Consumer attention spans are shorter than that of a goldfish - no joke. This decrease results from a number of factors, but most significantly from the increase in smartphone use and shift to mobile content consumption. Google explained this shift by coining the term micro-moment - any time a consumer grabs the nearest device to do or buy something, look something up, or go somewhere. In these moments, consumers prioritize immediacy, relevance and convenience.
While it might seem like marketing in these conditions is nearly impossible, that's not the case. Marketers need to adapt their strategies to the reality of micro-moments, but that won't be nearly as hard as you think. Pre- and post-click tactics exist that can enhance your current marketing strategies to help you take advantage of micro-moments.
Pre-Click
The most obvious adjustment to any marketing strategy in the face of micro-moments should be in search tactics. Micro-moments occur when someone wants to find something out. Micro-moments occur thousands of times throughout the day - whenever a consumer uses a mobile device to find the information they want. Sometimes they might search your brand directly if they want to find something specific out, but otherwise, you need to prepare for a broader search. The pages within your website, your content, and even your social media posts should be optimized for search. You should also think about developing a paid search strategy, if you're not doing it already.
An important component of improving your search rankings is making sure your website is mobile-friendly. Early last year, Google updated its algorithms to favor sites that perform better on mobile devices. As a result, those sites will do better in organic search rankings and thus be viewed more by consumers in the midst of micro-moments.
On the social media front, think about using influencers. Ninety-two percent of consumers say they trust word-of-mouth marketing more than branded content. If you use influencers, posts and reviews from influencers would come up when consumers search for information about your product or vertical.
Post-Click
After the click, your micro-moment strategy needs to immediately capture attention and provide relevance. Consumers will leave a website that doesn't give them what they want right away, whether that's a result of bad navigation, too many ads, poor design, or pop-ups. You've gotten the consumer to click during the micro-moment - now you need to win them over, and quickly.
To capture attention, use a combination of personalization and interactive micro-content. Personalization makes the experience relevant, and interactivity helps keep them on the site.
Eighty-six percent of consumers say personalization plays a role in their buying decisions. What's more, 45 percent say they're more likely to shop on a site that offers personalized recommendations. Brands can offer personalized experiences to consumers simply by asking them what they want. By asking questions of their shoppers, brands can learn more about them and personalize the experience in real-time - simultaneously engaging them and moving them further along the customer decision journey. Furthermore, as brands learn about their shoppers, they can offer them personalized rewards.
Interactive micro-content hooks consumers and pulls them into their experience on your site. For retail brands, this could be a fashion style quiz, an online personal shopper, or a complete-the-look feature. For CPG brands, this could be an interactive video that gives a product demo. B2B brands can use interactive infographics to engage and profile leads. Put simply, interactive content better educates consumers. One study puts its effectiveness at 93 percent, compared to 70 percent for static content.
We have to adapt our strategies to embrace new challenges. Micro-moments should excite marketers, not scare us.