Learn about everything you need to know about the four micro-moments your customers are experiencing.

What are micro-moments?

That is the question we need to answer before getting too far into the weeds. We need to define what a micro-moment is, then we can understand how they play into your mobile marketing strategy.

The term micro-moment describes the act of reflexively turning to a mobile device to learn, do, discover, watch, or buy something. As a marketer, you have a unique opportunity to create content and experiences for customers who are experiencing these in-the-moment wants and needs.

In your own life, think about micro-moments as the moment when you grab your smartphone with the thought:

I want-to-know
I want-to-go
I want-to-do
I want-to-buy

These moments present companies with opportunities to predict and provide customers with the content they need, at the exact moment that they need them.

In the next section of this article, we’ll take a brief look at each type of micro-moment to better understand what they are and how you can leverage them to improve your mobile marketing campaigns. We’ll also provide you with a number of mobile marketing platforms that can help you create, manage, and expand your micro-moment marketing efforts.

How to Leverage Each Type of Micro-Moments in Your Mobile Marketing Campaigns

Using micro-moments to help build your mobile marketing campaigns will allow you to consider the needs of your customers across multiple touchpoints. Whether they’re just in the early discovery stages or ready to make a purchase, creating content for each stage will put you ahead of the competition.

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at each different type of micro-moment and how you can leverage your mobile marketing tactics to reach audiences across the stages of their journey. With tools like SMS messaging, email, and mobile app notifications — you can be there right when your customers need you the most.

There are multiple different types of micro-moments you’ll want to consider, but each one will provide you with a unique opportunity to reach and engage your audiences. Whether they’re simply looking for how-to content or ready to make a purchase, you can be prepared for their needs. Image courtesy of Search Engine Land.

I Want-to-Know Moments

During the I want-to-know moment, a consumer is most likely just starting to explore and research a product or topic. At this stage, they are really just becoming aware of the potential want or need — and in some cases, it may only result in a one-time inquiry.

Did you know that 96% of people use a smartphone to answer the questions?

Content designed to target consumers who are experiencing an I want-to-know moment should be high-level and informative. They don’t want to receive a sales pitch at this point in time, rather they want valuable insights into the thing they are looking to learn more about.

So now the question is, how do you incorporate these types of micro-moments into your mobile marketing campaigns?

Well, when this micro-moment happens, the most convenient device for the consumer is most likely their smartphone, remember they’re never far from our bodies. This means the consumer grabs their smartphone, pulls up a search engine, and asks a question — but how do you engage with this consumer?

Here are a few different examples of how you can reach potential audiences during their I want-to-know micro-moments:

Develop relevant and engaging educational content that speaks to their needs
Purchase digital ad space to get your brand in front of consumers during their initial search
Share informational content on your social media channels and add spend dollars behind them to reach new audiences
Stay ahead of the curve by using customer data to begin to learn and predict what future audiences may be interested in or searching during their I want-to-know moments

Of course, we live in an ever-changing world, which means there are always new things to consider when developing your marketing content. When it comes to the I want-to-know stages, it’s all about how your audiences are asking questions into their smartphone.

It’s not just about what content you’re presenting your potential customers with, it’s also about how you’re presenting it. Many consumers are moving towards using voice search when a question comes to mind and the results they’re served is much different than what a traditional search engine would present.

With the adoption of voice search, you need to be aware of its growing popularity and consider how you can continue to reach audiences quickly and easily during this micro-moment. While we won’t go into detail in this article around voice search and micro-moments, if you’re not keeping it in mind now you may fall behind in the near future.

I Want-to-Go Moments

These are the moments when a consumer is a search for a product or service near their current location. During these moments, a consumer is most likely looking to make an immediate purchase and trying to identify the choices they have within a specific area.

Did you know that 60% of Americans use smartphones and tablets to search for local products and services?

During the I want-to-go moment, the consumer is generally typing something like “Mexican restaurants near me” or “hair salons near me.” It’s all based on where the consumer is. They’re trying to find something to address their immediate need without having to go too far to do it.

Generally, consumers, who are in the I want-to-go stage they’re going to purchase and will quickly act on their needs.

In most cases, consumers who are performing local searches during an I want-to-go moment are going to take action on their search within a day or two. In many scenarios, the consumer actually just performed their search prior to entering the store.

So, we’re back to the point where you might be asking yourself “how do I reach audiences during their I want-to-go moments?”

Here are a few ways you can reach your audiences via mobile marketing during their I want-to-go micro-moments:

Create geofencing campaigns for current customers to send SMS messages and push notifications directly to their smartphones when they’re near your stores
Focus on your local SEO efforts so that your brand appears when consumers search for products and services near them
Have a Google My Business listing and keep it up-to-date and relevant to continue showing up in Google’s directory
Actively engage with current customers to increase your online ratings and reviews to stand out to new audiences

I want-to-go micro-moments can be a huge opportunity for local businesses. There are a ton of different things you can do that don’t have to cost an arm and a leg — meaning that even the smallest of businesses can start to make an impact and capture new leads.

I Want-to-Do Moments

When an I want-to-do moment is when a consumer is looking for help on how to perform the task at hand. This is often a scenario when the user is doing something they’ve never done before, so they turn to the internet for help.

Did you know that 33% of mobiles users switch to a competitor who provides helpful information?

Depending on what the task they are trying to achieve is, they may be looking for something as simple as a recipe or trying to find a video on how to install a car part. During this micro-moment, you want to make sure you’re providing your customers with instructional content that is relevant to their needs.

Get to know the I want-to-do moments. These are a great opportunity to reach both new and current customers by providing the content they need to do the task at hand. When done right, it’s also a great way to keep purchasing customers engaged and active with your content.

There are many ways you can plan, create, and promote content to meet the I want-to-do micro-moments of your customers. Here are just a few examples:

Create how-to content that can be sent to customers after they make a purchase
Use video channels such as YouTube to share relevant videos on tips, tricks, and product use cases
Develop cheat sheets on to use your products and make the most out of their experience

The I want-to-do micro-moments provide you with two unique opportunities.

One is to engage with customers after they have purchased your products by sharing relevant and helpful how-to content. For these customers, you’re sending follow-up content that is relevant to their needs and will help improve their customer experience by giving them the content they needed before they even knew.

The second opportunity is by reaching new audiences looking for the help you’re providing, even if they haven’t purchased your products. By putting how-to and informational content out into the world, you’ll be attracting audiences who might not have even purchased your specific product. This may help to build brand awareness and intrigue customers to come back and purchase your product in the future.

By helping your audiences through the I want-to-do micro-moments, you’ll be setting your brand up as a thought leader and educational resource.

I Want-to-Buy Moments

I want-to-buy moments are those times when someone turns to their smartphone to research and complete a purchase. During this stage, the customer knows what they’re looking for and is simply looking for the best option to complete their purchase.

More and more people are turning to their smartphones when making a purchase. By putting your efforts into improving SEO and getting your products in front of the right customers, this can be a huge opportunity to grow your business. Image courtesy of The Next Web.

During this moment, the user may have been researching the product for weeks. But it may also be an impulse purchase — whatever the case, you need your brand to appear in the search results.

When it comes to I want-to-buy moments, you have to remember that it might not only be the act of purchasing that is happening during this stage. In fact, many consumers are turning to their smartphones to check out ratings and reviews before completing a purchase.

Coming up with marketing content for the I want-to-buy micro-moments might be one of the easier campaign tactics. Here are a few examples of how you can reach and convert audiences when they’re experiencing an I want-to-buy moment:

Provide them with relevant coupons and discounts to entice their purchase
Leverage paid advertising to ensure your brand appears at the top of the user’s search screen
Improve SEO to organically appear higher in the search results
Create a ratings and review process to encourage users to share their positive experiences and influence future customers

Customers experiencing I want-to-buy moments are the ones you want to focus the majority of your efforts on. Since they’re ready to make a purchase, getting your products in front of them is extremely important.

But this doesn’t mean you can ignore all of the other micro-moments your customers are experiencing. You need to ensure you’re reaching audiences across multiple channels and stages to attract new customers and build loyalty among your current customer base.

Platform to Help You Make the Most Out of Your Mobile Marketing Campaigns

When it comes to creating effective mobile marketing campaigns to reach your audiences, finding the right platform can make all of the difference.

Whether you’re looking to integrate multiple mobile channels into your mobile marketing strategy or just use SMS messaging — there’s a tool to help you reach your audiences at the right moment, with the right content.

Here are just a few examples of how investing in a marketing platform can help you achieve your micro-moment marketing goals:

Predictive technology helps you understand what your customers need next
Workflows that create automated customer journeys and provide the customer the content they need based on their real time behaviors
Location-based targeting to engage with people near your physical sites
Data collection and tracking to help you better understand who your customers are and what they need from you

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at nine different marketing platforms that can help you take your mobile marketing to the next level and create content for each micro-moment your customers experience.

Listrak

Listrak is an integrated digital marketing platform that can help you manage and make the most out of all of your customer micro-moments. From better understanding customer data to creating highly targeted digital messages — this platform can take your campaigns to the next level.

Know who your customers are, where they’re interacting with your content, and how to best reach them. Having the right tool in place will allow you to learn, predict, and improve your customer-facing communication across various channels.