Mobile internet users are growing large. Thanks to it, people can quickly access information they need in just a few clicks/taps away. As the internet itself is also expanding, people are expecting more out of it, brands to businesses and individual users, must learn how to deliver those information when the time matters.
People's habit also shifts. We, usually younger generations, are used to depend on our mobile devices when we need something - like typical information about a given phrase, movie schedules, comparing prices, looking for things to buy, and many more. And all have come to a reflex.
This turned marketing into a different being it was when mobile was yet to bloom. This is what we call "micro-moments", or the time when we depend on mobile devices to act rather than using our own knowledge and experience.
As the smallest units of interaction in an online experience, micro-moments are when people are expecting to have frictionless experiences from using internet. And from this, we are witnessing a massive change in the way we consume media.
The reflex that occurs when we want to do something, learn something, buy something, watch something, or discover something, is eager to see rich and informative web contents to satisfy the hunger for information. This has shaped consumers' experience to a higher level.
Mobile devices are becoming smarter and faster, and with that, people are trained to expect brands to answer whatever questions they might have.
Information Powering Decision
When the internet and mobile aren't that widespread, consumers are making their own decision based on people they know, and head straight to stores to purchase the things they want. In the micro-moment, people turn to strangers' opinion to make up their minds.
With a world of information at their fingertips, consumers are expecting information fast and relevance. They want answers whenever they want, wherever they. And they want it right away.
People are depending more on brands, especially those that can answer their needs. So it's essential for you and your business to be able to answer whatever questions your targeted consumers might have in mind.
Information Overload, Act of Relevancy
Micro-moments happen quickly, and to target those asking consumers, brands and businesses must act quickly. If they cannot answer their questions right with satisfying them, they'll turn to competitors for sure.
Despite people depends on others' (strangers) opinions more than they did before, consumers are also becoming smarter. With the massive information the internet holds, people are combining information from their own hypotheses, by observing the patterns people are saying, the data they collect from various social media networks, from trends on search engines, and more. All those to validate their final conclusion.
One example is when people are looking for a place to spend their time on their long holiday. Searches on the internet, with query like "cheap and interesting places for a family trip", spikes. This is also common on weekends when people tend to spend their times outside their routine habits.
When they search for that query, they might find few brands popping up, saying about cheap tickets for breathtaking holidays.
If you are running a travel business, having that visibility is a plus, but that is not enough for you to get sales. You need to also provide useful and relevant information in a frictionless experience. You can drive customers to do a purchase from you if for example, you can adjust how easy they can engage with you, while at the same time giving them sufficient information about their destination, such as locations, maps, directions, and others.
Small Moment of Truth
With the massive information the internet has to offer, you and your competitors are competing with the small amount of time consumers have to give you.
Whether you're a large and global brands with massive influence, or small business that rely heavily from sales around your area, you need to deliver all information your potential consumers need whenever they want them. This means that you need to commit yourself to consistency and become comprehensive by delivering relevant and useful information using any methods possible.
Ask yourself these questions before answering your consumers':
- How can people interact with your brand when they're near you?
- How can you deliver all the information needed, seamlessly throughout all mobile devices.
- Where are you? Can people find you easily?
- What way do you deliver information so they become useful to people?
- Do you have a price? Are they fixed, or do you offer discounts?
- Do you have an app(s) for people to download?
- Who are you targeting? People globally, or just those in your area?
- In what way(s) do you expect people to engage with you?
- How often do you use social media to promote yourself?
- How do you design your website, and how well it is optimized if compared to the competition?
- How is your brand able to answer all the questions people have in mind?
- How do you measure your sales achievements?
- How much traffic do you need from the interaction you have in estimation?
- How big is your digital influence if compared to your offline achievement?
If you can put your mind into your consumer's thoughts, and put the context to understand what they really want, you can deliver that seamless experience people are expecting from you. And with that, not only you can achieve sales, but you can build yourself a trusted brand along the way.