SoLoMo: The What, Why and How

What is SoLoMo?

SoLoMo is a combination of the following marketing strategies: social media, location-aware software and geo-tagging used for advertising, and the use of mobile technology. Due to the majority of the nation owning at least one form of smart mobile device such as a smart phone, tablet, etc, people are relying more and more on this mobile tech to do day to day tasks such as shopping, viewing the news, and more. In addition to this, a large proportion of the nation regularly uses and spends significant amounts of time on social media each day, usually on their mobile devices. Then throw in the geo-location tracking built in to all smart mobile devices, and SoLoMo makes a lot of sense as a marketing trend.

Why is SoLoMo so important?

The evolving mobile industry has and continues to alter the way we live and as consumers; the way we consume. With mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets becoming nearly as powerful as if not more powerful in some cases than a desktop PC or laptop computer, and with many people doing away with the need for laptops and PCs at all, we are slowly but surely becoming more dependent on mobile devices than ever before. Mobile devices have come so far and have penetrated our daily lives so much that people are running businesses on tablets and iPads, and people are doing their weekly grocery shop or purchasing other items using their mobile phones.

These are just some of the reasons why mobile marketing has become one of the main marketing strategies in recent years, as has social media marketing, due to the integration of social media into our daily routines. Checking our news feed, updating our status, ‘checking in’ when we go somewhere all come as second nature to many of us when we wouldn’t of even know how to do such things just 10 years ago.

And with so many people checking in, this brings about the need for location-based marketing strategies, and gives small and local businesses the chance to jump on this new trend and bring back ‘local’ shopping. Voucher sites and apps such as Groupon and Voucher Cloud give people the opportunity to find offers in their area using their mobile device and social media’s location tracking abilities, and allows businesses large and small to target local customers via social media and mobile devices, meaning both consumers and businesses have something to gain from SoLoMo.

How SoLoMo can benefit you and your business

Making the most of SoLoMo is easy. The hard work is already done for you, as many people are already have mobile devices and have social media and check-in habits instilled into their daily routine. What you can now do is tap into that, and encourage people to ‘check-in’ at your store, office or event, and use location-based voucher apps and sites to target your market.

Another way in which SoLoMo can help you is it gives you a unique insight into your target market. By checking their ‘check-in’ history, other local and national companies they have shown interest in on social media, and so much more, you can create tailor made offers, services and products, and create alliances and sponsorship deals with other local companies and stores that your target market show a peaked interest in or regular ‘check-in’ at.

All in all, there is still controversy surrounding SoLoMo as some people view it as being too intrusive due to using location pinpointing and broadcasting, but on the other hand SoLoMo is the makings of a consumer’s paradise. All their needs are at their fingertips instantly, with content rich and targeting information saving them the time and effort of sifting through too much information, and saving them money in an instant and easily accessible fashion.