This is the latest in BIA/Kelsey’s Vantage Points series. On a semi-weekly basis, it will tap the perspectives of various lookout points from around the local media and tech sectors. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect that of BIA/Kelsey. Please contact mbolandATbiakelsey if you have insights to share.
Marketing for Consumer Micro-Moments in a Mobile-First World
By Bernadette Coleman
Google is known for changing everything. Originally it was the name of a search engine, a simple noun. Now it’s a verb and a way to do business; the search engine is so deeply entrenched in our daily lives and culture that many of us would be lost without it.
Our dependence extends from personal searches to find solutions to issues, to learning how to do just about anything, and Google Shopping provides a great way to instantly comparison shop. Google often dominates the way day-to-day work is done in the digital marketing industry. A rumor of change sends us scurrying to find the best ways to deal with it.
We’re well beyond rumors and we know for certain that once again Google will cause us to change our thinking about marketing. Instead of focusing on the majors we’re now encouraged to market for the moment. These are Micro-Moments: meaningful and profitable moments that are regularly being discussed and written about by industry leaders.
Micro-Moments represent opportunities for brands to capitalize on times consumers reach for their smartphone to help them in their decision-making processes. Often we’re driven to search when we need to know something, perform a task, go somewhere or make a purchase.
We have no problem understanding and converting on people’s desire to buy, but we should also think about the steps all along the way. What is the intent behind the search query? What context is it made in? How fast can the information be delivered? These questions and the answers, provided by brands and businesses in search, are what Google calls Micro-Moments.
There are four main drivers Google identified that lead to these key convergence moments. These include I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-buy and I-want-to-do moments. To capitalize on these moments, marketers need to:
— Be present: Know the needs and desires of target audiences; and know what search queries and keywords bring in consumers.
— Be relevant: Providing relevant information brings in traffic and an opportunity to win consumers from competitors; 65 percent of smartphone users are looking for information to satisfy their need, not a particular company.
— Be fast: Attention spans are short and competition is high. Forty percent of shoppers abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load.
Succeeding in Micro-Moments is really a matter of knowing and going where your target consumers are; which is on mobile.
Reach out to the them all along the purchasing journey so that as they make last-minute or spur-of-the-moment decisions, your clients’ products and services are top of mind. Through this you’ll be able to tap into an entirely new level of consumer engagement.
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Bernadette Coleman is the founder and CEO of search technology and local presence management company Advice Local. She specializes in content marketing, SEO social media and local search strategies for small and large companies.
Related: Micro-moments is the topic of a recent BIA/Kelsey white paper, sponsored by Advice Local. It includes analysis and case studies and is available for download here.
