Key Takeaways:
• Time-based geofencing lets you capture mobile IDs from any past timeframe — 2 weeks, 2 months, even 1 year ago.
• You can identify exact audiences based on where they physically were, such as Whole Foods, churches, conferences, concerts, or special events.
• Marketers can then use those IDs to deliver hyper-targeted ads on Google, YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms.
• This approach works for B2B, B2C, political campaigns, fundraising, retail, events, and lead generation.
• Case studies show how geofencing expands reach, boosts precision, and builds large prospect databases quickly and cost-effectively.
• Example: Direct response ad agency CDMG has successfully used geofencing to collect 94,000 mobile IDs from 74 churches and generated more than 10,000 high-value prospects and petition signers — all for under $25,000.
• This time-based geofencing is NOT the same as retail “push notification” geofencing. It is far more powerful and allows entirely new marketing strategies for lead generation and e-commerce.
Geofencing is transforming how companies target prospects — especially those who are often the hardest to reach.
For example, this upcoming election, I’m “geofencing” a difficult-to-reach target audience for many candidates, giving them a better chance of winning.
Here’s how it works.
Geofencing allows me to identify any location (like Whole Foods or Best Buy) and identify anyone who visited the store — and obtain their mobile ID. I can go back to any timeframe I want.
I can pick the last two weeks, two months, or one year.
Then I can send them mobile ads with Google, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
It’s a powerful tool.
And it works so well because you can identify your key audience with precision.
For this election, I’m identifying people in churches, those who went to conferences, or anyone who attended special events.
It can be used for B2B or B2C marketers.
Geofencing can be used in many ways…
For example, if you sell a health or wellness product or service, you can target prospects who have shopped at Whole Foods or vitamin stores — nationally or locally — in the last 6 months.
If you’re selling country music concert tickets, you can target anyone who has been to a country music concert within the last 12 months.
Geofencing, for politics, products, or services, is a powerful way to reach prospects that every company could use.
Then you can send Facebook ads, Google ads, pre-rolls, and more to the geofenced names.
Geofencing allows marketers to strategically target prospects and gather their mobile IDs based on their physical location on any given date.
I will usually use the location going back nine months if it’s a store like Whole Foods or a church. If it’s a concert or event, I use multiple locations based on the event dates.
How This Differs From Retail Geofencing:
Retail geofencing typically identifies mobile users in real time within about 1,000 square feet and triggers push notifications the moment they walk or drive by.
That’s not what I’m talking about, though I use this tactic.
This geofencing identifies people based on where they were in the past, so you can build lists and launch digital campaigns long after the event is over.
Retailers use push notifications for specials or flash sales. Restaurants might catch drivers with a 2-for-1 lunch offer. Malls use it to notify shoppers of specials when they enter the parking lot.
That’s not the strategy I’m describing.
What I’m talking about is Ideal for E-commerce, Lead Generation, and Campaigns
A great example from one of our clients is when we used geofencing as part of a multi-channel integrated marketing campaign for a candidate.
We “fenced” 74 Evangelical churches and captured the mobile IDs of people who attended Sunday service within the previous 6 months in the congressional district.
We gathered 94,000 mobile IDs, helping us build a large database in a short time.
Using geofencing, we collected response from more than 10,000 petition signers for voter registration volunteers, donors and GOTV — and more than 20,000 landing-page visitors, all for under $25,000.
Geofencing allows you to:
• Highly target a specific audience.
• Expand your reach in a way you couldn’t using email, or traditional digital.
• Build your database of prospects quickly and cost-effectively.
• Combine real-time and past-event geofencing strategies.
Action:
If you want a powerful competitive edge in today’s crowded marketplace, geofencing is one of the most effective tools available — but only when it’s implemented correctly.
At CDMG, my ad agency, we’ve mastered time-based geofencing for over a decade — the version most agencies don’t even know exists. Our team knows how to select the right locations, identify the right timeframes, build a precise audience, and integrate geofencing into a multichannel strategy that multiplies response.
No guesswork. No wasted budget. Just accountable, measurable results.
We’ve executed dozens of high-performance campaigns, gathered millions of mobile IDs, and helped companies and candidates transform their marketing with breakthrough targeting.
Let Michael walk you through a geofencing plan created specifically for your goals. Call him at 615-933-4647 or email him at [email protected] to get started.
FAQs:
1. Is this type of geofencing legal and compliant?
Yes. Time-based geofencing uses anonymized mobile ad IDs (MAIDs). It is standard, compliant, and widely used by sophisticated marketers and major brands.
2. What is the minimum budget needed to run a successful geofencing program?
We’ve run local campaigns as low as $25,000–$30,000 with outstanding results. Larger consumer or national campaigns may scale to $50,000 or more.
3. Can I combine geofencing with email, direct mail, or retargeting?
Absolutely. The highest-performing campaigns integrate geofencing with multichannel marketing, including email, digital ads, connected TV, and landing pages.
4. How far back can I go to capture mobile IDs?
Depending on the provider, you can typically select 2 weeks up to 12 months in the past.
5. What types of businesses benefit most?
Consumer products, B2B exhibitors, retail, health/wellness, political campaigns, nonprofit fundraising, financial offers, real-estate marketing, churches, and more.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a marketing expert, author, and president of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG). Known for his award-winning direct marketing strategies, Craig has helped over 1,000 companies increase response, generate more leads, and grow sales through accountable, data-driven advertising.
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