How is your social media marketing strategy working for your brand?

Social media plays a more intrinsic role than ever in marketing for almost all businesses. With so many consumers of almost all ages active on social media all over the world, can you really afford to ignore the opportunities delivered by having an active, dynamic presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or another relevant social platform?

There are currently more than 5.1 billion users of social media globally.

The average person actively uses more than six different social networks every month[1] and spends more than two hours on social media daily. While Facebook and Instagram remain the most popular overall for both consumers and marketers, TikTok is the fastest-growing social platform – and its user base doubled between 2020 and 2022[2].

This represents an almost infinite (in practical terms) pool of potential for brands and businesses to reach and captivate new audiences online, connect with existing customers and fans, and drive enquiries, conversions, and loyalty.

Perhaps even more than anywhere else online, the competition for audience attention on social media is fierce. The thing you must understand and apply to your own social media efforts for marketing is the need to capture and engage your audience within seconds. This is where micro-moments enter the picture.

What are Micro-Moments?

A proverbial “new frontier” in digital marketing,  micro-moments are small, decisive online interactions that usually occur on mobile devices and, despite their immediate, passing nature, they can have a big influence on how consumers behave and convert.

How do Micro-moments Influence Consumer Behaviour?

Micro-moments can be harnessed to powerfully influence lead generation and shape the customer journey. With the fleeting nature of digital interactions (especially on social media) and a plethora of distractions just a click or swipe away, the modern customer journey online is no longer linear. It is often, rather, an intricate web of small moments across different platforms.

There are different types of intent-rich micro-moments:

• “KNOW” Moments – these target people looking to their smartphone or other device for information and answers. It incorporates everything from looking up trivia about an actor they’re watching on TV in real-time to researching who is the best medical specialist in a specific field near them.

• “DO” Moments – if you offer an activity, this is where you capture your audience. Think gallery exhibitions, community events, new cinematic releases, horse-riding lessons, craft classes, and much more.

• “GO” Moments – these target location-based consumer behaviours. They might speak to getting directions or finding a train timetable; looking for a great local café or showcasing an exotic holiday destination.

• “BUY” Moments – these are selling-specific and their intent is to drive conversions, whether through encouraging click-throughs to websites or shoppable posts within the social apps.

Modern audiences are intrinsically impatient. They will swiftly move between profiles, apps, and sites, and explore other brand and product options if their attention isn’t captivated and their needs are not met during key moments. Brands and businesses must appreciate this and understand how to leverage intent-rich micro-moments.

How Can Brands Exploit Micro-moments?

Understanding that the contemporary consumer journey is full of micro-moments – when consumers turn to their devices to seek solutions to a specific need – is just the first step. As a brand and a business, you can exploit these by:

• Optimising your online presence (website and social profiles) – includes mobile optimisation across devices for both Android and iOS, providing a user-friendly, engaging mobile experience.

• Delivering rich content for micro-moments that fulfils both the needs of your audience and your brand itself.

Tips:

• Identify/anticipate micro-moments – know who your target audience is, what they need and want, and how and where they are active on social media. Align your social media marketing approach to these and provide organic posts and/or paid social ads (sponsored posts) that position your brand as an authority in your niche and a high-value resource for your audience.

• Create concise, visually appealing content – micro-moments are all about making a big impression in an instant – even as little as a second or less. You need to create and deliver concise, engaging content that is short, sharp, and highly shareable.

• Personalise – customise your content for its specific audience and micro-moment so that it is relevant and provides a distinct solution, offering, or recommendation.

• Leverage social features – there are numerousoptions across different social platforms to consider, including timeline/newsfeed static posts, stories, reels, live videos, interactive posts, polls, and more. Encourage users to actively like, comment, and share.

• Optimise visibility – being visible to your target audience when they are most receptive to your offering is essential. Ways to effectively achieve this include implementing a professional SEO strategy (search engine optimisation should incorporate social media offerings)and/or Paid Social Media Marketing (e.g. Facebook Ads).

• Optimise for mobile – mobile optimisation is non-negotiable in today’s market. Not only do most people use social media on their smartphones or other mobile devices, but more than 50% of people research brands online before purchasing and almost 30% of internet users make an online purchase at least once per week using their mobile devices[3].

• Track and analyse – measure the success of your campaign and use the information you glean to improve your approach for the future. This includes considering your engagement rate, conversion rate, bounce rate, and the amount of time audiences spend on your social pages and website, engaging with your content.

In a Nutshell…

Micro-moments are small, concise, fleeting social snippets that may, on their own, seem insignificant, but combine to make a meaningful impression and drive results. They can be powerful and are exceptionally suited to the short attention span that is so characteristic of our current digital era. They can effectively:

• boost your online visibility and brand awareness
• drive meaningful B2B and B2C engagement
• establish trust, drive conversions
• encourage loyalty
• transform how consumers interact with your business

By delivering small morsels of relevant content during intent-rich social moments, you can influence, engage, and compel your target audience to actively seek out more: driving website visits, queries, and even converting via the social media platform itself where relevant.

Up Your Social Game: Book a Digital Strategy Session Today

Let us help you join the dots at Dot-to-Dot Digital!

We have the experience, insights, industry know-how, and professional techniques to understand your brand and your vision and craft an effective social media marketing campaign (and a whole lot more!) to exploit social platforms for your brand’s benefit, connecting you with the right audiences and driving results for your business.

Get in touch with our friendly team of expert digital strategists – we can’t wait to hear from you!

[1] https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report

[2] https://www.targetinternet.com/resources/fastest-growing-social-media-networks-2022-23/

[3] https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-customer-service-statistics/