Two years ago, mobile media, including smartphones and tablets, overtook traditional desktop media consumption for the first time. Since then, the mobile-first mentality has become the modus operandi for marketers looking to garner the lion’s share of consumer spending in this evolving digital landscape.
And while many organizations have made strides to effectively mobilize their websites or develop applications to accommodate mobile consumers, the marketing world has struggled to create new rules of engagement reflective of the shift away from desktop consumption. Instead, slow-adopting marketers have relied on more traditional marketing strategies, simply retreading and applying them for mobile consumers—until now.
Last month Google released a report on micro-moment marketing, which finally gives marketers a unique strategy for branding in the mobile-first era. Google defines micro-moments as “critical touch points within today’s consumer journey, and when added together, they ultimately determine how that journey ends.”
Google cited four primary micro-moments that occur when an individual picks up his or her mobile device:
- I-want-to-know moments, which occur when someone is interested in learning more about a product, service or company prior to making a purchasing decision.
- I-want-to-do moments, which can happen before or after a purchase is made, during which an individual is seeking relevant information to learn how to do something new.
- I-want-to-go moments, where users are looking for local businesses in their area.
- I-want-to-buy moments, during which an individual has made the decision to purchase but needs assistance to determine specifically what product among a larger suite of offerings will best meet their needs.
The emergence of micro-moments marketing has forced businesses to rethink and overhaul their marketing strategies to ensure their messaging and branding is quicker and efficacious. While the mobile-first sea change is poised to leave a number of longstanding marketing traditions behind, the need to compel consumers during micro-moments does underscore the ongoing necessity for a documented content marketing strategy.
Among the four micro-moments isolated by Google’s marketing team, a common thread exists: Consumers are looking for immediate and relevant information to help them make decisions. Content marketing is uniquely tailored to meet that need because one of its primary attributes is that it transcends sales pitches or gimmicks in favor of providing substantive and relevant industry background to educate the buyer.
Providing your potential customers with a free education in the immediate moment that they need it will draw them to your brand. Empowering your potential customers through content in those micro-moments may not necessarily win you a sale immediately, but it can help to cultivate a lasting relationship that will generate more revenue over time.
In a world driven by micro-moments, it can be difficult to forecast long-term success. But providing consumers with the right content at the right time can certainly set your organization up to achieve a competitive advantage.
