Would you rather target a random passerby—or someone who actually shopped at your competitor last weekend? That’s the difference between geofencing and Geoframing. One relies on real-time location pings; the other uses behavioral history to build smarter, more intentional campaigns. Let’s explore how each method works, what makes them different, and why Geoframing is quickly becoming marketers’ favorite secret weapon. Whether you're comparing geofencing vs Geoframing for immediate impact or exploring what geofencing in marketing really delivers, this guide breaks it all down.
What Is Geofencing and How Does It Work?
Geofencing is a real-time marketing technique that uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to create a virtual perimeter around a specific physical location—a store, stadium, or even a street corner. When a mobile device enters this perimeter, it triggers an action: typically, an ad is served or a notification is pushed.
Common Applications of Geofencing:
- Event Promotions: Deliver real-time ads to people attending concerts, sports events, or festivals
- Proximity Marketing: Send time-sensitive offers to nearby consumers
- Competitor Conquesting: Target consumers as they enter a competitor’s location
Downsides of Geofencing:
- Limited Scale: Targeting is only active when a device is inside the geofence
- Location Inaccuracy: Sometimes ads are served to unintended devices due to imprecise GPS or cell tower data
- Short-Term Value: Geofencing lacks behavioral context and only captures momentary presence
For more detail, see our full breakdown on: Geoframing – Benefits & Best Practices.
What Is Geoframing and Why Is It More Effective?
Geoframing is simply a more advanced and scalable approach than geofencing. Instead of targeting users in real-time, Geoframing identifies devices that were previously at a specific location during a defined window of time. By drawing a precise polygon around a location—a retail store, business office, or trade show—marketers can analyze foot traffic and target those visitors long after they’ve left.
What makes Geoframing especially powerful is its ability to collect and use opt-in historical mobile data to build high-intent audience segments. Whether you refer to it as Geoframing or geo framing, the strategy allows you to create a precise geoframe around key locations for advanced targeting. OnSpot Data's Geoframing solutions are completely cookie-free, fully compliant with privacy standards, and optimized for accuracy down to a single meter.
Key Advantages of Geoframing:
- Historical Targeting: Reach people who visited a location up to six months ago.
- High Precision: Polygonal mapping enables single-meter accuracy.
- Behavioral Segmentation: Build rich audience profiles based on movement patterns.
- Scalable Insights: Extend audiences to household members, coworkers, or lookalikes.
- Attribution-Ready: Report real-world actions driven by digital campaigns.
Learn more about the Cookieless Targeting Future here: Cookieless Targeting for Smarter Advertising
What Are the Key Differences Between Geofencing and Geoframing?'
Why Marketers Prefer Geoframing Over Geofencing
- Understand intent based on visit frequency and dwell time
- Build CRM-integrated segments for omnichannel engagement using the geo framing model to expand reach and relevance
- Conduct competitive intelligence by analyzing foot traffic to rival businesses
- Maximize campaign ROI with accurate attribution and reporting
Real-World Success Stories: Geoframing in Action
Geoframing isn't just a theoretical upgrade over geofencing—it's proven in the field. One standout example is OnSpot Data’s work with Fort Desolation Fest, a boutique music and adventure festival in Utah. By Geoframing competitor music and camping events, OnSpot was able to build a highly targeted audience of likely attendees based on historical location behaviors.
Rather than serve ads to anyone near the festival venue, OnSpot focused on past eventgoers who had shown travel or recreation intent. They then activated this audience through multichannel campaigns—primarily programmatic display and social. This strategy drove more than $5,000 in ticket sales and demonstrated how location history paired with intent targeting can outperform traditional real-time proximity marketing.
Read the full Fort Desolation Fest case study
Advanced Marketing Strategies: Enhancing Insights with Geoframing
OnSpot's Geoframing capabilities go beyond just retargeting. With our tools, brands can:
- Build a high-performance marketing strategy by discovering high-intent audiences using OnSpot’s Data Analytics Platform.
- Launch multichannel campaigns across programmatic display, connected TV, and social with our Integrated DSP.
- Perform foot traffic attribution using device-to-household matching via our Attribution Platform.
Explore how to find relevant audiences with Geoframing.
How Do You Implement Geoframing in a Marketing Campaign?
Knowing where your customers have been is powerful—but only if you use that data well. Here's how:
- Identify Ideal Locations: Retail competitors, key events, or brick-and-mortar sites
- Define Time Frame: Look back up to 12 months for meaningful audience data
- Draw Accurate Polygons: Use single-meter precision mapping to exclude unwanted traffic
- Upload CRM Lists (optional): Combine with first-party data for better targeting
- Launch Campaign: Activate across channels using OnSpot’s Integrated DSP
- Measure Impact: Use attribution tools to track foot traffic and ROI
For more help, contact our team or visit our Advertising Solutions Page.
Even the Data Says Geoframing Is the Smarter Choice
If you’re still relying solely on geofencing, you’re missing the bigger picture—and the better results. According to analysts at D2 Creative, Geoframing is expected to boost B2B lead conversion rates by up to 30% by 2025, thanks to its ability to align messaging with real-world behaviors.
Ready to get more from your location-based advertising? Reach out to the OnSpot team and transform the way you market to real-world audiences.