The Importance of Being There

There for what? For that moment of truth when someone picks up their mobile device to learn, do, find or buy something right now! Google coined the term “micro-moment” to identify that “right now” experience. They describe it further as …

… “a micro-moment occurs 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. They are intent-rich moments when decisions are made and preferences shaped.”

And that’s when you want your brand to be visible, yes … but even more so to be responsive to the specific need the consumer is looking to satisfy. That brings us to the four “I Wanna” stages the looky-lou’s, researchers, serious prospects and buyers pass through … not necessarily in a linear manner. That underscores the critical need for you to address each of these phases when fingers hit the keypad and your brand pops up … along with others, of course.

The Smartphone as Lifeline … to Information and Buying Convenience

People no longer need to make a note to themselves regarding an idea that pops into their head to remind them to research it once they are back in front of their PC. Today, mobile is where more searches take place than on desktops. Across the board estimates are in the 70% range with some companies reporting as high as 85%.

With the immediate availability to research, consumers are making decisions faster than ever. The net effect is that consumer expectations of immediate gratification are being driven to lofty heights. Here are just three instances that prove the point.

• Mobile searches for “same-day shipping” have gone through the ceiling … 120% growth since 2015.
• Travel-related mobile searches for “tonight” and “today” have grown over 150% in the past two years.
• Mobile searches for “best” has increased over 80% in the last 24 months.

Obviously, folks are comfortable waiting to the last minute to make a buying decision based on the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can get what they want when they want it.

That brings us to some interesting (perhaps alarming) facts thanks to Google research. Consider this when it comes to speed of mobile marketing response and an opportunity to test your mobile site speed and make it increasingly swift.

Google tells us that 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than three seconds to load. In contrast, the average mobile site takes 22 seconds to fully load and that for every one second delay in site load time, conversions fall by 12%. Load time can make or break you!

To test your own mobile site speed, give Test My Site a spin and enjoy instant recommendations to make your mobile site more responsive.

Summary

Consumers have higher expectations than ever for right here, right now experiences. Mobile is not the wave of the future … it is the reality of now. To successfully position your brand keep these facts in mind:

Google indexes websites based on their mobile sites rather than desktops. That means your search engine optimization (SEO) is significantly influenced by how quickly your mobile site loads and how nice it looks on a smartphone. Your content must be compelling and perceived as valuable to keep your audience engaged.

As ever, the velocity of technology advancements demands that you stay abreast of market expectations and remain alert to whatever the future holds to satisfy the mobile needs of the buying public.