What is a Push Message Region?
Push message regions are a premium feature that allows you to send out different messages to your app users, based on their location.
The number of regions you have available depends on your plan. For every region you create, you have the option to either send the message to users inside or outside of that region.
Keep in mind that these messages can only be sent to app users who have opted-in to push message notifications and enabled location services.
If you would like to add push message regions to your app, please contact your VisitApps Client Success Manager via the client portal.
How Are Push Message Regions Created?
Push message regions need to be configured in the back end of your app. To define your push message regions, navigate to the Messages section of your VisitApps Mobile App Studio (MAS).
Then select the ‘Regions’ option from the left hand menu.
You will see a ‘Geofence’ draggable. Drag this to the ‘Regions’ section of the screen.
- Region Name: Use this space to give your region a name.
- Latitude and Longitude: Insert the latitude and longitude coordinates for the center location of your region.
The easiest way to determine a location’s latitude and longitude is to use Google Maps. Simply search for the location you wish to target, or place a map marker on the map. The latitude and longitude of that location will automatically populate in the URL field.
- Radius (in miles): Use this field to designate the radius for your region in miles. This will determine the radius surrounding the center where your latitude and longitude intersect.
When you have reached the limit of regions available in your plan, the ‘Geofence’ draggable will no longer appear in the ‘Draggables’ window.
If you need to alter your push message regions, you can submit a request ticket via the client portal.
How Does My App Locate and Target Users?
There are a couple of things that need to happen before your app users will be able to receive your push messages by region.
The downloaded apps need to be aware that the regions exist. This happens automatically, but only after the user opens the app. When you create a region, your user’s device is not aware of that region until the app has been opened. Once the app is opened, it will start monitoring for regions. We don’t track or record the location of the user at all times, only when they enter or exit a region.
There is a natural delay between when you create a region and when there is a meaningful percentage of your audience that has reported their status regarding the region (whether they are inside or outside of the region). Without that status, you cannot target them with a message.
Regions are designed to be used with fairly static physical locations. It is not recommended to change your regions frequently.
Plan ahead before using push message regions. This will help ensure that a significant portion of your app users will have reported their region status by opening the app. However, if your app is launched with regions active and set up, then everyone who downloads and opens your app will be eligible for targeting for all regions.
How Do I Use Push Message Regions?
Navigate to the messages section of your VisitApps MAS. Select ‘Compose’ to start creating a new message.
Then select the ‘Who’ tab to designate the audience who should receive the message. If push message region functionality is available for your app, you will see a draggable called ‘Geofence’ in the ‘Draggables’ section.
Drag ‘Geofence’ into the audience field.
Select the arrow associated with the ‘Select a region’ option. This will display a dropdown of all your available regions. Select the region you want to target.
Then, you can use the dropdown to the right to determine if you want to target users inside, or outside, of the selected region.
