What happens if I expand the radius and it goes outside of the market that I’m trying to target?

Short Answer: If expanding your radius causes your outreach to extend beyond your target market, you can focus on the county that the target city is located in. By tailoring your ads and landing pages to the county, you effectively cover a larger geographic area while keeping your marketing aligned with a defined boundary.

Full Explanation

When your radius expands outside the intended market area, it may seem that your targeting becomes less precise. However, a practical approach is to pivot your focus from just the city to the larger county that contains it. This means adjusting your marketing materials—the ads as well as the landing pages—to address the county directly rather than only the city. Doing so helps keep your messaging relevant to a real geographic region while naturally encompassing a broader area without losing local appeal.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Identify the County: Determine the county in which your target city resides.
Adjust Your Ads: Modify your advertising content to reference the county instead of or in addition to the city.
Update the Landing Page: Ensure your landing page communicates that your offer or service applies to the entire county.
Cover a Bigger Radius: This shift allows your campaign to cover a broader area naturally tied to a legitimate location, rather than a vague and overly large radius that spans multiple markets.

Real Examples

Imagine you originally targeted a 10-mile radius around a city but find the radius cutting into neighboring markets that are irrelevant for your business. By focusing on the county that includes that city, your ads and landing page messaging speak to the county as a whole. This keeps your audience more aligned with a real geographical boundary and prevents your campaign from appearing scattered.

Common Mistakes

Continuing to target an overly broad radius without adjusting messaging, which can confuse or alienate potential customers outside your key market.
Ignoring geographical boundaries and losing local relevance by focusing on radius size alone.
Failing to update landing pages and ads to reflect the new geographic focus, causing disconnect between the ad promise and landing page content.

FAQs

Can I just increase the radius without changing my ads and landing page?
While possible, this may cause your ads to reach unintended audiences and reduce effectiveness. Adjusting your messaging to focus on the county helps maintain relevance.

Will focusing on the county limit my reach?
No, it actually allows you to cover a larger area in a targeted way by using an established regional boundary.

Key Takeaways

When expanding radius crosses market lines, shift focus to the county instead of just the city.
Tailor your ads and landing pages to address the county, ensuring cohesive and relevant marketing.
This approach allows you to cover a broader area while retaining a local and targeted feel.