Mobilizing Your Message - Universal

Chances are, you’re guilty—because we all are. Whether for work or business, we check our smartphones 150 times per day, according to Google. We expect companies to engage with us at every level on our mobile devices, serving us through websites, sending us promotional emails, and even solving our problems through customer service.

There is no denying that we have become a mobile society. In many countries, including the US, more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers. In fact, you just may be one of the more than 50% of smartphone users who grab their devices immediately after waking up in the morning…even before greeting your loved one or downing that first cup of coffee.

Here’s a look at business use of smartphones by the numbers:

Average smartphone conversion rates are up 64% compared to the average desktop conversion rates. (CMS Report, 2015)
82% of smartphone users turn to their devices to help them make a product decision. (Google)
91% of smartphone users turn to their smartphones for ideas when performing a given task. (Google)

What mobile has done is allow us to behave as real people with real needs in real time. We turn to our phones to perform tasks, research, purchase and more. These are called “Moments of Need” and we turn to our phones in what Google has defined as “Micro-Moments”. There are billions of these moments in our lives each day!

What are Micro-Moments?

Micro-moments occur when people instinctively turn to a device—what might once have been the newspaper or the Yellow Pages, now a smartphone—to act on a need to learn, perform a task, make a discovery or a purchase, or watch a program. At their core, these are moments when we are filled with the intention to do, buy, or learn—moments when decisions are made and preferences are shaped. Clearly,these are moments when it’s imperative for you to be in front of your customers as catching them in this state of mind can be both productive and lucrative. The challenge? Ensuring that you’re delivering the experience that your customer is looking for in these moments, when his or her expectations are higher than ever.

Identifying Your Marketing Micro-Moments

There is no longer a definitive line between business -to-business and business-to-consumer behaviors. People search, research, purchase, decide, etc., and so we all have micro-moments every day as people. Successful companies think in terms of marketing on a human-to-human (H2H) level instead.

Additionally, the perception that your customers do research on their work computers only is false. We are all connected to our work throughout the day in a variety of different scenarios. When you start recognizing this, you will be well on your way to capturing micro-moments.

Once you’ve made this shift in thought, focus on answering your customer’s essential question: “Can you help me?”

“Can You Help Me Moments”

When people ask how to do something, that’s a need. Here are some ideas on winning “I-want-to-do” moments.

Identify the I-want-to-do moments in which your customers have a need and you can play a role. Take this data and create I-want-to-do content for your website and videos for YouTube to serve as resources. Make Q&A videos answering your customers’ top questions.
Look at when how-to searches occur. Are there particular times of the day or week when some topics are more popular? Release new content to coincide with these times.
Deliver relevant messaging. Look at how people are searching (the terms, keywords, the exact question), and create content (or ads) that provides answers. Think product demos, recommendations and infographics. Create a need for products they may not know about!

It’s Time to Capitalize

Now that you know what micro-moments are and have a plan to identify them, it’s time to put a “can-do” strategy in place. Follow these three steps: Be there, be useful and be quick.

Be There

Anticipate/identify the micro-moments during your customer’s journey and be there when they occur. Google reports that 90% of smartphone users are not certain of the specific company they want to buy from when they start their search online and that one-third of smartphone users made a buy from a company other than that they set out to because the company who earned their business provided information in their moment of need.

Essentially, this means even small companies have a shot at their competitors’ customers. By being there, you have the chance to address customer needs in the moment, help move someone along their decision journey and deepen their loyalty.

Be Useful

You must be relevant to the needs of customers in their micro-moments and provide the answers they’re looking for. You can do this by gearing your site to the mobile experience and providing quality, useful content. Consider that only 9% of users will stay on a mobile site if it doesn’t satisfy their needs—i.e., if it’s not easy to navigate or if they can’t find info quickly.

Website Content Ideas

What are the best commercial mats for my restaurant or healthcare business?
How can I cost-effectively uniform my employees?
What are the latest styles of golf apparel for women?
How dirty is your floor? (infographic or quiz)
How can I choose the right industrial mat?
What are the guidelines of the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI)?
Are commercial laundries eco-friendly?

Be Quick

There’s a reason they are called micro-moments. Mobile users have the mentality of “I want it now.” Immediate gratification is not just for toddlers anymore, so optimize your experience. Consider that Google reports that 70% of users will leave a site if it takes too long to load, while 67% will leave if it takes too many steps to purchase, to get desired information.

In short, if you really want to reach your customers, then try something new and reach all the way into their pockets, onto their nightstands, into their cars, in front of their televisions—reach them on their smartphones. Seize the moment—the “Mobile Micro-Moment,” that is—and you’ll find you’re in a conversation with them like never before.

Jennifer Rae Schulman is President of Fortune Web Marketing.
Contact Jennifer at 877.813.6390 or jennifer@fortunewebmarketing.com. Visit the company online.