Last 7th of August, together with the team at FIRST, I attended the Google Partners Masterclass held at the ANZ Viaduct Centre in Auckland, an impressive digital marketing event that brought together smart digital professionals under one roof for a full day of insightful sharing.
Organized for digital marketers and advertisers from Google partner agencies and freelancers, the topics focused on understanding customers and using data and context to deliver the best experience.
I will be sharing with you key insights that our team at FIRST found very helpful over a series of posts in the coming days. From Google’s customer behaviour research about micro-moments as a game changer for marketing today to the latest Google Analytics and AdWords updates and how to use data to understand customer behaviour and provide the best online experience for them, we’ve got you covered.
Stay tuned in the next few days to find out how data-driven marketing can better communicate your story, drive value and propel your brand by engaging customers more effectively.
Below is the first of the Google Partners Masterclass 2015 series. Let’s dive in!
Be There For Each Moment That Matters
The fundamental message was clear: use data to provide value.
Richard Flanagan’s, Head of Business Marketing in Google Australia & New Zealand, introduction to the event discussed why the smallest moments, the Micro-Moments, is the new battleground for businesses. This new customer behaviour is something that digital marketers must adopt and master. One of my favourite quotes from the event was “It is in these moments that preferences are shaped and decisions are made”.
One shouldn’t get caught up in just one moment as the reality of today’s customer behaviour and decision happens across a series of small moments. Key moments that we, as marketers, can win by understanding how each one contributes to a customer’s need in-the-moment. These moments need strategies that focus on the intent of customers to aid businesses to become visible and available, to guide customers along their purchase journey and to ensure the best online experience.
With mobile changing the way customers collect and process information, marketers are forced to respond and innovate in-the-moment as well.
Some interesting Google statistics:
- 20% increase in mobile’s share of online sessions
- 29% increase in mobile conversion rate
- 18% decrease in time spent per visit, year-on-year
Richard added that customers no longer research purchases over long sessions. They get the information and make the decision that same moment.
Personally, this is true. Recently, I needed to buy a coffee table. No surprise, there were a lot of options online from brands to types and sizes. I had to narrow down my list of options by finding out the unique value proposition of each and what people are saying in reviews. I didn’t have the time to go to each store where it was available nor did extensive research. Who has the time for that these days anyway?
It doesn’t end there.
When I purchased the table, I needed to find out how to assemble it. To do that, I reached for my phone and looked for a video on assembling coffee tables for that brand. Instead of reading the manual, I went on YouTube. I do this all the time and you probably do it too.
Connect The Dots
Richard mentioned 3 things marketers can do to be there when customers need you:
- Identify your micro-moments
- Deliver on needs in-the-moment
- Measure moments that matter
To effectively win on those customer micro-moments, you must first be ever present and be ready to help. With mobile and today’s powerful online platforms, customers act on impulse and have high expectations. It is up to us marketers to provide, in that same moment, what they need in a way that is relevant and useful for them.
The reality on micro-moments takes away the traditional view of the customer’s journey. It’s no longer a straightaway process but rather involves various spurts of activities that happen on different online platforms throughout any ordinary day.
Richard emphasized on connecting people’s intent and context. These micro-moments are intent-driven and real-time. As marketers, we can capture these opportunities to engage with our customers in a way that matters most to them.
Up next…
Now that we’ve finished talking about how micro-moments can help you develop digital strategies to win on those moments and effectively engage your customers, come back tomorrow, when I’ll share with you insights from the event’s main speaker, David Booth, on how to use data to drive value for your customers.