Definition:
SOLOMO is a marketing model that integrates social, local and mobile dimensions. Its name comes from Social, Local and Mobile. It connects interactions on social networks and digital communities with geographic context and access through mobile devices.
The aim is to connect a digital need or interaction with an experience relevant to a particular place and moment. It can be applied to business discovery, local promotions, events, proximity services, mobile orders and content shared by a community.
The three components of SOLOMO
The model does not simply add three independent channels. Each component provides a different function within a connected experience.
- Social: Includes conversations, recommendations, reviews, shared content and other interactions among people, communities and organizations.
- Local: Introduces the context of a location, service area, business, event or need connected with a territory.
- Mobile: Allows people to search, book, purchase, pay, receive information or participate through a device used while traveling or at the location itself.
An action may contain only some of these capabilities, but it represents SOLOMO when all three dimensions are functionally connected. A social post without local context or a geographic campaign without a mobile experience does not by itself constitute the complete model.
How a SOLOMO experience works
The interaction may begin in any of the three areas. A person might discover a business through a social recommendation, find a nearby event on a mobile device or later share the experience with a community.
Location may be declared by the user, inferred approximately or provided by the device with the appropriate permission. The system uses that context to order results, display information about the nearest point or enable a function available in a particular area.
The mobile dimension connects discovery with immediate actions such as checking opening hours, navigating to a place, booking, collecting an order or using a code. The social element adds conversation and social proof, but does not require users to publish their location or share content.
Applications of SOLOMO
The clearest applications occur when there is a genuine relationship between the service and the territory. A directory can order nearby options, a chain can show availability by location, and an event can support registration, navigation and participation through a mobile device.
Other applications include loyalty programs linked to visits, contextual information in physical spaces, local recommendations and campaigns that coordinate social content with activity at business locations. Geomarketing can provide the territorial analysis needed to determine where and for whom an action is relevant.
Reviews, mentions and user posts can also connect the physical experience with social media. Their value depends on voluntary participation and on incentives, partnerships or sponsored content being identified where required.
Designing a SOLOMO action
The starting point is a specific need, not a forced combination of technologies. A useful action should define what location contributes, which function social interaction serves and why mobile access improves the experience.
- Objective: The action may facilitate a visit, improve access to local information, support a booking or connect a community with an in-person activity.
- Territorial context: The area should correspond with the real service coverage, available locations or reach of the event.
- Mobile experience: The page or application should be legible, fast and able to complete the action in as few steps as practical.
- Social participation: Sharing, rating or recommending should be optional and have a clear function within the experience.
- Continuity: Opening hours, availability, inventory, addresses and conditions should agree across digital channels and the physical space.
Geotargeting and geofencing may be part of the activation, but they are not requirements. They do not make an irrelevant message useful: proximity does not demonstrate interest or by itself authorize contact.
Measuring SOLOMO
Measurement should follow the journey among the three components. It may include views of local information, direction requests, bookings, code use, orders, attributable visits, reviews and interactions connected with a particular action.
Social metrics alone are not enough to evaluate the local outcome. Likewise, a visit to a business cannot always be attributed to a post or notification. Codes, tagged links, bookings and aggregated data help connect stages of the journey, although each method retains coverage and attribution limits.
Comparisons should use equivalent periods, areas and locations. Changes in inventory, weather, events, opening hours or advertising investment can affect the result and should be documented before a difference is interpreted.
Privacy and limitations
SOLOMO may use location, device identifiers, social activity and transaction data. Their processing should be limited to defined purposes, with permissions and controls appropriate to each source.
Precise location is not always necessary. A city, postal code or approximate area may be enough to display local information while reducing the personal data processed. Users should be able to understand when their location is used and manage the available permissions.
The model does not guarantee relevance, loyalty or visits. Its effectiveness depends on the usefulness of the service, data quality, territorial coverage and consistency between the digital promise and the actual experience.