Shopper, College Student, Coupon Users, Expectant moms, In-market for Credit Card, Live sports fan, African-American). There are thousands of behaviors in this category. This can also be called Geo-Targeting, or targeting people in a certain area based on their past online behaviors.
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- Location Targeting is targeting people who have recently been to a certain location or type of business or event in the last 30-90 days (i.e., Universities & Colleges, Shopping Centers & Malls, German Restaurants, Bachelors Degree, Certificate/Vocational Schools, New Cars Automobile Dealers, Kia New Car Dealers, Automobile Repairing & Service, Christian Churches, Pain Management, Beauty Salons, Casino, Music and Live Entertainment). People in these categories can be Geo-Retargeted too (see above). There are thousands of locations in this category.
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- Brand Targeting is showing ads to people who have recently been to a particular brand name store that we have in our database (i.e., McDonald’s, CVS, Target, Walgreens, Home Depot, Starbucks, Walmart, Lowe’s, Subway, Shell, 7-Eleven, Chick-fil-A, Best Buy, Kroger, Costco). People in these categories can be Geo-Retargeted too (see above). There are thousands of brands in this category.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning about mobile marketing, but knowing these terms will help you formulate a solid plan. And right before you hit GO on your mobile marketing plan, take one last look at your website and make sure it’s mobile friendly. After all, the best mobile marketing campaign will fall down if the customer has trouble using your website on their phone.
