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Forbes Technology Council

If your company markets to a younger demographic, you’ve likely seen (and maybe even tried) location-based geofilters. Pioneered by Snapchat, these filters — often presented in the form of fun, colorful frames and stickers — allow users within a certain geographical area to “brand” their photos and videos.

For businesses, a custom geofilter can be a great way to encourage user-generated content and engagement from local customers. But this social media trend may not be the right choice for every business, and if you do decide to try geofilters, it’s important to use and analyze them effectively. Follow this advice from Forbes Technology Council if you’re thinking about implementing location-based filters in your branding strategy.

1. It Enhances Results 

So much is put into demographics and buyer interest, but a big part of the buying decision still involves location and proximity. Therefore, it’s well worth the investment to use geofilters in marketing and sales efforts because it further enhances the results you’ll get. – Muhammed Othman, Calendar

2. Too Many Push Notifications Will Annoy Users 

When your phone buzzes due to a location-based push notification, it’s almost always annoying. It’s better to make these low-priority notifications or badge your app icon so that users can see the information on their own schedule. If the info is time sensitive and could affect behavior, like a weather alert at an airport, that’s great, but your city-wide promotion for a free coffee can wait. – Luke Wallace, Bottle Rocket

3. You Need To Know When To Use Them 

Understand where these geofilters can be used, including social media marketing initiatives like Facebook ads as well as mobile marketing for geolocation coupons for impulse buying. – Chalmers Brown, Due

4. They Appeal To Younger Audiences 

Location geofilters can add a simple and effective method to market your product or business. Millenials use social media at an alarming rate, and these amusing filters are a potent manner in which to appeal to this demographic if designed and used correctly. Interactive mixed reality has a lot of potential, and this feature is just the beginning. – Alexandro Pando, Xyrupt

5. They’re Great For B2C, But Not B2B 

Geofilters work great for brands with a broad audience that targets directly to the consumer. However, if you operate a brand that needs to be targeted to a select group of people or have a B2B business, take a look at other options like Facebook and Instagram. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

6. They Bring The Digital And The Physical Together 

Tying together location-based “real world” marketing and digital marketing is a headache, and Snapchat’s geofilters are an excellent solution to the problem. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg: Over the next couple of years, we’ll see an increased focus on the use of augmented reality to bring the digital into physical spaces. – Vik Patel, Nexcess