Micro-Moments: I Want to Do Moments

Mobile has changed the way we live; from the way we access information to what we expect from our favourite brands. The use of mobile and mobile internet has resulted into people pursuing real-time, intent-driven micro-moments. Each of these moments is an opportunity for brands and businesses to shape consumers’ decisions, and an open invitation for engagement with a brand or product.

Having a smartphone means, for a lot of people, that we can carry out immediate actions and receive relevant content straight away. But this only works if you, as a brand, are there to put the right content into the hands of your consumers.

We know most of this already; our previous blogs have covered other micro-moments such as I Want to Know and I Want to Go, which explore other aspects of users’ behaviour. But there’s more to it than that; introducing, I Want to Do micro-moments.

Searching for the answers

91% of smartphone users turn to their phones for ideas while doing a task, whether to find out more information or to gain some inspiration for the task in hand. I Want to Do moments may occur before or after purchase; either way, people are searching for help in trying something new or furthering their skills to get something done. Being there with the content, at the moment when someone is looking for it, is crucial.

Searches relating to ‘how to’ are growing 70% year on year, with millions of hours of this type of content being watched on YouTube.

Throw out the instruction manuals

Learning to do something new can be incredibly time-consuming; you might have to trawl through an instruction manual, contact an expert or even wait on the phone for hours with customer service. This is no longer the case; we can now find this information instantly.

YouTube makes practical knowledge more accessible than ever before. There are more than 135 million ‘how to’s’ across the site. Top educational searches include the likes of ‘how to tie a tie’, ‘how to draw’ and ‘how to make a cake’, demonstrating the range of interests and the broad amount of content that must be produced to answer consumer questions.

Mobile video is clearly a very popular method to reach people in their I Want to Do micro-moments. Creating the right content comes from understanding customers’ needs in that specific moment, and using context to deliver the right experience.

Constantly connected

67% of millennials agree they can find a video on YouTube on anything they want to learn. Being constantly connected via our smartphones has resulted in us expecting immediacy and relevancy in these precise moments of intent.

But how does this relate to your brand? Businesses can be there when someone reaches out with a question or need, simply by having the right content there waiting. Whether it’s through video or a series of informative blogs, if you are providing the answers, you might even see a boost in sales and brand loyalty. 1 in 3 millennials say they’ve purchased a product as a result of watching a how-to video.

MAC Cosmetics, for example, used their how-to beauty content to drive sales in local markets. They partnered with Google and, using a YouTube gadget, allowed viewers to shop directly from its how-to video series. A user watching the videos in Brazil will automatically engage with the version of the gadget in Portuguese, and then be driven to the Brazilian site to purchase.

Winning I Want to Do Micro-Moments

So, how do you win your consumers’ attention and influence their decision? By getting involved in these micro-moments and helping your consumers with the information they are looking for, you are already on the right track.

Identifying the I Want to Do moments that might occur across a consumer journey for your brand is the first step, and make sure you strategise around them. Then, think about what common questions arise surrounding the products or services you provide; are people looking for specific information? Create content around these, ensuring you have a collection of resources for your consumers to access and stumble across whenever they need a solution; and make sure it’s easy to find too!

The customer journey is incredibly important to any brand. Here at Digital Next we understand the role a user-friendly website and relevant content can have in boosting the success of your business.