What do these situations have in common? The sudden need for a quick answer. And it is these very moments, in which we reach to use our smartphones, that we call ‘micro-moments’. So we can take it that the term ‘micro-moments’ is an attempt to give a name to the behaviour of internet users looking for solutions to immediate problems. In the vast majority of cases these searches involve the use of a mobile device.

So why have micro-moments become so popular? We are living in the times of a nanosecond culture. We of the 21st century are not prepared to wait for a solution to our problem – we want it solved now. And what’s more, we have gotten used to the idea. Our most common helpers in this are the smartphone and the search engine.

Google noticed the popularity of questions designed to find a quick answer to queries and needs which are bothering us. They therefore divided micro-moments into four categories ─ the data relate to the United States:

‘I want to know’ ─ appears when we are looking for concrete information. For example, when we look for the name of an actor in the film we are watching, or for more information about a product we have just seen advertised on TV. According to studies, 65 per cent of smartphone users state that, when looking for information they need, they do not pay attention to which company they get it from. At the same time, 69 per cent of mobile users say they are more willing to buy something from the company on whose mobile app or website they found the answer to their question.

‘I want to buy’ – I am sure you have found yourself in a shop on the verge of deciding on a purchase, but in need of more information. What do you do? You take out your phone and look for more information about the product. You are not alone – according to research, this is true of 82 per cent of smartphone users.

‘I want to do’ ─ is one of the most popular micro-moments. According to Google information, 91 per cent of smartphone users search for ‘how to’ information while in the process of doing a task. The increasing popularity of this category can be seen in the fact that this kind of YouTube search has grown by 70 per cent from one year to the next (data for Q1 2014 – Q1 2015 for USA) and 48 per cent of mobile users declare that they are more likely to buy from a company which has instructions in the form of a video guide.

‘I want to go’ – you are visiting somewhere new. Of course, you don’t buy a map if you have a smartphone in your pocket to find the places you are interested in. Studies show that 30 per cent of mobile searches are location oriented. And this figure is growing all the time. According to Google studies, this type of question on mobile devices is growing 50 per cent faster than others (comparison: March 2015 vs March 2016).

To sum up, don’t let the name fool you – micro-moments are hugely important. Although short and spread out, they can add up to as much as several hours a day. All because we are increasingly reaching for our smartphones. The popularity of micro-moments brings huge opportunities to internet businesses, whether an online shop, the webpage of a physical store, an information service or a small blog.

To properly take advantage of micro-moments, you should pay attention to three principles:

– Be there – at the right place, and appear to the user just when he needs you.
– Be useful – and offer help. In his micro-moment, the user has a concrete need. Try to find out as much as you can about the need, and this will help you to better meet it. A simple example: if you are a service provider, put several clickable telephone numbers you can be contacted at on your page. Do not expect that someone will copy your number using their smartphone.
– And finally: Be quick. These moments really are micro, normally lasting only a few seconds. The mobile user is very impatient, and you have just a micro-moment to bring him in and keep him. So, take care of the functionality of your page, so that the user can find the information they need as quickly as possible. It is also good to work on page optimisation, to reduce loading times to a minimum. Remember that one small setback is enough to send the user looking for their answer elsewhere.

So take good care of your users’ micro-moments. Investigating and fulfilling them properly will help you to create a better advertising strategy.

The article was published on Wieciecownecie.pl