Micro Moments in Marketing: What You Need to Know

A new marketing moment emerge as smartphone and mobile devices become more important in our daily lives. One small moment that keeps occuring when smartphone users' check their mobile device is critical touch point to win consumers' decision. Google called that series of moments as micro moments.

Micro moment, by definition is a moment when someone searches for something top-of-mind using device nearest to them. Most of all, chosen device will either be mobile phone or tablet. During that moment, consumers do not want to have a chat with company's representative or browsing company's website. They just either want to know, learn, or to do something. According to Google, this moments happen billions of times per day. Moments that marketers should not miss to to engage .

Forbes took example of how small moments affected three different industries: financial,consumer goods, and real estate. In financial industries, e-lending slowly becomes the future of lending, with growing trends of altenative lenders. E-lenders offer customers reliable and simple way to lend money. Meanwhile marketers in consumer goods industry are facing changes in consumers' brand loyalty. Consumers are more interested in getting what they want quickly instead of being loyal to a particular brand. In real estate industry, micro-moments can help marketing team lead people towards evaluating their purchase decisions. Marketers in real estate industry need to provide information to help people determining the amount of money needed for a home loan and other related information, in order to convert them into customers faster.

David Gasparyan, CEO of Online Personal Loans says, "It's amazing to have the opportunity to get money from an online source without having to deal with all the bureaucracy that real life lenders create."

Tech Crunch reported that Starbucks has understood the concept of context is time plus utility and nailed them. Tech Crunch quoted Chartbeat research in 2014 that says majority of websites, 55% of them get less than 15 seconds of attention. Paradoxically, consumers spend more and more time online. But that time is spread over an increasing array of devices and, frequently, as a tiny capsule of attention as consumers do multi-tasking with a mobile in one hand and other thing in the other. Starbucks keep its name on top of consumers' mind by creating own app and mobile payment system, and its system is the most-used mobile payment method in the U.S., with 9 million average weekly transactions in August. Transaction via Starbucks app is reported to have 20% of transaction at U.S. Starbucks-operated coffee shops.

Goodyear is another company that utilize micro moments in guiding the consumers' purchase. As reported by Direct Marketing News, Goodyear provided the consumers with 14 different touchpoints throughout their journey to buy tires. Molly Ware, Goodyear's senior interactive marketing lead acknowledged difference in consumer behavior, and mobile has changed the way companies doing business and marketing their product.

Micro moments is important in digital marketing today. It creates a series of touch point for costumers before they make purchasing decision. Companies needs to make use of this micro moments to convert online users into consumers.