What to look for in a geofencing company

Expertise

Creating and managing geofence campaigns requires expertise and daily optimization for the best results.  Is geofencing a core competency of the company, or just one of many offerings?  Where is the trading desk located?  In other words, who is actually optimizing the campaign – does the geofence provider have an in-house team of analysts, or are they simply re-selling another provider?  It’s also important to consider the strategy of the campaign.  Are there digital strategists on hand to help clarify your expectations and build a campaign that will  achieve your objectives?

Size and Shape of Geofence

How small can the geofence be?  There are some “geofence” options that offer targeting of one kilometer, or about two-thirds of a mile.  This is definitely not what you’re looking for from a geofence vendor!  On the other hand, there are providers that can get as granular as a 25 foot radius.  This hyper-targeting is what’s required to get down to the section-level of a large store, for example, or the foot-print of a single building.

There’s also the shape of the geofence itself to consider.  The most common shape among geofence providers is a radius plotted around the desired target(s).  This can be an effective tactic, but in certain applications a polygon shape can be more effective.  If the target is in a metro area, for example, or next to a major thoroughfare – it may be desirable to closely trace the shape of the geofence area to avoid serving ad impressions to commuters.

Publisher reach

So you’ve found a geofence partner that has expertise in the space and can hyper-target your geofence area to fit your needs – now what?  The final piece of criteria to consider is publisher reach.  In other words, how many apps and mobile websites can your ad run on?  This is a critical factor in geo-fence campaigns because of the inherently limited number of ad impressions available.  Unlike a campaign that targets a city or zip code, geofence campaigns target a small area, which means fewer people, and fewer available ad impressions.  Using a vendor with access to a large publisher network ensures that your ad has a better chance of serving, and penetrating, these audiences.

So there you have it – three criteria to help narrow your search for the perfect geofence company.  At Mediavision2020, we’re passionate about geofencing – almost as passionate as we are in delivering great results for our clients!  Interested in learning more?  Reach out any time!