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- Tapping into micro-moments
Hello!
I hope your week is going well and that morale is high in your camp despite the doom and gloom in the news.
Business is always competitive, regardless of what’s happening in the economy. Cutting through the noise and standing out is something we all work at every single day. And it’s a moving target – technology develops, new trends emerge, and consumer behaviours change. So how do you stay relevant when the goalpost is always moving?
Today, I’m going to discuss one impactful strategy, which you can implement regardless of your marketing budget.
Here’s what’s on the agenda:
Strategy
✨ Tapping into micro-moments
👀 Finding your micro-moments
⏱️ How to be in the right place at the right time
✨ STRATEGY
Tapping into micro-moments
When it comes to staying relevant, you’ve got to get granular. Understanding your customers’ motivations in a general sense is a start, but if you want to have real impact, don’t overlook micro-moments.
According to Google, micro-moments are when consumers turn to their devices to act on a need to learn, discover, watch, or buy something. These moments are full of intent and occur when people reflexively turn to their devices for quick answers. There are four main types:
I-want-to-know moments: When someone is exploring or researching but is not necessarily in purchase mode.
I-want-to-go moments: When someone is looking for a local business or is considering buying a product at a nearby store.
I-want-to-do moments: When someone needs help completing a task or trying something new.
I-want-to-buy moments: When someone is ready to make a purchase and may need help deciding what or how to buy.
Google lists three ways to capitalise on these moments:
Be there: Anticipate the micro-moments for users in your industry, and be ready with the right content.
Be useful: Provide relevant, easily accessible information to help consumers make decisions quickly.
Be quick: Ensure your site and/or app loads quickly and offers a seamless user experience.
👀 STRATEGY
Uncovering micro-moments
Google tells us to “be there” but how exactly do you anticipate micro-moments? Here are a few strategies.
Dig into the data
Data is your best friend to uncover key moments of the user journey. Dig into your website’s analytics to spot trends.
Are there certain times of day, or days of the week where you get spikes in traffic?
Where is the traffic predominantly coming from?
Are certain products consistently more popular than others?
Have you seen any trends e.g. a spike in sales for ‘essential’ items and a drop for ‘luxury’ items?
Do you generate more sales during particular occasions?
Once you’ve found the trends, start exploring what’s causing them.
Get into your customers’ heads
You and your customers will share common traits – that’s why your business resonates with them. By getting to know your own behaviour, you can make educated guesses about theirs.
When do you actively seek out information or products? Is it when you read an article, a review, or see an item you like on a celebrity?
Look at your personal search history. What were the last things you looked up? Can you remember what made you search for them?
Ask your customers directly
A good survey can deliver amazing insights. Incentivise customers with a decent prize – the information you gather will be well worth the small investment.
Keep your ear (and eyes) to the ground
The other day I was watching Masterchef (IYKYK). There was an episode with a plant-based challenge where a couple of contestants knocked it out of the park with their oyster mushroom “fried chicken”. I went to specialty grocer, Farro a couple of days later and all the oyster mushrooms were gone. I’d wager a significant portion of Farro’s customer base are also Masterchef fans. If you can be agile, there are all sorts of moments like this you can capitalise on.
⏱️ STRATEGY
How to be in the right place at the right time
Once you’ve worked out which micro-moments you want to leverage, consider where your audience will be looking for information and how you can be most relevant.
Google
If they’re searching on Google, look at how you can capitalise on their search.
Include SEO-optimised blogs on your website
Incorporate keywords into your meta descriptions
For more organic SEO tips – check out this past newsletter.
Social media
If your customers are on social media, consider some of the following tactics to get your content in front of your target market.
Work with well-respected micro-influencers – they don’t cost the earth and often have a loyal following
Run paid ads
Optimise your ads to run at key times to make your budget work harder
Promote UGC that taps into the micro-moment messaging
Editorial
If your audience’s micro-moments are triggered by articles, consider how you can get your brand into the same space.
Submit press releases – you can write these yourself if budget is a concern
Pay for an advertorial
Explore programmatic advertising
Omnichannel
If budget allows, an omnichannel approach will always be your best bet. You know what it’s like when McDonald’s releases a new burger – you see it EVERYWHERE. You can replicate this feeling but in a more targeted, cost-efficient way.
Here’s an example of how that could work if you were selling hand sanitiser.
Pay for a small section of digital billboards in strategic places – like busy bus shelters in the peak of winter.
Combine digital ads with geotargeting, focusing on the same area as your digital billboards.
Get your content on popular news sites, targeting people on their bus commute. You get the idea…
A final word
When times are tough, you’re forced to think differently and get creative. While this is hard, it’s when you make the best decisions for your business – and ultimately make your business stronger long term.
Trust your intuition. No one knows your business like you do.
❤️ REFER A FRIEND
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Thanks for reading!
Until next time.
Alex Murton
Managing Director & Co-Founder
Studio Almond
