Design, Strategy and a Splash of Stalking (the Legal Kind): Why I Love Geofencing
Let’s get something out of the way: geofencing sounds like one of those overly techy buzzwords you nod at in meetings but quietly Google later. But trust me — it’s actually simple, powerful, and kind of genius.
In non-boring terms: geofencing lets you target people in real places, in real life, in real time. You draw a virtual boundary around a location, and when someone walks into it — boom! They see your ad on their phone. Later, you can even follow up with them digitally (retargeting, we’ll get to that). It’s part strategy, part psychology, and yes, a little bit of magic.
Where It Actually Works
This isn’t hypothetical! Here’s where geofencing shines:
At Events – Running ads during a conference or expo, like a biotech summit? Perfect. You can target attendees at the venue and follow up with your audience later. Event-specific ads and landing pages add an additional layer of goodness.
Near Competitors – Own a salon? Did you know you can target people near other salons with a tempting intro offer? All is fair in clicks and conversions.
Retail Locations – Do you have a brick and mortar storefront? Remind people walking past that you're there — and that your sale ends at 5. It’s so much more dignified than chasing after people like a mall kiosk operator. Less running, too.
No Store? No Problem – Establish a presence for your brand by targeting your demographic and their habits. So you can show up where they shop, snack, or sip overpriced coffee.
Why Retargeting Is the Secret Sauce
People don’t always click right away. But once they’ve been inside your geofence, you can show them ads later — while they’re scrolling Instagram in bed, checking sports scores, or watching yet another hair tutorial.
This gentle digital nudging keeps your brand top-of-mind without being annoying.
Unless your ad is annoying, but I don’t make those!
Why Mobile Optimization Seriously Matters
Geofencing ads don’t show up on desktops — they’re served up solely on mobile devices, where people are scrolling, swiping, and ignoring the world around them. That means if your landing page takes 12 eternal seconds to load or looks like it was designed in 2009 (or 1997, ahem), you’ve already lost them.
Mobile users are ruthless (and honestly, so am I). Here’s what we want:
Fast load times
Clickable buttons with thumbs, not tweezers. And no PDFs.
Clear calls-to-action they can act on immediately
Your geofencing ad could be the most brilliant, perfectly timed piece of marketing ever — but if it leads to a janky mobile experience, it’s basically a dead end.
Bottom line: if you're running a location-based campaign but sending people to a desktop-only site, that’s like inviting someone to your party and locking the door when they show up. Don’t do that.
Let’s Talk Cost
You don’t need a Super Bowl ad budget to use geofencing. In fact, it’s shockingly cost-effective — especially if you already have great creative (HI! That’s me). You're not paying to blast ads to everyone—you’re targeting people who are physically close to where the action is.
Typical campaign costs can be:
Modest daily budgets (starting around $10–$50/day)
Zero wasted impressions (geographically targeted ads mean you're not advertising to people in Outer Mongolia)
Huge ROI potential (especially with a well-planned retargeting strategy)
UTM Tracking = Proof You’re Not Making Stuff Up
With UTM tracking, you can follow the entire customer journey:
Did they see the ad?
Did they click?
Did they visit the site?
Did they convert?
That’s gold when it comes to understanding what’s working in your campaign. No guessing, no vague vibes — just data that speaks fluent ROI.
Note: Geofencing is not permitted in certain countries, including many in the European Union, due to strict data privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These laws limit the use of location-based tracking and require explicit user consent for data collection. So if you're planning to run geofencing campaigns internationally, make sure you're familiar with local privacy laws—or work with someone who is. (Hint…it’s ME!)
Why Geofencing?
Because it works. And because as a designer and strategist, I like having tools that not only look good — but perform well. I want the ads I design to show up in the right place, at the right time, to the right people. Which helps my clients achieve their goals, efficiently and affordably.
Want to try it for your next campaign, event, or low-key ad takeover of your neighborhood?
