Get the 411 about Waze Ads!

With a goal to provide a more positive driving experience for everyone, Waze is a wayfinding app that is community-based. It lets users report information and things happening around them on the roads to each other. This can be where accidents have happened, police are stopped, potholes, slow traffic patterns, and hazards. There are over 100 million active users each day, as the app is now the newest way to reach your target audience where they spend a huge amount of their time – driving.

Waze is owned by Google, leveraging its audience by being able to advertise with the app. So why use Waze Local for your business? It will build brand awareness or even drive action to where you are. Stay in front of that target customer, depending on where they are and which way they are driving. You can make new customers aware of your locations, aiding to bring in more foot traffic in-store.

There are three ad types that Waze Local has to allow you to connect with customers. They are Branded Pins, Zero-Speed Takeover, and Promoted Search.

Branded Pins

Branded Pins are when your location is relayed to drivers whenever they drive near a branded pin on the map. Branded Pin Ads are quite cheap, coming in at around $2 per thousand impressions.

Takeover Ads

Zero-Speed Takeover is basically a digital billboard covering the top part of the screen whenever the car is completely stopped. This lets the driver know where you are located and if you have any promotions going on. The Zero-Speed Takeover offers more features to promote your business (CTA, promotion, etc.) but it is more expensive – about $30 per CPM. The main objective is to drive action to your location, as the user is asked if they would like to “Drive There.”

Promoted Search

Promoted Search is when your company is promoted to the top of the search results, including your business name and brand logo. The Search Results Ad is also $30 per CPM and the action is (once again) “Drive Here.” but this time, you show when users are searching for a destination.

As for the price of getting started, let’s start small with Branded Pins. It has a minimum of $60 per month spend. The other ads will cost at least $3,000 a month. There is a dashboard to control your copy, data, ads, and reporting for both large and small budgets.

The top sectors of Waze so far are restaurants, retail, car services, healthcare, furniture/home goods, real estate, and grocery. A good test for these ads would be impulse buys (food, entertainment).

Conclusion

As for using this with your company, that all depends. If your business fits into the sector then you are off to a great start. Start small with Branded Pins to get your name out there and drive in some traffic. We are Waze certified and part of the Waze Partner Program, so we are here to help any business manage their advertising. Contact us for any questions or packages that include Waze Ads.

Question

Do you think Waze Ads could help your business out? Comment below!