4 moments that are crucial for your customers

It might seem like all of your online and offline customers are goal-oriented in other words, looking for specific products. In fact, they can also just be looking for inspiration. Ideally, you want to cater to and be of relevance to both types of customers. So how many states are there and how do you recognise them?

According to theory, we can distinguish between 4 different moments, where you could (and want) to be relevant to your target audience. These states are also called micro-moments and they are associated with a certain need for information. These then correspond with 4 types of search queries in Google and by understanding these, you can get more traffic both online and offline. 
 

The ‘I want to know moment’

Whenever there’s something you want to know more about and you grab your phone to find it on Google. The type of question you type in Google is what what we call an informative question and links to an ‘I want to know moment’, for which the intention is to get to know more on a certain topic. 

A (potential) customer can be looking for information on how to take care of a new apple tree, how to repot a new Monstera, or how to start a facade garden. 

To be relevant for this customer, you want to share knowledge and information on your website which means that is is important that your business is easy to find and has the relevant information available. Our content marketeers take care of this by writing quality category texts, and news items related to relevant topics in your area. 

The ‘I want to go moment’

If you are looking for any type of shop to go to, you want it to be nearby. A search result for a shop that is 500 miles away is not a relevant search result in that sense. That’s why these search queries are often specified with ‘in the area of x’ or ‘in the region of y’. 

Customers who want to visit a garden centre in the area of Manchester will use a search query like ‘garden centre Manchester’. If you have a garden centre in the area of Manchester, this is the moment that you’re garden centre should be standing out in the search results. 

The intention of these potential customers is to visit a store, but sometimes their intention is less direct. They can also use a search query such as ‘Indoor plants Manchester’ or ‘Christmas trees Manchester’. 

The ‘I want to do moment’

Your customer wants to prune a boxwood into a nice shape, make a field bouquet, propagate an Alocasia, something that he or she could do with some instructions for. Search queries starting with ‘How can I…’ or ‘How to…’ are queries that are used a lot to prepare to do something. 

The search results that can be expected are clear step by step instructions like video’s in which the whole activity is displayed. There’s no doubt you have a lot of knowledge that can help many of your (potential) customers, preferably these guides should be easy to find in Google as an answer to these types of questions. 

For the question ‘How to propagate the Alocasia?’ you want your website to give the answer. Especially the ‘new gardeners’ who have just discovered plants and gardening during the past year are looking for a lot of information online. 

The ‘I want to buy moment’

Your potential customer has gone through the information stage and is ready to buy a product as soon as possible. Whether it’s soil, a plant spray, or a new irrigation system, the search query will contain the product name and the word ‘buy’, ‘order’ or ‘buy online’. 

Between the search results, the potential customer won’t be expecting long manuals, but easy and clear information on the product. This includes shipping information, prices and immediate purchasing options. 

If you have a webshop, this is the moment where you want all your products to be shown clearly with all the required information so that the customer can decide instantly whether or not to buy the product. 

This is how your garden centre can respond to your customer’s micro-moments

The difference between these micro-moments gives you more insight into the information that your customer is looking for at specific moments. A customer who finds the relevant information will stay longer on your website and is more likely to visit your garden centre or to place an online order. 

Almost all your customers’ search queries can be divided into these 4 micro-moments and every micro-moment is connected to an intention. If you understand how your customers search and with which intention, you can get their attention to your webshop or garden centre!

Do you want to make sure your website is optimised for the micro-moments of your customers and attract more consumers to your website? Our content marketeers can optimise your content for better online visibility for each micro-moment. For more information, please contact your account manager or call us on (+44) 203 475 5541.