Marketing to micro-moments is the new technological advances with smartphone adoption that have made it easier than ever for customers to make decisions faster than before. This change in customer behavior has resulted in the advent of a new marketing type: micro-moments marketing.
What Are Micro-Moments?
Micro-moments are moments when users reflexively use a device, such as a smartphone or a tablet, to learn, perform, discover, or purchase something. These moments are intent-rich and are instances when preferences are shaped, and decisions are made.
Customer expectations are high in such moments. Smartphones have trained people into expecting brands to deliver exactly what users are looking for when they are looking for at that very moment. Users want things accurate and immediately.
Micro-moments are sufficed by needs, which are summarized by Google as follows.
- I-want-to-know
- I-want-to-do
- I-want-to-go
- I-want-to-buy
What Is Micro-Moments Marketing?
Google and other search engines provide users with thousands of results for a single search, which has increased user expectations in their quest for the perfect solution. Users expect an answer that matches their expectations (micro-moment) immediately. For instance, when a person searches for ATMs, they almost automatically expect Google to provide a list of ATMs located in their vicinity. This micro-moment is of the ‘I-want-to-go’ category, which is why they expect results of nearby ATMs and not results for ATMs in some other area.
Importance of Micro-Moments Marketing
Micro-moments marketing helps brands when users are searching for a business, product, or service to fulfill a particular need. This change in user intent increases the need for micro-moments marketing. Other than this, the reasons why micro-moments marketing is important are as follows.
- To Capture Attention
It is difficult to reach target audiences as users generally have short attention spans. It increases the need for brands to target the market at the right time. Along with this, marketers also need to create a message that is accurate and understandable.
Micro-moments marketing allows marketers to target users when looking for a business and not their brand. Marketers can create content to target intent-rich moments by leveraging micro-moments marketing. This content allows marketers to offer value by providing users with accurate information required to suffice their needs.
- To Increase Brand Awareness
Consumers have multiple options in any and every industry today. Every brand, regardless of the sector, is competing for market share. Micro-moment marketing allows marketers to increase brand awareness among their target audience. Companies can stay on users’ top of mind by building brand awareness through the I-want-to-know or I-want-to-buy moments.
- To Gain a Competitive Edge
Success is expected for companies that invest in micro-moment marketing. It allows companies to fulfill user expectations by providing resources and information required to suffice their need. It can lead to in-store visits, online purchases, or calls to a business.
How to Market to Micro-Moments?
Micro-moments can be marketed by focusing on the following points.
- Who
Companies need to understand who their target audience is to convert them to sales. This segment can include demographics, pain points, and needs. Marketers can determine the shared features of their target audience and refine the target market by segmentation to create competitive micro-moment marketing campaigns.
- What
While the questions people ask may be different, the topic generally is the same. Marketers are advised to research what their target audience searches in every micro-moment and build a smart strategy around it. Upon observation, it has been found out that I-want-to-know moments feature a wide range of keywords, while I-want-to-buy moments include a limited number of keywords.
- Where
To further improve marketing strategy, marketers must research where users search and monitor where they land on your website. For instance, if a business is located in a particular area, it may discover that most of its customers are from that area as well. This user behavior can help brands in discovering I-want-to-go-moments. This information can help teams in focusing on specific areas. Monitoring where users traverse on a website helps teams in discovering what users are interested in and want from a particular site.
- When
It helps businesses in developing a smart, performance-driven micro-moment marketing campaign. It includes the time of the day, week, or year when the micro-moment triggers a user’s searches. It is specifically useful for companies that operate seasonally to monitor when searches for their products and services are most popular. Companies can also Run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns year-round but scheduled them to be broadcast only during specific hours of the day or on particular days in a week. Companies can perform campaign optimization when users generally look for their business with the help of this strategy.
- Why
Perhaps the most important of all, companies must understand why users choose your business over another. This can be answered by analyzing the factors — ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘when,’ and ‘where.’ When companies understand the ‘why,’ they can create campaigns that drive results. Marketers can personalize their content to address specific questions and concerns that motivate users to opt for their brand.
Micro-Moments Marketing Examples
Companies in every industry have found that micro-moment marketing is a great way to build relationships with new and existing customers and take their business to the next level. Examples of micro-moment marketing are as follows.
- Hyundai
The automotive industry has experienced a massive change in the way people purchase a vehicle. People are increasingly research-oriented, specifically when it comes to car dealerships, making it all the more important to approach users at the very beginning of their search. It is because the car purchasing journey begins online, although the purchase happens at the dealership.
Logo by Hyundai as seen on the Website
- Domino’s Pizza
Like the automotive industry, the food industry has also seen drastic changes over the recent past. Online food ordering has become increasingly popular, with brands beginning to note a slight decline in sales, which is due to the multiple numbers of steps required to complete an online order.
To tackle this problem, Domino’s revamped its website. It resulted in a substantial rise in conversion rates as it took customers just a few quick steps to place an order, compared to the previous 25 steps. Domino’s also noted an increase in online orders, which now makes up more than half of its total orders.
Logo by Domino’s Pizza as seen on the Website
- Nestlé Waters
Nestlé had recently begun to see the change in how users searched, despite them having been around for years. People may not search for water as frequently as they would search for other beverages, which made digital marketing a tough challenge for Nestlé.
Nestlé began connecting with customers online, the same way they reached in-store shoppers. This resulted in the company noting a drastic change in their marketing experience and results. In fact, their customer acquisition cost dropped significantly.
Logo by Nestle Waters as seen on the Website
Conclusion
Micro-moments marketing is a trusted method of improving the customer journey and brand awareness, which increases a company’s revenue and accelerates growth. Understanding what a brand’s consumers demand is the path to success, making it a must-use strategy. Micro-moments are here to stay and will become widespread with technological advancements and their role in day-to-day life. Micro-moment marketing allows brands to keep up with everything by serving their audiences and their micro-moments.
