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Winning The Micro-Moments With Millennial Dads
It’s time to think about how customers are now interacting with your brand when they are near your store or restaurant
Just look around. I mean everywhere. We’re always on our devices. Whether you’re young, old or in-between, our devices are as important as putting on shoes and socks to start the day. Thanks to them, we can quickly search and find things all around us. And we’re doing exactly that—especially Millennials—and in massive numbers. Whether you’re a global brand or single unit franchisee, it’s imperative that you learn how to win and deliver in these micro moments.
We live in a world where uncertainty no longer exists. Turning to our smartphones for information on where to eat, what to buy, where to go is no longer considered a task—it’s a reflex. As a result, the decision by the consumer to interact with a franchise brand is incredibly different now than it was 10 years ago.
Millennials in particular use their smartphones more than any other generation. And Millennial dads are a subset that is helping drive those I-need-this-now-moments even further.
Finding a product or service nearby for a new dad used to require multiple steps, which included paper maps, phone calls and even a flip through the yellow pages. But thanks to the mini-computer we now all carry around in our pockets, words like “near me,” “closest” and “nearby” are some of the most searched terms on Google.
“In decades past, a prominent and easy-to-read exterior sign was the single most important factor in helping customers locate your business. This is evident in the standardized façades of strip centers across the country,” said Dave Wells, director of franchising for Sport Clips*. “With the rise of the tech-savvy and increasingly mobile-reliant Millennial customer base, a solid local SEO strategy will be as, if not more, important than any exterior sign ever was. Simply put, if this next generation of customers can’t easily find you through Google, they are not likely to find you at all. We take this seriously at Sport Clips. If you Google men’s haircuts in any major market, Sport Clips should present itself as the clear option.”
In these moments, consumers aren’t just making a search decision—they are making decisions that lead to purchases in-store or online. But these micro-moments happen quickly. That doesn’t mean that savvy franchise brands can’t win, they just have to prepare for them. As a franchise, you need to think through the situations in which people will search for your store. To figure this out, use a combination of experience, hypothesis and trend data to surmise how and when consumers will potentially seek you out.
“The shift to digital never occurred for Millennial’s, it just always was. This tech savvy, digitally-based generation grew up with the world at their fingertips and have managed the vastness of that by seeking out socially and digitally engaged brands,” said Erin Gilliam, marketing manager for Miracle Method Surface Refinishing. “They are social, digital, smart and have high expectations for service and responsiveness. Our marketing approach at Miracle Method has adapted to meet Millennials where they are—on their mobile or tablet, on social media and targeted locally for a more personalized and highly responsive experience. The required shift on our part and our franchisees is worth it though as Millennials are now the largest generation, which creates a significant and worthwhile opportunity.”
If you’re in franchising, the implication is clear. You need to deliver on these micro-moments if you intend to remain competitive while capturing the attention of the next generation. Those who do will not only deliver upon the customer’s new expectations, but also position your brand for whatever might be coming next.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
