Fast, faster, and then even faster. This is the new speed content consumption.
Our attention span is shrinking because we are blasted with information continuously. Fear of missing out has created an international culture of micro-moment consumers.
Unless someone is doing research, chances of spending more than a few moments on any piece of content are slim. Most of us consume vast amounts of content on our cell phones. Constant interruptions, messages, texting, and calls have trained us to read fast, or scan and move on.
How does this phenomenon affect content marketing for brands and the way they distribute it?
The answer is micro-moments.
In this article, we will explore micro-moments, how to create them, and finally, how to capitalize on this trend.
What are Micro-Moments?
Google originally coined the term micro-moments. They are defined as intent-rich moments, which simply means that users are online with the intent to do something as opposed to browsing. They are either online because they want to check something specific, buy something, or learn more about a particular subject. Although the term micro-moments alludes to something fleeting and maybe not as important, they are a crucial step in the buyer’s journey.
As a brand, understanding how to craft content to help the user make the most of that intent-filled moment can improve your conversion rates and increase your return on investment (ROI), which results in healthier margins.
The best way to increase profits is to lower or optimize expenses, right?
Let’s dive in and discover more about micro-moments.
Types of Micro-Moments
What are the drivers for most people to jump online for a micro-moment?
The Need To Know
Imagine two friends having a conversation about a product. One of them is explaining how great a product they saw appears. The other one has never seen or heard about that product. They jump online to see pictures or read reviews.
A micro-moment is born.
In this situation, the users are merely collecting information, but there are specific steps a brand can take further to push the users down the buyer’s journey.
The Need to Go
Imagine a user looking for a location, such as a physical store, restaurant, doctor’s office, etc.
They jump online and begin searching for a ‘near me’ option. Interestingly enough, this type of search has doubled over this past year.
A micro-moment is born.
Here companies have an opportunity to employ specific techniques such as having their address listed on Google, testimonials or reviews, and a phone number readily accessible to the user. This helps the user move to the next step of the buyer’s journey.
The Need to Buy
A user here is seeking a product or service they are ready to buy. The user knows they will buy the product and is now looking to zero in on a brand. The need to buy is a micro-moment we generally see in non-luxury items, such as books, craft supplies, shoes or clothes, and anything along the lines of smaller purchases.
A micro-moment is born.
The Need to Do
Users here are looking for things to do. Generally, these types of searches begin with “how-to” , and users are looking for instructions and details on activities. Such information might include tutorials, guides, customer stories, etc.
The need to do is not just for recreational activities, but other activities such as how to fix something, how to write something, how to improve a particular situation.
This is a big category, growing at a 70% rate each year. People are becoming more independent and excited to perform their own research and come up with their conclusions.
The minute a user types ‘how to’ in Google, a micro-moment is born.
Now let’s take a look at what companies can do to optimize these moments.
Professional Tips on Optimizing and Monetizing Micro-Moments for Your Company
Your company likely falls in one of the above four micro-moments categories.
Providing your prospects with the right marketing content during these micro-moments allows prospects to find your company faster. The faster you are located, the more credible you appear.
Not many people will go past page two in Google Search.
So, what can you do?
Decide Which Category of Micro-Moments Your Company is Likely to Participate In
Your audience is specific to your brand. It comes with certain characteristics and behaviors. These behaviors are the drivers that create your micro-moments.
The best place to start is identifying HOW are your visitors end up on your website.
What is the intent behind their research?
Luckily having a good analytics platform, such as Google Analytics, connected to your website will allow you to investigate deeper and see what kind of queries are the visitors making before landing on your website.
Many companies are surprised to find out that clients find them because they are looking for a discount, a one-day-pass, or a particular brand name. Once you have this information, your SEO can be supercharged and optimized.
Find Out Where Your Customers Found You
Your prospects can find you from various sources. Many are through a general Google search, but this is not always the case. Google Analytics, again, is a great resource. It shows you where your visitors originate from.
They might be locating your website through reviews, marketplaces, ads, referrals, or other channels.
How can this information help you?
Your company can now identify what channels are creating micro-moments for your website.
Then you can give more emphasis and resources to enhance those channels.
Create Relevant Content
Once you understand the best channels and how your prospects find out about you, it is time to prepare and deliver relevant content.
Let’s use an example of a company that provides web-building software.
If they know that most of the searches begin with ‘how to build a website’, or ‘how can I create my website on a budget,’ then they can use them to create content that includes these keywords.
If people are looking for free trials a lot, they can use ‘free trial’ in the website content, or any other articles you post on the company blog. There are keywords that sell more than others.
Knowing what your audience is looking for is going to optimize your content.
Create a User-Friendly Purchasing Process
Micro-moments are defined as moments that are short-lived and are full of intent.
Now, assuming that everything else is in place, you have a higher chance of converting leads to clients during their micro-moment experience.
Keeping in mind the ‘short-lived’ part of the equation means you need to simplify your purchasing process. Do not create unnecessary steps and barriers. Please keep it simple, clean, and straightforward.
The faster they can buy and move on, the more conversion you will have. Buying is a highly emotionally charged decision. At the same time, emotions are fleeting. Therefore, make sure you are giving a few popular options to your clients, such as Paypal or other popular e-wallets.
Create a safe environment by having your SSL certificates in place. Check your server response time. It is a huge turn off for the client to experience a time-out error during a transaction.
Sometimes the best moments come in ‘small packages.’
Contact us to learn more about the content experience and what you can do to optimize your micro-moments.
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