5 Reasons Why National Brands Should Be Using Local Targeting In Mobile

Gone are the days of broad, fingers-crossed advertising. Advances in mobile location targeting technology now allow large national brands to reach their audience at a local level without the sweat once involved.

Finally, the promise of location targeting is a reality…. so why aren’t more national brands using it? Here are five reasons why local targeting will finally show national brands (and the world) the real value behind mobile.

 1. Builds Local Brand Awareness (Where Sales Happen!)

Whether you’re a brick and mortar-based business or an online retailer, local consumer awareness is at the core of any national brand’s marketing — and mobile can achieve that at scale.

Cities and neighborhoods around the country are defined by the unique behaviors and needs of their local consumers. Therefore, laser-focusing your brand’s outreach to cover a number of more granular local audiences as opposed to one, broad target, can more effectively reach these diverse communities nationwide.

Local consumers can better identify with the franchise around the corner or the online retailer offering local deals, grabbing their attention and driving them to engage.

2. Increases Ad Engagement And Response

Once targeting parameters are appropriately shifted to more effectively target your audience based on their location, mobile ad copy can follow suit. It’s no surprise that a brand’s products and services may mean something very different to a mother of two in Toledo vs. a young professional in Miami.

As a result, mobile ad creative should be written to speak specifically to these key audience differences. For example, our recent Mobile Path-to-Purchase study, conducted in partnership with Telmetrics and Nielsen, found that across categories, including travel, restaurant, and auto, 50 to 70% of consumers said they are most likely to respond to ads if they are relevant to local proximity and search intent — further proof that mobile consumers expect a more personalized experience.

3. Budget Efficiency — Go Small To Save Big

The concept is simple – with a more granular focus comes greater budget efficiency. By narrowing your national campaign focus to a number of target audience pockets, instead of a broad sprinkling of impressions, advertising dollars can actually go further.

Campaigns that lack location targeting are actually wasting ad impressions and inhibiting local engagement. So, do your research, and get to know the communities you’re looking to reach. By targeting your ad placement and messaging at a local level, you increase mobile ad performance and ultimately, your campaign ROI.

4. Delivers Measurable Conversion-Rich Activities

Local targeting is not just a benefit to advertisers, but also to the mobile consumers they serve. These users are looking for information quickly, and they will not jump through hoops to find it.

For this reason, mobile ads should be developed to provide users with not only the most locally-relevant information, but the most efficient user experience possible. Considering mobile consumers are typically on-the-go and make purchasing decisions quickly, a well-developed, locally-targeted, mobile ad campaign should provide the user with the most actionable data possible.

Providing consumers with immediate access to their nearest store location information without their having to thumb through a locator is like heaven. Consider how excited this user would be if you provided them (from the ad or the landing page) one-click access to calling the business or receiving a map or directions from their current location.

No wonder locally targeted ads perform two to three times better than non-targeted ads.

5. Drives In-Store Traffic And Sales

As our world becomes increasingly digital, we are quick to overlook the most powerful ROI indicator. Whether you’re visiting a franchise location or a big-box retailer, local business interaction still makes the world go round.

Mobile has a unique way of enabling that interaction, bridging the gap between our digital world and face-to-face engagement. In fact, according to our recent Nielsen study, the most popular methods of brand interaction via mobile device hinge on location.

Beyond the initial click, 50% of mobile users look up the location of a business. From there, 39% click to call the local business, and 48% download map and driving directions.

So, it’s safe to assume that once a mobile user takes the step to engage with targeted mobile-local advertising, a large portion of these users will be paying that business an in-the-flesh visit very soon. Therefore, it’s essential to develop mobile ad campaigns with location targeting to drive local interaction with national brands, benefiting both the brand and the local community.

National brands have an enormous opportunity to reach and affect key audiences nationwide through mobile location targeting. By leveraging these targeting techniques, national brands can focus their efforts to a hyper-local audience — but at scale.

This increases the relevancy of any mobile ad campaign, which in turn, enhances overall user engagement, driving customers through the door. As brands struggle to enhance their digital storefront, those winning in mobile will be the brands to survive and thrive on the ground in years to come.