Prepare yourself - there’s a new buzzword about town: SoLoMo.
Doesn’t it make you want to put on some tunes and do the lambada? Well don’t break out your dancin’ shoes just yet.
SoLoMo represents the collision of social, local and mobile. Consider this – you’re in a quaint little neighborhood in Chicago and want to find the best place for lunch. Instead of wandering the streets and looking at menus, most people these days would take their trusted smartphone out of their pocket, go online and ask their friends. Or Yelp. Or Foursquare. Or Facebook. Or any of the other thousands of apps that cater to this type of need.
SoLoMo is the new retail frontier, requiring customer service in new channels. Instead of the actual physical location, retailers must now start paying a lot more attention to their digital footprint, too.
There are references to businesses that exist in countless different databases. They are utilized by Web and mobile applications like as Google Places, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and others. Like Max Gladwell says in his HuffPost article "The SoLoMo Manifesto: A New Era in Media and Marketing:”
These engagements range from searches and phone calls to check-ins, reviews, photos, tips and coupon redemptions. As such, these digital places become vital conduits between consumers and real-world commerce. This is why they matter so much to brands.
So what does this all mean? It really boils down to three things: new needs, new demands and new opportunities.
These days, customers expect you to have presence online. In addition, they expect their smartphones and social networks to be intelligent enough to connect them based on their current location.
Make sure you’ve developed a presence for your business on these digital platforms. Otherwise, you could be losing a piece of the pie!
Those brands with the fastest response online, will win loyalty.
With apps that provide customers with location based deals and discounts, the mobile phone is now the closest storefront to your customer’s wallet. Just look at Groupon Now or check-in specials at Foursqure.
Your brand’s presence on Facebook, Yelp, Google Places and other social platforms have become key consumer touch points. After all, this is how many consumers are experiencing and engaging with your brand.
As a result, it’s important you treat these platforms as brand assets, where the details and brand experiences are accurate, consistent and comprehensive. That’s the first step in any SoLoMo strategy!
