Proximity marketing for a local business
Proximity marketing means reaching people based on how close they are to your business, at the moment they are close. For a shop, cafe or bar, it is the difference between an ad someone sees at home and an offer they can walk to in five minutes.
The common kinds
- Geofenced ads. An ad platform shows display or app ads to phones inside a boundary you draw. It is bought through an ad platform or agency, and reaches people whether or not they asked for offers.
- Beacons. Small Bluetooth devices in the shop trigger messages in a specific app when a phone comes close. They need hardware and an app people already have.
- Location-based offers in a deals app. People who installed the app to find nearby deals see your offer when they are inside your radius.
How Beam does it
Beam is the third kind. People install Beam to see deals near them. A business writes a time-limited deal, sets a radius from 0.2 to 25 miles and a timer, and people with the app who are in or near that radius can see it while it is live. Nobody who has not chosen to receive deals sees it, and there is no hardware to install.
The customer claims the deal in the app and shows a code at the counter, and staff scan it with the phone or tablet already there. That gives you a count of redeemed claims, so you can see how many people came in.
What it costs
A beam is priced by how many people it can reach and how long it runs. It starts at $5 for up to a day, plus $1 for each extra day, before referral discounts, and the exact price is shown before you launch. The radius itself is not charged for, and no subscription is required. Pricing and FAQ.
Making it work
- Keep the radius tight. People within a few blocks are the ones who will come.
- Send it during a genuinely quiet hour, not when you are already full.
- Make the offer good enough to move someone, and cap redemptions the first time.
See how Beam works for businesses
Questions
What is proximity marketing?
Reaching people with a message or offer based on how close they are to a business, at the moment they are nearby. Common forms are geofenced ads, Bluetooth beacons, and location-based offers inside a deals app.
Is Beam geofencing?
Beam is location-based, but it is not geofenced advertising to every phone in an area. Only people who installed Beam to see nearby deals and are in or near the radius a business sets can see that business's deal.
How much does proximity marketing cost on Beam?
A beam starts at $5 for up to a day, plus $1 per extra day, before referral discounts. The price depends on how many people it can reach and how long it runs, the radius is not charged for, and the price is shown before launch.
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