When you’re investing in laundromat marketing services, location matters. People typically need a nearby laundromat, so it makes sense to target your digital marketing to the surrounding area. 

Two common approaches to local marketing are geofencing and geotargeting. Both are forms of location-based advertising, but they work differently. This naturally begs the question, “Which is better?” 

More than a matter of comparison, it’s how you use them in tandem to get more customers through the door. 

Geotargeting Reaches Broad Local Audiences

Geotargeting focuses advertising on a specific geographic area, showing ads to people based on where they live or where they’re searching from. It’s ideal for a laundromat trying to build awareness among nearby residents.

This approach works for laundromats because when someone needs to do laundry, they typically want something close by.

Geofencing Gets More Precise

Geofencing takes a narrower approach. Instead of choosing a broad service area, geofencing creates a virtual boundary around a specific physical location, such as a shopping center or college campus. When an eligible device enters or exits that area, the movement can trigger a location-based advertising action.

This immediacy is the key distinction in geofencing vs. geotargeting. Geotargeting is generally better suited to reaching an audience across the defined market, while geofencing is designed for more precise, location-driven opportunities.

Why Laundromats Need Both

Although the notion of geofencing vs geotargeting makes it sound like you need to choose one or the other, the best location-based advertising strategy incorporates both tactics. 

Geotargeting can reach more people throughout your service area. It offers broader coverage in the locations that matter. It’s especially ideal when you’re trying to build general awareness or promote specials designed to attract new customers. It can also help with local search advertising by showing ads to people searching for terms like “laundromat near me” within your targeted service area.

Geofencing allows you to reach more people when they’re close by and going about their routines. It can also help you reach people visiting or spending time near a competitor’s location.

Weighing the Costs of Geofencing vs. Geotargeting 

Although most laundromats benefit from both tactics, cost is always a factor. Costs and conversion rates vary across platforms, so compare campaigns using metrics such as cost per visit, lead, or acquisition. Geotargeting spreads spend more thinly across more people, which works well for brand visibility but won’t always convert at the same rate.

Whichever way you go, you can’t ignore the local SEO ranking factors. Effective laundromat marketing and location-based advertising depend on having a solid online presence. This means focusing on:

• An accurate and complete Google Business Profile 
• Consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) 
• Positive customer reviews 
• Strong on-page signals on your website  

Make Your Local Advertising Work Smarter

Location targeting is powerful when it’s part of a larger strategy for customer targeting. That means it’s not a battle between geofencing and geotargeting, but about how you use both to reach customers.

Suds Digital helps laundromat owners develop smarter digital campaigns, from local search advertising to using Google Ads to drive local traffic. For help building a strategy, call (732) 576-6688.