Understanding Micro-Moments

Building marketing campaigns around what customers want at the moment, in the moment.

At 5 Fold, we’re constantly keeping tabs on emerging trends in the larger marketing world. One development that we’ve been keeping an eye on over the past few months is the continuing evolution of micro-moments.

In this blog post, we’ll review what micro-moments are, what they tell us about user search behavior, what implications they have for our client campaigns, and where we think things are headed.

What are micro-moments, exactly?

In many ways, the way we search is changing. We’ve already detailed how local marketing is more important than ever, and how mobile has overtaken desktop searches. However, consumer behavior is changing even faster than that. Thanks to the prevalence of mobile search and even voice search in cars and homes, search is now more accessible than ever, and it means that more people are doing what Google calls “intent-rich searching.”

Let’s say that you have a Google Home, and you ask it: “Where is the best-rated pizzeria in Phoenix located at?” More often than not, this kind of search implies to search engines that you’re planning on getting a pizza, or going to a pizza place, in the very near future. The intent behind this search is understood by the search engine: the user is going to make a very quick, in-the-moment purchase decision about pizza.

These micro-moments are unique opportunities for companies engaged in internet marketing, since they present the possibility of pairing an “intent-rich” customer with the right message, at the right time.

What do they mean for your marketing campaign?

One study from Google found that users were 62% “more likely to take action right away toward solving an unexpected problem or new task because they have a smartphone.” In other words, there’s no chance to get distracted on the way to the desktop computer. With the smartphone (or smart home assistant) right there, people can immediately search for a solution to the problem.

Many of our clients are HVAC companies, and this kind of search behavior has an incredible impact on businesses that provide services and solutions to problems. It emphasizes the importance of a mobile-first strategy, great PPC advertising, and a holistic approach to internet marketing that brings content, social media, SEO, and web design all together.

Here are some other ways we tailor our client’s campaigns to fit the micro-moment era of search:

• We place special emphasis on building sites with fast load speeds. “Intent-rich” searches cannot wait for a slow website; they’ll just move on to the next result. By making our sites zippy, we fulfill the user’s desire for instantaneous answers.
• We’ve long understood the importance of customer reviews. Again according to Google, 82% of smartphone users will use their phone to research a purchase while shopping in the store, and even more use phones and smart home assistants to hear reviews from other customers before making that quick decision in the micro-moment.
• Authenticity matters. Customers looking to make buying decisions in the micro-moment do not stop to read every word of a website. Instead, they judge based off first impressions of the business, service, reviews, images, and more.

Where is this all headed?

One of our core values here at 5 Fold is adaptation. Staying in front of the ever-changing nature of search is our job, and we’re excited about the evolution of micro-moments with the increased prevalence of smart home assistants, like the aforementioned Google Home. Voice search demands immediate results that are delivered even faster and easier to understand than mobile search.

We’ll keep close tabs on micro-moments moving forward. Have questions about us, or want to know more about our approach to internet marketing? Get in contact with us, or connect with us on Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.