What are the different Waze ad formats available on the app, and what do you need to know before you start using them? Continue reading for more!
Driving around town and finding the correct place can be absolute chaos on the roads, and one of the hurdles faced by drivers is finding the destination. In such situations, apps like Waze are extremely helpful as they can get you from one point to another in the fastest way possible.
Waze has a huge user base with a community of over 29 million active customers in the US, and they spend, on average, over 10 hours using the app each day. There are a few features in the Waze app that distinguishes it from its competitors, like Google Maps and Apple Maps.
In the Waze app, you can find the shortest possible route to reach your destination, even if it goes through someone’s backyard. Moreover, you can find spots where cops are standing on check posts right on the app. There are other benefits like being able to find construction places, gas prices, and more.
There is another significant advantage for business owners on the Waze app, which is being able to put up ads in the application. The ads are shown to the driver while driving so they can conveniently find any shop they are looking for.
There are four different Waze ad formats. So, if you are confused about which ad format to put up and how to do it, this is the guide for you. Keep reading to know the different Waze ad formats and how you can handle them.
Waze Advertising: The Brilliance of local targeting
There are four Waze ad formats, and all of them have different specifications to them. They come in the form of dropdown banner ads, search engine listings, and pins. However, one might wonder what is so special about Waze ads that others don’t have, as advertising is nothing new, and there are multiple platforms that run on display ads.
Waze takes a different turn (pun intended) by targeting people who are on the edge of interacting with your business. The ads in the app show businesses in the driver’s proximity. This means that the user is either searching for some local service or is in the vicinity where they can physically interact with your business if they choose to come.
This approach drastically increases the rate of user engagement and conversion as several people seeing those ads might need the service in real-time, and there is a high chance of them going to buy from the business.
These ads are starkly different from those displayed on billboards or randomly shown on social media. You might see those ads and may even be interested, but you may not need those at the time of watching the ad.
Waze Ad Formats: What are the options for Marketing on the app
The four types of Waze ad formats are arrows, pins, search, and takeovers. Let’s take a detailed look at each one of these in detail and how you can use each one of the Waze ad formats to promote your local business.
1. Branded pins
Branded Pins are similar to the banners and boards displayed on the top of the shops and stores. In the Waze app, the pin of your business will pop up with your company logo and tell the users that your business is located on or close to the route they are taking.
As the user taps the pin one time, it will display your creative banner with all the information that you put up to promote your business. The information can be plainly about what your business does or more exotic, like a special discount offer or ongoing sale.
When the user taps on the pin for a second time, it will show directions to the physical location of the business from the point where the user is currently standing.
The user may choose to drive over right at the moment or may save the location for later. They can also save the promotional offer displayed on the banner and call the place for more information.
Waze ad formats: Branded pins. Image source: geomarketing.com
A user can see up to four different pins of various businesses at one time. If the user zooms in or out of the screen, the pins displayed may change, reduce or increase in number depending on the covered area. There is a set criterion that helps the app choose which pins will be displayed at what time.
The criteria include specifications like the budget, which ensures that maximum impressions are delivered at all locations, context, which optimizes ads to appear at the time when they are most likely to be clicked on, and targeting, which is about ensuring the right user base is reached and targeted.
2. Takeover
The “zero-speed” takeover is another one of the Waze ad formats that can be used to promote businesses on the app. The takeover is a large banner ad that is displayed on the screen of the app as soon as the user comes to a halt.
When the driver stops navigating the streets and comes to a standstill, the takeover ads automatically take over the screen, unlike the pins that need to be clicked to open.
This ad format takes advantage of the fact that a user is paying full attention to the app screen once they have stopped driving and are completely focused on the phone. In these moments, it is easier to capture user engagement and conversion.
If the user clicks on the takeover ads, they start showing directions to take the driver from the place they are currently standing to the location of the physical store. Besides that, the user can also save the business for later use.
For the takeover ad to appear on the screen, the user must have stopped for at least four seconds. The takeover ads are limited to only six for one session, and they disappear after twenty seconds or when the user starts moving.
Takeover ads are shown to the people who pass from the pre-set radius around the location of the store. The default radius set by Waze is 10 km around the store, and the maximum radius differs by the CTA (call to action).
The suggested CTAs include “Drive There”, “Save For Later”, and “Save Offer.” The default frequency of the display of takeover ads is set to 2 times per day and 4 times per week. You can change it according to your budget.
Waze ad formats: Takeover ads. Source: blog.rayapp.io
3. Arrow
The nearby arrow shows up on the screen as soon as you open up the app or as soon as the map launches on-screen. The arrow is similar to a signpost that shows up with your logo on the screen. It informs the user that your business is nearby or in close proximity to their route.
When the user clicks on the arrow, it will take them to the closest situated pin of the business, which will then open up the creative banner of the store to tell all the information about it. Just like other Waze ad formats, clicking the creative banner here too will give the direction to the physical store from the point the user is currently standing.
They can also save the offer for later or call the business to get to know more.
The benefit of this app is that it targets and captures users that are not driving directly on the route where your business is situated, but it tells them that there is a service available very near them. So, more users from a broader radius can be aware of the business located nearby.
The user is shown only one arrow in a single session which is displayed as soon as the user opens the app. It keeps showing for a whole two minutes for as long as the user stands still.
The algorithm and the radius determine how far away a driver can be and still be shown the arrow to your business. The default radius for the ads is set at 1 km. You can change it according to your budget.
Waze ad formats: Arrow ads. Source: support.google.com
4. Promoted search
Promoted search is another one of the Waze ad formats, but it is not exactly an add format is more of a value-added feature for the users. This is because Search ads don’t appear on their own on the app like other Waze ad formats.
Instead, the user has to be actively searching on the Waze app for your business to show up at the top.
In this, as the user starts typing, they will be shown a few promoted listings at the top of the search results. There is no added cost for the Search results. The listing shows your location and your brand’s logo.
The promoted search results appear after the user has typed at least three letters. As soon as the user clicks on the search result, the listing takes them to the creative banner, and from there, the user can find directions to drive to the location or save it for later.
Waze ad formats: Arrow ads. Source: support.google.com
Waze and how it can drive up your performance
Waze has the potential to take up the performance of the business by 20% and more if done correctly. It allows you to target the user when they are at the point most likely to check out a business instead of random ads while the user is on the bed, laying down, surfing cute cat videos.
This is the concept behind major marketing ideas. Target the users that need the service instead of trying to convince those not in a synced mindset. Different Waze ad formats can certainly boost your marketing campaigns by a significant percentage.
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