SoLoMo marketing refers to the use of social media and mobile marketing by local business. Try to ignore the order of the letters in the acronym. I think LoSoMo makes more sense, but SoLoMo does sound better.
If you are a local business relying foot traffic to generate revenue, then the SoLoMo marketing concept should be of interest because it can significantly impact your profits. In other words, you should care mainly because you will be left behind by your competitors if you ignore this trend.
One premise that applies to all marketing, including SoLoMo, is that you need to be visible where your customers are. The growing tendency of customers to use social media and mobile devices as part of their daily lives, combined with their impatience with advertising is driving the need for a SoLoMo approach.
In addition, social media and mobile marketing can be relatively inexpensive compared with traditional advertising and other forms of marketing.
Today’s consumers rely extensively on peer recommendations both offline and via social media when making purchases. Social media is so popular in part because it simplifies the process of asking for and receiving such recommendations. From a business owner’s standpoint, social media makes it easy for people to share promotional and other information that you provide.
Consumers also rely on their mobile devices especially when they are out and about. Many of the searches on smartphones are for nearby locations to make purchases. The geolocation capabilities of smartphones is a game changer for local marketing. You want to make sure that customers can easily find you and get the information they need when searching for your product.
A mobile optimized website is essential to make sure that viewers can easily see essentials such as your location, hours of operation and phone number with Tap to Call capability.
Beyond the ability to be found in search, mobile enables businesses to push messages to customers and subscribers. For example, local businesses can provide promotional information to mobile subscribers when they are close by, helping to increase foot traffic.
Today a large percentage of social media interaction takes place on mobile devices. If you are using social media to market your business keep this in mind. When sharing information about promotions, for example, it is best to keep them brief and to the point so your customer who sees your Facebook post on their iPhone understands why they should stop in today.
As this generation of digital natives gets older the importance of social and mobile technologies will continue to grow. The platforms may change but the shift from physical to digital media will accelerate in the foreseeable future.
How are you using social media and mobile marketing for your business?