One of the biggest trends in marketing today is the increased need to use micro-moments to connect with audiences. These instances have the ability to reach users who don’t want to devote as much time to browsing on their phones as they complete other tasks. Micro-moments are critical for many types of online applications, including mobile apps.
If you want to create micro-moments, developing and publishing snackable content is an effective strategy to use. Here we’ll explore what exactly micro-moments are, along with how you can harness their power with high-quality snackable content.
What Are Micro-Moments?
In mobile marketing, micro-moments refer to times when users consult an app, device, or product to help them learn certain information, complete a certain task, or make a purchase. “Micro-moments” is a term that Google coined as a collective label for a variety of reflexive moments. In these brief but critical moments, users have the mindset of “I want it now,” “I want to learn it,” “I want to see it,” and “I want to do it.” By targeting these moments the right way, you’ll encourage people to complete core actions when they’re most likely to do so, whether it’s to make a purchase, subscribe, consume content, or complete another action.
While many online businesses attempt to create micro-moments by landing on search engines in the form of concise rich snippets and other top search results, mobile marketers can create micro-moments by engaging in-app content that keeps users returning.
Consider the fact that people check their smartphones an average of 150 times per day. Additionally, 91% of smartphone users look up information on their devices while in the middle of completing another task. 62% of smartphone users are also more inclined to give new products or tasks a try if the information is easily available online. These and other stats show that micro-moments are the key to grabbing people’s attention and keeping them engaged.
If your app doesn’t provide people with a fast solution, they’ll be more likely to turn to compete for apps for a better and more convenient experience. Keep in mind that micro-transactions are not the same as micro-interactions, which involve users figuring out the function of an app or product. Instead, micro-moments are all about providing users with the right information at the right time as they seek it.
The Types of Micro-Moments
People frequently access their mobile devices for quick pieces of information and content. They might go into their smartphones for entertainment purposes, or they may want some help with determining what to buy or do. To satisfy these needs, mobile app owners can take the opportunity to establish a strong connection with mobile users through key micro-moments.
If you want to know how to use micro-moments the right way, there are four main types of contributing factors that go into them based on users’ objectives. These include:
Want-to-Go
One of the main reasons why users access their phones is to figure out the fastest and best way to get to the desired location. For example, many people access Google Maps and other map apps to figure out how to get to the right place at the right time.
At this point, a user knows exactly what they want and is considering visiting some type of location. It could be anywhere from an appointment with their local doctor to a trip to the store to purchase an item they’ve decided to purchase.
Micro-moments should clearly detail the distance to the destination with a convenient feature, include details about pickup options, and clarify the availability of products at physical retail locations.
In an app that provides mapping, micro-moments could also include the ability to quickly add stops along a route or make quick recommendations for local stores, restaurants, or other businesses to visit.
Want-to-Know
During the want-to-know phase, app users will want to find out certain information. This could include information such as certain problems, potential solutions to these problems, local news, product details, trivia, and many other topics.
To satisfy users at this point in their journey, you should make the desired information easy to access as instantly as possible. Provide people with the information they need right away in a digestible format, and they’ll likely come back to your app for additional information.
Want-to-Buy
Users who want to buy have done some research and are ready to make a purchase, but they need to know specifically where and how to make their purchase.
To connect with people in the want-to-buy phase of the app experience, apps should provide details about product offerings and direct users to the point of purchase. If an eCommerce app supplements physical retail locations, the app could also direct users to nearby stores.
Want-to-Do
Users at this stage will want assistance completing a particular task or trying a new experience. For instance, users may want to cook a specific recipe, which a cooking app could relay in the form of concise, easy-to-follow instructions and ingredient lists.
There are several types of content that you can use to target these micro-moments, including how-to content and certain moments for inspiration to encourage people to complete a task, whether in-app or in the real world with the help of the app.
To help meet users’ needs based on each of these factors, snackable content can be a huge asset in facilitating micro-moments that connect.
What Is Snackable Content?
Snackable content is a type of content that’s short, highly engaging, and easy to consume. This content is ideal for users who spend time on their phones in brief bursts throughout the day and want to engage with fresh content that’s not too demanding.
This content gets the point as much as possible, finding the quickest and most effective way to relay messages and information. There are multiple forms of snackable content that you can use to connect with audiences and create micro-moments that touch on every point of the user’s journey.
How Different Types of Snackable Content Can Target Micro-Moments
Depending on how you want to reach your users, you can introduce a variety of snackable content to them within your app. Some of the potential types of snackable content that you can use include:
App Stories
If you want to establish a strong connection with new and existing users through snackable content, in-app stories are among the most reliable and engaging tools. These bite-sized content pieces feature brief and to-the-point messaging, along with visually appealing images or videos that allow for micro-moments of all types.
There are several ways you can use app stories to speak to your user base. For example, if customers are in the want-to-buy phase of their journey, these users could open your app and encounter a personalized story in the form of an engaging image of a product recommendation, which the app recommends based on previous orders or indicated interests. The story could also include a brief description of key product features and a button encouraging the user to “add to cart.”
In addition, you can use interactive stories to create all types of micro-moments that engage users. Using these stories, you could ask for input from users in the form of simple surveys to get a better understanding of their preferences and needs. Additionally, you could push interactive lists of information, such as an industry “Top 10” list of favorite foods, fashionwear, or other products. These stories could also include a call-to-action button that directs users to a specific action or page to drive conversions.
When encouraging people to make a purchase in the want-to-buy phase, Storyly also enables you to create shoppable videos. These may feature a model or another personality wearing or using products, with brief prompts to choose a specific variation of the product and a CTA button to instantly buy.
Ultimately, stories offer a great way to create micro-moments that make your app the go-to destination whenever users want to buy, do, go, or learn.
GIFs and Short Videos
GIF images have been popular for decades, going back to the 1980s when the company ISP CompuServe created the “graphics interchange format” in 1987. GIFs are animations comprising multiple images that create the illusion of movement when shown in sequence. They’re very short, often lasting for only a few seconds before looping, and they’re often engaging. If you want to entertain your users, you can use GIF images to create micro-moments that only require users’ attention for a brief but memorable instant. These images can also supplement other content such as text information and product details.
Meanwhile, short videos can also compress a lot of information into a brief digestible format. Users can learn from short tutorials, educational videos, promotional videos, and others.
Image Graphics
Although images are often effective in engaging audiences, images with text and interactive components can be even more so. For instance, you might push an image of a product with a short description and a link to watch a short video about this product. Users can then tap on the CTA and learn more if they wish.
Image graphics may also feature brief pieces of information that help customers in the want-to-know or want-to-do phase. An engaging image can attract and hold users’ attention while the text provides the information they request in a convenient format.
Quote Graphics
Inspirational quotes are incredibly popular among audiences of all types. Coupled with images, a great quote can function as an effective piece of snackable content. If you can’t find another way to craft your message and inspire audiences, you can always use a famous quote and an equally compelling image as a standalone visual or a complement for other app content. For example, you might include quote graphics as other features load from page to page, such as a productivity app that features quote graphics pertaining to the benefits of time management when transitioning between pages.
Snackable Content Best Practices
Using any of these types of content, you can use snackable content to take full advantage of the possibilities of micro-moments. To help guide your snackable content creation process, the following are a few best practices to keep in mind:
Make Sure Content Is Easy to Understand
Snackable content needs to be effective, which entails crafting quick and short content that people find both engaging and comprehensible. If you can condense more complex content into a tight and easily understood content piece, you’ll make it perfect for targeting micro-moments in your app.
Keep Content Relatable
Your users should always connect with your content. By researching your audience and gaining a deep understanding of what it wants to see from your content, including the content of the snackable variety, you can make sure your pieces always resonate. This will help ensure that people come back to consume more content on a regular basis.
Emphasize Empathy
Show that you empathize with your audience through your content. You can do so by incorporating snackable content that provides true value to your audiences, whether by answering certain questions or providing them with a solution to certain problems they’re facing. In turn, your audiences will find your app experience to be more directly connected to them and encourage them to become regular users.
A/B Test All Content Pieces
Like ads and other types of short-form content, it helps to conduct A/B split testing before committing to a particular piece of snackable content. A/B split testing involves running two variations of a potential content piece at once and seeing which performs better. For instance, you might have a set of two image graphics, each with the same text and CTA button but a different image to go with it. Based on how well or poorly each graphic performs with audiences, as you monitor click-through rates for the CTA, you can determine which graphic is worth using for wider audiences.
Make the Most of Micro-Moments With High-Quality Snackable Content
Through the use of snackable content such as app stories, image graphics, quote graphics, and GIFs, you can consistently keep users engaged and loyal. The key is knowing which types of content to develop and implement based on your audience’s needs and your app’s overall experience. Micro-moments will give you the ability to build a strong relationship with your target audiences, and snackable content will help create them. Combined with generally effective mobile app design and solid marketing efforts, you can launch and maintain a popular app that’s geared for long-term success.
