When businesses and brands around the world are getting accustomed to social media networks, a new buzz word came to town – SoLoMo, “Social”, “Local” and “Mobile”.
Isn’t “Social” enough? Why “Local” and “Mobile” too?
Social media networks are a blessing to today’s business organizations and communities. Not only it has introduced a new way of communication, but also an access to a global network instantaneously – something not achievable in traditional mediums.
While the benefits are virtually endless, here comes one of the biggest problems for small businesses on social media networks – global networks are irrelevant. This is because most small businesses are not ready for global businesses to begin with.
Take a local sandwich maker for example, would a global audience be beneficial to his business? Definitely. But would it generate the revenue he needs to sustain his business? Maybe not. You may not be a sandwich maker but if you really think about it, your business may have fallen into the very same category as you either have a niche local product, a service that is geographically bound (a laundry or a cafe) or it is because the industry you are in is simply too competitive elsewhere.
Is Your Business Relevant to Your Audience?
One of the best advantages of a small business is that you can afford to provide niche content or services within a local context, positioning yourself as the local king (or queen), a big fish in the pond, a blue ocean strategy, or whatever you’d like to call it.
The thing is this, consumers today are looking out for what is relevant to them. This could mean cultural preferences, friends’ recommendations or merely convenience within where they live, work or play. If you’re finding this tough, larger businesses have it tougher. You already have the advantage since you’re already part of the community.
What Does it Take to Be SoLoMo?
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Let’s start with ‘Local’ first. Don’t be fooled, SoLoMo is by no means a new technology or social network. All it takes is for you to take some time off to see what makes your community tick.
Some questions to ask yourself:
– Is there are running trend, culture or preference in communication in your community?
– Are there any local knowledge that you know of that others don’t?
So
Got that down? Good! Now see how you can include the ‘social’ component to it.
Some questions to ask yourself:
– Is there something that you can personalize or customize for individual customers?
– How can you get customers to tell their friends and family members about you?
– Could it be photos, testimonials or check-ins? Or maybe it’s just great customer service even online?
Mo
Lastly, mobile. This is where most small businesses get stuck. Most would think this means having a customized smart phone application but no, not at all. Let’s start with your website.
Some questions to ask yourself:
– Is your website mobile compatible? (This means your website is viewable comfortably within the screen of a mobile device with minimal scrolling AND navigate-able!)
– Are you on location based apps such as Facebook Places and FourSquare?
Closing Thoughts
That wasn’t too difficult, was it? Truth is, SoLoMo is nothing but a business concept which allows small businesses to be a whole lot more focused on what they can do best instead of being scatterbrained.
