The Zero Moment of Truth – or ZMOT – conceptually refers to when buyers research products or services before making a purchase. ZMOT occurs during your prospect’s buying journey between the initial stimulus (an alert that triggers the prospects interest/need) and the First Moment of Truth (a term coined by Proctor & Gamble referring to the purchase decision).
ZMOT applies to both B2C and B2B consumers and often occurs before the seller ever knows an opportunity exists. In fact, a 2017 B2B Buyers Report by DemandGen Report says that B2B buyers progress more than 70% of the way through the buying journey before being willing to speak with a business development or sales representative.
[bctt tweet=”Companies that fail to show up during this initial ZMOT research phase risk losing buyer awareness, and ultimately, sales opportunities.” username=”ROOT3marketing”]
On the flip side, those that optimize and build their marketing programs around the ZMOT research phase stand to have a competitive advantage in their respective market.
Here are 4 steps B2B organizations should take to own the Zero Moment of Truth:
- Understand what the ZMOTs are for your business. Conduct market research or just simply ask your existing customers how they went about researching the kinds of products or solutions your business sells. What questions did they ask their network? What keywords did they put in to Google?
- Answer the questions your prospects are asking. Once you understand the ZMOTs, develop and execute a content strategy that directly answers your prospects’ questions. Focus on publishing content that your prospects find most valuable, not what interests you or your business. Content should be timely, relevant, and engaging without being self-promotional.
- Make search engine optimization (SEO) a priority. When a potential buyer searches for your company, your executives, or products/services, make sure you know what information or content appears in search. Be sure to manage your digital reputation across all search engines, social networks, and online directory listings so your prospects can easily find and contact you.
- Encourage customer and employee advocacy. Customer reviews, testimonials, case studies, and success stories will have far more impact than anything you say about yourself. And employees can become your greatest advocates by simply sharing and promoting your company’s content on their own personal and professional networks.
Interested in learning how your company can own the ZMOT? Contact us to learn more.
