Advertising based on a person’s internet habits is so effective because it connects needs with solutions – sometimes in real time. Clearly, it’s far superior to the days when businesses paid primarily for audience reach, hoping somewhere in the crowd, they would connect with the right person at the right time. 

Up until now, at the center of this process has been web cookies, the small files embedded in websites that enable the tracking of a user’s online movements. Third-party cookies, which can track behavior across multiple websites, have given marketers a wider window to see more deeply into their target audiences. 

But, third-party cookies are exiting the world wide web and taking many marketers’ go-to advertising strategies with them. When it comes to cookies, it’s time to start thinking about new advertising plans. 

Is direct mail still a good way to reach your target audience in 2022? 

A data security incident at any business – large or small – can cause serious damage. The average cost of a data breach rose to new highs in 2021, to the tune of more than $4 million.  

From TV to digital ads to social media content, Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 marketing messages each day. There have never been more channels available to reach your desired audience. But don’t forget: everyone else wants to reach them, too.

This article originally appeared on InsuranceNewsNet.com.

Dirty data is a big problem for nearly any company collecting information for strategic business purposes. (Which should be every company that wants to understand its customers, track and respond to trends, and create personalized marketing efforts.) 

By now, it’s likely your company data plays an important role in powering performance and
results. Good data shines a light on what drives core areas of business, such as how and where
you acquire customers, what your “ideal” customer looks like, which products and services
propel growth and with who, how customers engage with your brand … and the list goes on.

If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. Weather can change our daily plans in an instant. Think about it … how often do you check the weather app on your device?  

Much of what we do can be influenced by the weather:

Attention spans are short, and every day your brand is battling for limited mindshare. Is there a proven way to target the people you *know* will be interested in your product? 

The answer may not be quite what you think…

Who are the people practically guaranteed to be receptive to your message? Those who are already using a similar product or service. Or, more specifically – your competitors’ customers.  

Just as analyzing your own data yields important customer insights, on the other side of the coin is the often-overlooked competitive analysis. Let’s take a look at the marketing strategy that drives this approach, geomarketing.

Geomarketing Harnesses the Power of Location

Geomarketing uses geographic, or location-based, data to help companies hyper-personalize marketing strategies and campaigns to current and potential customers. Companies that understand where their customers go in the physical world – as well as the online world – can create valuable customer profiles and insights. 

Now, take that one step further … 

Companies that have the same insights about their competition’s customers can use them to provide compelling offers at just the right moment and better customer experiences. Done right, you just might earn their business for yourself.

Geo-marketing strategies add several different tools to the marketer’s toolbox. 

• Geotargeting. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. Geotargeting helps to analyze who has visited a specific area or location in the recent past.
  
  
• Geofencing. Think of geo-fencing as a creating a “virtual fence” around a designated area. You can capture real-time information about the people within the fence and also elect to send them ads when they are within the specified area.
  
  
• Geoconquesting. This tactic can be a game changer for those who want to specifically attract customers away from the competition and toward their brand. Geoconquesting uses location data to precisely target people who are visiting, or have visited, a competing business.

Most of us can admit it – we’re addicted to our phones. According to this article, more than 91 percent of smartphone users have their phone within reach 24 hours a day. Wow! 

This is great news for marketers who want to connect with their audience wherever they are today. That is, provided you have the insights around where your customers are and what they’re doing online.

So, how do you find out?

Let the MAIDs guide the way. 

Inside those phones we hold so closely is something called a mobile advertising identifier or MAID. It’s a string of digits that include numbers, letters, and symbols that are assigned to that mobile device. MAIDs are in the device’s operating system and when the device owner downloads and installs apps, marketers can retrieve this unique information and use it to more deeply understand their customers and prospects. It enables highly targeted and effective mobile advertising. 

Customers don’t have to be using YOUR app to produce helpful MAID data. ANY application on their phone that uses location services (like a weather app) creates collectible intelligence. The only way MAIDs can be deleted is to reset the device, so they have a longer shelf life than cookies.