Despite sounding like an exotic pizza you order in a foreign country, SoLoMo stands for: Social, Local and Mobile. Meaning SoLoMo consumers interact with brands locally, on their smartphones and with the principles of social media.

Are Users becoming SoLoMo-Consumers?

Consumers are social

Consumers consult their social networks for advice before buying a product or service. They read and write reviews and share experiences with their friends and colleagues on social media.

Consumers are mobile

Many marketers have been preaching MOBILE-FIRST for years! As you already know, Mobile Web will be our preferred gateway to the Internet. Thanks to the integrated geo-location technology (GPS) in smartphones and tablets, SoLoMo arose.

Consumers shop local

The big search engines (Google, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Bing, Baidu from China or Yandex from Russia) recognized the large market in local search. According to Lyfe Marketing 88% of consumers who search for a local business on their smartphone call or visit the location on the same day.

SoLoMo Examples

You are probably already familiar with some SoLoMo platforms such as:

• Foursquare (free App, that helps you discover and share informations about local businesses).
• Groupon (a service, that helps you save money through the use of virtual coupons).
• Yelp (a search for local shops and restaurants with many ratings and reviews).
• Facebook Places (a geolocational tool, where users can share their favorite places and discover new ones).

Why is SoLoMo important to marketers?

For Marketers, SoLoMo offers an exciting territory with many opportunities. In order to get found by the target group, local search engine marketing is very powerful for small businesses. Marketing campaigns are no longer limited to big businesses with deep pockets, local businesses have taken advantage of the Web to promote their products or services locally.

Is SoLoMo important for your business?

The business world is changing dramatically if you like it or not. It is key for small local businesses to get social and have a mobile touchpoint for their costumers. Only this way, you can stay relevant for your target groups.

SoLoMo isn’t the way to go for all businesses. If you own a company like an advertising-agency, an engineering company or any other B2B firm, SoLoMo isn’t right for you.
But if you are a hairdresser, shop-owner or you run a business like a restaurant or a bar, then you should definitely go SoLoMo.

Photo by Carissa Gan