Understanding your customer's journey is essential considering the complexity of the modern business landscape. Today's digital conscious consumers continue to change the way businesses inform, educate and convert people into paying customers. There are numerous tools and strategies that can be implemented to ensure your brand is "top-of-mind" in the right place, at the right time.
Game-Changing Micro-Moments
To better understand the customer journey, managers have to accept that the buying path can often look completely different when comparing two customers side-by-side. To aid in the understanding if this, Google breaks down the journey into four game-changing micro-moments.
Micro-moments as defined by Google:
An intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need-to know, go, do, or buy.
1. I-Want-To-Know Moments:
Anyone reading this can probably relate to the moment when you want to know a statistic, fun fact, or further understand how something works. In this moment the modern-day consumer reaches for a mobile device for a quick answer, meaning the SERP (search-engine-results-page) on Google is a opportunity as a brand to show your industry competence which allows you to add value to the users looking to further understand a topic. Google defines this moment of the customer journey as a point in which:
When someone is exploring or researching, but is not necessarily in purchase mode.
An easy tactic to capitalize on "I-want-to-know moments" is to begin writing blogs that help answer common questions related to your brand's industry.
For example StepNpull makes hands-free and foot-operated door openers, and the brand digs in to topics related to bathrooms, doors and customer service. If you search, "why are doors so heavy?" you'll notice StepNpull shows up top 3 in the SERP page for an article "The Real Reason Doors Are Heavy". This example shows how a brand can jump on an opportunity to become a trusted source of information over the web. While many of results are from Q&A forums like Quora, Reddit and Travel Stack Exchange - StepNpull seizes the moment with a credible research based blog post, adding value to the digital customer.
2. I-Want-To-Go Moments:
The days of analyzing physical travel maps and local phone books have been replaced by quick searches on the internet for directions. Ensuring your digital visitors have quick access to your business location and hours is necessary to maintain a favorable online footprint.
Strategies like verifying your business through "Google My Business" can give you a simple advantage over local competitors. With a simple form and request Google allows you to share those details on the SERP, alongside other data points like reviews, social profiles and even link menus for restaurants. Google defines this moment as:
When someone is looking for a local business or is considering buying a product at a nearby store.
Highlighted by Google's definition, the importance of establishing your brands location on the SERPs is high. Showing that your business is open and accessible makes potential customers feel more comfortable walking in-store.
3. I-Want-To-Do Moments:
The digital landscape and rise of social media has fueled more impulse decisions and wants. Many times people can be inspired by a video on Facebook or something they see a peer doing online. These moments influence others to figure out exactly how to do a similar thing like they saw on social.
Previous posts written by Whole Brain Digital LLC like "Mobile Strategy For Today's Business Landscape" dig into statistics that support the need for how-to videos and strategies for businesses looking to maximize impressions of their brand on the internet. Google defines "I-want-to-do moments" as:
When someone wants help completing a task or something new.
Video strategies are a good way to provide value for digital consumers and to better educate people about the brands product or service. Platforms like YouTube & Facebook prefer original video content, so the more video you produce as a brand...essentially the better.
Whole Brain Digital LLC Article "Mobile Strategy For Today's Business Landscape" digs into the advantages of implementing a digital video strategy supported by Google statistics.
4. I-Want-To-Buy Moments:
The last micro-moment that Google defines is an "I-want-to-buy-moment." This is where the money is actually made for many brands. The culmination of micro-moments 1-3 and digital strategies that support them will ensure your potential customer is pushed further down into the purchase funnel, eventually leading to a sale. Maximizing impressions of moments 1-3 can lead to larger and more frequent transactions too. Google defines this fourth moment:
When someone is ready to make a purchase and many need help deciding what to buy or how to buy it.
This last moment of the customer journey is where you need to ensure a seamless transaction and impressionable brand image online. A Whole Brain Digital LLC recommendation would be to make sure the company website is built and hosted by credible companies like Shopify, Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy. Simple third-party optimization tools and apps can be downloaded and implemented on your store's site which could lead to higher conversion rates if done correctly.
Use Your Data Points To Make Informed Decisions
These moments are essential for consumers because in the moment, "they want what they want, when they want it." Must-have tools like Google Analytics implemented in your website's code allows you to track users path's down to the page and CTAs (call-to-actions.) To utilize the data to your advantage, make inferences and informed assumptions about what your purchase funnel looks like, from beginning to end. Data points to consider:
How many days did the user take to convert, from the time they landed on your e-commerce site until the time they clicked, "Complete Transaction" on the shop page.
Is there a page where people are dropping off? If so look for possible loading or design issues that could be affecting your drop-off rates.
Average time on page is important too, if online visitors are quickly leaving your site you might consider the quality of prospects that you're attracting through paid advertising like Google AdWords.
Takeaways
In the end, the bread and butter for companies should include a strong focus on micro-moments #1-3 over a sole a focus on #4. Simple tools and low-cost strategies can be implemented to nurture potential leads and push them further into the purchase funnel. Verifying your business through "Google My Business" and linking your company website is a solid start.