It’s the Zero Moment of Truth; Are You Prepared?
Would your clients and customers place you on the naughty list or the nice list? It may sound simplistic, but strategically speaking it’s an important marketing consideration. Are you monitoring your reputation online? What are people saying about your company on Twitter? In blogs? On their websites? As marketers you know how important brand perception is to developing a successful marketing strategy, but it often gets ignored. It also helps marketers to position themselves against industry competitors. These days, the viral nature of social media combined with a 24-hour broadcast and digital news cycle has the potential to spread information fast. Consumers are increasingly taking to the Internet for information about prospective companies. The folks at Google have coined this the “zero moment of truth” or ZMOT.
What is the Zero Moment Of Truth?
Zero Moment Of Truth: Sounds fancy, but it’s basically just the pre-shopping, online research phase when a consumer realizes they have a need but need more information before they actually begin fulfilling it. Think about your last major purchase, did you just go in to the store and buy? If you are like 86% of people you did some kind of research prior to making a purchase or hiring someone for a service. If your budget allows, consider investing in some kind of reputation management program. There are companies that specialize in analyzing conversations about your brand, warn you about negative feedback in social media and online, and implement ways to repair any damage to your reputation. There is also software with similar capabilities. A less expensive alternative is to set up Google alerts and Twitter searches. Both are free and index their platform for online mentions, articles, websites and videos.