Some reason to iBeacon Technology boosting the local Marketing strategies

With the essence of digital marketing on the rise, there is an acute need to develop unprecedented marketing strategies, more importantly, local marketing strategies for the retailers. As they work more on the ground level, integrating local marketing strategies with Beacon technology would enhance efficiency and credibility.

Smartphones have a huge influence on the retail market nowadays as customers use their mobile phones for multiple reasons from product comparisons to product services. Surveys show that about 84% of smartphone users use their mobile while in the store but not many of them complete the process. Therefore, a retail marketer has to make sure of the online and physical shopping intercepts of the customer. Thus, hyper local strategy for local marketing is necessary to reach the customers through various touch points.

iBeacon technology would help contextual and personal marketing strategy so that they can reach their customers in more precise manner. Moreover, it can also be used as a great method to engage and entice the customers in this cutthroat competition.

Primarily developed by Apple in 2013, iBeacon has become a formidable platform in retail marketing and boosting local marketing. Let us take a close look at iBeacon technology:

What is iBeacon Technology?

Beacon is Apple’s version of Bluetooth based device, which allows the Bluetooth device to send (broadcast) or receive small static data in packets over a defined range or distance. Their protocol was first developed and used by Apple, therefore, they are known as iBeacon.

iBeacon uses BLE i.e. Bluetooth low energy devices that are used to broadcast the messages to a nearby portable device. It uses proximity sensing to transmit a short message to a universally unique identifier which is sensed by a compatible app or a nearby device. The BLE technology enables smartphones or tablets and other devices to perform optimum actions when in the vicinity to an iBeacon.

Moreover, the compatible transmitter of iBeacon can range from various devices such as USB sticks, small coin cell devices or Bluetooth capable USB dongles.

Functionality

The grouping or positioning of an iBeacon system consists of one or more iBeacon devices that transmit their unique identification number in the local area to the nearby devices. Therefore, it becomes mighty important means to notify the users of the announcements and special offers periodically and speeds up the process of local marketing. iBeacons do not push notifications to other devices other than their own identity. But other devices can use their mobile apps to receive the signals from the iBeacons to activate their push notifications. Thus, triggering push notifications helps the local marketers to provide synchronized and personalized conceptual messages to their customers and keeping the iteration rate in check.

Implementing iBeacon Technology into your Marketing Strategy

iBeacon technology gives an optimum and innovative opportunity to brands as well as startups to elevate the level of marketing keeping a special emphasis on local marketing strategy. Here are some methods to engage iBeacon technology into your marketing strategy.

Understanding Mobile App strategy

To obtain the maximum benefits of iBeacon technology, you need to have a mobile app. Moreover, understanding your app and being cohesive with it is very important for the overall business goals. Integrating beacon technology with your app can help in growing brand awareness and result into better customer engagement with its push notification as and when the customer arrives in its coverage area. Thus, Mobile app strategy is the center pillar or backbone for adding iBeacon technology as a part of your marketing strategy.

Moreover, focusing on location based marketing, it’s important to understand the customer’s context, their purchase history, etc. Therefore, don’t overdo with your push notifications, as that could compel them from opting out of your app.

Using iBeacon Technology in your app

After understanding your mobile app strategy and analyzing your business matrices, you can plan to use the iBeacon technology and integrate it to your existing app. Moreover, customer’s behavioral preferences and the technology limitations are the two most important aspects that should be kept in mind before integrating iBeacon technology into your app.

iBeacon technology will help in navigating conceptual text and information to your customers about new offers, holiday coupons, in store discounts, etc. But with all these facilities, there are some roadblocks that can hinder the service to some extent. Low signal coverage, signal interferences and limited access to Bluetooth services are some of the most commonly faced hurdles marketers face.

Deploy Beacon to reach large audiences

iBeacon technology can be a much needed assistance for the entrepreneurs to reach larger audiences even without having an app. It is the easiest way to expand your horizon in a short span of time as you can use 3rd party apps to make full use of the beacons and send notifications. iBeacon technology can also help in multi channel approach and strengthening your customer’s knowledge which is essential for building up on the local marketing strategy.

Make Use of Apple’s Passbook

Passbook is a utility device application and has the ability to tie in with the iBeacon technology. The main advantage of having an Apple’s passbook is that it is not necessary for the customers to download a third party app; they can just add a store specific card to detect locations using iBeacons. Passbook helps in triggering various messages and offers detecting the location of the customer.

Conclusion:

The local marketing strategies can be given a major boost by deploying iBeacon technology. As it helps in making your app hassle free and easily accessible, it therefore helps in building customer loyalty and increasing app retention.