Geotargeting is a popular buzz word, but it can cost you if you don’t know how to use it. Geotargeting amounts to selecting audience by location, which will have an effect on your traffic numbers. Expect the amount of visits you receive to drop, but if you play your cards right, conversions will see a vast improvement. Here are some test cases that might warrant spending some of your budget on geotargeted banner advertising campaigns.
Lead Value
There are some cases where a lead might payout higher depending on the state it comes from. This is especially common for mortgage and refinance leads, but lots of campaigns payout per state. This case requires testing to uncover,as most affiliates won’t tell you the payouts for a particular state. If you’re selling leads directly, figure out which states are most in-demand for your clients and negotiate for a better price.
Conversion Rates
You may also find certain deals have a tendency to reach fulfillment if the ad is shown in a certain state. This is a little harder to spot, but you should try and track each conversion by state if you can. Refer to your analytics and perform some location-specific reporting to see what comes up. It will take some time on your end to match the numbers with the conversions, but this is a good tip for display advertising campaigns looking to scale profitably.
Location Specific
Mobile users especially are looking for location-specific keywords; geotargeting for mobile users is a good idea. You should also geotarget location-specific offers, like brick and mortar stores or special incentives by ZIP code.
Bio: Ted Dhanik is the CEO and co-founder of engage:BDR, where he builds leads through display advertising. Ted Dhanik has worked for brands like MySpace.com and LowerMyBills.com. Find out how to geotarget campaigns with tips from Ted Dhanik.