Buzzword Watch | SoLoMo

SoLoMo – Social, Local and Mobile Coming to a Phone Near You!

Do you SoLoMo? Yes, I know that sounds like the newest offering from the Starbucks menu, but the acronym stands for social, local, mobile. What you need to do however, is wrap your head around why SoLoMo is an extremely significant concept and marketing tool for your small business to employ…

So what is SoLoMo and why do you want it?

The melding of these three diverse technologies was unavoidable. As mobile devices get more and more advanced, letting geo-location services to track every move, it was only a small step into enabling businesses to send notifications to nearby customers. Research conducted recently by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals that around 74 percent of smartphone users use them to get information, and about 18 percent are using them to check in on local businesses with services like Foursquare. It has resulted in both an opportunity and a challenge. A growing number of mobile users are searching for local products and services, and if your small business is not using its social media to connect and draw these people who are out there roaming the streets seeking something to do, eat or buy. It’s your task to make certain they find you before they find someone else!

3 Ways to your business can employ SoLoMo

• Utilize social media – Using your social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter and others to interact and inform your audience is an excellent and low-cost method to build relationship and your brand simultaneously.
• Optimize your local presence – Make certain your business is optimized in local search directories that are appropriate, and you are actively catering to local business in your marketing.
• Spend some on mobile marketing – Mobile ads are returning excellent ROIs, as most users who are searching local are out there looking for it in the field. Also, some local advertising techniques are cheap or free, such as check in deal on Facebook or FourSquare.

One terrific illustration of a business that gets SoLoMo is personified by Walgreens. Checking in with Foursquare gives their customers coupons and much more! SoLoMo isn’t going away anytime soon, so make sure to make it happen before your competition does!