Sometimes, push notifications can be annoying. They are so-named “push” for a reason, right?
Push notifications are truly best utilized when they are sent in respect to a user’s location, promoting valid content at convenient times. An accurate and well-placed advertisement can go a long way; and push notifications do just that – not only in content, but in placement.
There are ways push notes can be abused, and here is one example:
Let’s say you’re driving, and your phone is buried in your purse or pocket. You hear it buzz and make sound, and so you begin looking for it frantically, thinking that it may be someone you know trying to reach you. You locate it and excitedly click the home screen: There is the app logo from a local restaurant that reads, “It’s Happy Hour!”
Now you’re annoyed; you’re distracted. You cannot open it now because you are driving; and you cannot take advantage of Happy Hour because you’re on the other side of the state.
Do not be that person on the other side of the phone! Your customers may eventually delete your app if they continue to be pestered.
As a business owner or marketer that has taken the time and money to invest in a mobile application, you of course want to use it to its fullest capacity. One does this by keeping faithful regulars in the loop. But just like social media, posts and promotional information can be over-done. The difference is that instead of being redundant on a network, you’re being redundant popping up on somebody else’s personal device.
Think of it the same as texting someone. Would you text someone you knew was 7 hours outside town asking them if they wanted to hang out? No, you wouldn’t. This is where Geo-fencing comes in.
Actual push note about to take off using GPS targeting.
Geo-fencing is submitting push notifications to mobile users (who have downloaded the app in question) in a specific geographical location. Geo-fencing is essentially a physical target using a GPS around a neighborhood, a zipcode, or even a small building. One of the most basic ways this can work to your advantage is the ability to send a push when a mobile device comes within a certain radius of an establishment. The notification itself would be something only people within a reasonable radius would be able to take advantage of – a small window of promotion restricted by time and distance.
With businesses that provide a particular service, geo-fenced push notes can behave as a reminder; “Your dry cleaning is ready for pick-up” while driving past your cleaning business, or, “It’s been 3,000 miles since your last oil change!” when passing your lube station. This can bring relevant and significant value not just to your app, but to your brand. 
Trying to one-up your competitor? Geo-fencing can help with that. A coffee shop that has a time sensitive offer (“For the next two hours – $2 mochas ANY size!”) can send that push to application users that may be standing around different coffee shops around town to create a deterrent and drive them to your coffee shop instead. Set the latitude and longitude to the area around Starbucks, or maybe main street where all the other trendy and busy cafes are.
Geo-fencing is a marketing strategy that customers and clients can equally benefit from. A business can truly use their mobile app to its fullest potential when they are willing to take the time to understand their customers’ needs and their placement. Strategic advertising is no longer where your billboard is – it’s whether or not you geo-fence!
