How much does geofencing cost?

What GeoForge charges

You buy GeoForge one ZIP code at a time. Each ZIP gets its own package:

Activation is $299 once per order, not per ZIP. The package price covers the territory map, the ads, running them, monthly tuning and the reports. Video ($499 a month) and connected TV ($1,249 a month) are optional add-ons, and you don’t need either one.

You can mix levels. Expanded in the ZIP where most of your jobs already come from and Standard next door comes to $2,198 a month, plus the $299 once.

The view and reach numbers are planning estimates, not guarantees. What we do guarantee is delivery: if your Day-30 report shows less than 90% of your planned monthly views, we run the shortfall the next month at no charge. That covers ad delivery only. It isn’t a promise of calls or jobs. Full details are in the pricing section.

How geofencing is usually priced

Most of the market prices location ads by CPM, the cost per thousand times your ad is shown. Your bill is the views you buy times that rate, and the monthly minimum sets the floor. Some providers add a one-time setup fee to build the targeting. One published pricing guide puts that at $500 to $2,000. Ad design may or may not be included.

None of that is wrong. It just means two quotes for “geofencing” can cover very different things. Before you compare prices, ask each provider these questions:

• What’s the monthly minimum, and how many ad views does it buy?
• Is setup a separate charge?
• Who makes the ads, and how many versions do I get?
• How often do I get a report, and does it show where the ads ran?
• Will you sell the same area to another business in my trade?

That last one matters more than it looks. If two roofers are buying the same ZIP from the same company, they’re paying to train the same homeowners on both names.

What drives the cost

Five things move the price of any geofencing campaign, ours included.

The size of the area comes first. A whole ZIP has far more people in it than one building’s parking lot, and more people means more views to reach each of them often enough. If you’re not sure which kind of targeting you need, read geofencing vs geotargeting.

Then there’s frequency, or how many times each person sees you. A single view is easy to forget. Our Standard plan is built so each person reached sees you about 10 to 12 times a month (40,000 views across 3,300 to 4,000 people). Buy fewer views and you either reach fewer people or show up too rarely to stick.

Time matters too. Location ads build familiarity, and that takes weeks, which is why our plans start with a 90-day term and then go month to month.

Somebody also has to make the ads. Ours include 2 to 4 static ad concepts per ZIP, revised with you until you approve them.

Last is management: drawing fences, watching delivery, tuning and reporting. Some providers bill it separately. Ours is in the package price.

Is geofencing worth it?

Sometimes. Here’s how to tell.

It’s usually a fit if you serve a defined area of a few ZIP codes, one new job is worth a real amount to you, and you can give it 90 days. It also helps if you already track where your calls and leads come from, so you can see whether the ZIP you’re advertising in starts showing up more often.

Skip it, at least for now, if any of these sound like you:

• You need the phone to ring this week. Location ads keep you in front of people before they need you. If someone’s roof is leaking tonight, they’re searching Google, and search ads plus a solid Google Business Profile are the better first dollar.
• $899 a month would squeeze everything else. Don’t take money from the basics that already bring in work.
• Your website or reviews aren’t ready. People who see your ad will look you up, and if what they find is thin, fix that first.
• You’ll judge it on clicks. These ads are there to make your name familiar, so clicks are the wrong yardstick. Judge it on delivery (did the right people see it, and how often) and on calls and jobs from that ZIP over 90 days.

If that list sounds like you, we’d rather say so now than take your activation fee.

What you get for the money

Here’s the sequence after you say yes.

• Week 1: We map your ZIP codes and the specific buildings worth fencing, and send it to you. Nothing runs until you approve the map.
• Week 2: We write and design your ads. You approve those too.
• Week 3: The campaign goes live, and your category is protected in your ZIP codes for as long as your plan is active.
• Day 30, 60 and 90: Plain-English reports showing what ran, where, how many people saw it and how often.

We run GeoForge for one business per category per ZIP. Once you hold roofing in 35242, we won’t run a GeoForge campaign for another roofer there. That protection covers our campaigns. It can’t stop other advertisers from buying ads in your area.

After the first 90 days, it’s month to month. To cancel, email info@forgeurfuture.com. Cancellation takes effect 30 days after we get your notice, and no earlier than the end of your first 90 days.