How close is your marketing to the pains of your customers? Keeping your marketing in close proximity to the source of the problems your customers are feeling may be one of the smartest marketing decisions you can make.

I recently had a client inquire about putting an ad on outdoor signage. Why would someone want an archaic method of advertising, like a billboard, if you could put a banner ad on electronic media? The web reaches so many more people than a sign by a roadside. But what if I told you that billboard was for a car wash and that the sign was just down the street from the facility, would that change your mind about the effectiveness of the billboard? Yes, and probably would be more effective than any other kind of advertising. Why is it effective? Because people can only view the sign when they are in their car. The problem is with them! They have negative feelings about driving a dirty car. The sign reminds them they are just a short drive away from fixing the problem. Likewise, an online search that makes finding and ordering a product that solves my problem is golden. So is an app that finds the cheapest gas prices near me, and a text that offers a discount on a hamburger just before lunchtime.

There are two factors to consider with proximity marketing. First is the speed at which you offer to rid your customers of the problem they are experiencing. We will pay attention to marketing that tells us how to feel better fast. In three minutes, that dirty car will be showroom clean! We buy quick fixes. In fact, we have come to expect quick fixes in just about every aspect of life. If a product cannot be delivered across the country overnight, it is considered slow. If food is not delivered to my table in about 10 minutes, the service is sluggish. In this aspect of proximity marketing, waiting is a dirty word. Speed needs to be part of your marketing.

The second factor is convenience. We will pay a premium to make it easy on us. Think about the many ways we have made dirty jobs clean and effortless. That billboard is appealing to our convenience factor. That grimy car can be clean if you just pull into the car wash a few blocks ahead. All you have to do is put the car in neutral and sit there while someone else does the dirty work for you. You don’t get wet or smell of suds when you get done. The whole transaction is done so you never leave the comfort of your car. Proximity marketing makes it painless. Make sure convenience is a part of your marketing too.

The key is to put your marketing close to the problem. You need your marketing to appear as soon as the consumer feels the pain. Depending upon what you are selling, that may be easier to do for some brands than others. However, with the use of keywords and smart ads that highlight key business services, you can get pretty close to a consumer who is searching for a fix. Make your solution fast and convenient and you will grab the attention of your customers with your proximity marketing.