INSIGHT on INSIGHT: Studying the Stimulus (that is, the content)
At the foundation of all human behavior is desire. That desire might be something hard-wired into us like the desire to feel safe and secure, the desire to satisfy hunger or the desire to love and be loved.
Other desires are a function of our society or culture. These include the desire to be entertained or the desire to feel power or control over our social status.
Companies are constantly manipulating our desires through the stimulus they present. Nowadays, that stimulus is frequently called content:
Cola companies convince us that carbonated water isn’t just the best way to quench our thirst, it is a great medium to share experiences with friends.
Luxury car companies convince us that we deserve the comfort and exhilaration that comes with driving their latest model, not to mention the message it communicates to our peers.
Snack foods convince us that our life will be a little more enjoyable if we indulge in their sugary or fatty product. And, like colas, it might be even more enjoyable if we share that experience with others.
UNDERSTANDING THE ASK FROM YOUR CONTENT
That content is actually asking for an interaction and exchange of value. Give me your time and attention and hard-earned money, a company says, and I’ll give you satisfaction and pleasure that only my product can offer.
While there are exceptions*, the goal of this content should typically be to ask for as little as possible and offer as much as possible in return.
Most shoppers aren’t interested in reading extensive literature to understand a category and determine what product is best for them.
Ignoring luxury or status items, quality or quantity divided by cost is typically a close proxy for how value is calculated. The higher quality or more of a product is offered, the better. The less a product costs, the better.
The content a person is initially exposed to determines how that person enters the zero moment of truth for a category.
It can determine if a person seeks out educational content, entertaining content, content produced by third parties or content produced by brands.
This can also determine what type and how strong of a desire exists. The initial content one is exposed to can create hunger to spend hours on ZMOT or decide it is worth no more than a 60 second investment.
MOMENTS MATTER
Smart companies learn that it isn’t about overwhelming potential buyers with lots of stimulus. And it isn’t about making every argument or promise possible.
Smart companies focus on the moments that matter. They provide just enough of the right content to close the sale. They find ways to lower the perceived or actual effort asked of shoppers to make the purchase.
And it is only through extensively studying these situations that the key content and those key moments are discovered.
This begins by understanding all the content that currently exists. This content evaluation includes identifying materials directly created and distributed by companies and indirect material created by individuals or organizations operating outside the category and with incentives that could potentially be very different or in conflict with those in the category.
Creating an inventory of content helps establish an understanding of the quality and quantity of that content. This, in turn, helps companies understand what, if any, obvious voids exist where new content will get noticed.
Some categories have little or no content, making room for any new content, even low quality content, to get noticed.
Other categories are more mature, demanding new content to be focused and high quality if it has any hope of influencing desire.
How this is gathered and analyzed can vary significantly across categories. But not taking this initial step could lead to mis-directed efforts built on ignorance.
*Obviously, there are some fans or hobbyists that view the consumption of content as one of the key benefits or outcomes. These are sports fans or motorheads or officianodos or fashionistas that continue to consume content well after a purchase decision has been made or when no purchase decision even exists. For them, exposure to the content has become a desire in itself.