by: Matthew Penchuk, Search Strategy Marketing

New research from Google has uncovered a core change in the way people consume media. Traditional marketing plans were once centered around how to present information to those who didn’t even know they needed a product. Now, the tables have turned and consumers have nearly unfettered access to every product or service in the world; it’s just a touch away on their smart phone or tablet. This shift in power is great for consumers. It opens up a world of selection previously unavailable to them, but it also leaves those offering services or products a bit uncertain as to how to connect with potential buyers.

Google’s Micro-Moment — What is That?

Google defines micro-moments as “in the moment” opportunities — when a consumer grabs the nearest device available to them to fulfill a need or want. According to Google, a micro moment often occur at spontaneous times, such as when a person is sitting in a doctor’s office, traveling to work, or waiting in line at the grocery store.

According to Google, the old days of predictable, periodic media sessions have been replaced by numerous “micro-moments”, or short bursts of digital activity throughout the day. The old pattern of behavior can be likened to a four-course meal in the samerestaurant; today’s is a series of constant bite sized snacks all over town.

Billions of people throughout the world increasingly reach for their smart phones and use their favorite search engine for multiple inquiries every day. It should come as no surprise that Google, the leader in online search engines, should identify some key shifts away from traditional marketing concepts, in order to help businesses adapt to 21st century buying habits.

The Next Step for Marketers: Tapping Into the Power of Micro-Moments

If you’ve been following our series on digital transformation, you know that a closer alignment with the customer journey is at the heart of digital transformation. Knowing what your company’s unique buyer’s journey looks like, and being able to meet your customers  at every step along the way with technology that serves and enables them is what digital transformation is all about.

Powerful search engines like Google process billions of “I want” inquiries every day. Searchers (i.e. potential consumers) are looking for help to make key decisions about their next steps, including where to go, what to buy, and what to do next.

Case Study: Clorox

Clorox, known for household products such as Brita, Burt’s Bees, Fresh Step, Formula 409, Glad, Hidden Valley, KC Masterpiece, Soy Vay, Liquid Plumr, Pine-Sol and Tilex, is one company that’s decided to capitalize on micro-moments.

According to Eric Reynolds, CMO of Clorox, “Consumers leave signals about themselves all over the web, inviting us to help them solve their problems. It creates a big opportunity for us to deliver on their needs in micro-moments.”

Clorox takes these signals and turns them to their advantage by offering them products that are complimentary to what they’re looking for. An example of this is if a mobile device user is looking for BBQ recipes or grilling techniques online, Clorox will present a short video on its KC Masterpiece products. Another searcher, looking for adorable cat videos, may be introduced to Fresh Step Cat Litter products by way of YouTube.

How Marketing Professionals Can Use These Moments

The biggest challenge that marketers face is uncovering their company’s unique buyer’s journey — all of the tiny steps that a customer takes prior to buying a product or service. From there, they can work to find the digital technology that will reach their customers at these critical touch points.

Now that the importance of micro-moments for attracting new customers has been established, it’s important to focus in on some of the best practices for marketing professionals who would like to make products or services stand out from the competition, amidst the billions of searches taking place every day.

According to Brian Solis, in a recent interview with Advertising Age, there are ten best practices for marketers to adhere to in order to effectively compete for the all-important micro-moments. The first practice is to “identify key micro-moments and what happens in them: why, where, and how people search for information.” For this and the other nine practices Brian outlines, click here.

An Opportunity for Growth

Google’s research has determined that those able to fulfill micro-moments have an edge over traditional marketing methods, as brand loyalty is not as important as relevance and immediacy for online consumers. And marketing professionals now have even more tools available to them to strategically poise their companies for greater growth.