s mobile marketers, understanding what users want is a form of clairvoyance. We follow our user journey map and look to provide our users with accurate directions, information, and updates along the way. Whether we use push notifications, in-app messages, or another channel, we always look to add value.
It’s especially important to add value when a user comes looking for quick directions, instructions, information, or updates. This situation is known as a micro-moment. Continue reading to learn more about micro-moments or jump to our infographic below.
What Are Micro-Moments?
Micro-moments are when users turn to an app, product, or device to satisfy their impulse to learn something, do something, or buy something.
These moments are where you must accurately match intent with content. Search engines may be the clearest example of how important these micro-moments are. Matching search intent with the most relevant results possible is the goal of every search engine.
Search engines are not the only applications of micro-moments, however. Mobile marketers must get these moments right because users are impatient and easily distracted. If you take too long, users will look to your competitor for a faster solution.
These are not to be confused with microinteractions or aha moments, where the user must figure out what the app or product is or does. With micro-moments, the onus is on the mobile marketer to quickly connect the dots for the user.
Types of Micro-Moments on Mobile
People turn to their phones for nearly everything — an average of 47 times per day.1
When people want something, whether it be information, entertainment, or otherwise, they pick up their mobile device. These micro-moments are opportunities for mobile marketers to connect with users.
If your users are laser-focused on the task at hand and you interrupt them with an irrelevant message, it’s like giving someone a wrong direction to exit the freeway, consequently losing their trust in your app.
There are 4 high-level factors that inspire micro-moments:
4 types of micro moments explained by Google outlined and illustrated
Micro-moments are like individual components of the marketing funnel.
Prospective customers start with awareness (need to know), move to consideration (need to go), and finally reach conversion (need to buy).
Let’s dig into some real-world examples of when an app can fulfill a user’s micro-moment wishes head-on.
4 Examples of Micro-Moments on Mobile
Let’s consider a hypothetical Maps mobile app, CleverMap, as an example to illustrate how each of the micro-moments discussed can be effectively used by mobile marketers.
Most mapping apps have micro-moment features that give users directions, information, and updates to satisfy the needs of all users in that moment. For example, if you were planning a trip and wanted to know when to leave, you could quickly find out the estimated trip duration based on current traffic and make plans accordingly.
1. Need to go
If the destination is time-sensitive, like the airport, for example, it’s important to know the fastest route. Providing micro-moment suggestions of alternative routes is a CleverMap feature that can save time while satisfying the user’s need to go.
If a user is driving along the route, but is unhurried and in need of a beverage or meal, the ability to add a stop along the existing route is a great micro-moment feature.
Micro-moments can happen at any time along the five stages of travel, from dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing, and sharing.
micro moment of people's need to go
2. Need to know
Another type of micro-moment is when a user has an appetite for information.
An example of how CleverMap can satisfy that appetite is when a user is interested in information and updates about a slow-down ahead, for example, what is causing the traffic and the estimated time delay.
micro moment when people need to know something
It’s important when users want to know something, that your app provides the most accurate and comprehensive data available.
Even if users are simply looking for Colombia Phone Numbers List details about their settings or account information within your app, you must make this data intuitive and easily accessible in a micro-moment.
3. Need to do
When users come looking to do something, it’s important to provide detailed instructions and easy-to-follow directions.
Consider the cooking instructions on the back of a frozen TV dinner. These instructions must be clear, concise, and idiot-proof. When you are solving for the need to do micro-moment, your instructions must be as clear and approachable as a microwaveable meal.
In the CleverMap example, the app provides step-by-step instructions for users to follow and successfully navigate to their destination.