A whole group of manufacturers will be making their annual winter pilgrimage to Las Vegas next week for the Consumer Electronics Show. According to a pre-show forecast from Information Week, mobile devices like Android 4.0 Tablets and mobile phones like Nokia Smart phones for the US and 4G for Windows are currently on the top 5 trends to watch list.
This only reinforces the reality that mobile text messaging is a communication channel that isn’t going away anytime soon. While marketers clash with academics about whether or not text message marketing is just a novelty, those who ignore mobile innovation’s impact on branding and consumer engagement seem to be sticking their heads in the sand.
The new buzz word on the street is SoLoMo, which has been hotly debated by a lot of SMS and digital marketing industry experts and technology columnists. The new lingo refers to a shift in communication and culture that many believe is contributing to how consumers interact and how people market to them. Social is for its role in maintaining always-on connections with friends, events and activities. Local is for the way digital, new media and mobile channels are becoming more relevant, using location and real time activity. Finallly, Mobile is for this technology’s anytime, anywhere, always available presence.
In other words, more and more businesses will be connecting with their audiences using social media networks, like the one offered by Facebook, mobile phones and mobile devices. Small businesses have the most to gain by getting hyper local with their marketing messages. That's not to say that SoLoMo doesn't have its critics who say the secret to real brand building is simply staying relevant with your content. Yet, if you truly are able to connect the dots, with a little help from web-based services like the Trumpia platform, you’ll be able to leverage SoLoMo to gain a competitive edge. It’s all about connecting with your audience on every level -- from listening to their communication preferences to personalizing every interaction with them and improving your engagement on an ongoing basis. Thankfully, with the right technology and a well-thought out plan, it’s more affordable and convenient than ever before to go SoLoMo and keep your marketing MoJo flowing.
