My Missing Microns
I made a list of all the moments brands are losing out connecting with me through the course of a day:
- Indian Express can have a number (or QR code) for major stories which sends me a 3-day backgrounder with the wider context (and links to previous stories or op-eds). News / media sites and apps could do similar.
- I need to take medicines for cholesterol control. The pharma company could send me tips on what else I could do for a healthy life.
- Colgate could send me a short series on dental care – how to brush better, how to floss (short videos). Yes, all of this is available on the Internet, but I haven’t really bothered to check that content out. And Colgate is a brand I trust – so they could curate the best for me.
- Zoom could send me a series of microns on how to make better use of Zoom (eg. polls, breakout rooms) and the new features they have released
- Yeti (the microphone manufacturer) could send me a short micron series on the various controls that are there, and how to make me sound better when speaking with others
- I browse Amazon often for books and other products – each is a micron moment opportunity to nudge me over the next few days to tell me more about the products of interest
- Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar could send short video clips of movies or web series I have shown interest in
- YouTube could offer me a curation of videos linked to what I have watched
- Tim Ferris could send me a short summary of the key ideas from the Jim Collins conversation I just heard – the five key takeaways to make me more productive
- Swiggy could give me a gentle nudge to order out in the evening – a pre-filled cart with my last order and a single-click purchase
- Inox could send me a short series about the new movie releasing on Friday – much like the book example we discussed
- India Today could send me a daily news quiz – a single multiple-choice question
- Dropbox could send me a random link each day to a document from my past
- WSJ could send me a set of crossword clues daily – because they know I downloaded their year-end puzzles book and answers
- Simon Sinek (if he knew I liked his books and ideas) could send me a 30-day micron series with a refresher course and a recommendation on one action to do daily
- HDFC Bank could send me a recommendation on what to buy next
- Indigo could send me a memory from my past – a reminder of a flight I took (with the top news items of that day to set context); a gentle nudge towards welcoming me back onboard
None of this is happening today. Each is a missed engagement opportunity from a brand I love and have a need for. Getting all these microns in my Inbox might seem like a lot – but even if I got 20 microns daily, it would take by just 5-10 minutes of time. And each of them has something useful – to make me better informed, healthier, happier, and perhaps even wiser. Would this not be a change for the better compared to all the noise we wade through on our social media platforms?
Microns can make memories, money, and magic. It is for us to imagine a new world with more of microns and less of everything else. That is the promise of MyToday’s microns platform – for content creators and consumers, for publishers and subscribers, for brands and customers.
