By now it seems clear that we have well and truly jumped off that edge and are swimming, frolicking (and sometimes drowning) in that futuristic sea of digital, connectivity, cams, drones, the Internet of Things… and especially mobile.
Today, we'd like to kick off a three-part blog series that will look at how publishers can do more frolicking and less failing in this digital sea. In particular, we'll look at what we call digital moments that matter, and the best ways for publishers to think about those moments. Part one today is Micro-Moments for Publishers, to be followed by From Micro to Macro and then part 3, Acting On Your Moments.
Where to start? In an age where people create and consume their very own newsrooms on a daily basis, expectations for content are growing higher and higher. Just a few examples:
- People over 35 tend to print out recipes, while 59% of 25- to 34-year-olds cook with their smartphones or tablets handy.
- 35+ million hours of movie trailers were viewed on mobile on YouTube in the first six months of 2015. The same period saw a whopping 41% growth in mobile searches related to movie showtimes.
- Seven in ten millennial dads seek parenting information online. 59% of those dads say they use their smartphones for those searches more than any other device. Searches for baby-related terms on mobile have grown 52% year over year, according to Google data.
So the publishing business has changed tremendously over the last two decades, but the big questions are still very much the same:
- How do I reach the right audience?
- How do I make sure I stand out?
- How do I drive enough views and revenue to grow my business?
Today you have more choice than ever in how to approach these questions, thanks in large part to huge changes in mobile consumer behavior.
We don’t 'go online'
anymore – we
live online
There's no such thing as sitting down for an “online session” anymore. Mobile is not just a hand-held device; it is a human and consumer behavior. It's why we no longer have those empty spaces in our day -- at the bus stop, in line at a store, or even at night in bed.
As a publisher, you don't always have to be there for those moments when users browse their friends' photos and status updates, or find out that they need to pick up milk on the way home from work. In fact, if you try to insert your content when people aren’t receptive, it can do more harm than good.
But certain moments really do matter for publishers: Moments when consumers turn to their phones to seek information or ideas. In those moments they have an intent: a need that can be met, a curiosity fulfilled, or a decision made.
These countless moments are full of intent signals that publishers can capitalize on. A "time for a new one" moment with a worn-out hairdryer can be satisfied with a product review. An "I can fix it" moment is perfect for do-it-yourself articles from publishers. (Over 100 million hours of “how-to” content have been watched on YouTube so far this year.) What about “I want to watch” moments? Can you give those users short and easy-to-watch content?
"How do I reach my audience?" "How do I make sure I stand out?" The answer lies in creating the content for these micro-moments. And in the next post, we'll talk about an opportunity that's similar and yet different: macro moments.
Want to learn more about micro-moments? Check out the Think with Google Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile.
Chris Jones
Global Audience Development Specialist