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ZMOT: Zeroing in on the Zero Moment of Truth for Improved Sales and Customer Engagement
If you’ve been delving into research about successful marketing for any length of time, you have likely come across the “zero moment of truth” (ZMOT). It’s a concept that is a little over a decade old — but still quite new in the era of tremendous advancements in digital marketing. ZMOT describes the portion of the buyer’s journey that encompasses research and exploration of their intended purchase, be it a product or service or another transaction, like making a donation to a nonprofit organization or selecting a restaurant. Google conducted a macro study in 2011 that discovered that 88% of shoppers engage in digital research before making a purchasing decision. The term “zero moment of truth” was coined by Google in 2011 to define the evolving buyer decision-making process in the digital age.
How is all of this data relevant to you and how can you use it in your business? Let’s dig deeper.
Old vs. New: The Buyer’s Journey from
Stimulus to Sale
One of the reasons that Google conducted the study of current buyer research trends is that they are dramatically different from previous consumer habits. The impetus, of course, is the internet.
Prior to the proliferation of computers and smart devices or even the internet itself, buyers would typically go straight to the store to make a purchase. There, the consumer relied on the packaging, sales rep or word of mouth to make a decision. Some shoppers also relied on other physical data, like magazines, infomercials and newspaper articles to make a choice.
Remember Consumer Reports? Readers of that magazine were likely the early adopters of pre-purchase digital research. (The nonprofit organization has taken its operation online — although fans can still receive a physical subscription if they wish.) The point is that the research phase was severely limited, if conducted at all, before the onset of the digital age.
Modern consumers (88% of them, if you recall the Google stat) jump immediately into the research process. Why wouldn’t they? The most extensive research databases in the world can be accessed from your phone. There’s no need to drive to four shops to evaluate pricing or show up at a restaurant and discover their menu is unappetizing. Not only that, you can cross-check your sources — which is likely why Google noted consumers utilizing so many sources in the buyer decision process.
If you’re reading this, you’re one of those researchers. You might be here because you’re considering launching a marketing campaign, or you’re interested in utilizing ZMOT to boost your business. You’re making sure you cover all aspects of the concept so you are as informed as possible. This probably won’t even be the only article you read on the topic. That’s ZMOT.
Examples of Zero Moment of Truth in the Consumer Buying Decision Process
- Searching for information about a product on Google
- Reading online product reviews for products and services
- Comparing product features
- Reviewing industry reports on products
- Sending friends links to request opinions
- Sharing links on social media to crowdsource ideas
- Comparing prices between retailers
- Hunting for coupon codes or discounts
- Watching product demo videos
- Comparing negative and positive feedback
Where Are Prospective Customers Getting this Information?
- Blogs
- Online Journals
- Digital Magazines
- Word of Mouth
- Influencers
- Reviews
- Compare Products
- Digital News
- Shared Links
- Webinars
- Social Media
- Advertisements
- Advertorials
- Video Sites
Winning the Zero Moment of Truth for Your Business
When your prospective customer begins the research process, will they be able to find you? Remember that nearly 90% of customers now claim they engage in reviewing an average of 10 sources before making a purchase. Is your business going to be one of those sources? If you are not investing in a digital marketing strategy, you are essentially invisible as your customer puts ZMOT into practice. You certainly won’t gain the competitive advantage over businesses that have. Here are a few steps you can take to develop the digital footprints that your customers will follow to your business during their research.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for ZMOT
Let’s start at the beginning — search engine optimization (SEO). If you have a website, it’s time to ensure that it ranks well on search engines like Google, Bing or other, smaller options. That means a navigable site filled with valuable, quality content enhanced with well-researched keywords and links. Other ways to optimize and improve your ranking;
- Well-organized content
- Fast loading times
- Mobile and desktop compatible
- Solid meta titles and descriptions
- ADA-compliant
- Optimized images
- Links — internal and external
These types of optimizations will help improve your searchability. It is very important to note here how critical a business website is to your success in winning the zero moment of truth. You will not be able to achieve the same results with just a company Facebook page or a listing on a directory. Not when your customers review 10 sources at a time for a single purchase.
2. Reputation Management and Review Curation
Customers are rightfully cautious about avoiding poor service, bad products and scams when spending their hard-earned dollars. To mitigate their risk, many of them turn to online reviews for what they hope is an unbiased opinion from other consumers. The internet makes it easier than ever for customers to tout your wins or rage — sometimes quite extensively — about mistakes or bad service.
Review management involves several different steps.
- Provide excellent customer service and quality products from day one.
- Check in with customers soon after they complete a purchase. This gives you a chance to make it right before they turn to reviewing you negatively.
- Make it easy to contact you with complaints. Put a QR code on receipts, make customer service numbers and emails visible on all points of contact so they can communicate directly and give you a chance to salvage any issues.
- Curate good reviews as often as possible, particularly when you know your customer is thrilled or you have pulled off a particularly victorious accomplishment while serving them. Make it easy with an email link or QR code. Be sure to publicly thank them under their review.
- Manage bad reviews quickly and professionally. Reputation management is also about resolving the inevitable (but hopefully very infrequent) negative reviews. That means creating review responses ahead of time to help you deal quickly when they show up. It also means carefully navigating a public statement to the aggrieved customer where they have complained while also reaching out directly to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, some customers may not be satisfied with any resolution you offered. You can temper those reviews by publicly outlining what compensation you offered while expressing disappointment you were unable to come to an agreement. Your customers will be able to read between the lines.
3. Content
When customers type keywords into their search engine, a giant sift of massive amounts of information begins. The search engine scans for quality content that contains the keywords and relevant information customers are looking for. Content ranked closest to the intended topic makes the coveted top of the page — your customers are most likely to use the top-ranked sites for their research.
In order for your business to rank on the first page, you need to build your own online presence that aligns with the keywords your customers are using to find information. That means optimizing your website for keywords for your product or service, not to mention your location and your customer’s needs. It also means creating content that is well-written, informative, factual and optimized. Remember the list of ways customers are accessing data during ZMOT? Here are a few examples of how businesses can leverage those:
A local automotive technician writes a monthly blog on car maintenance with keywords focused on key services, like oil changes and tire rotation.
A startup tech manufacturer produces a white paper on the use cases for the latest hardware.
Neighborhood coffee shop hosts a weekly Facebook live event featuring live music from the shop stage to draw in more customers.
Paint company creates before and after TikTok clips showcasing exterior transformations.
4. Engagement
This tactic sounds easy, but it can actually be quite difficult if you’re a busy small company trying to meet the needs of your customers. However, it is an important facet of the customer experience and helping them along their buying journey. What does engagement look like? Think of it as taking all of the in-person interactions you have with customers in your brick and mortar shop and taking them digital. As we outline these avenues of communication, you’ll see why we say it’s harder than it looks. Many companies hire personnel or outsource these options when business gets too hectic.
Connect on social media.
Converse with your customers in the comments, ask open-ended questions and address negative feedback professionally. Create an away message for your messaging apps and respond to customer queries within 24 hours. Share photos of employees, finished projects or unique events to give your potential customers an inside look at who is running your business. Keep all company data on every social platform updated with the proper information at all times: address, phone number, operating hours, etc.
Respond to reviews.
Thank your customers for positive reviews as quickly as possible. Address negative reviews even faster. Remember that every response is a public discussion. Your future customers are watching and wondering how you’ll treat them in the same situation.
Answer emails and chat requests in a timely manner.
While you are only human, today’s customers expect superhuman speed when it comes to responding. Set a goal to address questions within 24 hours. If you simply cannot manage this type of turnaround, set expectations with an auto-response that indicates when you’ll be responding.
The three tips are great steps to making your presence known during that critical research period. They all involve taking the personal interactions of the physical world into the digital space to help customers feel supported and informed as they move toward their final decision.
Harness the Power of the Zero Moment of Truth
For most businesses, harnessing the power of ZMOT starts with optimizing your existing assets so your customers will find you when they begin their query. For a smaller selection, leveraging ZMOT may require the creation of an online presence. Don’t feel bad if you’re in the latter category. It can often be easier to build in search engine optimization from the ground up — and more effective. Wherever you are in the journey, the key takeaway is that the zero moment of truth is a vital part of the buyer decision process for nearly 90% of buyers. That makes it imperative you make it a priority for your marketing strategy.
Want to learn more about optimizing your website or transforming your business through the zero moment of truth? Let’s chat! Give us a call today to explore your goals for your business and how strategies like SEO and content marketing can help!
