Think 2015 with Google: Key takeaways.
Think 2015 with Google: Key takeaways.

Think 2015 with Google: Key takeaways.

Think 2015 with Google event was held last Thursday morning at Sydney’s Town Hall. I had the chance to go there and assist the presentation.

On my way there, and as I was the only representative from Reef Digital, I was ready to take notes to share with the rest of the team (this is also the moment I realised I had forgotten my notebook, oops!). Anyway, upon arrival I was greeted with a plate full of delicious shot-glass appetisers and juices. But enough with the food, I go get my pass and talk with a few friends.

We make our way to the main room, and then the presentation starts.

 

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this event, but the first thing I realised was that it would be focusing a lot (if not exclusively) on mobiles. Fair enough! In 2015, mobile usage has been on the rise for a few years, it makes sense! Instead of going through each of the presentations, I am going to focus on the one that I feel was the most valuable to me.

After a few words of introduction by Google Australia and New Zealand boss Maile Carnegie, the presentation begins.

This article will focus on a section entitled “Micro-Moments: The Biggest Opportunities are in the Smallest Moments”, presented by Matt Lawson from the Marketing team at Google in San Fransisco.

The correlation between mobile and consumer behavior is at the centre of the presentation.

He reminds us that media consumption on mobiles has increased by 500% in the last few years (yes, 500%, this is not a typo!). I am not even surprised: Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest and other social platforms have been gaining more and more users over the years, and it is a trend that is not likely to stop anytime soon.

Matt Lawson said something quite intriguing, and which I have never thought of before: “People trust their mobile more than they trust people”.

 

I’ll let you digest this for a few seconds.

 

The reason why he said that is quite simple, and he gives the example of Sephora to illustrate it: a woman enters a Sephora store to buy a lipstick. She finds the one she is thinking of buying and takes her phone out of her pocket. With the lipstick in one hand and her phone in another, what do you think she is doing?

Reading reviews!

I won’t lie, I did that in the past too. That Sephora customer would rather read reviews online than trusting the salesperson in the store she is at. Why? Is it a lack of time or trust towards the Sephora team whose only intention is to sell that lipstick to you?

Sephora, after realising that this trend was growing, did something clever: they added reviews for each of their product in the Google organic search results.

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The users can then see in a matter of seconds what other consumers think of this particular product.

 

The in-depth of that consumer behavior reveals that brands need to “make the most of every moment”. Just like Sephora, brands have to be visible when people tune into media.

Hence the title of this presentation “Micro-moments”.

You pick up your pressure cooker and realise it is no longer working. You desperately need one to cook that delicious dinner for your friends, what is your first reaction (after trying to fix it yourself by punching it)?

You simply take your phone and check where you can buy one quickly. This is the “new digital reflex”

Life is made of these moments when something unexpected, glorious or sad happens. For each of these moments, a battleground for brands is created, and you owe to be there.

 

As a friendly reminder, Matt Lawson gives us 3 metrics to consider in the digital marketing world:

  • increase in mobile sessions
  • decrease in the time spent per visit
  • increase in conversion rate

Why? Because users are more and more impatient. They look for something, and they want it now. No questions asked.

 

The solution to satisfy those users is quite simple and comes in 3 steps:

1. Identify those micro-moments

2. Deliver on needs in the moment

3. Measure moments that matter

 

Each of these steps can be made possible by creating the right content and by defining a marketing strategy designed for mobiles.

 

Being part of the PPC team, I know for fact that it would surely help advertisers to know the intent behind each search query. Unfortunately, this is something we can never know, unless a user adds a specific keyword, for example “near me” or “last minute”.

 

However, one same search query can have different intents, and this is where Matt Lawson’s speech shows its limit. If we go back to our pressure cooker example, one user could be looking for one to buy immediately when someone else could be looking for a gift. This is where those micro-moments have their limit: each user is different and the thinking behind the search query can be drastically distinct.

For a brand, being visible at one specific moment will not necessarily mean that the acquired customer will be loyal. Indeed, the main point of having a digital strategy, besides driving sales, is to raise brand awareness amongst users: building trust in the brand, developing a strong customer relationship or even creating a friendly brand image.

Instead of focusing on these moments, brands should focus on servicing users the best they can ALL THE TIME. Isn’t it how a Brand set itself as reliable and trustworthy?!

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