What is SOLOMO you ask? Great question, it stands for SOcial, LOcal, and MObile, which addresses the addition of local information to the search engines, and is the trend we’re seeing take shape across the marketing landscape.
The old model of marketing says that if you’re local, you need to advertise in the YellowPages, and perhaps in the local paper or marketing publication. If you have a website, then you’re probably doing pretty well. And you’re a real geek if you blog or engage any social media.
Boy how times have changed, and rapidly! Montetate just published an infographic exploring some of the trends of people, and the influence of Social and Mobile on local business. Check this out:
Inaction Is Very Costly
Ok, so the case is made that people use their phones even during the local purchasing process. What’s more telling is the last three items:
- 90% acted within 24 hours
- 70% called businesses after searching
- 66% visited the stores in person (and tied with the 90% metric, it was within a day)
These numbers are very telling of how people’s behavior is changing. We’ve seen in the B2B space, which has been confirmed by reports from research firms like Forrester and Edison, people want to consumer more information about a product or service before they do anything else.
Integrating Your Marketing And Driving ROI
Unfortunately, consumer behavior has made it hard to derive direct ROI from any one particular marketing activity. The days of running an ad and seeing a direct impact on your business are nearly nonexistent. Now, as indicated in the information from Montetate, you must have the visibility to the consumer, through ads and social, plus the right infrastructure and the right information available to effectively convert traffic to business.
We have found the best way to do this is through an integrated marketing program. Imagine, if you will, your sales funnel. At the top of the funnel are your ads, your YellowPage listings, even your website. These introduce people to your business. Most businesses are really good at getting people into the top of the sales funnel. However, we’ve been seeing a trend that most people get stuck here, and there seems to be an informational STOP right in the middle, only allowing a few people to trickle through the funnel to make a purchase.
Delivering The Right Marketing Mix
One thing to keep in mind is that no two businesses have exactly the same successful marketing mix. While one business may see a lot of success through a combined Adwords/Facebook campaign, another business may find a mobile ap and Twitter to be more successful. The point is, don’t get caught in the “cookie cutter” approach to your business. Yes, you do need to consider your entire funnel, and various forms of marketing are now encompassing more of that funnel than ever before.
Take the time to evaluate your marketing goals and make sure you know where you’re headed. Once you’ve done that, contact our team of Marketing Experts at 866-925-9524 to discuss the right mix to ensure your sales are flowing as freely as you can handle.
