Micro-moments: what they are and why they are useful for brands

Micro-moments are critical touchpoints in today’s consumer journey: whereas in the past people would go to the physical shop to get an idea of the product and decide whether to buy it, today’s consumers inform themselves online and often make a decision even before seeing the product physically. In these moments, people are willing to be involved and a brand must be aware of this.

The key micro-moments

Micro-moments can be of countless types, there are, however, four types of key micro-moments that represent the full range of user needs:

• I want to know moments – I want to know: the user is researching, exploring, looking for useful or inspirational information.
• I want to go moments – I want to go: the user is looking for a local business or thinking about buying a product in a local shop. At this moment, the person might consider your physical activity.
• I want to do moments – I want to do: these are moments before or after the purchase. The user is looking for help to complete something or wants to try something new. Providing correct instructions in these moments is crucial, people seek instructions for everything nowadays.
• I want to buy moments: at this moment the user is ready to make a purchase but needs help deciding what or how to buy.

How can micro-moments be used to one’s advantage?

Today, people are more loyal to their needs than to a particular brand, so their consideration, as well as their actions, must be constantly earned. For brands, therefore, micro-moments are a battleground and there are three strategies, suggested by Google, to win:

Be there – be present:

It is necessary for a brand to foresee and anticipate the micro-moments of users interested in its industry and must be ready to provide the required help at the moment when users are looking for it. Users are usually looking for the product, not the brand, so the brand has the opportunity to make itself known and to present itself at its best not only to be seen, but also to be chosen. Being present allows the brand to meet consumers’ needs when they need it, to help them in their decision-making process and to develop a sense of loyalty. Therefore, one has to think about the most frequent searches, trends and key questions concerning the sector to which the brand belongs. You have to think about what a user might want to search for depending on the situation, time of day or location.

Be Useful

The content provided by the brand must be relevant to the users’ needs at that specific moment and must provide the solution to the problem they are facing. It is not enough to be present, you have to be able to meet the needs as they arise. You have to connect people with what they are looking for and provide them with relevant information at the moment they need it. It is also very risky not to be helpful because users will not consider you trustworthy.

Be quick – be quick:

They are called micro-moments precisely because they are quick. Web surfers demand a quick response to a need and the brand must provide a fast and frictionless experience. Users want to satisfy their need immediately and make quick decisions: in these moments people have high expectations of finding what they are looking for, but they are also often in a hurry to do so and expect quick and easy-to-navigate interfaces, if they are not they are unlikely to complete their search and are unlikely to return.

Connect the dots

Nowadays online and offline are not two separate worlds: they influence each other and you have to keep in mind that you are always addressing potential consumers, whatever the channel. It is important to understand the behaviour of your audience and, finally, the whole team must be oriented towards the same goal.

Building your online presence by taking into account the micro-moments and actions listed above will allow you to differentiate yourself more from your competitors.

Have we intrigued you? You can delve deeper into the topic with Google’s comprehensive guide.