How often do you take out your smartphone if you need to find some information? Be it finding nearby restaurants, booking a hotel, looking for instructions, researching a product or any random search that we often end up doing – we all have become accustomed to finding instant answers the moment the need arises.
Nowadays, a ton of information is available on the internet. People need faster results for their questions at every step of their search cycle. This need for immediate gratification is due to the ever increasing use of smartphones in day-to-day life. The rich intent of getting answers on the fly is what Google refers to as micro-moments.
As an online marketer, micro-moments are a fascinating way to increase your marketing impact and maximize customer acquisition. Let’s learn how.
Why should you as a marketer care about micro-moments?
Most marketing plans are shaped according to the buyer’s funnel with content dedicated for considerations, awareness, decisions and testing stages. But this linear funnel is becoming outdated real fast. As consumers are becoming more smartphones dependent, they are driven by more intent rich, real-time micro-moments.
When we act on our instincts our expectations increase and patience level goes down. It’s the same when you need to search on the web for something urgently. By using micro-moments, the preferences and purchases of consumers can be largely influenced. You as a marketer need to address your customer’s needs which will give you a big competitive edge over your peers.
This is pivotal because when consumers search for information online they are not absolutely certain in which brand they want to invest in. In such a case, you can target your competitor’s customers. According to reports, 1 out of 3 people have ended up purchasing from a brand other than what they originally intended for, because they got the right information at the time it was needed.
How can we make most of these micro-moments?
The key to success is satisfying your users and their needs. The need for incorporating micro-moments in your marketing strategies is important to get more brand outreach organically. Here are some ways to win micro-moments:
Understanding your users
Many a times, users look for discounts and great sales offers to confirm their decisions. Knowing about your visitors and their tastes can largely define the way your business operates. There are many software’s that track your user’s behavior and gives you great insights about their preferences. A WordPress plugin called as Instagenius lets people put a widget on their blog that guides website visitors in searching for cheap offers. It then tracks the products they’re interested in and analyzes their search pattern. Later when the product goes on sale the system automatically sends them an email letting them know about the update.
This is a good example of micro-moments where user’s unique needs are addressed and immediate gratification is provided in times of need. You can read more about it here.
Providing faster results
Because of easily available information customers expect to make faster purchasing decisions. In case of e-commerce, marketers have less than 10 seconds to affect a buyer’s decisions and win them over. Therefore, you need to plan ahead to make a difference. Provide content for each step of the user journey, optimize for mobile and have greater control over product reviews and brand reputation.
Make purchasing effortless
You should allow customers multiple ways to access information they need, making their journey as seamless as possible. Deliver relevant content with as less clicks as possible. You should also analyze different channels and plot customer’s interaction to better address your users need.
Find the hot searches
Find the popular searches that users make. Like, back from 2011 the “Near me” search has increased 80%, especially in mobile devices. This has opened up new opportunities like location based product measurements for generating and measuring ROI.
Offer solutions
With over millions of hours of “how-to” videos being watched on YouTube, nobody is interested in boring manuals these days. You need to provide users with personalized experiences where their unique needs are addressed in real time especially for products or services that they already purchased. Its the best way to build loyalty and trust for your brand.
Micro-moments are fast gaining popularity and many brands have started implementing it. Micro-moments have demonstrated ability to drive more conversions, build lasting connections and increase positive brand recognition for your products and services.
Did you ever implement micro-moments in your marketing? Let us know in the comments below!
