Each year, Google's Year in Search video provides a short, yet insightful, look back at what we were most captivated by throughout the prior year. A new term has hit with significant force, created largely around the way we interact with the world through searches and video views. Micro-moments, as they've come to be called, are those moment-of-interest inquiries that allow us to forge our way on a journey from curiosity to knowledge-consuming. Thanks to mobile devices and an endless array of information at our fingertips, we now have hundreds of intentional interactions with companies, products, and services each day.
Micro-moments are raising eyebrows across the entire marketing community. Through the analysis of real-time data, companies can now learn about consumer behavior like never before, which means they also have the ability to bolster their brands when they understand their customers' mentalities, needs, and desires.
Mobile devices continue to climb the usage ladder as they surpass desktop searches and send us into a new era of information availability, and you would be remiss to remove mobile from your marketing strategies.
Over the last year consumer behavior was a main focus with emphasis on these three “be”s. All of which help you focus on the most important “b” to your business: Your Brand:
- Be There. Micro-moments have taught us that being there for our customers is even more important now than ever before. Where once it was important to be at eye-level on a storeroom shelf, now you must position yourself before your potential consumers in a manner that gets you attention when they're in search of whatyou offer. Learn what your customers are looking for (and when they're looking for them) so you can anticipate their needs and be available when they beckon. With a fast and frictionless mobile experience, you're more likely to grab the attention of your customers and steal them away from your competitors at a moment's notice.
- Be Useful. Time and attention are short these days. You need to be able to prove your value quickly and efficiently to win over your potential consumers. Time of day and daily habits will factor into the usefulness of your mobile accessibility. Know what people are doing and when they're accessing your site or searching for your product. The more relevant and available you are, the more likely your consumers are to engage.
- Be Quick. Nobody wants to wait. Patience is thin when people are in the moment, which means you need to deliver immediate gratification by way of an easy-to-navigate, quick-loading interaction.
