Marketing to Today’s Empowered Consumer It’s no secret that we are increasingly connected. The penetration of smart devices has now reached a tipping point, globally. Surveys continue to reveal significant changes in consumer behavior and expectations. We have been writing about the evolving Social, Local, Mobile (#SoLoMo) marketing practice requiring a new mindset. Consumers are empowered and socially persisting. In days gone by, relations with friends and even colleagues were paced, constrained by the limitations of antiquated technology; now, technology has made everything instantaneous. While there are many opportunities for brands to seize, it’s important to recognize boundaries. So, in …
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This monthly Social Media Integration column is contributed by Joseph Ruiz. Joe is President of Strategic Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing and consulting firm specializing in web-based integrated Relationship Marketing. Joe thrives on the ever-changing nature of marketing in the digital age, embracing interactive opportunities, while applying three decades of hands-on expertise in online and traditional marketing. When he’s not helping business-makers navigate through complex marketing challenges, Joe enjoys reading, working out and traveling just about anywhere…anywhere you can get a digital signal, that is. Joe on Google+
Joe Ruiz's Posts
What is SoMoLo and why is it important to marketers? I have been writing and speaking on this topic for a while now. Social Local Mobile Most of the time I am making a case for taking advantage of the marketing opportunity that can be found where these three (social, mobile and local) overlap. In this post, I am going to take a slightly different approach. I want to share some recent learning. There’s a subtle nuance I’m wondering if you caught onto–did you notice the reversal of the words Local and Mobile? As a company, when referring to SoMoLo, …
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It is possible to dismiss SoLoMo as just another fad, a cute acronym at best. Critics may counter with: Isn’t it just social, mobile and local marketing; we are on Facebook and we like Linked In. And, our site is mobile ready, I visit there often from my smart phone, so what’s the big deal? While social, mobile and local are all elements of SoLoMo it’s where the three components intersect on the customer’s path to purchase that allows Marketers real opportunity, as I explained in SoLoMo and the Value of Connection: You Can’t Afford the Missing Pieces. Sadly, many companies …
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2013 Trends: Marketing Requires a Different Mindset During a recent client workshop designed to familiarize a large organization with digital/social marketing, I noticed signs posted on the wall that said “THINK DIFFERENTLY”. How does any organization, large or small, “think differently”? It’s an important question and really goes to the heart of implementing a Social/Mobile/Local marketing strategy. If you aren’t sure where to begin, try 10 questions to help audit your social media strategy in 2013, an excellent resource from Neal Schaffer. I see a significant trend developing in businesses of all sizes; business leaders and owners are becoming more …
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Have you ever been close to finishing a puzzle only to discover there are one or more missing pieces? Isn’t it interesting how the smallest missing piece can distort the bigger picture? Connecting Social, Mobile and Local The power of SoMoLo is found in integrating the three, social, mobile and local, disciplines. Like putting together a puzzle, fitting these pieces together properly will reveal a larger picture; a new space of opportunity is revealed when all the pieces are connected. Unless all three elements are connected there will be missing pieces, as a result you’ll never get big-picture clarity. Assembling …
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Businesses unleash the power of SoMoLo when they connect with consumers where social, mobile and local intersect; it is at this point where companies meet consumers where they are (not vice-versa, as in the old days of marketing). Identifying that sweet spot and crafting seamless messages across these three venues requires an integrated mindset, and a land of opportunity exists for those who adapt and embrace the new way of thinking. I talk about this in more detail in What is SoMoLo and Why is It So Important to Marketers; it’s my first post on the SoMoLo topic and I …
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For some, So(Social) Mo(Mobile) Lo(Local) may be a new term. For others, it may seem like just another trendy acronym. SoMoLo, a blending of three distinct marketing variables, is quite different, even though the individual elements may appear to be familiar. And what’s exciting for retailers, is that SoMoLo can produce outcomes far more effective than any of the single components alone could achieve. Like any good formula, the value is all in the way the variables are combined and prepared. The power of the SoMoLo opportunity is a sustained relevant customer experience driven by engaged and aligned stakeholders. Retailers …
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SoMoLo is an acronym for Social+Mobile+Local marketing and it is an increasingly common term referring to a new marketing approach. You may have read plenty about each of the individual elements; if so, you’re likely to be asking questions like: Isn’t this just semantics? What’s so different? Where is the opportunity? Good questions. But hopefully when you’ve finished reading this post, I’ll dispel any question about whether SoMoLo is just a matter of semantics, and I’ll prove to you that a traditional marketing approach will leave Marketers disappointed. In contrast, Marketers who approach today’s SoMoLo consumer with a new mindset …
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Mixing Social & Marketing: Why highlight mistakes? Social business is a different way of doing business – it has the potential to affect the entire organization, from stakeholder to customer. Potentially all stakeholders now have easy access to platforms that can amplify their voices. It’s important to empower stakeholders so their voices will contribute to the success of the enterprise. Failing to realize the differences can lead to serious mistakes; savvy businesses can and should learn from the mistakes of others. 51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter users are more likely to buy from the brands they follow. …
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Consumers and Companies Benefit From Location Based Services (LBS) Businesses that integrate location based applications into their marketing strategies are keeping step with today’s social consumer. The 2012 consumer expects immediate response and thrives on instant gratification, which is exactly what location based services can offer. Through location based apps, which employ GPS technology on smartphones, businesses can reward people for “checking in” at a place of business or an event. Location based services benefit consumers and businesses alike. Consumers are social, mobile-users who demand convenience. LBS allow people to share information, tips and experiences with each other, right where …
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Has your company’s claim to embrace social media gone unfulfilled? Have your efforts to establish a social media presence fallen flat? Do you feel like you’ve spun your wheels to get your company on various social media platforms, and you’re on the road to nowhere? Have you given it a try, deemed the attempt futile, and now you’re ready to snuff out any lingering social media enthusiasm? If you were nodding your head in agreement to any of those questions, or if all of the above sounds like your organization’s social media experience in a nutshell, might I suggest that …
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Social businesses have a significant competitive advantage, as they keep pace with today’s market. Now that consumers are more connected, informed, and empowered than most businesses, a growing gap persists between consumer’s expectations and a business’s ability to deliver. According to Patrick Lencioni in his book, The Advantage, there are two factors required for business success. 1) Smart 2) Organizational Health Smart is defined by strategy, marketing, finance, and technology; basically decision sciences. A healthy organization is defined by minimal politics and confusion, high morale and productivity – and low turnover among good employees; it’s social. There is a connection …
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In recent posts we have talked about the changing marketing landscape; it’s a social landscape that is creating new opportunities and presenting new challenges. Some call this new era the Relationship era. This new era requires a different marketing mindset. “The ultimate goal of marketing is to generate an intense bond between the consumer and the brand, and the main ingredient of this bond is trust’ (Hiscock, 2001). Now more than ever, consumers make purchasing decisions based on their level of trust. Trust is an asset that must be earned. Research shows it’s possible to connect sales and trust. The …
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Social is changing marketing. Traditional broadcast techniques designed to deliver a flood of brand impressions in the hopes of raising a consumer’s awareness and preference are no longer sufficient. There is a new kind of consumer, who so far proves to be more socially savvy than most brands, and they expect a different kind of experience. Through technology and social platforms, consumers are more connected with each other and empowered with a host of information resources to guide them through most any buying process. The Social landscape is changing rapidly New social platforms, like Pinterest, continue to surprise us with …
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Integrating social into your marketing? Don’t overlook your most important asset. Your Website is the Core Your company website is a core asset and should be the center of your marketing efforts. Your website is the mainstay of your online presence; it brands you and serves as the foundation, or center, of a constellation of marketing assets. Not only is your website the host of your content and offers, but it is the gateway through which the world can reach you, and serves, in many cases, as a first introduction to your prospects. Your Prospects are Already Online “Many Americans …
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