Suppose you were preparing your morning breakfast omelet and you were hit with the sudden desire to reuse your leftover eggshells. A decade ago you may have written down the question and skimmed over a few books from your grandma’s collection to discover helpful tips on how to reuse eggshells.

Luckily, we are amongst the age of smartphones, so all you should do is enter your queries over a few buttons, and boom, you’ve pulled up two articles and a video on how to grind egg shells into a kitchen disinfectant. And just like that, you have participated in what Google calls a micro-moment.

With the growing popularity of smartphones, there as been an apparent shift in the way people consume media. Having to stay fastened in front of your desktop computer to research a product or check your social media profile is a concept that has been quickly swept under the rug.

Consumers have non-limited access to useful information right on their mobile screens, and the best part is, your phone can be transported anywhere you go. In fact, according to researchers at Google, over 91% of smartphone users would up information on their smartphone in the middle of a task.

Marketing at the moment

Mobile users are learning how to search on their mobile devices to find and get what they want. Whether they are checking the time, texting a colleague, checking e-mail, or looking up something that has caught their eye. However, the opportunities marketers need to key in on is when people are acting on a need, also known as micro-moments. Google’s concept of micro-moments represents the modern boundaries of digital marketing. Consumers act on a need in one of four categories; “I want to know,” “I want to go,” “I want to do,” and “I want to buy.”

Tire Manufacture Goodyear is one of many successful organizations that quickly jumped on board the micro-moments sweep. Molly Ware, Goodyear’s senior interactive marketing lead, said that consumers can engage with up to 14 different touchpoints throughout their journey to buy tires. “Consumer behavior is so different now,” she said, emphasizing the demand for instantaneous information.”

War breaks down googles micro-moments categories and demonstrates how marketers can best utilize each moment:

I-want-to-know-moments: I-want-to-know-moments typically occur during the research phase of the purchase journey. During this stage, marketers should focus more on educating the consumer rather than trying to sell. Since customers can easily access this stage at anytime and anywhere, marketers need to make sure viewers can readily find the information they are searching for at any channel. 65% of smartphone users that conduct a search on their smartphones, look for the most relevant information regardless of the company providing the information.

In Goodyear’s case, they focused in on what kind of information their potential customers may be searching, using questions such as: How do I know if I need new tires? How important are snow tires? How do I check my air pressure?

I-want-to-go-moments: These moments are most influential to your business when customers search for local places that offer specific products or services—including, restaurants, gas stations, or oil changes. Also, it never hurts for marketers to search their own products and locations to get a better idea of where they show up in search results.

This is where building a quality google local page comes into play.

I-want-to-do-moments: Studies show consumers are self-sufficient and would rather check out a products price and availability themselves as opposed to asking a sales associate. That’s one reason why youtube videos and step-by-step how-to guides are so popular with viewers.

A good example–Goodyear created a step-by-step guide for its penny test: a way for people to check whether they need to replace their tires with the use of a coin.

I-want-to-buy-moments: Marketers need to ensure that their sites are fast and secure, so customers feel confident the site is safe when they are ready to buy.

Neustar show’s 67% of respondents start to distrust a brand when it’s website load is too long. In sum, marketers should check their on-line information matches in-store details, measure site speed for both website and mobile and customers aren’t searching for information that should be readily available. 69% of smartphone users are more likely to buy from a company whose mobile site or app can help them find answers to their questions easily.

Although Goodyear is just at the beginning stages of micro-moments marketing, the organization has already demonstrated business growth and solidarity presenting their products and services along their shoppers buying journey.

At Kirk Donovan Enterprises, we offer exceptional digital marketing services and strategies that deliver results and engaging customer experiences. Our division of professional marketers can give your companies marketing platforms a fresh and refined look from a new perspective. To speak with a digital marketing specialist about how our Atlanta Digital Marketing Agency can help you, click on the link below.