How Start Ups Can Benefit From Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting Internet Marketing Strategy
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Let’s face it; start-ups need all the help they can get.  It is never easy to start a business, and there are always a thousand and one things to worry about.  But the biggest concern of any new company is finding customers and clients.  So the aim is to maximize exposure, tap into new markets, and appeal to a diverse crowd.  Geo-targeting is a powerful web strategy for doing just that.

What Is Geo-Targeting?

Geo-targeting is a web marketing strategy that tailors site content to the user based on his or her location.  It works by recognizing the user’s IP address and automatically loads the site according to a format that corresponds to the country it originates from.  If you’ve ever noticed how Google’ results are always relevant to the city you are in, and sometimes even appear in the language of the country you are visiting, then you’re already familiar with geo-targeting and some of its many benefits.

Top 5 Business Benefits

1. Better User Experience

If your site automatically loads in a customer’s native language and displays their preferred currency, they are much more likely to stay and learn more about your business.  Geo-targeting also helps you sell better by allowing you to appeal to certain basic cultural trends and preferences.

2. Higher Conversion Rate

Geo-targeting increases sales conversions, plain and simple.  It enables better marketing and generates greater appeal.  Capitalize by creating locally relevant offers and keep visitors informed about deals and promotions in their area.

3. More Wows

Not only can geo-targeting alter the text content of your site, but it can also be used to modify the entire aesthetic.  Wow customers by appealing to their unique cultural and visual preferences.  Japanese, for example, is not oriented for right to left reading, so you’ll probably need to redesign several elements of the site to seamlessly accommodate the language change.  You also might benefit by having a look at local architectural and artistic trends when designing layouts for foreign customers.

4. Image Building

Customers appreciate the small service that an internationally accommodating and multilingual site offers them.  It demonstrates that your business is professional, thorough, and far-reaching.  Geo-targeting helps you make a great first impression.

5. Customer Insights

When your site implements geo-targeting, it is important to monitor and tweak your content based upon the results you get.  Perhaps you’ll find that a majority of your Japanese customers are actually English speakers or that customers in certain areas prefer to do business in a different currency than the one you expected. Not only will you fine-tune your sight, you will also learn a great deal about your customer base.

For companies looking to establish widespread appeal, the one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t adequate.  A sales strategy that targets specific demographics is much more effective and efficient.  Geo-targeting is an inexpensive solution that can pay off enormously.  Experiment with it on your site and you’ll soon see that the results speak for themselves.

If you’re already well versed in the art of geo-targeting, then how has it benefited your business, and what tips do you have for others? What other brands have you seen making the most out of this powerful tool? If you haven’t used geo-targeting yet, do you think it’s time to give it a try?

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Author: Tim Vale

Tim Vale is a digital strategist and marketing coordinator for the UK’s leading online job recruitment directory. If you’re currently seeking employment, you can check out a wide range of computing, engineering, media and marketing recruitment agencies at AgencyCentral.co.uk.

32 thoughts on “How Start Ups Can Benefit From Geo-Targeting”

  1. Geo-targeting is a great idea if you have a business that operates in more than one geographical area. Of course, even if you’re offering a service and not a product that could be helpful, for example as your post points out, if there is a different language involved. The follow-up on the U.S. Presidential election discussed how the campaign was hugely successful in geo-targeting specific ethnic groups in getting out the vote. It worked.
    Jeannette Paladino recently posted..EMC Promotes Employee Engagement on Social Media as Good for BusinessMy Profile

  2. That is great, butto impllement geo targetting you must use a good ‘ip to location’ conversion service, otherwise you will really decrease the conversion rate of your blog. What would you do if you opened a website and was offered thailand-oriented content instead of US-oriented? Think about that!

  3. I think Geo-targeting does make it easier when you have to define your target audience and how your content should appear to them. As simple as it is, people do find a difficulty in determining the basic criteria needed for Geo-targeting. I think this post will make it relatively easier for them to understand it. Thanks Sherryl.

    1. Hi Kersti,
      There are so many different applications for Geo-targeting. In this article, Tim covers a lot of the different aspects. One of my favorite applications for Geo-target is in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. It’s so easy to limit the geographic area in which your ads appear. This can save advertisers a lot of money by eliminating clicks by people who aren’t physically close enough for you to service them.

      Thanks for weighing in on this!
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..Utilizing Social Media to Build Brand Awareness and AuthorityMy Profile

  4. Hi Sherryl, I think yes it does seem like an important thing to know Geo-Targeting. I’m one of those who don’t know much about it. But I think your post does clear up a few basics of what it is and what are its benefits. So thanks.

  5. I do think that Geo-Targeting is a concept that every business should be clear on right from the start. Your post does a great job explaining this, Sherryl. I’m sure a lot of people will benefit from this. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Hi Sherryl, thanks for sharing this. I think Geo-Targeting is an area that most bloggers struggle wit, especially the new ones. This post is one of those that will make it easier for people to understand Geo-targeting and its benefits better. Moreover what I like is that you’ve used pretty simple language and kept tech terms to a minimum.

    1. Hi Dennis,
      I’ve always seen the benefits of geo-targeting as it applies to brick and mortar businesses that depend on driving foot-traffic. Tim did a great job of explaining how to apply it to cultural differences. Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed his guest post.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..What Google Authorship Means for SEOMy Profile

  8. Geo-Tagging has always been best option for site that targeted for geographical boundaries. Beside getting unnecessary pageload they will get targeted visitors. But what about a site that wants to target more then one countries or worldwide? what about the IP which of US but wants to rank in US and Mexico.

    This is a real thing, I know that we can also use Google Webmaster tool but still it’s just for one location.

    enlighten me please!

  9. Geo-Targetting has never been one of my strengths and I am glad I had support when I was starting work on my business. I think that most new start-ups face the same problems that I had – attracting customers. They will definitely benefit from this post. Thanks for sharing.

  10. What a fantastic way to reach a much wider group of potential customers. Every step that can be taken to make visitors to your site feel more comfortable is in the right direction. Not to mention the fact that streamlining the purchasing process (like by having the capacity to process different currencies) is always good business practice! You make some excellent points, and it doesn’t make much sense not to take advantage of geo-targeting technology – especially for a start up!

    1. Thanks for the kind words Raina! It certainly opens up doors for a much more personable approach to marketing.

  11. I’m familiar with Geo Tagging on a very basic level. I have a blog with a goal of eventually making an income. That said, how could this be of benefit to me? As I continue to grow i wonder if this is something I should be learning more about.. Your thought would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

    1. Hi Susan,
      I’m not really sure if you would benefit from geo-targeting. If you were providing a service or had a brick and mortar location, I would say yes, definitely look into it. If you’re audience is global, than, I don’t know if (as a solopreneur) that you would benefit from it.

      If someone wanted to specifically target an audience in a specific country (such as the U.S.), they could set your “Geographic target” using Webmaster tools. Then someone in another country would probably not find them in the search results. Personally, I have not set a geographic target because my clients can be anywhere.

      To me an example of a business wanting to use geo-targeting would be a landscaping service who was running PPC (pay-per-click) ads. They would want to restrict their business to a certain number of miles from their location. So, when they created their ad campaigns, they would use geo-targeting so that they weren’t paying for someone who was too far away to see their ads.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..Utilizing Social Media to Build Brand Awareness and AuthorityMy Profile

    1. Hi Catarina,
      Thanks for dropping by. I appreciate your input.

      (If anyone here isn’t already familiar with Catarina. She blogs as an “International Businesswoman” and always offers insight at a global level. The post she linked to is definitely a worthy read.)

    1. Hi Heather,
      Thanks for dropping by and letting me know that you found Tim’s post on BizSugar. I think as we see more businesses embracing mobile technology, we’re going to hear more about the impact of geo-targeting. This is especially important to businesses with brick and mortar locations. It’s so easy to broadcast a special promotion to potential customers who may be online searching for exactly what you have to offer.

  14. I agree that geo-targeting is an important marketing strategies, especially if for international e-commerce merchants. One of the biggest selling points for our merchants is that our gateway can process more than 160 currencies. With all of the competition out there, if you can accept payments in your customer’s local, familiar currency, they are more likely to complete the purchase.

    I also think it is great that as an employee of an international payment processor, we can speak multiple languages in my office–English, Spanish, French, Arabic. Knowing how to communicate with your customers is a very important part of customer service too.

    Great post, Tim. Thanks for sharing!

    1. That’s a mighty fine point Meghan, thanks for sharing. Depending on the scope of your business, having multilingual speakers is certainly useful for properly identifying your target markets in specific countries.

  15. Geo targetting is important. You can interested buyers and it helps to improve the image of your company. but it is also difficult to geo target your web. But through PPC you can do it easily

      1. Sometimes you have to advertise just to popularize your service/company to get recognition and trust in your community. people will recommend your service even if you are 100 miles away 🙂

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