Smartphones, tablets, notebooks and other internet-enabled devices are changing the way people are accessing and interacting with internet content. The emergence of these devices have shifted web and apps development as well as marketing strategy. It will influence whether people will be able to find your business online, if they’ll be able to use your online platform and how interactive your platform is. In case you are still wondering, SoLoMo is a strategy that combines 3 areas of focus: Social + Local + Mobile = SoLoMo.
With rising numbers of social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc., and the affinity people have for them, it is important for brands and businesses to find their voice in social media. The tendency for Search engines (and majorly Google) to favour local search results above global, is also becoming important you optimise your platform so that people domiciled around you are also able to locate your business easily.
In addition to these, the fact that more and more mobile devices are becoming internet enabled will ensure that very soon, majority of internet traffic to websites will be mobile. To stay competitive, every business needs to master the SoLoMo components ASAP.
Social
While I am always tempted to interrogate if this statistics is true, socialbakers.com puts Nigerian population on Facebook at 5 million people. Nevertheless, it seems most educated, middle-class Nigerians are active on at least one social media platform. This seemingly obvious clusters of people connected and sharing information is attractive to brands.
Creating and running targeted social media channels, including social media sharing buttons in your website encourages your audience to share your information with on their preferred social media channels. Therefore, after your website/platform is up and you need to build awareness, drive traffic, drive sales and engage your target audience – Think social.
Mobile
Obvious isn’t it? Most people are woken by their ringtones even when alarm clocks fail. Mobile connectivity is powerful and remains the only channel that provides access to potential consumers 91% of the time! With the Nigerian population having access to internet put at 47 million, Why not take advantage of this? have you tried accessing your app, website of online e-commerce site from your mobile phones? Don’t take my word for it, but believe Google. They say 60% of all search queries in Nigeria come from mobile phones. You may have a gigantic website, but are you accessible through mobile? Mobile accessibility includes having a mobile website, a web app or responsive CMS websites (made to adapt to laptops,tablets and phones) included when developing your online platform.
Mobile phones have become more sophisticated, accessible and affordable, making them an almost indispensable device for consumers and the future of internet connectivity.
Local
The search engine results (SERs) for ‘clothes and fashion accessories Lagos’ is different from ‘clothes and fashion accessories’. Search engines like Google owning localised versions of their sites (i.e. www.google.com.ng) also mean that search engines will favour localized results above global ones. If you have a geolocation-based business or a business that targets audiences within a specific geolocation, then you will want to enhance your platform and optimize it for search and social enquiries.
This includes developing locally optimised title tags, meta descriptions, geosite maps and directories.
Smartphone technology is also rapidly improving, enabling more interactivity and other features on phones. Using SoLoMo techniques mean your online platform becomes more visible, people will be able to interact more and they are likely to find you when they want you. If people cannot access your websites or if these links cannot open correctly on a mobile device, a marketing opportunity is lost. Using SoLoMo ensures we use these 3 complementing elements to tap into a hungry waiting market of people looking for your services/products.
