One of Google’s most valuable assets is its data, of course, which is why we carefully adhere to their best practices about “micro-moments” anytime we help our clients build a new mobile marketing strategy. As Google describes, “micro-moments occur when people reflexively turn to a device — more often than not a smartphone — to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something.” Unlike desktop behavior, which is more intentional simply due to the physical process of sitting down in front of a computer, mobile behavior occurs almost subconsciously as the user searches for information and attempts to solve a problem.

Google breaks down these micro-moments into four main categories, described as follows:

• I-want-to-know moments: e.g., “When is the next episode of Scandal airing?”

• I-want-to-go moments: e.g., “What’s the closest gas station to my office?”

• I-want-to-do moments: e.g., “How do I make a dirty martini?”

• I-want-to-buy moments: e.g., “What are Nike’s newest sneakers for fall?”

Successful brands distinctly market to these four scenarios and clearly differentiate between their mobile strategy and desktop strategy. An I-want-to-go query on a smartphone should almost always yield directions, a map application, and geo-based information before brand and destination-based content. On the other hand, a desktop query might be better satisfied with information about the specific destination or location in question.

For example, a mobile search for Disney Land might represent a desire to go to the park immediately as the searcher queues up directions; whereas a desktop search might represent a desire to plan a trip in the future. Both instances provide marketers with an opportunity to better serve their customers. Mobile users might enjoy an on-site discount for a beverage package, whereas desktop shoppers might prefer hotel promotions. Understanding the most common use cases for each micro-moment on both mobile and desktop platforms allows you to create and serve more relevant and desirable content to your customers.

And as the prevalence of smartphone usage increases, leveraging a clear mobile strategy can have a profound impact on sales and ROI. A recent Dscout study on Business Insider suggests that the average person touches his or her smartphone more than 2,000 times per day and logs over 145 minutes on their mobile device. That’s a lot of time to grab your customers’ attention and far more than the average person spends in front of a computer. When you factor in high open rates for SMS marketing at 98%, and mobile emails at 22% according to Marketo, it’s easy to understand why mobile is fastest growing digital marketing space.

To ensure your mobile strategy is working on your behalf, we recommend focusing on two guiding principles:

1. Translate urgency into actionability:

Mobile search queries usually represent an immediate desire to accomplish something. Capitalize on potential customers’ desire to complete a task by ensuring your SEO results, mobile presence, and ads are all actionable. Make sure your call-to-action buttons are clear and easily accessible, consider discounts specific to mobile shoppers, and bid on ad terms that correlate to actionable micro-moments related to your brand.

2. Champion clarity and condensed information:

Because mobile phones are simply smaller than desktops, your images, content, and text all need to work for smaller screens. Simply throwing your website onto a bootstrap template and hoping the responsive information hierarchy will work is no longer adequate in today’s mobile-first world. Consider a custom site or native app that appropriately translates your best content into small gems of information that can be consumed on the fly.

Armed with these two principles, we can refresh or kickoff your mobile strategy together. Click here to learn more about how we can help you define which micro-moments are best suited to your brand and how to translate them into cross-channel, mobile-ready campaigns that grab your customers’ attention.