“Some folks might think that the phrase “micro-moments” is just some buzzword that’ll fade into the background, but that isn’t the case at all.”
Micro-moments are becoming a crucial part of every business’ marketing strategy for 2017 and it isn’t difficult to see why. Micro-moments have been around for years, but they weren’t really called anything.
When Google coined the phrase “micro-moments” in 2015 when discussing these types of consumer events, businesses have been eager to understand what these micro-moments mean for the future of their business.
What is Micro-Moments?
Google defines micro-moments as events when “people reflexively turn to a device—increasingly a smartphone—to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something.”
In a nutshell, if a consumer’s curiosity is suddenly piqued about a potential solution to a current issue, they’re likely going to pull out their Smartphone or laptop, turn to Google and see if they can find a swift solution.
Now, chances are pretty good that your dealership’s website has an abundance of information — everything from financing to inventory, and so on. Whether it’s in the form of different sections of your websites or in the form of individual blog posts, you’ve probably armed with enough information to answer your consumer’s questions.
Despite this, however, consumers are pressed for time. They want the information immediately and they certainly don’t want to go digging around for it. In an ideal world, a consumer will do a Google search and their answer will be found on the first page of the SERPs.
And yes, when I say immediately, I really do mean immediately. Consumers don’t want to read a wall of text in order to get the information they’re looking for. They’re in a hurry! When they open their phones or laptops to hunt for an answer, their time frame is, at most, three minutes. For some folks it’s even shorter.
So at this point, you’re probably asking yourself “How can I really make the most of these consumer micro-moments? How can I nab their attention when they need our input the most?”
“Not only is video easily digestible, but it serves as an opportunity to promote your brand and leave a lasting impression on a consumer.”
Here are a few things your dealership can do to ensure you’re making the most of micro-moments:
Consolidate Blog Posts and Sections Of Your Website Into Digestible Media
You’ve probably got lots of sections on your website with tons of information regarding financing options, car makes and models, trade-in information, etc.
There’s really no denying that the information in those sections is indeed very valuable. But as I mentioned before, consumers don’t have the time to read a wall of text. They want their answer and they want to move on with the remainder of their research.
Instead of devoting whole sections to different types of information, an effective alternative would be to consolidate all of that information into the form of video on any and all your dealership websites.
Not only is video easily digestible, but it serves as an opportunity to promote your brand and leave a lasting impression on a consumer. It’s also been proven time and time again that consumers have a tendency to retain more information from videos than from things they’ve read.
One thing to note is that your information doesn’t have to be completely consolidated. You don’t need one video covering all financing options or one entire video covering all types of services and repairs.
Even though you would be consolidating a significant amount of information, you can make these videos even more digestible by breaking them up into smaller pieces.
Create a few short, one- to two-minute videos and then categorize them so they’re easier to find. Not only is this great for attention spans, but it also helps consumers find exactly what they’re looking for when a micro-moment happens!
How to Categorize Videos
Here’s an example of how to categorize your videos. Vehicle financing is a broad subject in itself, right? That being the case, you don’t want to create one video that encompasses everything regarding payment plans, credit approval, trade-in, e-price and so on.
That’s just way too much information to throw at consumers who are likely looking for something far more specific regarding financing. What you’ll want to do in this scenario is create a short video for each and every one of the underlying subjects in the financing category: payment plans, credit approval, interest, trade appraisals, trade-in offers, e-price, etc.
See what I’m getting at? When it comes to micro-moments, consumers aren’t typically using a broad search term like “financing.” They’re looking for specifics. The easier you make these specific aspects available, the more likely a consumer will be to do business with your dealership.
Turn Micro-Moments Into Opportunities with Website Tools
When it comes to making the most of consumer micro-moments, one of the most important things you can do as an internet manager is learn what some of those popular micro-moments actually are.
Use the development of this strategy to learn even more about your consumer base and gain insight into what it is your consumers are consistently looking for from your website.
Web analytics tools like Google Analytics and Moz can offer insight into what your consumers are searching for prior to visiting your website.
Additionally, you can look at past customer records (physical or digital) to learn about the services and information your consumers had sought out in the past.
Once you determine the type of specific information your consumers are looking for, you can develop tools that allow consumers to engage with your website in order to find their own answers.
For example: Let’s say your consumers are typically curious to know about what financing options best suit their individual needs? A perfect way to take the reigns on this particular micro-moment is to implement an interactive assessment on your website.
In the assessment, the consumer will answer simple questions regarding their current financing options (if any) as well as their current financial status.
Once a consumer has answered all the required questions, they’ll be provided with an assessment that tells them the best possible financing option for them. It’s fast, it’s simple and it speaks directly to the consumer about their specific issue.
Some folks might think that the phrase “micro-moments” is just some buzzword that’ll fade into the background, but that isn’t the case at all. All Google did was place a name onto something that’s been in existence for a while.
Now that we’ve placed a name onto events that are so significant to the decision making process, now is the time for dealers to pay attention. Buying a vehicle is a major investment that requires a tremendous amount of research, deliberating and bargaining.
In order to stay ahead of your competition, you owe it to yourself to be there at the moment a consumer asks a question — even if they aren’t asking one of your salespeople directly.
