Mobile devices have caused something funny to happen. People can go from being uninterested non-users, to prospects, to leads, to customers, to loyal customers and back to uninterested non-users in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds.

Every day we find ourselves in situations. Something breaks. We’re out on the town in need of food. We need a place with wi-fi, or we even need to make a last-second reservation at a hotel that’s pet-friendly. These situations used to require some kind of out-of-the-way solution, but now the solution is no more than a tap or two away through our mobile phones.

Mobile phones provide immediate solutions and answers, making people a brand would have otherwise never thought to target prime prospects. 62% of smartphone users are likely to take action right away toward solving a problem or unexpected task. They can, over the course of seconds, identify a need, seek out solutions, evaluate those solutions and come to a decision.

The question brands need to wrestle with is if their products will be among those considered. Affinity is built in a moment or it isn’t. There isn’t time to nurture a prospect into a customer. There’s only time to get discovered and become the obvious choice, which means the time to prepare was probably seconds ago, so now is as good as it’s going to get:

Identify where you can win. Evaluate the times when you offer products that serve a specific need. This will involve a bit of sacrifice because you should choose the times you want to win and beat out any competition.
Deliver on the consumer’s need. People want help. They want answers. They want information. If you’re a restaurant, your mobile website should have an easy to access menu and hours. Get people to the information they’ll need in the moments you’re targeting quickly.
Measure and optimize for every moment. Analytics can tell us a lot. For example, it will tell you if people are finding the information they’re looking for. If they aren’t, changes need to be made. It can also help you identify additional moments that you should work to own.

These insights can help a brand in so many ways. They can inform your approach to search as well as your mobile website. But they can also inform your approach to social customer service by helping you identify which conversations to be tracking and preparing quick responses to people expressing an immediate need.

Mobile devices have made consumers incredibly resourceful. It’s on brands to connect resourcefulness to the right resources.