So we've got 2 months behind us in 2013 and if you're a marketer, you must have heard this year's buzzword that is changing the way Digital Marketing works: "SoLoMo" (don't worry if you haven't - you're about to hear all about it!)
Perfect for SMBs that target customers based on location, "Social, Local, Mobile" brings social media, geo-location targeting and mobile communications together allowing marketers to target and communicate with their audiences in new ways.
You must be asking "Why now, Why in 2013?" Well, because technology is (finally!) at a point where we can see how consumers behave at that pivotal moment when they are ready to make purchasing decisions.
The new "direct mail" for local businesses
For eons now, marketers have used (the not so easy) direct mail approach to target customers who are: 1) in close proximity to the specific business; 2) part of a specific demographic group and; 3) ready to buy (hopefully). But, with the sweet, smartphone digital database, customers are volunteering golden information nuggets in exchange for products or services that they are seeking - and a digital marketer can use that information immediately to share nearby deals, events and opportunities to a potential customer.
Seamless customer experience
More than just timely mobile transaction processing, the key here is to ensure that your customers have a seamless way to bypass a website, complete a transaction, receive excellent customer service and share their experience within their own networks. And while we already know that we should be tweeting, blogging, getting likes and followers and pouring over social media data, extending those social relationships into the mobile space can enhance a customer experience immensely.
To do this effectively, marketers have to stop thinking in silos and converge on truly integrated efforts with the customer experience being the primary focus. The only way to do this is to bring together social, location-based and mobile efforts into unified campaigns will help brands to maximize results.