Gone are the days when a consumer would sit down at a desktop, indulge in a lengthy research session, and then make a buying decision. Today, consumers are on their mobile devices throughout the day – as many as 177 times per day, in fact – researching, going, doing and buying in small chunks as the need arises. Google calls these “consumer micro-moments” and it’s vital that you’re in front of your customers in these precise moments.
Consider this, 87% of Millennials have their smartphone by their side day and night. It is the first place they turn to when they want to know something, want to do something, want to go somewhere, or want to buy something.
Is your brand showing up in mobile searches at all of these touch points throughout the sales cycle? If not, you have a tremendous opportunity to shake up your mobile marketing strategy to win consumer micro moments.
Here’s how.
First, You Have To Be There
When a consumer performs a mobile search, they want the best information as quickly as possible. They’re usually not searching for a specific brand – in fact, 90% of users aren’t sure what brand they want to buy from, and 1 in 3 end up buying from a different brand than they originally intended.
To find out how much your brand is showing up in mobile search results, have your web design agency prepare a “share of intent” metric for you. This will tell you what percentage of times your brand shows up in search results for searches relevant to your product or service. Obviously, the higher the number, the better. If you discover gaps, increase your ad coverage for those searches and you will begin showing up in key consumer micro moments.
What exactly are those moments?
I-Want-To-Know Moments
This is when a consumer is at the research stage. They are curious about something and want quick, useful information. “Useful” being the operative word here. This is not the time for a hard sell, nor is it the time to sneakily direct the user to an unrelated page. Provide helpful, relevant, timely information and the consumer will ultimately reward you with brand loyalty.
I-Want-To-Go Moments
This is when a consumer wants to physically go somewhere. An example of this type of micro moment is “near me” mobile searches, which have doubled in just the past year. 61% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from brands that use location services to customize a user’s search to their location – for example, listing nearby stores with a search for product in stock.
I-Want-To-Do Moments
This is when a consumer wants to know how to do something. These are classic “how to” searches and can encompass everything from replacing a toilet to mastering the latest eyeliner trend. It should come as no surprise that video content reigns supreme in these micro moments – in fact, almost half of smartphone users say they are more likely to buy from brands that provide instructional video content on their mobile site or app.
I-Want-To-Buy Moments
The king of all micro moments, this is when a consumer is ready to make a purchase. Hopefully the consumer has already engaged favorably with your brand at some point in their sales journey. The only thing left to do is make the buying process fast and easy – whether the user wants to buy online, via your mobile site, app, or physical store.
Site And App Performance
The best mobile marketing strategy in the world will fall flat if your mobile site or app doesn’t perform well. While many factors play into speed and functionality, you basically have less than 3 seconds for your site to load before a user leaves. Likewise, once they get to your site, the information they need should be easily found with minimal clicks and data entry.
A successful brand is one who researches their consumers’ potential micro moments and optimizes their mobile marketing strategy to ensure they are showing up and providing the needed information at precisely the right time. If you want to win consumer micro moments, contact Design & Promote, a Chicago web design agency specializing in internet marketing strategies designed to get brands noticed.
All statistics: Being There in Micro-Moments, Especially on Mobile – Think with Google. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/being-there-micromoments-especially-mobile.html