Think Next Moments, Not Mobile Ads

The antidote to ineffective mobile advertising is to create mobile “next moments” by combining content, data, and user experience.

Industry panelists at the most recent Cannes Lions referred to mobile ads as a “disastrous” afterthought, noting that 60% of clicks on mobile banner ads occur by mistake.

Based on my experiences, I believe the antidote to ineffective mobile advertising is to create mobile “next moments” by combining content, data, and user experience.

Courting mobile consumers is an especially urgent issue for businesses that manage multiple offline locations, such as retailers and restaurants. More than half of all Google searches occur on mobile—and 30% of those mobile searches are related to location.

In fact, Google reports that “near me” searches (i.e., for products and services in one’s immediate vicinity) have increased 34 times since 2011, with mobile making up 88% of near me queries.

But how do brick-and-mortar businesses convince searchers to visit their locations instead of buying something online or visiting someone else’s business? It’s no easy challenge: Mobile has made consumers impulsive and empowered. They make snap purchase decisions via rapid bursts of decision-making that Google calls micro-moments.

Mobile ads alone won’t turn those micro-moments of decision making into in-store visits. Instead, brands need to create the next moment or the action that occurs after a consumer finds your brand on a mobile device.

Creating the next moment means sharing contextual content supported by location data and user experience. When you own the next moment, you not only deliver mobile searchers to your doorstep; you also send them to the cash register in your store. For example:

• When you use Fandango to search for movie choices, participating theaters may serve up content describing special amenities they provide, such as reserved seating, IMAX screens, and digital projections. Others may offer a $5 concession with a ticket purchase. Theaters also provide accurate information about where to find them and easy-to-use transactional functionality for purchasing tickets and receiving customer loyalty points. Whether providing a deeper level of content or an offer in the moment, the theaters are encouraging a next moment or a ticket purchase. This kind of content does not feel like a mobile ad because it is contextual, appearing in context of a specific search you are making with probable intent to make a purchase.

• Increasingly, physicians provide scheduling widgets on their profile pages along with the content you might expect a physician page to possess, such as credentials and office hours. Good scheduling widgets make booking time with a doctor as simple as reserving time at an Apple Genius Bar. Scheduling widgets are especially important for physicians because doctors typically keep different hours at different locations, and it’s not always easy to find them on the phone to book time. Scheduling widgets are a good example of how a next moment creates an in-person visit by eliminating friction and providing a utility.

• Retailers such as Macy’s have been relying on the delivery of context-aware mobile content based on shoppers’ proximity to stores. On Black Friday 2015, Macy’s used a mobile gaming app to offer consumers the chance to win prizes and meet celebrities. Macy’s initially targeted people who were already shopping in Macy’s stores prior to Thanksgiving weekend. By promoting the Black Friday app experience ahead of time to people who were in Macy’s stores, Macy’s raised awareness for the game and encouraged a return visit.

The keys to success with next moments include:

•Creating a foundation with location data: For your brand to appear when near me searches occur, you need to provide accurate location data, such as your name, address, and phone number. If you fail to do so, your locations are less likely to show up in search results. Accurate location data also creates the path to conversion. People aren’t going to redeem mobile wallets and use scheduling widgets unless the enterprise makes it easy for the customer to find the store, get its hours, and contact the store if needed.

•Providing contextual content: Being contextual means offering content that is relevant to the consumer in context of his or her need during a micro-moment, as well as the context of when and where the search is conducted (such as during a seasonal change). Mobile wallet offers are contextual when a retailer shares them at the right time and place—when a consumer is near a store conducting searches for specific products and is therefore more open to an offer.

•Getting the experience right: Experience encompasses both the user experience that a searcher or customer has while interacting with your brand at a location level, whether online or offline. Location data and content together support a good user experience. But a bad user experience, such as a mobile wallet offer that fails to download properly or a poor follow-through in the store, can sabotage the most carefully planned next moments.

Mobile ads delivered out of context are not the answer for businesses seeking to capitalize on the surge in near me searches. Your brand needs to be present to capture attention during micro-moments. By creating next moments, you can turn consumer attention into a customer relationship.