Today, you will spend an average of 168 minutes staring at your smartphone. Our reliance on the answers they provide us has quadrupled in the last five years, and this change in behaviour has caused ENORMOUS ripple effects for advertisers. Want to capitalise on these opportunities and grow your business? Become a master of the ‘micro-moment’.

A micro-moment is an intent-rich reflex to turn to a mobile device to act on a need, whether that is to learn something, do something or buy something. Our devices provide a direct connection to endless answers, and research shows users are increasingly demanding answers on the go. Micro-moments include “I-want-to-know”, “I-want-to-go” and “I-want-to-buy” moments. The fastest-growing searches include ‘near me’ queries, with 82% of smartphone users using a search engine when looking for a local business in their area.

First things first: is your website mobile-friendly? With nearly 60% of searches now being conducted from mobile devices, it is absolutely paramount to have your mobile game sorted (source: Google Insights). This doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune in order to build a separate mobile site; you just need to make sure your desktop site is responsive enough for a good user experience. Not sure? Test your site here.

The power of these micro-moments lies in their intent; an opportunity that separates itself from desktop users who might only be researching from their laptop on the couch. The aim is to capture these users at the moment they’re ready looking to come into your store!

“If you’re not useful in these moments, not only will consumers move on, they might never come back” – Think With Google

But what does all this mean for your business? It’s no longer a matter of if you have a mobile strategy, but how you plan to capitalise on it. Your 2017 marketing plan must include a considerable focus on how to appeal to users in these micro-moments, particularly through your SEO, social and pay-per-click channels. Are you targeting ‘near me’ searches? What is your mobile-bidding strategy? A failure to respond could lead to countless lost revenue.

“82% of smartphone users consult their phones while in a store deciding what to buy” – Google Insights

From an SEO perspective, Google has begun testing its new mobile-first index. This means that the mobile version of your website is where ranking signals could potentially be drawn from, which could severely impact on results if your site is non-responsive. It’s time to get ahead of the game! Be proactive rather than reactive and ensure your mobile page is ready to go by the time the index changes completely roll out.

And what about your keyword targeting efforts? Research shows that searches on mobile are also on average 11% longer in character length, meaning that long-tail keywords are increasingly important for targeting (source: Hitwise Mobile Report). You want your brand easily accessible right when your consumer base is ready to convert.

So, are you ready to take your business to new heights? Mobile searches have exploded in recent years and will only continue to do so; therefore it’s no longer sufficient surviving on a desktop-only strategy. As the digital industry changes, it’s either ‘adapt or die’ – so be willing to be shaped by your consumer environment, lest you face certain extinction.