GroundTruth geofencing is a location-based advertising platform that lets you target customers based on where they physically go. The platform uses GPS and location data to show your ads to people who visit specific addresses, neighborhoods, or competitor locations. You set up virtual boundaries around real places, and when someone enters those areas, they become part of your target audience for mobile and display advertising.
This guide breaks down how GroundTruth’s targeting system works, what you can expect to pay for campaigns, and whether the platform delivers real ROI for your business. You’ll learn about their Blueprints feature for campaign setup, how location accuracy affects your results, and practical strategies to maximize performance. We’ll also cover pricing structures and help you decide if GroundTruth fits your advertising goals.
Why location accuracy determines campaign ROI
Location accuracy directly controls how much money you waste on people who will never become customers. When your geofencing platform targets the wrong locations or uses outdated GPS coordinates, you pay to show ads to people outside your actual market. You might think you’re reaching customers near your showroom, but inaccurate data could be serving ads to people three blocks away who have no interest in your products. Every impression on the wrong audience drains your budget without generating calls, visits, or sales.
How inaccurate location data wastes your budget
Poor location precision creates three specific problems that hurt your advertising spend. First, you reach people who simply passed through your geofenced area without any purchase intent, like delivery drivers or commuters taking a shortcut. Second, GPS drift and cell tower triangulation errors can place users hundreds of feet from their actual position, triggering your ads when someone is near but not at your competitor’s location. Third, cached location data shows you where someone was hours or even days ago, not where they are now, which means you’re targeting based on stale information that has zero relevance to their current shopping behavior.
Targeting accuracy below 50 meters typically delivers 3-4x better conversion rates than broader radius targeting.
The direct impact on conversion rates
GroundTruth geofencing promises 5-meter accuracy in ideal conditions, but real-world performance varies based on signal strength, building materials, and device settings. When your targeting actually hits that precision level, you capture people at the exact moment they’re standing in a competitor’s showroom or walking past your storefront. This timing converts at higher rates because you’re reaching active shoppers, not random passersby. Conversely, if your platform uses 100-meter accuracy, your audience pool grows by over 3,000%, diluting your message across people with no immediate buying intent. Your cost per acquisition jumps because most impressions land on users who weren’t actually at the location you thought you were targeting.
How to implement targeting with GroundTruth Blueprints
Blueprints is GroundTruth’s campaign builder that lets you create location-based advertising without technical expertise. You select your targeting method, choose your audience behaviors, and upload creative assets through a step-by-step interface. The platform handles the technical configuration while you focus on defining which physical locations matter for your business goals.
Setting up your first Blueprint campaign
Your first step involves logging into the GroundTruth platform and selecting the campaign creation option from your dashboard. You’ll choose between address targeting for specific buildings, radius targeting for areas around a point, or polygon targeting for custom zones. The system requires you to upload at least one creative asset (static banner or video) and set your daily budget before launching.
Most campaigns go live within 24 hours after creative approval. GroundTruth geofencing campaigns typically need a minimum $1,500 monthly spend to maintain consistent ad delivery across your selected locations.
Address-level targeting can identify specific competitor showrooms within a 5-meter accuracy range in optimal conditions.
Choosing the right location parameters
Address-level targeting works best when you want precision at specific competitor stores, shopping centers, or trade shows. You upload a CSV file with exact addresses, and the platform converts these into geofences around each building. Radius targeting makes sense for broader market coverage, typically using 500-meter to 3-kilometer circles around landmarks or your own store locations based on local population density and traffic patterns.
Understanding the cost of GroundTruth ads
GroundTruth operates on a CPM model (cost per thousand impressions) where you pay based on how many times your ads appear, not on clicks or conversions. The platform sets minimum spending thresholds that typically start at $1,500 per month for self-service campaigns, though managed service options require higher budgets. Your actual costs depend on competition for your target locations, audience size, and campaign complexity.
Pricing structure breakdown
CPM rates range from $3 to $15 depending on your targeting precision and market density. Address-level targeting in major metropolitan areas costs more because you’re competing for limited inventory in high-traffic zones. GroundTruth geofencing charges premium rates for Blueprints campaigns that combine multiple targeting methods like visit-based audiences plus location targeting.
Your monthly spend also covers creative production if you use their in-house team. Most advertisers pay between $2,000 and $10,000 monthly based on their market reach and targeting complexity.
Expect to spend at least three months testing before determining if your CPM investment generates positive ROI.
Hidden costs to factor in
Creative refresh cycles drive additional expenses beyond your monthly ad spend. GroundTruth recommends updating your ads every 4-6 weeks to prevent banner blindness, which means you’ll need new design assets regularly. Analytics dashboards come standard, but detailed attribution reporting requires higher-tier service plans that can add $500-$1,000 monthly to your budget. You’ll also need internal resources to analyze performance data and adjust your targeting parameters based on campaign results.
Best practices for optimizing location campaigns
Your location campaign performance depends on continuous testing and adjustment based on actual visitor behavior. You need to track which geofenced areas generate foot traffic versus which locations only produce impressions without conversions. Start with smaller test budgets across multiple location types to identify which targeting methods work for your specific business before scaling up your monthly spend.
Test multiple location parameters simultaneously
Running parallel campaigns with different radius sizes reveals which proximity to your store or competitors drives actual customer visits. You might discover that a 200-meter radius around competitor showrooms outperforms a 500-meter radius because you’re capturing shoppers who are actively visiting those locations rather than just passing nearby. GroundTruth geofencing allows you to compare address-level targeting against broader geographic zones, giving you data on whether precision or reach matters more for your market.
Control ad frequency to avoid waste
Showing the same person your ad 15 times in one day burns through your budget without increasing conversion likelihood. You should set frequency caps at 3-5 impressions per user per day to maintain visibility without causing ad fatigue. Most successful campaigns rotate 2-3 different creative variations every month to test which messages resonate with your location-based audience.
Campaigns with proper frequency capping typically reduce wasted spend by 30-40% while maintaining the same conversion rates.
Final thoughts on GroundTruth
GroundTruth geofencing delivers location-based advertising that works for businesses targeting customers based on where they physically go. The platform’s Blueprints interface makes campaign setup accessible, and address-level targeting can reach shoppers at competitor locations when accuracy conditions align. You’ll need at least $1,500 monthly to maintain consistent ad delivery, and CPM rates between $3 and $15 mean your total costs depend heavily on market competition and targeting precision.
Location targeting alone doesn’t identify purchase intent, which creates a fundamental limitation. Someone walking past a competitor’s showroom might be there for completely unrelated reasons. You’re paying to reach people based on proximity, not their actual readiness to buy.
For flooring retailers specifically, buyer intent matters more than location data. IFDA’s AI-driven targeting models identify consumers actively planning, researching, and shopping for flooring, regardless of their physical location. You reach people when they’re ready to buy, not just when they happen to be nearby.
