Micro-Moments — What Are They?
Let’s get this straight. Think about how many messages drop into your eyeball space every day. They might be alerts, ads on YouTube, emails, newsletters, push notifications or tweets. The list trails off towards the crack of doom. Sometimes we all wish we could switch it all off and be done with online conveyor belt. But this is the brave new world and we are experiencing what some have called ‘content shock’. You guessed it, we just cannot keep absorbing so much information. It is almost paralyzing.
Don’t Neglect Micro-Moments — Start Creating Them Now!
You might think that all sounds rather dramatic but if you consider that most of us spend almost five hours a day with our necks bent in that awkward position over our smartphones, well, something has to change. This, dear readers, is where micro-moments are key for business to create messages that matter.
Send the Actionable Message People Can’t Afford to Ignore
What you are looking for is the right message, at the right time that solves the exact need a consumer has at that moment. Perfect. So imagine you are in a new town, you’re hungry and you have a desire for tacos. That desire is pretty pressing. You have absolutely no requirement for an article on the history of tacos, or 101 recipes using tacos. You need a taco restaurant within walking distance and you want it right now.
Geofencing — Start Using It Now!
We may not realize it, but this is where a geofence is going to ride up and scoop us up and deliver gallantly to taco paradise.
Basically, a geofence is a virtual perimeter. It is ‘placed’ over a real world location on the map or geographic area. You might want to generate a radius around a particular restaurant or store for example. On the other hand, you might want to use a geo-fence where you set a boundary or set of boundaries that are predefined. It might be a circle with a radius of 30 miles to 30,000 miles. It could even be a polygon centered around the target location. The aim is to target people in those highly specific locations These might be something like neighborhood boundaries or districts, for example.
Guess What? It’s Your Lucky day!
So what next? Well, a location based service or LBS is a location aware device. If you start geofencing, basically you send alerts to a user with a smart phone and this links to the geo-fence operator. The information as to where the device is being operated is then sent to a mobile of email. So maybe you message our hungry taco seeker and say:
“Guess what? It’s your lucky day. 50% off taco meals before 6:30pm! Here’s your voucher go grab it now.”
Learn to Know and Love Your Clients
Maybe this taco fiend is a regular user. Geofences could tell you that. You have the capacity to collect pretty valuable data about people who are using your store and/or business app. You can see when they visit, how long they stay and even their movements through the store. If they regularly consume tacos you might want to reward that specific loyalty.
Geo Fencing Benefits Just Keep On Coming
Often these highly targeted messages that hit right when someone is nearby can have quite an impact. If your messages are really appropriate and relevant then you’ll find engagement spikes. This is valuable in itself. Why? We all know how often we download bright shiny apps then never look at them again. Geo fencing can definitely aid engagement.
As you get to know more about your customer you can tailor specific messages that improve their experience. For example:
Hey! You recently bought this lovely blouse. Guess what? As the temperatures have risen today, you need a cooler business jacket to go with them. Luckily, we now have a range of summer lightweights to complement your original purchase! As an existing customer we’re offering you 25% off. Check out the whole range. Hurry the offer ends at 4pm!
OK this message is rather long, but it knows what the customer’s purchase history is and then takes note of the current weather conditions in the area and it includes an urgent CTA and a bonus of a discount. It’s pretty relevant, timely and attractive.
It can help you target a shelf space in a big department store. You might want to target a specific product’s location even. The possibilities are endless…
Geo targeting is useful. It targets your app users and utilizes their movements. You are engaging with them as they go about their lives. They have their phones constantly close by so you can reach out at an opportune moment. Proximity and location-based mobile experiences are what’s required.
100TB’s Top Tips for Utilizing Geo-Fencing:
#1. Your CTAs have to be top quality, engaging and actionable.
If we return to the taco addict we know s/he is likely to make an impulsive decision. So hook ’em in with a clear call to action.
Use discount vouchers and anything possible to get them into your store. That all important interaction and decision will cement the relationship with your brand, service or product. It’s cheaper and usually more successful to upsell rather than prospect.
#2. Don’t go crazy with the messaging.
Don’t run the risk of alienating users by flooding their devices with messages. Every message should be timely, creative, thoughtful and highly relevant and not just from your perspective! If people are crisscrossing your geo-fence the last thing they need is the same message repeated on a loop. Be sensible and mindful of the customer experience. You have been warned. This is a privilege not a right. Routing algorithms will help. These are especially useful at something like a trade show for example where finding you might well be confusing.
#3. Utilize data correctly.
You can discover, where people are gathering at a tradeshow or conference. For example, discover where they spend the most time on your stand or in your store. What is most interesting to them and just how many people visit in an hour, a day or whatever time frame you wish to set. This can help you make informed decision, find slack times, consider what different types of messaging need to be sent out at different times of the day. It might even help you manage slack periods by offering special discounts to loyal fans at times when you are quiet.
If you need help with aspects of your ecommerce offering, and then 100TB’s support team know just about all you need to know. From beginner to custom-built, we can handle your queries and find solutions to help your business develop and grow. What’s stopping you? Ramp up your ecommerce efforts right now.
#4. Use wifi, not GPS.
GPS is a battery drainer and people have a tendency to disable to save power. Be aware of customer behavior; it affects everything. Don’t forget if your feature isn’t actually activated by the potential consumer your message won’t get through. Use beacons and other digital marketing effort. Geofencing won’t bring results alone.
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Originally published at blog.100tb.com.
