Unit 6.1
Unit 6 Intro: Social, Mobile, and Local Marketing
Learning Objectives
By the end of this introductory chapter, you will be able to:
- ✅ Define the core concepts of social, mobile, and local marketing.
- ✅ Explain how these three trends converge into the "SoLoMo" marketing model.
- ✅ Describe the unique opportunities and context for SoLoMo in Nepal.
- ✅ Identify the key components of each marketing type.
The Modern Marketing Trifecta
Three interconnected trends are reshaping e-commerce marketing.
🤝 Social
Using social media to build brands, connect with audiences, and drive sales.
📱 Mobile
Reaching consumers directly on their personal devices like smartphones and tablets.
📍 Local
Targeting customers based on their physical geographic location for high relevance.
🔢 Why These Three, Why Now?
🤝 Social
Billions of people now spend part of every day inside social apps — that is where attention lives.
📱 Mobile
The smartphone is with the customer all day: in the bus, in the shop, in bed.
📍 Local
Most money is still spent close to home: groceries, food, salons, repairs.
Ask: which of the three did you use in the last hour? Most hands go up for all three.
Quick Check: Match the Pillar
For each description, click the correct marketing pillar.
Building brand presence and driving sales using platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Targeting consumers based on their physical geographic location for high relevance.
Reaching an audience on their smartphones, tablets, or other portable devices.
The Convergence: So-Lo-Mo
These trends are no longer separate. Their power lies in their integration.
SoLoMo: The term used to describe the convergence of Social, Local, and Mobile marketing into a unified strategy.
This creates a new marketing landscape that is more personal, contextual, and immediate than ever before.
Decode the SoLoMo Acronym
Click each segment below to reveal what it stands for.
Social
Using social media to build brand awareness, engage communities, and drive conversions through shared content and relationships.
Local
Using geographic context to deliver relevant messages — targeting consumers based on their current or frequent physical locations.
Mobile
Optimizing all marketing for smartphones — the primary device through which users interact with social platforms and local services.
🔗 Why Did Social, Mobile and Local Converge?
- The smartphone carries all three. One device has the social apps, the internet connection and a GPS chip that knows where you are.
- Social platforms went mobile-first. Most social media time is now spent on phones, so social ads are mobile ads by default.
- Location became cheap data. Check-ins, maps, ride and food apps made "where you are" a targeting signal advertisers can buy.
- Customers search with intent. "Near me" and "open now" searches happen on the street, minutes before buying.
Exam tip: any two of these, each with one example, earns full marks.
🎬 Watch: Social + Local + Mobile
1. What is Social Marketing? 🤝
Definition: The use of social media platforms to connect with your audience to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
Key activities include:
- Publishing engaging content (posts, videos, stories)
- Listening to and engaging with followers
- Analyzing performance with platform analytics
- Running targeted social media advertisements
2. What is Mobile Marketing? 📱
Definition: A multi-channel digital strategy to reach an audience on their smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices.
Primary Channels:
- Mobile-friendly Websites
- Email & SMS/MMS
- Social Media Apps
- Dedicated Mobile Apps
🎯 Key Principle
Mobile is not just a channel, it's a context. Marketing must be optimized for small screens, on-the-go usage, and immediate interaction.
Mobile Marketing: True or False?
Click True or False for each statement.
Mobile marketing is only effective when you have a dedicated app.
SMS/MMS is considered a primary mobile marketing channel.
Mobile is "just a delivery channel" — the same message works equally well on desktop and mobile.
Mobile marketing must be optimized for small screens, on-the-go usage, and immediate interaction.
3. What is Local Marketing? 📍
Definition: A marketing strategy that targets consumers within a specific radius of a business's physical location. Also known as neighborhood marketing.
Leverages a user's location to provide relevant offers:
- Geotargeting: Targeting ads to users in a specific city, zip code, or area.
- Geofencing: Creating a virtual perimeter around a location to trigger actions (e.g., push notifications) when a user enters or leaves.
- Local SEO: Optimizing for searches like "restaurants near me."
Identify the Location Technique
For each scenario, click the correct location-based marketing method.
A user walks within 300m of a clothing store in New Road and instantly receives a push notification: "You're nearby — enjoy 10% off today!"
A hotel in Pokhara runs Facebook ads targeted exclusively at users currently located in Kaski District.
A Thamel restaurant adds its address, hours, photos, and category to Google Business Profile so tourists find it when searching "restaurants near me."
☕ Real Case: Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay
- Mobile: the Starbucks app lets customers order and pay before they arrive (rolled out across the US in 2015).
- Local: the app shows the nearest stores and wait times, and you pick a store to collect from.
- Social / loyalty: the Rewards programme in the app sends personalised offers and gamified challenges.
- Starbucks has reported that mobile orders make up roughly a quarter or more of US transactions in recent years.
Nepal parallel: ordering from a nearby café on Foodmandu or Pathao Food and tracking the rider on a map.
🎬 Watch: Order Ahead, Skip the Line
At the Café Counter
🎮 Real Case: Pokémon GO Sends Players Into Shops
- Launched in July 2016, Pokémon GO puts virtual creatures at real-world places — you must walk there with your phone.
- In Japan, McDonald's paid to make about 3,000 of its restaurants into in-game Gyms and PokéStops.
- Small shops worldwide bought "lures" to attract players — and their wallets — to the door.
- Players shared catches on social media, spreading the game further.
Pure SoLoMo: mobile device + physical location + social sharing = foot traffic.
Playing Together, in Real Places
Practical Application: SoLoMo in Nepal 🇳🇵
The SoLoMo trend is highly relevant due to high smartphone penetration and social media popularity.
Social Dominance
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are central to daily life. Businesses use them for branding and targeted ads.
Mobile First
Mobile is the primary way Nepalis access the internet. A mobile-friendly website or app is essential for any business.
Local Relevance
Crucial for small businesses. Location-based marketing helps drive foot traffic to physical stores, from cafes to retail shops.
Nepal SoLoMo Context: Knowledge Check
Three questions about the SoLoMo landscape in Nepal. Select the best answer.
1. What is the primary way most Nepalis access the internet?
2. Which social platforms are described as central to daily life in Nepal?
3. Why is location-based marketing especially valuable for small Nepali businesses?
The SoLoMo Synergy in Action ⚡
Let's see how these elements combine for a powerful, personalized experience.
Example Scenario: A Kathmandu Retailer
- SOCIAL 🤝: A user follows a clothing store on Instagram and has shown interest in their posts about hiking gear.
- LOCAL 📍: The user is walking through Thamel, within 200 meters of that store's physical location.
- MOBILE 📱: The user receives a targeted push notification or Instagram ad: "Hi [User]! Gearing up for a trek? Get 15% off all hiking boots today, only at our Thamel store. We're just around the corner!"
🧮 Worked Example: A Thamel Café's SoLoMo Funnel
The café runs an Instagram ad to people within 2 km, offering "Show this ad for a free cookie". (Illustrative figures.)
| Stage | People | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Saw the ad (reach) | 20,000 | — |
| Tapped for directions | 400 | 2% of reach |
| Visited the café | 120 | 30% of taps |
| Bought a drink (avg Rs 350) | 90 | 75% of visitors |
Ad spend Rs 6,000 → revenue 90 × Rs 350 = Rs 31,500. Cost per visitor = 6,000 ÷ 120 = Rs 50.
Which stage would you improve first? (Hint: the biggest drop is from reach to taps.)
Key Takeaways 📊
What to remember from this introduction:
- Three Pillars: Social, Mobile, and Local are the foundational trends of modern e-commerce marketing.
- Convergence is Key: Their true power is unlocked when used together in a unified "SoLoMo" strategy.
- Context Matters: SoLoMo allows for highly personalized and context-aware marketing that is more effective than traditional methods.
- Local Relevance: The SoLoMo model is especially powerful in markets like Nepal with strong mobile and social media adoption.
📋 Social vs Mobile vs Local: Side by Side
| 🤝 Social | 📱 Mobile | 📍 Local | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Brand awareness, engagement, community | Reach customers anytime; drive app use and quick purchases | Bring nearby customers into the store; foot traffic |
| Technologies | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; social ads | Mobile web, apps, SMS, push notifications, QR | GPS, geotargeting, geofencing, Google Maps / Business Profile |
| Measures | Reach, engagement rate, shares, followers, conversions | App installs, active users, click-through, push opens, mobile sales | Store visits, direction requests, calls, redemptions of local offers |
Same customer, three lenses: who they talk to, what device they hold, where they stand.
💬 Think, Pair, Share (3 minutes)
1. Pick a business on your street. Design one SoLoMo campaign for it: what is the social hook, the mobile touchpoint, and the local trigger?
2. A geofenced push arrives every time you pass a shop. When does this feel helpful, and when does it feel creepy?
3. Which of the three pillars is weakest for a village business outside the Valley? Why?
Exam Practice 📝
Short answer
- What is So-Lo-Mo marketing?
- Define local marketing.
- Give two reasons why social, mobile, and local marketing have converged.
Long answer
- Explain the convergence of social, mobile, and local marketing with a suitable example.
- Compare social, mobile, and local marketing in terms of their goals, technologies, and measures.
Revise the answers in the full note.
Sources & Media Credits
- Barista: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
- Pokémon GO players: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
- Videos: IONOS USA; Newsy Tech.
- Image 1: source — CC BY 2.0, Shixart1985
- Image 2: source — CC BY 4.0, ProtoplasmaKid
- Clip 1: source
- Clip 2: source
- Existing course illustrations retained; creator/licence metadata was not supplied. Provenance review pending.
- Clip 1 statistics: unsourced 2015 speaker claims, not current figures. Clip 2: December 2014 launch report, not the nationwide rollout.
Thank You
This concludes our introduction to Social, Mobile, and Local Marketing.
Next Up: Unit 6.2 - A Deep Dive into Social Marketing