You can explore the numbers for yourself, but it’s easy to sum up this trend in a single statement: Video is huge.
Consumers interact with all manner of content in the buying journey. And while other forms of content, such as blog posts, articles, podcasts, eBooks, whitepapers and so on can all drive them down the funnel, video is fast becoming an essential piece of the puzzle.
Video content is generally very visual, easy to consume, and short. But that’s one of the reasons it can also be so persuasive. It’s easier for people to commit to something they can see and get of taste of than to just hear about it or read about it.
When consumers seek to book a trip, they will set aside small amounts of time to research potential destinations. This describes a micromoment.
When you consider the current behavior of consumers, it quickly becomes obvious. While at a computer, we might take a brief moment out of our work day to research our next trip. Or we might pull our phone out at lunch to do a quick Google search.
Watching a video is something many of us do while dreaming about our vacation. Per HNN’s coverage of Carlo Paulo’s view of the hotel industry, 64% of people who watch travel-related videos do so while thinking about a trip.
Tuning into these micromoments and understanding them can help you develop stimulating content that helps ushers your prospects down the funnel to making a buying decision.
Of any device, smartphones are seeing the largest growth at the moment. HNN tells us that searches are up by 28% on smartphones. Online bookings are also up.
It will be critical for you to develop a video strategy if you’re interested in catering to micromoments. Consumers looking to book a trip may discover your video and quickly make up their mind about their vacation after viewing it. If you aren’t there to serve them in that moment, someone else will be.
It’s important to consider exactly what a micromoment is and what it means to your audience. It may not be necessary to point out that your videos should be short, but it is worth mentioning. Other factors may include: The demographics of your target audience, whether they’re interested in a destination or a specific place to stay, where they are in their buying journey, and so on.
Though more effort-intensive, you could certainly create content for any stage of the buying journey, leading consumers to find you any time they run a search. Do you think they might begin to view you as an authority in the industry after a while?
Paulo suggests taking advantage of the data available to you, which you shouldn’t have any shortage of. This can inform your decisions as to what type of content to create, who to target, what channels to use, what devices your audience use most to access your website, and so on.
Micromoments are becoming more significant in the buying journey. People don’t necessarily make up their mind immediately, especially when it comes to a bigger purchase like a trip. But every step along the way is important, and an initial investment in good video content could help you establish your brand with consumers for years to come.
How will you tap into these micromoments? Is there room for innovation? Could you utilize the data available to you to develop a targeted strategy?
Based on consumer behavior, now is the time to jump on the micromoment bandwagon.