We’ve already coated location-based cell advertising—advertising that takes benefit of customers’ actual places in real-time to ship related cell messaging. Today, we’re going to shift gears and deal with location-based email advertising.
What’s the distinction? Well, location-based cell advertising pinpoints the place customers (their telephones, actually) are at any time limit. With GPS options constructed into telephones and clients consistently coveting their cells, it’s fairly simple for manufacturers to hold observe of real-time places—when given permission, of course.
But, email advertising is much less tuned into real-time location and focuses extra on broad whereabouts. For instance, a recurring buyer has probably entered their zip code when trying out—your model now has locale info for this buyer. This info could also be broader than cell advertising’s GPS capabilities, however that additionally means this location is extra constant.
Location-based email advertising hinges on locations which might be extra frequent gamers in a buyer’s each day life. While clients may very well be shifting from retailer to retailer, getting personalised push notifications, they’ll nonetheless return dwelling on the finish of the day, the place they might have a location-based email ready of their inbox.
Why Use Location-Based Email Marketing?
Globally, as of 2019, there have been 3.9 billion email users. And, that quantity is projected to develop to 4.3 billion in 2023. Plus, for each greenback spent on email advertising, you may expect $42 back. Email is each wide-reaching and profitable, making it an ideal advertising device to take benefit of. Plus, customers can nonetheless learn email on their cell gadgets, even when it’s not thought of to be “mobile marketing.” In reality, as of August of this yr, mobile users account for 41.6% of email opens, making cell the machine with the very best email open charge.
In addition to the efficacy of email advertising alone, location-based email advertising depends on extra static info. Think: metropolis, state, nation, zip code, telephone quantity space code, and many others. These particulars aren’t going to change that steadily, and, in the event that they do, it’s simple to replace with zero-party information instantly from the shopper.
So, whereas this buyer information doesn’t fluctuate minute-to-minute, like a customers’ cell location might, location-based email advertising continues to be extremely personalised for every particular person buyer.
Types of Location-Based Email Marketing
Rather than completely different strategies, like geofencing or geoconquesting by way of location-based cell advertising, location-based email advertising makes use of completely different buyer information to create a unique expertise.
Regional Emails
Because you’ve collected buyer information by means of the account creation or checkout processes, you need to use that info to create region-specific content material. For instance, in case you have a buyer within the southwestern half of the U.S. and a buyer within the UK, experiencing very completely different climate, you may ship them advertising messaging particular to their particular person experiences.
Brooks, an athletic shoe model, for instance, created the identical email, however with completely different hero photos primarily based on the climate in every buyer’s area. While some clients could have been experiencing warmth waves, others might have been having continuous rain. Segmenting clients by area and retaining a pulse on climate traits allowed Brooks to ship personalised, location-based emails.

Rain or shine, Brooks had an email prepared to ship to every buyer. Source: Email on Acid.
Zip Code-Centric Emails
A zipper (or postal) code is a really particular information level that tells you numerous of details about your buyer. You might be taught the place they dwell, the place they work, the place they go on trip, and many others. And once more, this isn’t information that’s probably to change on a dime, so you may section customers by zip code and implement a set-it-and-forget-it email advertising technique. If the information does change, clients may be added to a brand new section.
Zillow, an actual property market, does a superb job of utilizing zip codes of their location-based email advertising technique. Obviously, zip codes are essential when both shopping for or promoting a property, and Zillow is aware of that. In reality, Zillow compiles reviews on sure zip codes, primarily based on collective person information, to share with clients who’ve demonstrated curiosity or exercise inside sure areas.

In this Market Report, Zillow shares trending details about a particular zip code. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
City-Based Emails
Lastly, there are emails primarily based on the closest metropolitan space. With space codes, zip codes, or their dwelling addresses, you may section customers primarily based on the closest metropolis to present information tales or occasions occurring of their space. You don’t want to create content material primarily based solely on the place clients are, however the place they might go.
For instance, possibly the shopper lives in a rural space, however there are nice choices for close by getaways. Kayak, a journey and hospitality comparability web site, sends emails to clients primarily based on their beginning location and potential trip spots. The beneath email exhibits the highest locations with town of Seattle as a place to begin.

Kayak makes use of a buyer’s metropolis to discover the closest airport and supply different cities as a trip vacation spot. Source: Mailcharts.
Layering Location-Based Marketing
When combining location primarily based email advertising with location-based cell advertising, you’ll give you the option to create a personalised expertise for a buyer each after they’re at dwelling and after they’re not. And, as a result of more email opens happen on mobile than other devices, you will have the power to create a seamless journey from inbox to in-person purchasing.
With the Brooks instance, you may ship a wet day email, and, if the shopper opens the email after which goes to a Brooks retailer, you may use geofencing to ship a push notification that includes wet weather running gear for his or her journey dwelling. Or, if the unique email featured a coupon code, possibly the identical coupon code is shipped by way of SMS after they stroll into the shop to be extra readily accessible for buy. This variety of personalization and ease of expertise will endear clients to your model.
Your advertising channels ought to talk with each other to present a seamless expertise for every buyer, regardless of location and machine.
Making the Most Out of Available Location Data
Okay, we admit it. These varieties of location-based emails recycle the identical information to create completely different messages. But, that’s the place your creativity as a marketer will get to shine. It’s not what you will have, it’s how you employ it. With a handful of information factors a couple of buyer’s location you may ship all kinds of personalised location-based email advertising messages that resonate along with your clients the place they’re.
You have buyer location information, but it surely’s what you do with it that may make a distinction in your buyer expertise.
To be taught extra about location-based email advertising capabilities, schedule an Iterable demo.