Micro Moments: The #1 Reason For A Mobile First Marketing Strategy

The way consumers research products and services is changing dramatically.  And the biggest driver of change is the mobile phone and what's called micro moments - small moments in time someone pulls out their mobile phone to research products and services, and to explore something they are thinking about that moment.

Let me bring it down to the ground level on how these micro moments should be influencing the way we (local and small businesses) move toward a "mobile first" marketing strategy.

First, let me share with you some of the statistics from Google's research: 

• Of leisure travelers who are smartphone users, 69% search for travel ideas during spare moments, like when they're standing in line or waiting for the subway. Nearly half of those travelers go on to book their choices through an entirely separate channel.
• Of smartphone users, 91% look up information on their smartphones while in the middle of a task.
• Of smartphone users, 82% consult their phones while they're standing in a store deciding which product to buy. One in 10 of those end up buying a different product than they had planned.
• Of online consumers, 69% agree that the quality, timing, or relevance of a company's message influences their perception of a brand.

As you can see, consumers are no longer sitting down at a desk > firing up their laptops > and then researching products and services.  They are conducting research throughout the day from their mobile phones.

How local & small businesses can leverage these micro moments:

Let me give you a few different examples of how a local or small business can leverage these micro moment opportunities to connect with new customers, clients, and sales.

1)  Organic search optimization

If you are a local business, knowing that consumers are researching products and services from their mobile phone should be a strong enough incentive to invest in whatever it takes to get your business found at the top of Google's local search results... i.e. the Google map search results you see at the top when you search for local products or services from your mobile phone.

For example, if someone is in line at the grocery store and starts thinking about how they need to see the dentist, they will simply pull out their phone and search "dentist in {city name}".  Statistics show the dentists that are ranking in the top 3 search results will be the only dentist that person sees.  And being seen at that micro moment can have a tremendous impact on that person's decision as to who they call to set an appointment.

Taking this micro moment one step further as it relates to a mobile first marketing strategy, if that dentist has a mobile responsive website that features a "tap to call" button at the top of their mobile site, that micro moment could very quickly turn into a phone call for setting an appointment.  Or better yet, since Google displays a "call" button in the search results on mobile phones, being found at the top could result in a phone call without that person ever clicking thru to your website.  Search > see > call... it really happens that fast on a mobile phone.

Replace the "dentist" with any other local or small business market, and you have the same opportunity for connecting to a new customer, client, or sale.  Whether you are a law firm, carpet cleaner, or auto dealership, the micro moments on a mobile phone are becoming a key opportunity for connecting with new customers.  And a lot of these micro moments are occurring directly in the search results in Google.

2)  Paid marketing

Another big opportunity to leveraging these mobile micro moments is through paid advertising.  Take Facebook as an example.  I have a client that owns an invisible dog fence installation company, and within a few hours from now, we'll have a new Facebook marketing campaign up and running for his business.

We are leveraging Facebook's demographic targeting capabilities in order to present his products and services to his most profitable customers.  We are targeting his campaign as follows:

• targeting only mobile phones
• 20 mile radius around his business address
• homeowners with a minimum home value of $200,000
• homeowners with a household income of at least $50,000
• people who have "dogs" as a stated interest in their profile
• people who are fans of Facebook pages related to dogs

And by leveraging Facebook mobile advertising, his business will now be presented at these micro moments as people are checking out Facebook from their mobile phones.

** side note:  the only thing missing from Facebook mobile advertising, and what they call "calls to action", is the ability to present a "call" button along with the ad.  Google Adwords has this feature for mobile ads, and it's something that Facebook needs desperately.  And I believe, in due time, it's a feature we'll see on Facebook as well.

These are just two "real world" examples of how a local or small business can leverage micro moments, and have a mobile first marketing strategy, to connect with new customers.

The reality is, your future customers, clients, and sales are engaged on their mobile phones.  And these micro moments are happening constantly throughout the day as people live their lives with their mobile phones in hand.

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Written by Bobby Holland, Founder at BipperMedia.com

Bipper Media:  Create. Connect. Convert.