The reality of digital advertising today is that you have just a few seconds to capture a consumer’s attention. People are increasingly attached to their phones, checking them constantly and going online in short bursts. Google’s Content Marketing team, Think with Google, decided on a term to describe this phenomenon. In 2015 they defined these as “Micro-moments.” A micro-moment describes those precise moments of intent when a consumer gets on their smartphone to make a decision. Today, with the proliferation of mobile use, these micro-moments have become more and more critical to marketers. Mobile media use is up more than 1 hour from 2013, seeing steady increases every year1.

What does this shift towards Micro-moments mean for Marketers?

This means as a marketer, you have just seconds to deliver a clear, concise message. If your message is too elaborate, consumers are on to the next big thing.

The Urgency of Mobile

Google’s VP, Lisa Gevelber, said that “In many ways, the micro-moments conversation has provided a reset and a roadmap for companies who sought a simple mental model for how to approach the otherwise daunting force that is mobile. It helped marketers think about which moments mattered most, and it created urgency.” Below are some key insights from Google’s recommendations regarding mico-moments for advertisers. 2

How to Capitalize

  1. Speed up Your Site – Make sure your website loads fast, or you’ll lose customers. Today’s consumer doesn’t want to sit around waiting for a site to load and doesn’t need to. If your page loads faster than 2.9 seconds, it is loading faster than most sites, and many sources believe an ideal load time to be less than 1.5 seconds. 3
  2. Keep Things Short – Reading long-form content can be daunting on a mobile browser. Break things up with bulleted lists and keep it easy to read.
  3. Eliminate Steps – Put calls-to-actions in a prominent location and not behind a maze of a menu. Your prospective customer shouldn’t have to spend a great deal of time trying to find where to make a purchase, or act.
  4. Ascertain Your Customers “Key Moments” – Google’s team categorizes these moments as times when a customer wants to learn, buy, go and do. These are moments in time when a customer is researching products, ready to buy, searching for local businesses, or learning how to do something. What are these moments to your customer?

The Stats Back it Up

Why focus on Google? Recent research shows that 96% of mobile searches begin on Google! 4 Furthermore, consumers spend 5 hours a day on their mobile devices! 5

Final Thoughts

Adapting to behavioral changes due to mobile is a must in today’s digital landscape. Be useful to your customer when they most need it! In a world of “I need it now,” timing matters.