Contextual Marketing

As quality location data becomes ubiquitous and last-mile experiences become a staple of the customer journey in a variety of industries, the possibilities for brands to leverage their contextual marketing power while simultaneously providing outstanding service multiply exponentially. Until recently, companies wishing to optimize their contextual marketing initiatives had been faced with inaccurate or incomplete location data, limiting their options for employing said data effectively. Now, advanced tools are providing context and specificity to these data streams that give brands deeper insights into who their customers are, what they are looking for, and how they behave. Location data is so useful to companies because it encompasses everything a consumer does, and when used correctly it gives you an in-depth look at what they value during certain times. The last mile represents a crucial marketing opportunity for contemporary brands, and with the help of reliable location data and powerful artificial intelligence to help analyze it, you can engage with your customers during this phase like never before.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES DURING LAST MILE SERVICE Any time a company gains access to more accurate and complete data, its leaders should ask themselves how they can use that information to enhance the customer experience. One of the ways to do this during last-mile services is to take advantage of targeted marketing opportunities that present the products and services that will help them most exactly when their buying interest and ease-of-purchasing are maximized. By the time they reach the last mile, customers have already invested a significant amount of resources in their relationship with you, and their incentive to maximize the value from this relationship is high. When you are able to steer them towards value-added solutions that they hadn’t thought of before, introduce supplemental materials that will enhance their experience, and send them branded and cross-promotional suggestions that are targeted to their place in the journey, then you can expertly guide them through the process and let your products and services shine

IMPROVING EXPERIENCES BY SHOWCASING ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS Contextual marketing during the last-mile experience is as much about timing as anything else. Products that seemed superfluous to a customer mere hours ago can transform into must-haves once they are presented with some new information. Something that they hadn’t even considered buying when making their initial purchasing can become the fulcrum on which their experience ultimately hinges. Customers, of course, don’t know nearly as much about your products and services as you do, and so it’s up to you to curate the experience for them up to and beyond the last mile. Contextual marketing is a multi-faceted process, but it can be as simple as making a selection of grab-n-go items prominently available for your buyers at the moment of delivery or pickup. You also have an opportunity to pack complimentary items in their order that have proven useful in similar buying situations thanks to your data analysis. These types of contextual marketing opportunities typically carry low upfront costs, and can more than offset themselves in the form of lower customer acquisition costs and increased customer loyalty.

MAXIMIZING REVENUE THROUGH CONTEXTUAL UP-SELLING In order to successful execute outstanding last-mile experiences time and time again, you have to make a serious investment in your last-mile infrastructure that includes personnel training, transportation and equipment, and technology. There’s simply no other way to compete, so if you’re going to put forth a considerable effort to present the best last-mile experience possible, you should also take care to maximize the revenue you earn from the venture. Up-selling during the last mile is a vital component of revenue optimization, and the key to doing so successfully lies in presenting your customers with the right products while their buying interest and excitement for your brand are at their peak. Your last-mile location data is a gold mine of information about what kinds of products add value to the customer experience at the time of delivery, so you can use it to ensure that your trucks are stocked accordingly, and your last-mile service representatives are prepared to talk about the benefits and costs of these add-ons in detail.

INCREASING ENGAGEMENT WITH BRANDED MARKETING MATERIALS Contextual marketing through location-enabled apps is the latest frontier for forward-thinking brands. When you’re able to offer your customers powerful and value-added marketing materials that speak directly to their needs based on their physical location, then you can reach a new level of engagement. Your brand ceases to be a mere purchasing conduit, and instead transforms into a trusted partner that the consumer can rely on to anticipate and fulfill their needs. One of the premier examples of this strategy currently in operation comes from General Motors, which launched the Marketplace in many of their models as a way to create a structured branded ecosystem based on their data of consumers’ purchasing actions in their vehicles. General Motors offers their partner brands a chance to engage with their drivers through this in-vehicle platform and present crucial services such as fuel, food, road supplies, etc. based on data-driven immediacy.

USING LOCATION-BASED EXPERIENCES TO AMPLIFY YOUR CROSS-PROMOTIONAL MARKETING REACH Many brands engage in cross-promotional marketing because they think they’re supposed to, and then they lose enthusiasm for the project due to a lack of clear and transparent ROI. There’s a better way to get sustained value from your cross promotional marketing spend, and it involves pairing these efforts with location-based experiences to increase your chances of garnering high customer engagement during important touch-points in the buying journey. When you work with your promotional partners to share and analyze location-based data, you can develop a more complete understanding of what your customers value from each of your brands at specific times, and then target them more effectively through each other’s platforms. Location data is an important competitive advantage for your business alone, but it can also be a link between you and another entity that transforms your cross-promotional marketing opportunities.

HOW GLYMPSE CAN HELP YOU MERGE CONTEXTUAL MARKETING AND THE LAST MILE The crux of contextual marketing is bringing your message to your customers at the moment when they are prepared to accept it and it will drive optimal value for both parties. Due to its sense of immediacy and the previously established relationship between buyer and brand, last-mile experiences are often some of your most reliable opportunities for capitalizing on contextual marketing, and improving your marketing ROI while enhancing the customer experience. At Glympse, we strive to create innovative location-sharing technology that optimizes the middle and last mile experiences for customers and brands alike, and empowers companies to learn more about their buyers’ habits, needs, values, and capabilities through the power of location-based data. With Glympse technology as a cornerstone of your last-mile service, you can use your location data to deliver powerful contextual marketing messages at critical moments, curate more cohesive and exceptional last-mile experiences, and strengthen your customer relationships across the board.