Why every second matters – Mobile Marketing

In marketing, every second of a consumer’s attention to your brand matters. A split second can determine whether or not a potential customer chooses your brand over another when making purchase decisions. Brands must manage every moment of interaction (no matter how small) with consumers to ensure they’re making the right impression at all times. Consumers now have the world at their fingertips and can conduct their own research about brands and products on-the-go. This concept is known as mobile marketing which is any marketing activity conducted through a ubiquitous network to which consumers are constantly connected using a personal mobile device (Kaplan 2014). It is essential for brands to acknowledge this element of marketing because more Australians now own a smartphone (87%) than a laptop (76%). People rely on mobile devices to manage their lives and inspire their plans.

The way consumers purchase is changing rapidly and brands must develop strategies to stay in the forefront of the search. Smartphones allow consumers to search whatever they like, wherever and whenever they need it. Google has named this behaviour in a consumer’s journey as ‘micro-moments’. It has been defined by Google as an intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do, or buy. Brands need to be at the disposal of their consumer at all times, and meet their needs whilst doing so. Google has simplified this concept into four types of moments where consumers turn to mobile in moments of need.

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The first micro-moment is known as the ‘I-want-to-know’ moments. In these instances, the consumer is not necessarily intending to make a purchase, but they are conducting their own research which may lead to a future purchase. For example, someone may turn to their smartphone to research something after seeing it on a billboard whilst walking down the street.

The second is ‘I-want-to-go’ moments. This involves someone searching for a place to go, whether it be for food, entertainment or just something to do. 82 percent of smartphone shoppers conduct ‘near me’ searches, therefore businesses need to ensure that their business will be displayed in this type of search to potential nearby consumers.

Thirdly are the ‘I-want-to-do’ moments. These types of mobile searches are for the people wanting to know how to do something or try something new. “How to” searches are amongst the most popular on YouTube, where you can figure out how to do almost anything by watching or reading about it on your phone. I talked more about this in another blog post, check it out; https://maxinefederico.wixsite.com/feedforthought/post/can-youtube-make-the-world-smarter.

Lastly is the most important moment of all; the ‘I-want-to-buy’ moments. Mobile devices are becoming so advanced and easy-to-use that consumers have no trouble shopping on their devices. Brands must ensure their ads, sites and content is compatible with mobile devices and is easily accessible to consumers. Brands must be there to provide a digital experience that is relevant to a consumer’s needs they are ready to purchase. Making it simple by providing direct links to products, information and quick purchase processes will facilitate the consumer in this micro-moment.

Consumers are no longer willing to reach out to brands to source information for their purchases. Brands need to be proactive in their strategies to reach the consumer before their competitors and in the right way.

Comment down below how you use your phone on-the-go when buying products or even simply searching for information!