What We Can Learn About Effective Geofilters From Food Trucks

I caught an episode of Planet Money the other day about food trucks in NYC.

“The difference between a great spot and a mediocre spot is huge, “ it said. “Get a great spot and you can make thousands of dollars a day. Get a mediocre spot and you might as well go home early.”

Finding the perfect spot is half-science, half-art. Food trucks want to maximize exposure to foot traffic, while minimizing competition in the immediate area.

It’s about finding those rare “sweet spots” where they can be the sole provider whatever the specialty food item is, and still have access to large quantities of lunch seekers.

It was an amazing insight into a niche industry, and I can’t help but see the parallels to geofilter campaigns.

Much like food trucks, effective geofilters are able to target very large quantities of people in viral settings. Advertisers who are able to anticipate when and where these locations will be can be extremely successful.

For example, a concert or sports game is a fool-proof geofilter advertising technique (assuming you have a decent designer). However, Snapchat knows this, and charges a very high premium to advertise in these locations with geofilters.

So, much like a food truck will sometimes have to resist the temptation of a large group of people if the competition is also in the area, geofilter marketers must be creative in finding these high concentrations of people for a low price.

This methodology is exactly how I was able to run a 15,000+ views campaign in just 6 hours for an extremely inexpensive price.

I targeted Smorgasburg in Brooklyn on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, knowing that it would be mobbed with people who can’t help but post their food & drink (and selfies) on social media. And not only was it inexpensive, but I had exclusivity… It was the ONLY sponsored geofilter displaying at Smorgasburg.

Whether you’re slinging empanadas or geofilters, knowing your audience is key. Being able to predict when and where they will be most receptive your message is critical to a successful campaign.

Do you have any stories about effective unconvential geofilter campaigns? Have an idea that you have wanted to test but haven’t yet? Please let me know. I want to know what you know, and share what I know with you.

Every email you write to me. I will respond to. It’s my guarantee to you.

Until next time.

Matt

matt@geofilt.com

www.geofilt.com