How SoLoMo Marketing Could Help Improve Public Safety
While both very important areas of modern life, marketing and public safety seem to have very little in common. However, one meaningful marketing trend that has helped to define the way we shop in recent years could also help to keep us safe in the future. SoLoMo is an important concept in modern marketing that integrates several aspects of marketing in one strategy. The acronym itself refers to social, local, mobile, and these are three of the main areas of focus for most marketers and almost all consumers in today’s world.
While most people may not recognize the term, they are likely familiar with the benefits of SoLoMo. For the most part, the concept has been relevant in mobile applications, and many popular apps like Foursquare and Yelp were built upon this foundation. However, the fundamental concept behind SoLoMo and the systems that fuel it can be applied to many other areas, including public safety.
Social, Local, Mobile
SoLoMo is based upon the idea of converging social, local and mobile advertising to help build a stronger relationship with customers and drive them towards products based upon each individual’s preferences and location. With all the information marketers have available to them about their consumer base, it is only logical to use as much as possible. Effective SoLoMo marketing also gives advertisers the ability to apply that information and build an individualized marketing plan for every customer.
The same concept and the same methodology could be used by public officials towards building safer individual communities. Identifying the preferences, locations and habits of citizens could not only provide valuable data, it could have an immediate impact on the infrastructure around them. Although there is still significant work to be done in developing, testing and producing the appropriate software for this (https://stackify.com/application-monitoring/), it could be coming soon.
Social
Social media has revolutionized the marketing industry and completely changed the way people shop for, decide upon and purchase products. Before making a purchase, customers are likely to read reviews and take in as much information before buying, and social media platforms are one of the initial sources they seek. They will often turn to social media sites as an unbiased source of information on the topic, where they can review the information and instantly interact with friends who have already purchased the product they are considering.
Consumers not only interact with each other in this way, they also interact with businesses, merchants and other organizations on social media sites. This is why it is important to for businesses and public offices to have a strong presence on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Government and public organizations can utilize social media as a source for information on citizens and a direct link between citizens and government.
Local
It did not take long for businesses to discover that GPS location systems in mobile phones are not just good for getting directions. These systems can create a constant link between consumers and merchants to help tailor purchasing decisions based on where the person is at any given time. Searches for a certain product or a service are combined with the user’s current location, and the results will be based upon the closest businesses geographically which meet the search parameters.
According to a recent study, over 65 million Americans use location based services in their mobile phones. In public safety, these concepts are already employed in the case of AMBER alerts and other emergencies based on a person’s location.
Mobile
Online shopping no longer refers to users at home on a desktop or a laptop computer, as modern consumers have the freedom to make purchases anywhere, directly from a mobile device. This is one of the main reasons it is important for companies to have mobile-friendly websites and make the purchasing process simple for mobile users.
With individualized recommendations based on location, the ability to purchase on the go and the ability to share experiences, SoLoMo could be the most meaningful marketing strategy in recent years. More importantly, the combination of social, location and mobile information could be used in an even more meaningful way to help make the world a safer place.