Geotargeting refers to the act of delivering content to consumers that is relevant to their location, for example, through local social media ads or Google ads. It’s a vital marketing tactic for businesses delivering to a specific local area to reach the right people, and an effective way to personalize the user experience through tailoring content to their location - all of which helps convert browsers into buyers.
Here are seven effective ways you can harness the power of geotargeting to supercharge your ecommerce brand’s sales.
- Show relevant offers
Showing offers that are relevant to a user’s location removes the frustration of them getting excited about a deal or offer only to find it doesn’t apply to them, sometimes only when they get t0 the checkout. This can lead browsers to feeling duped, which not only affects conversion rates but also diminishes the relationship between the customer and your brand - not great for brand loyalty!
To avoid this, make sure you’re only showing offers that are relevant to each user’s specific location using geotargeting techniques.
- Display culturally appropriate content
If your brand ships internationally, you can increase the chances of appealing to your target customer base in each country by showing them content that is familiar to them and which respects their cultural traditions; for example, it might not be appropriate to show women in a state of undress when targeting Muslim countries.
You can also choose to show content in the country’s native language, and it’s important to ensure you’re showing your user product prices in the right currency. This avoids them having to spend time looking for a language and currency switching function.
You can also play on cultural traditions with your website’s visual appearance, for example, using colours that make up the national flag or those that have some other relevance to a specific country. And make sure you show phone numbers and contact information relevant to the area.
The aim is to make the shopping experience as frictionless as possible to increase the chances of conversion.
- Promote relevant products
Another effective geotargeting technique is to switch up the products on offer depending on the user’s location; for example, users in countries with a particularly hot climate might prefer to see makeup products that are water resistant and long-lasting (i.e. ones that stay in place even when sweating excessively!) over other types of products. Similarly, a brand that makes hair products might want to tailor the products they display to the climate of the target user’s country (which can affect the state of the residents’ hair!).
The more specific you can be with geotargeting, the better - seeing products that are highly personalized to their needs will encourage browsers to make a purchase.
- Give users localized shipping offers
The shipping rates you offer your website users can have a big impact on conversion rates. Offering free shipping on orders from customers near your distribution centres is a good tactic as buyers feel they’re getting a really good deal. Alternatively, you could promote guaranteed delivery for certain regions, which is especially important during holiday seasons.
- Target by demographic
If you sell products geared toward people in a particular age range, you can take advantage of geotargeting to reach people of that age within a particular area, or alternatively exclude people outside of the age range. The combination of age and location targeting can yield good conversion rates for your brand.
Similarly, if you sell products aimed at women, you can target just women within a specific area; and if people within a certain income bracket are more likely to buy your products, then you can filter your target audience to attract those in your local area who have that level of income.
- Promote campaigns around local events
If you’re targeting a specific area, you could centre your campaigns around events and activities happening in that area to ensure your content is relevant to your ideal audience. If you can position your brand as not just a point of sale but also a source of valuable information, you’ll increase your audience’s trust in you and ultimately your conversion rates.
- Tailor your copy to the location
Another often overlooked aspect of geotargeting is tailoring your website copy to users in that location. You need to ensure the copy resonates with them and aligns with their values and interests. It’s an important part of getting your unique message across, and being able to empathize with your users’ needs, which will lead to more conversions.
In order to do this, you’ll need to know your target audience in this location really well, including what motivates them, how they feel about the kinds of products you sell, and what their potential objections to buying might be so you can work to overcome them through your website copy and imagery; so you’ll need to do extensive customer research to find out this information.
Used well, geotargeting is an excellent tactic for increasing conversions and building your reputation within a certain area or country, so it’s one you should spend some time learning how to do effectively.