Use Micro Moments to Improve Your PPC Strategy

Get on board or get out, Ben Wyatt.

Ahhh a New Year. A time for renewal, setting new goals, and stepping back to take a look at your marketing strategy.

Marketing 101 has always been to put yourself in the customer’s shoes to understand their needs, timeline for making decisions, then defining the funnel or path that leads them to make a purchase.

But in a mobile world where everyone has a super-computer that can answer most questions in their pocket, or buy (almost) anything in the world, at any time of the day, defining that journey can be a fragmented hot mess.

To help brands and marketers understand and connect with their audience, Google introduced the idea of Micro Moments.

Categorizing Micro Moments

Micro Moments are the moments when your audience’s goals and your brand’s goals intersect; or the bursts of actions that shape the next steps your customers take such as: 

• Want to Know/Learn
• Want to Go
• Want to Do
• Want to Buy

Learn how to capture your audience’s attention by defining key Micro Moments.

As you identify those touch points, here are questions to keep in mind:

• What moments do you want to win, or can’t afford to lose?
• Are you available to answer or provide information at any moment? Do you need to be?
• Do you want to be available for moments when people want to find inspiration, learn about solutions, make a quick purchase, or everything in-between?
• How can you make each moment easier for your audience?
• What do you offer that can help in this moment?
• What exact services or products do you offer that someone might find a need for at this moment?
• When do the movements occur? Is there a time or day, day of the week, or location signals that define intent of the moment?
• Are you available to answer questions for people who search in their spare moments, not matter what moment that is?

Take this list of micro moments and start to filter them into the categories of micro moments.

Want To Know Moments

This is the stage of understanding, info-gathering, and researching the options; or the “ask Google” moments.

Tips for winning Want To Know moments:

1. Don’t sell too hard as searchers aren’t quite in the buying mode.
2. Use ad text and extensions to help your ad stand out.
3. Always use a relevant landing page.
4. Do use this as an opportunity to keep searchers on the path to a purchase or continue the relationship by capturing an email address, or sending sending them to social pages.

Want To Go Moments

Go Moments mean that a searcher is ready for a change and is looking for ways to obtain a service or product.

Searchers are looking for answers to questions like:

• Where is a ______ near me?
• Can it be ordered online? Or, is it only available in stores?
• How long will it take me to get there? Or, how long will it take to get my order?

Tips for winning Want To Go moments:

1. If you have a store with a location, this is your time to shine – work that location extension!
2. Use ad text to answer why should they pick you over a competitor.

Want To Do Moments

Want To Do moments are the show-me-how moments, or the moments when your handy how-to content and expertise can come to the rescue. This is when you want to be present for searches questions including words like how-to, DIY, or steps for.

Tips for winning Want To Do moments:

1. This is less of a direct sales opportunity, and a better moment for brand awareness, product placement, or friendly recommendations.
2. Use a landing page that will help searchers solve their problems.
3. Keep instructions simple; earning how to do things can take time, so be present and offer solutions along the way.

Want To Buy Moments

Despite it’s name, at this stage people aren’t always 100% ready to buy, but if they aren’t, they soon will be. They are evaluating everything they know and contemplating if it is worth it.

Searches during these moments have trigger words like deals, or cheap, and they are evaluating:

• What is the price of ordering online vs. price of going to the store?
• Will there be better service or section online vs. going to a store?
• When is the store open?
• Where can I find the size/color/brand I want?

Tips for winning Want To Buy moments:

1. These are your bread-and-butter moments, don’t drop the ball!
2. Your ad text and offer should clearly match the search intent.
3. Your landing page should also match intent; whether it’s a product page or a contact us page, don’t lose their trust by sending them to a random page.
4. Keep new customers happy and avoid confusion, use a Thank You page.

If you’re better able to understand your potential customers frame of mind by using these micro moment categorizations, you’ll be better able to answer their call and create goodwill toward your brand. Make sure you’re paying attention to what the customer wants rather than just selling all the time.

How have you been able to use micro moments to enhance your PPC or online marketing efforts? Share with us in the comments!