Geofences
Geofence perimeters can be established by tracing an area on a map, or by uploading a KML file containing coordinates of a target area. You can choose between only mailing in or not mailing to the selected area. A physical address and custom fields can be added and dynamically referenced in creative artwork.
Geofences must be turned on under the campaign's Suppressions tab. They are not automatically applied across all campaigns.
Each individual fence can be selected for use on a campaign level from the campaign's Suppressions tab.
Should I use a Geofence or Saved Location?
Saved Locations are best suited for storing a brick & mortar address and encompassing a set mile radius around that location for targeting or creative personalization. Geofences are slightly more custom, use adjustable perimeters, and are best suited for either targeting or suppressing certain areas and utilizing location-specific creative personalization.
Feature | Description |
Saved Locations | Define a radius (aka circular area) around an address with the option to suppress mailings outside this radius. |
Geofences | Define any custom area for mailing or suppression. |
Step 1: Draw on a Map
Draw on a Map
To draw your geofence, zoom in or expand the map to the area you need, and click Draw. Click a starting point on the map, then continue clicking multiple points to pin down the desired boundaries of your geofence.
You can adjust or clear the polygon at any point. Non-polygons, broken shapes, and lines won't be accepted. You'll know your geofence is valid and complete when the polygon turns green.
Upload a KML File
Using an application such as Google Maps "My Maps" you can draw multiple geofences, export as a KML file, and upload directly to the platform. Layers can be exported together or individually by clicking the three dots to the right of the map's name and selecting Export to KML/KMZ:
When you upload into Poplar, if your KML file has multiple polygons, you'll see the option to flip through each polygon and specify the settings described below:
Step 2: Add Details
Describe Your Geofence
Give the area a descriptive name. Then choose if you want to:
Only mail to addresses that fall inside the geofence, OR
NOT mail to addresses that fall inside the geofence (e.g. suppress)
Add an Address (Optional)
Adding a physical address allows you to dynamically pull this information into creative artwork by using Location Based Merge Tags. This is a useful feature if you'd like to point customers to a nearby retailer, information center, or any other relevant destination.
Add Merge Fields (Optional)
Merge Fields are custom values you can add into creative artwork via merge tag. They're helpful if you need to list location-specific contact info or want to feature location-specific promotional offers.
The value set for each merge field can be populated in dynamic creative design by using the following Location Based Merge Tags:
{{geofence.merge_field_1}}{{geofence.merge_field_2}}{{geofence.merge_field_3}}
Step 3: Geofence Created Successfully
Once your geofence has been created, you'll return to the Geofences tab, where you'll see a list of your geofences. We show the Name, Status (Active or Inactive) and Type (Included or Excluded) of each geofence, along with a map.
Inclusive geofences are green and will only mail to addresses that fall within the area.
Exclusive geofences are grey and will not mail to addresses that fall within the area.
If an inclusive geofence overlaps with an exclusive geofence, the exclusive geofence will be honored.
When you click into an individual geofence, you can download a CSV of all the zip codes that fall into that geofence and the percentage of each zip code that does. You can also download a copy of the uploaded KML file, if you originally uploaded one.
You can also Edit, Deactivate, or Delete the Geofence under the Actions section on the right. If you click into Edit, you can also change a geofence from Inclusive to Exclusive or vice versa.
Step 4: Apply Your Geofence to Your Campaign
The final step is to turn on your geofence(s) in your campaign by going to the campaign's Suppressions tab.
For this campaign, every single recipient address you mail will be checked against the geofence(s) you've applied to the campaign. You can look up the suppressed ones by clicking into the campaign's History tab and filtering to Suppressions.
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