Micro-Moment Marketing – Seizing Opportunities For Instant Engagement
In the digital realm, customers are constantly jumping from one screen to another. Sometimes it is a response to a notification sound. Sometimes it is that impulse to grab their phone and check out that new product they saw in a trending Reel. Or it could be to know more about a place their friends mentioned in a conversation. Such moments of mindful switching of screens are potential attention windows for marketers. And these moments are called micro-moments in marketing.
Micro-moment marketing is a road less traveled but one that leads to a treasure trove of exceptional results. Wondering what micro-moments are and how to tap into this untouched mine for your brand? We have all the answers right here. Shall we begin?
But first, what are micro-moments?
Micro-moments are the seconds that shape a consumer’s decision.
Here’s how Google defines micro-moments:
“An intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do, or buy. “
Google also classifies these micro-moments into four categories. See them for yourself:
Don’t they sound like the perfect opportunities to connect with your customers? Because an ad that is displayed at an unexpected moment is seen as an ad, something intrusive. But an ad that is displayed during these micro-moments does not seem like an ad. They are seen as the brand presenting information to the customer right when they are looking for it. That’s why micro-moment marketing works.
In short, you are creating better customer connections by making it easier for your target audience to find what they are looking for at the time when they need it the most. The aspect of relevance and timing make micro-moment marketing an effective one for brands.
So, shall we talk about the concrete benefits that make the case for targeting micro-moments as a brand?
The untold benefits of micro-moment marketing
1. You get to build trust
Have you seen how some brands have emerged as authoritative figures in their respective industries? This is possible mostly by nurturing connections through micro-moments. We’ll tell you how.
Have you heard about the primary effect? In human psychology, the primacy effect refers to the theory that people tend to remember better and trust better the “first piece of information they encounter”. Combining this idea and micro-moments, marketers can make a big difference, don’t you think? If your website happens to present this first piece of information right when the customer is looking for answers, then you are creating a lasting impression.
In other words, you have won the trust of your target audience!
Take Statista for example. With over 2 million registered users, Statista has become a go-to resource for anyone who is looking for facts and figures on various topics. How did that happen? Because the brand chose to tap into the “I-want–to-know” moments.
By consistently creating dependable content for a high-ranking website to maintaining an informative social media page, Statista has leveraged micro-moments beautifully. And the results speak for themselves. The website sees over 31 million monthly visits!
The below snapshot shows some of the recent posts on Statista’s Instagram page:
You already know that there has been a lot of traction around Apple due to the WWDC 2023 event, around travel since summers have begun, and on the Pride Month topic. By sharing informative content in the right context, Statista increases the chances of giving people the answers right when they need them.
KIMP Tip: To keep the information presented engaging and easier to understand, Statista regularly incorporates infographics. Infographics help break down the presented message so that the critical details are intact.
Need help creating these infographics? Choose a KIMP Graphics subscription!
2. Competitive advantage
Micro-moment marketing can be a great boost to brands in competitive industries. Take the sports industry for example. Nike does have a strong place for itself. But the brand still leverages micro-moment marketing in several ways.
The Nike Run Club app is a good example of this. The app acts as the perfect running partner and resonates with fitness enthusiasts. This app connects with users in the “I-want-to-do” moments by helping them track their fitness journey and stay motivated.
To support the idea and to personalize it for its customers, Nike also shares informative content about running and fitness like the above post.
What really worked here is the timing because Nike promoted the app during the lockdown, right when a lot of people were looking for ways to stay active. Naturally, this app promoted as a home workout companion was a big hit. It reached 15.4 million downloads in the year 2020 alone! These figures place a strong point in favor of tapping into micro-moment marketing!
3. Strengthen brand awareness
About 70% of marketers consider building brand awareness as their top priority for social media. What if we told you that micro-moment marketing can be of great help in that? Yes, leveraging micro-moments is one of the best ways to get your brand noticed and to reach more people, and build awareness for your brand, especially on social media.
The best example of this will be GoPro. The brand’s social media pages are filled with user-generated content. By sharing photos and videos shot by customers on a GoPro camera, the brand manages to tap into the “I-want-to-buy” moments.
Imagine you are planning a vacation and are looking for a camera that helps capture all the action and the thrill of your holidays. And at such a moment you come across a video like the one below:
What happens here is you see what the product does and how exceptionally it does it even before seeing the actual product. This evokes your curiosity to know more about the product and the brand. When this happens, even if you do not buy from the brand immediately, the brand is imprinted in your mind for a long time.
4. Enhance local marketing
Struggling to establish your brand’s presence among your local audience? Then micro-moment marketing might be just what you need. It helps you strengthen local relevance and drive more foot traffic to your store. Starbucks knows how to do this.
The mobile order options as well as drive-thru options offered by Starbucks are promoted through various channels like social media and billboard advertising. These meet customers in their “I-want-to-go” moments. A user searching on their smartphone for a way to grab a coffee on the go and someone looking for a spot to grab a coffee as they are commuting to work will all find these ads to be relevant and useful.
KIMP Tip: While we often talk about digital ads and website content when it comes to micro-moment marketing, as you can see from the Starbucks example, even traditional ads including newspaper advertising and billboards, and other outdoor ads can be of great help.
Need help creating consistent-looking ads for various platforms? Get KIMP!
Having discussed the why of micro-moment marketing, let’s get to the how. Yes, how do you create new content and optimize your existing content and strategies for micro-moment marketing? Let’s find out.
Optimizing your content and strategies for micro-moment marketing
Create content to cater to every type of micro-moment
The question of what kind of content to use to leverage each type of micro-moment is perhaps one that comes up first. So, let’s quickly address that. Here are a few content types to explore based on each of the four common micro-moments:
- I-want-to-know moments – video tutorials, explainer videos, educational blogs, how-to-videos, and how-to-guides
- I-want-to-go moments – virtual tours, experiences, and walkthroughs shared by consumers, recommendations, and reviews by local guides.
- I-want-to-do moments – video tutorials that give the step-by-step process, DIY project ideas, recipes shared through blogs and videos, guides on Instagram, Pinterest boards
- I-want-to-buy moments – product demo videos, product review videos, and blogs, unboxing videos, customer testimonials, buying guides
All of these content pieces need to be personalized for the platform you plan to use them on and the kind of message they are meant to convey. Accordingly, the proportion of text and graphics in the content can be adjusted. But remember, visuals play a pivotal role in all these places because visuals convey the intended message much more quickly. And this works really well with an intent-driven user.
Optimize for mobile
The whole idea of micro-moments is those fleeting moments when a user instantly needs answers or needs to take a step. And most of the time they reach for the device that is close by to find these answers or to make that move. Since most people have their smartphones close by at most times, this is one gadget they turn to for answers.
Data shows that people who search for information on smartphones are about 39% more likely to call a business. This means that mobile optimization significantly increases the chances of that first encounter.
That’s one reason why your website content as well as ad strategies should be optimized for mobile devices if you want to make the most of micro-moment marketing.
Aim to promote through diverse platforms
Micro-moments can happen anywhere and at any time. Accordingly, the place where the user looks for information varies. Sometimes it is on the smartphone and sometimes it is the desktop computer. Sometimes it is in a search engine and other times it is on social media. Take all these differences into account when you decide what type of content to use where.
For example, consider the promotion of an ecommerce store catering to smartphones. Someone looking to purchase a smartphone within a particular price range might do a quick Google search. So, utilizing Google ads will be a great place for the brand to leverage “I-want-to-buy” moments.
Whereas, someone looking to do something might look for ideas or even reviews on social media. In such cases, relevant social media ads are very effective. For example, say you are looking for online fitness programs and go to YouTube for ideas. An ad like the one below will not only tell you about a program but also how it will benefit you.
In all these platforms, there are various content formats you can use. On YouTube alone, for example, you can use both videos and static image ads. In the above example, a video is definitely the most relevant option. But in some cases, a quick static post with a link to a landing page will work.
Therefore, the key to leveraging micro-moments effectively is to stay ready with a portfolio of content in various formats to suit the platform and the purpose.
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Optimize for voice search
When was the last time you asked Alexa for a recipe or perhaps for a quick update on a specific topic? If it was a few hours or even a few days ago, then you know how relevant voice search is today. Therefore, it goes without saying that in order to tap into micro-moment marketing you need to optimize your content for voice search.
A survey by Adobe Analytics showed that about 7% of users who use smart speakers have used the device to make purchases. So, even the most critical and productive micro-moment, the “I-want-to-buy” moment can be fulfilled when you optimize your content for voice search.
Harness the power of micro-moment marketing with visually engaging content
The foundational concept of micro-moment marketing is about grabbing the momentary window of opportunity. And we know well that this window is pretty short. People want answers instantly. Evidently, visual content like videos and images often work better than lengthy text. And even when you have text, it needs to be crisp, catchy, memorable, and on-brand.
Summing up, the best kind of content for micro-moment marketing will be on-brand content that educates customers through the use of engaging visuals and clear copy. Once you have the copy sorted, a professional design team can materialize your idea effectively so that you do not miss the most fruitful moments in marketing.
Want to know how working with a professional design team can simplify your work? Sign up for a KIMP subscription now!