Targeting for digital ad campaigns is a critical component of reaching the best audience. Advertising is most effective when the right ad gets to the right person at the right time. One effective way to target is by geofencing specific locations where an advertiser’s customers will likely be. There are multiple ways to execute this — by radius or polygon targeting.
Let’s take a deep dive into the tactic so you can leverage it as a strategy for your advertisers.
Most Geofencing Uses a Radius
In most geofencing digital campaigns, you define a radius as the target area. With radius targeting, you drop a pin in a specific location. From there, you define a small or large radius to align with the strategy behind the ad. For example, you could create a radius around a city’s downtown area to promote upcoming events and restaurants to visitors. Another way to use it is to geofence a radius around your customer’s competitors to lure away their traffic with better deals.
Radius targeting has great reach and can be instrumental in driving foot traffic. However, you can’t be sure every person in that area is the right audience for the business’s goals. Polygon targeting offers a different way to approach geofencing.
What Is Polygon Targeting?
Polygon targeting describes geofencing in a specific shape and size and doesn’t use a pin or radius. It could be a square, rectangle, triangle or other shape consisting of straight lines. It’s different from radius targeting, which is a circle.
Radius vs. Polygon Targeting
Here’s an example to better define the difference. Say the target is a shopping mall, and your customer wants to connect with shoppers on the property. With radius targeting, you’d drop the pin in the middle of the complex, and it would push out. In this situation, there will be areas that extend past the shopping center, which may not be relevant.
You can be more precise with polygon targeting. You could match the shape to the building’s footprint and dimensions. As a result, those who see the ad are likely to be at the location, so the ad can be more customized to that experience, which could increase clicks and conversion rates.
How to Use Polygon Targeting
You’ll opt for polygon targeting when you want to be very specific and narrow the target audience. Here are some more examples:
- The people your customer wants to reach are in a set location.
- The advertiser wants to target competitor locations by geofencing the specific store space versus a larger circle that would include people in that general area.
- The campaign has a tailored audience that aligns with a specific physical area.
For more insights on geofencing strategies, read How to Use Geofencing to Creative Competitive Advantages.
