“Vroom vroom, buy a new car at Bob’s Car Depot today!” How did Bob know I was looking for a new car? Right after I saw this commercial, I pulled out my laptop and started searching Bob’s Car Depot. After finding positive reviews from local review sites, I started searching his website to see if he had any Jeeps on the lot. Once I found the one I liked, I also read reviews on the Jeep and compared it to those available at other local dealers. So what stopped me from grabbing my purse and keys and running to Bob’s Car Depot that very minute? Well, the new age of marketing is what stopped me.
The moment from when I was first stimulated by the commercial to when I decided this Jeep from Bob’s Car Depot is the car for me—also known as the Zero Moment of Truth—stopped me in my tracks. The Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) is the new revolution in marketing. It is a combination of the ease and accessibility of information right at our fingertips used to make final purchasing decisions. This ZMOT affects businesses by challenging them to come between the stimulus and the customer before they make their final purchase. Before technology ruled the world, customers were left making their own decisions. Now they are turning to the words of strangers’ blog posts and ratings reviews, what product is tweeted the most, and any other source of information they can find about their product before purchasing it.
Businesses need to effectively drive customers to their products both at the point of stimulus—the ZMOT where the customer reviews the product—and at the point of purchase. By effectively managing social media, web review sites, and blogs, and by spreading a positive word of mouth, a business can establish a positive image for themselves and their products, which will likely result in customers choosing their products and services. There are many ways a business can effectively manage the point between stimulus and ZMOT, knowing what content to post, how often to post it, and where to post it are several suggestions I can make. Share your thoughts on how you help your business be noticed and help drive customers from ZMOT to you.
