What’s a DMA®?

Using Geo-Targeting to Get Map-Minded

I’ve always had a thing for maps, so naturally geo-targeting is one of my favorite Yahoo! Search Marketing features. As you may know, when you create a campaign, your have the option to target a “Specific Region” or go with the “Entire Market.” When you choose to target a Specific Region, you are prompted to choose either “State/Province/Territory” or “DMA® or City and Surrounding Area.”

At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a footnote explaining that “DMA® is a registered service mark of Nielsen Media Research, Inc… ” So what’s a DMA? “DMA” stands for “Designated Marketing Area.” The term was originally used to describe a region where a population could receive the same or similar information via radio and TV. It has become an advertising industry standard, and can now apply to targeted Internet and newspaper content as well. A DMA is usually associated with a metropolitan area.

But a DMA can contain multiple cities. And, depending on the region, a DMA can be quite a large area. The Los Angeles DMA, for example, is quite large. The Erie, Pennsylvania DMA, by contrast, serves just a small area in the Northwest corner of the Quaker State.

Geo-Targeting Tips
You should consider using geo-targeting if you:

• Offer services in a specific area only
• Have a local store
• Have a chain of stores over a wide area (say, several states) and want to drive customers to different branches
• If you are legally restricted to advertise in some areas.  

For small- and medium-sized businesses that cater to a highly localized customer base—flower delivery or singing telegrams, for example—DMAs can sometimes be too large. If that’s the case, here are two tips to help you target your customers more precisely.

First, be sure to mention your precise location in your geo-targeted ad title and/or description copy. This will help your customers know that they are reading a relevant ad and make it very clear what area you service to help ensure you get more relevant clicks.

In addition to geo-targeting by DMA, you may also want to consider setting up a second campaign that’s not geo-targeted. This second campaign should use keywords that are specific to your location. For example, “Burbank locksmith” rather than just “locksmith.” This can help ensure that you’ve got all your bases covered.

For more info, visit the Help Center. You may also want to look into Yahoo! Local Listings, which is another cost-effective way to reach customers in your area through Yahoo! Local. 

—Michael Mattis, Amateur Cartographer