Moments of Truth in Marketing: How to win ZMOT?

Moments of Truth:

The Concept of Moments of Truth (MOT) was originally created by Procter and Gamble in 2005. A moment of truth occurs when a customer engages with a brand and either forms or modifies an impression about it.

There are four moments of truth that a customer experiences in his journey of consuming a product.

First Moment of Truth (FMOT):

FMOT refers to when a customer first confronts a product, either offline or online. This is claimed to happen between the first 3-7 seconds of a customer encountering the product, and it is in this micro-moment that marketers have the power to convert a browser into a customer. Basically,?it refers to the moment when a buyer makes the decision to choose a product over other competitors.

Second Moment of Truth (SMOT):

SMOT refers to the moment when a customer uses the product. Here is where the brand must keep its word and deliver on the promises it made. Also, the likelihood of repeat purchases is low if a product performs poorly, and hence product superiority becomes crucial to winning SMOT.

Third moment of Truth (TMOT):

TMOT is the moment of advocacy, where a customer is transformed into a fan. When customers express their opinions about a product, they become brand promoters and advocates and spread the word online or in person. This is where true brand loyalty is built.

It's crucial to understand that the customer's journey doesn't start with FMOT. The FMOT is often the result of a customer being exposed to a stimulus, such as advertising or simply word of mouth.

Between the stimulus and FMOT lies the ZMOT, i.e., the Zeroth moment of truth.

Zeroth Moment of Truth (ZMOT):

The term ZMOT was originally used by Google in 2011. It describes online product research that is done prior to taking any action, such as looking for laptop reviews before making purchases.

It was a pretty novel concept for marketers at the time, and as mobile technology and consumer expectations have advanced, it has continued to evolve.

Why is ZMOT important?

Users will experience several decision-making opportunities (ZMOT) after the initial stimulus and before they reach the first moment of truth. The initial phase is what ultimately triggers the initial thought or purchase process and hence becomes very important.

?A more confident and educated buying choice is the end consequence of the ZMOT, which can occur on search engines and social networks.

How is the internet influencing decisions to buy?

The way customers connect with companies, goods, or services has completely altered because of the internet. Internet shopping has altered how we choose what to buy, whether we are looking for bicycles, home care items, or vacations.

88% of US consumers perform internet research before making a purchase, according to Google's study.

Consider a mother who watches a commercial emphasising the value of having her child's eyes checked. In the past, she would have called the optician from the advertisement immediately, but now, she would take out her smartphone and start looking up the top brands, pricing, reviews, etc.

With the development of ZMOT, the customer moment of truth path has altered over time:

Why ZMOT is complicated?

• It takes place online, usually after conducting a search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, or any other search engine.
• It occurs in real-time and can occur at any time of day. It occurs on the go more frequently now.
• The customer is in control and chooses the information she needs as opposed to having it forced upon her.
• It is emotional. The customer is invested emotionally in locating the ideal answer and has a need that she wants to have met.
• Many participants in the dialogue are vying for the audience's attention, including marketers, friends, strangers, websites, and experts.

How to win ZMOT?

It all comes down to winning these micro-moments that preceded the moments of the buying decision.

• Make a moments map: Find your zero moments.

What are the ZMOTs for your product? ZMOT for diapers or online dating is not the same as ZMOT for cars. It is important to understand exactly how customers search for your product.

Decide which situations you must win or cannot afford to lose. Examine every stage of the customer journey to identify the points at which customers are most likely to seek inspiration, learn more about your offerings, make a quick buy, or anything in between.

• Be present in those moments: Are you there where your potential customers need you?

The keys to unlocking these consumer micro-moments are search engine data, social media analytics, and customer experiences; they reveal when and where your customers are and how to contact them at each moment.

Apart from having a sound digital marketing strategy, it is important to make sure that you are actually there for your customers when they need you, and they should be able to locate you easily.

• Respond to the questions people are asking

Most brands fail to listen to what their potential customers are actually asking and flood them with the information they never asked for.

For example, if a person searches something like “what are the ingredients in baby food?" and gets, in return, advertisements and links to baby food brands that offer a “10% discount on baby food”, is it of any use?

Who brought up the money? Not the customer!

This is a typical zero-moment failure and would not lead to a successful purchase. You need to tell people what they ask, not what you want them to ask. Also, just knowing the questions people are asking is not enough. You must also respond to them.

• Optimise ZMOT

You are aware of your brand's ZMOTs, the inquiries being made, and the locations where you will be appearing. Naturally, the following query is: How do you show up more?

Content Marketing comes to the rescue here. The content needs to be adjusted for all three parts of the conversation:

Paid Content: Marketing that is sponsored by yourself

Owned Content: Assets controlled by the company that can be used to promote the brand

Earned Content: Ratings and reviews by consumers

• Other things to keep in mind:

Be fast: Speed beats perfection in ZMOT

Don't forget videos: a huge portion of ZMOT is visual, and YouTube is the second most used search box in the world!

References:

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/micro-moments/zero-moment-truth/

https://searchengineland.com/seo-zero-moment-truth-242692

https://medium.com/@Chadvertising/googles-zero-moment-of-truth-the-shift-to-micro-moments-ab99bd0c0394

https://twitter.com/proctergamble/status/505388127481917440?lang=ar-x-fm

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