Want PPC Advertising Results? Think Small.
We’ve all been hearing about the increasing importance of mobile for search and you’ve no doubt seen it in your analytics. As promised by countless industry experts, mobile search has taken over as the arena in which you should focus your efforts. Much has been written about how to capitalize on this shift and among the myriad of recommendations is one small factor that can have some of the biggest impact. Enter the micro-moment.
What is a Micro-Moment?
Merriam-Webster defines a moment as “a minute portion or point of time” or as a “comparatively brief period of time. While the term “micro-moment” has yet to make its way into the official dictionary (just give it time), deductive reasoning and an understanding of the English language tells us that a micro-moment is an even more minute or brief portion of time. While moments may last minutes, micro-moments may be mere seconds. But, it is these mere seconds that offer you great opportunities—if you are ready when they happen.
Micro-Moments and Search
In the world of online searching, people are naturally looking for something. While there are exceptions to every rule, it is true that most people performing searches on smartphones and even tablets are looking for more immediate information or action than those on desktop devices. The window of time in which mobile searchers are looking to take action is incredibly small—far smaller than for searchers on desktops.
You could, in fact, say that “moments” lead the way on desktop while “micro-moments” are where you need to focus for mobile. It is in these very brief moments that you have a window to get potential customers’ attention—and their clicks.
Google has identified four distinct types of micro-moments, as follows:
- Want to do
- Want to know
- Want to go
- Want to buy
These are the things people are looking for in mobile searches—the reasons they are performing a specific search at a specific time.
PPC Ads and Micro-Moments
By creating ads that focus directly on these four actions, you can be setup to take advantage of micro-moments. One way to know which type of micro-moment may be most relevant to your audience is to review your mobile search query analytics.
For example, if you see a lot of queries starting with “Where can I get…” you know people are ready to buy. Your ads should give them what they need to do just that—from you. That can include your location and phone number if you are a brick-and-mortar establishment, pricing information, shipping details if you are an e-commerce store or other details pertinent to making a relatively immediate purchasing decision.
Alternatively, if you see a lot of queries starting with “How do I…” you know people want to do something and are looking for instructions. Create ads that make your expertise clear in a moment—a micro-moment, to be exact.
Create, Test, Review—and Repeat
As with any PPC ad campaign, you should consider yourself in a continual phase of testing when targeting micro-moments. The immediacy with which you can get results makes this easier than with any other type of online advertising.
