Waze, a popular navigation app owned by Google is making headlines for opening new opportunities for local businesses by allowing small businesses to advertise on its new Waze Local platform.

3.3 Million Users

According to Waze, more than 3.3 million of its users visited local U.S. businesses that advertised on the app. When the app was in beta last year, Waze found that U.S. businesses advertising on Waze Local saw a 20.4 percent increase in monthly navigations or visits to the store.

A recent study showed Waze Local ads alone resulted in a 57 percent increase in service leads in the first quarter for a local dealership. This equals more than 120 additional repair orders per month, or 360 “direct navigations to the service bay” during the quarter. That’s potentially more than $125,000 in repair revenue.

Multiple Ad Formats

Waze has three types of Ad formats that can be utilized across the local search platform. Branded Pins, Promoted Search, and the Zero-Speed Takeover.

Branded Pins

Branded Pins are like store signs, the pins are displayed on the map to inform and remind drivers that your dealership is on or near their route. Only three pins can be seen at a time to make your map look more organized. If you tap one of the pins, details will immediately be available about your dealership/business including operating hours and contact information.

Promoted Search

Businesses can also pay to appear at the top of search results in Waze through Promoted Search. Promoted Search will promote your locations to the top of search results and include your dealership logo.

Zero-Speed Takeover

Last but not least, the platform has a unique ad format called Zero-Speed Takeover banner ads. These ads are shown when the driver is at a full stop. These ads can be very effective since they take over nearly half of the screen when they’re activated.