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Make the Most of Customers’ Micro-Moments

May. 3 2021 Guest Blog By Dealer Spike

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Have you noticed in the last year how we seem to use our phones and other digital devices much more frequently? 

It has become a habit—an impulse—to grab our phones and check social media or pause a task to make an unrelated Google search. 

Last year’s surge in digital usage has resulted in our digital interactions becoming more fragmented and sporadic. But did you know that many of these seemingly meaningless interactions are opportunities to connect with motivated buyers? These opportunities are called micro-moments.

What is a micro-moment?

Micro-moments are intentional actions performed by online users to learn, discover, perform or buy something. While referring to a digital action a “micro-moment” may make it seem trivial, micro-moments actually are key to consumers’ decision-making. Micro-moments make up the modern customer’s buying journey, from their initial online search to the time of purchase.

For example, boating customers may perform any and all of the following micro-moments during their buying journey:

  • Entering a search enquiry for 2021 boat models
  • Checking and re-checking third-party marketplaces for used boat listings
  • Contacting your dealership to submit a lead form or request a quote 
  • Pulling out their smartphone to cross-reference models and pricing while standing at a dealership

Boating dealerships can build long-term sales strategies by learning to identify micro-moments and connect with prospects at the right time. The following are proven tactics to help dealers capitalize on micro-moments:

Paid Ads

Paid ads, especially pay-per-click (PPC) ads, draw in leads through online search. According to Google, 91% of people who own smartphones will perform a Google search from their phone in the middle of a task. Paid search is an excellent tactic to capture these impromptu actions by featuring your content at the top of relevant search results. For example, the prospect who’s searching up 2021 boat models may click on an ad for your new spring inventory, converting them from a prospect into a sales lead!

Targeted Digital Advertising

The timing, relevance and quality of your paid ads have a significant influence on consumers’ perception of your brand. To ensure you’re getting in front of the right audience at the right time, Targeted Digital Advertising (TDA) identifies promising leads according to their online and offline habits and shows them tailored content. TDA uses factors such as location, online browsing habits, previous website visitations and age to determine who is most likely to interact with your brand content and follow through with a sale. Imagine a potential customer visits your website but isn’t ready to buy yet— retargeting ads will encourage them to return to your site when they are ready to complete a purchase.

Geofence Targeting

Google reports that 82% of smartphone users reference their mobile device to make buying choices while at the store, and one in 10 end up making a different purchase than originally planned. Geofence Targeting, a powerful TDS strategy, uses digital geographic maps to target leads at specific locations. If a prospect visits the competing dealership down the street and pulls out their phone to compare that store to others, they could see an ad inviting them to participate in your spring sale. Even if a prospect doesn’t visit your dealership that same day, Geofence Targeting sends similar adds to the prospect up to 30 days post-visit. 

Social Media

Social media is a primary tool for the digital buying journey, and many micro-moments occur here. In addition to checking in on loved ones and tracking local news, consumers rely on social media to identify promising dealerships based on their social messaging and online reviews. Boating dealers can use both organic and paid social media to influence prospects’ buying decisions:

  • Organic: Today, every brand is expected to have an active social presence, including posting organically on a regular basis. As your social presence grows, so does your online prominence, drawing more followers (aka, leads) to your social pages. 
  • Paid Ads: Organic posting alone will not generate fast results. Social media ads pop up in the feeds of potential customers who may not have known your dealership existed, but now they are seeing an exciting ad that offers the exact unit brands they are interested in! 

Micro-moments may seem like insignificant touchpoints in the vast customer buying journey, but in reality they are the crucial opportunities for boat dealers to convert casual browsers into sales leads. With a custom-scaled digital marketing strategy in place, you can intercept micro-moments and guide shoppers through the buying journey—where your dealership is waiting at the finish line.

Not sure how to get started with digital marketing? Connect with Dealer Spike today to discuss your dealership revenue goals with our marketing experts.