ZMOT can help you seize the customers at the time they have so many options to choose from. Learn here how to do it properly.
What is ZMOT? And why should you care about it?
ZMOT stands for Zero Moment of Truth. (Sounds like a title of crime thriller or anything from sci-fi movie.
It is a momentin the buying cycle when the buyer researches a product before buying the product.
For example, a buyer views the ad of the product and considers all factors like review, price and quality before the purchasing. This is the ZMOT.
The ZERO MOMENT OF TRUTH is followed by the “first moment of truth” (when a buyer picks the product from the shelf) and “second moment of truth” (when a buyer uses and experiences the product).The ZMOT was coined by Google in their 2011 eBook entitled as ZMOT.
It is an important part in customer decision making hierarchy. This point decides if the buyer is really interested in the product.
Let’s move to the second question—why does ZMOT matter to you as a marketer?
This is because, as we have said before, it is an important point in buyer’s decision making about any product. Therefore, you need to win the customers at this crucial point.
And knowing all aspects of ZMOT will help you understand the right strategies to be made at this point.
Why ZMOT?
Most of the today’s buyers are savvy. They don’t enter the store right away having seen the ads. Instead, they search online for the information to make a right purchase decision. Some of the key points being considered by them at this stage are…
- Comparing the Price
- Checking the Testimonials
- Looking at the Reviews and Ratings
- Asking Other Users for Feedback
For example, a potential smartphone buyer is likely to have questions like…
- Which smartphone has the best battery backup?
- Will it work in night mode?
- Is the XYZ phone waterproof?
Google has found that the average customer taps into 10.4 sources of information between seeing an ad and buying a product. By 2015, this number was 22 sources.
They use many mediums to do research about the product, from online platform, friends and family, and social networking sties to get opinions before they make a purchase. And 57 per cent of Singaporeans use social media to read reviews.
What is Your Role at This Stage?
You as a marketer should be ready to answer the questions asked by a customer at this point, in their way and on their preferred time.
A business that answers these questions just gets a competitive edge. A customer feels close to the brand as it has answered his all queries. But it is not that easy.
This is because consumers use majority of resources that fall outside the direct control of the businesses. Then, the audience is distracted, fragmented, dynamic and always changing. It is trickier than ever before to figuring out when the customers are ready to buy.
Read Also: Why Businesses in Singapore Need Digital Marketing to Grow?
How to Win Zero Moments Of Truth in Singapore?
ZMOT is a crucial stage for both customers and businesses. Whereas customers can make here an informed decision, businesses can win over them by providing relevant information. In fact, this is the stage where you can outwit your competitors by hooking the customers.
This quote from Google’s ZMOT eBook says it all—
“If you’re available at the Zero Moment of Truth, your customers will find you at the very moment they’re thinking about buying, and also when they’re thinking about thinking about buying.”
Singapore has everything that encourage you feel the pulse of the customer before making purchase. The country has the highest Internet penetration rate while there are popular influencers or experts on food, shopping and lifestyle. Most people are active social media users and seek reviews of a certain product online. So here is how you can perfectly seize the “ZERO MOMENT OF TRUTH” in Singapore.
1. Hire an Influencer:
Influencer is the person who is followed and adored by people (fans) for his expertise or piece of advice. There are many top influencers in Singapore on food, shopping and lifestyle. Some of have exceeding fan base while some have the modest number of followers.
Therefore, you can use them to promote your brand. For example, if you are an ice cream business, you can hire a cookery experts on YouTube or social media to get your brand promoted. The influencer will share information about your brand and recommend it to the followers. You can use micro-influencer (1500-20,000 followers) if your budget is tight.
2. Information about Your Products over the Web:
Make sure the information about your product is readily available on the customer’s sources. They will be looking for the sources like customer reviews, buyer’s guide and case studies. Besides, they look for the reviews coming from your clients and customers.
3. Get Familiar with Your Customer and Their Concerns:
Putting yourself in your customers’ shoes will help you create the effective content. Consider these points to know your customers and their habits…
- Who are my customers?
- What they do?
- What are their concerns?
- What is their age? Is my brand according to their age?
- How my brand can solve their problems?
- Where they go for their online research and entertainment?
4. Which Device they are Using to Search Information:
Most searches are online and likely to start from simple Google search on a PC or phone. So make sure your website is optimised for both desktop and phone. This will help you to be discovered by the potential customers. However, mobile devices in Singapore are nowadays driving the purchasing decision than their desktop counterparts.
5. Analyse the Reviews:
To understand the customer’s perspective better, reviews, blogs and tweets come handy. They are the platforms where people share experiences about brands and raise the query as well. According to one study, nearly 90% of the potential customer base thinks that reviews are important to their purchase decision. In Singapore, 57 per cent of Singaporeans use social media to read reviews.
As review can drive purchases, you can be missing out on potential buyers if you don’t ask for a review. One more thing—always respond to the feedback of the customers dropped at your website or other reviewing platform.
Conclusion:
Winning the ZMOT means that you have won the half of the battle as you prepare, encourage and prompt the customer to think about your product. However, the customer experience should be great with your product or services after using it.
We Find This Quote to End the Blog on a Great Note…
“You’d never set up a corporate 1-800 number with nobody to answer the phone… The Internet is that 1-800 number, and it’s been set up for you even though you didn’t ask for it. People are ‘calling’ you with their web searches every minute of every day. Grandma doesn’t just phone 1-800-Butterball now – she searches online for, ‘How do I know when the turkey’s done?’ If turkey is your business, you’d better be there with a helpful answer (and maybe a demonstration, or a coupon, or a stuffing recipe). If people search for your product and you don’t answer that search, who do you think will answer?”
- Jim Lecinski, Managing Director U.S. Sales & Service, Google
