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Where they’re, the geographic location of an individual does indicate; it can also help paint an image of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.
Data generated by cellular connections provides entrepreneurs with a priceless level of insight into their audiences. With smartphones now located in the pockets of two thirds of UK adults, today’s ‘always on’ mobile users can be reached and engaged at any given time in any location. The ubiquity of mobile devices provides a unique opportunity for marketers provide and to build detailed profiles of their audiences.
But misconceptions about the value and function of IP geo-location in today ecosystem are rife, with entrepreneurs questioning whether it has an effective role in the space.
So let’s separate the conversation and the facts as we dispel the myths about location data:
Myth 1: Location data is too transient to utilize
Mobile users move quickly from place to place, so the window of opportunity for targeting by geographical location that is point-in-time is small, especially when they’re linked to Wi-Fi hotspots in stores cafes or other public places. But location data provides insight that helps marketers build up a comprehensive picture of their audience. For example, an airport connection could assist in identifying business travellers. IP data can be combined with demographic and lifestyle data — often referred to as geotextual or closeness intelligence — to offer insight into crowds and can be used as part of a wider location targeting strategy.
Myth 2: IP intelligence is Nearly location
Marketers can find out far more about users than simply where they are in a given point in time while geographical location is one piece of data delivered by information. Mobile IP data enables entrepreneurs to determine connection type, distinguishing between cellular and Wi-Fi networks in addition to business or home connections. In addition, it permits them to recognize the carrier — useful for advertisers looking to meet specific criteria that are targeting by delivering messaging to a network.
Myth 3: IP-based mobile targeting is inaccurate
Based upon the supplier, IP geolocation information can now provide also an outstanding amount of precision and an exceptional degree of granularity. Marketers can choose IP targeting in postcode level globally and in some regions may gain from hyperlocal targeting down to area, city block, office construction, or delivery segment level. What is more, cellular in this degree of accuracy can be achieved without invading user privacy.
Myth 4: Users must opt into GPS monitoring
Advertisers frequently assume it is only feasible to goal smartphone users that have chosen into location-based services (LBS) utilizing GPS tracking apps, which many consumers are reluctant to do due to solitude or battery life issues. In reality, it’s also possible to find and target mobile users via IP-based geolocation technology whenever they link to store data that is mobile and improve browsing speeds — even if LBS is switched off. Given networks account for 80% of traffic, IP-based geolocation is a workable choice to LBS.
Myth 5: GPS coordinates provide all the information
The abundance of geolocation information which can be obtained from GPS latitude / longitude coordinates is highly valuable. But this data — when users opt into LBS that is generated — is useless if it can’t be translated into geolocation information. To make whole use of GPS coordinates marketers need to employ reverse geocoding to mechanically convert the numbers into enlarged insights, which can be applied to advertisements and content localisation.
It is clear mobile location data will have a role to play in the digital ecosystem of today. Far from just indicating where a user reaches a given point in time, this highly precise information may be used alongside other data like demographic and lifestyle to comprehend audiences, enabling entrepreneurs to deliver context and location aware content, and also create engaging, personalised interactions with mobile users.
