Where the micro-moment meets the nonprofit

If you keep an eye on marketing trends, you may have heard of the term micro-moments. With Google’s help, many marketers are trying to meet their customers via this type of search. What is a micro-moment to begin with? And why should your nonprofit care?

A micro-moment defined:

According to Google, this phenomena occurs when…

people reflexively turn to a device –increasingly a smartphone – to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something. They are intent-rich moments when decisions are made and preferences shaped.

So it’s not exactly a moment where people are figuring out which cause to donate $1 million to or where to commit all their free time to a nonprofit board. Rather, it could be when someone is wondering where they should bring their extra clothes after spring cleaning their closet, how they could help with a recent natural disaster, or how to get resources for a problem they’re facing.

Your nonprofit can be there in these moments, not only answering questions for people who need your answers, but also increasing web traffic and rankings from Google.

The benefits of optimizing your nonprofit content for micro-moments:

In Google’s ebook, they explain that “these micro-moments are critical touchpoints within today’s consumer journey, and when added together, they ultimately determine how that journey ends.”

They’re pointing out that if you can meet a searcher at these moments, you will create a more positive experience for them. If you can answer their question in their time of need, chances are your nonprofit will stand out in their memory above others.

How nonprofits can use micro-moments:

1. Think about the places where your audience and the questions your nonprofit can answer intersect.

First ask, what might someone ask that you can respond with a quick answer?Then, create web content around these answers.

Ex. for the American Red Cross:

“Where can I volunteer during the holidays?” = write a case study about their holiday volunteer opportunities

 “How can I help with disaster relief?” = create a landing page to drive donations after a natural disaster

“Best ways to keep your family safe during severe weather.” = create a checklist for weather safety tips

2. Do your research with the tools you have

If you have a web agency or someone who’s Google Analytics-savvy, ask them to look at the most common mobile-centric searches with which people land on your site.

Also find your long-tail keywords for which you’re ranking or could be ranking with a tool like SEMRush.

Read more Google’s ideas in, “How to build your mobile-centric search strategy.” Or build your keyword strategy with our post, “SEO Tips for Nonprofits.”

3. Write out your nonprofit’s plan.

Theorizing on where people are in their searches is one thing, but finding a way to create content for each of these searches takes you to the next level. Once you have a handful of ideas, create your content strategy around this. Build up five or so micro-moment-friendly pieces of content and then continue to analyze and refresh in order to keep content relevant and search-engine optimized.

• Blog – Getting started with a documented content marketing strategy
• Tools – Content management tools for nonprofits

4. Think mobile first.

Most of these moments center around hand-held devices – what people have when they’re on the go. If your site content is not crafted around mobile, not only does Google notice that, but so do your users.

Ex. Rather than create a long blog to answer these questions, craft up a mobile-friendly infographic. Rather than creating content users would have to download, make it easy to view right on a landing page. 

For more ideas on making your nonprofit micro-moment and mobile-friendly, contact our team at ArcStone and we can strategize with you.