INSIGHT on INSIGHT: Studying the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT)
Once a content evaluation has been done, the secrets of the zero moment of truth can begin to be revealed.
This moment is the planning (or even pre-planning) phase. It involves how potential buyers get passively exposed to information and how they actively seek it out.
If a product or brand does not capture attention here, the odds that it gets purchased during the first moment of truth diminish significantly.
Understanding this phase involves identifying what sources of information are most prominent, what type of information from those sources is consumed, and how that information alters perceptions, desires and actions.
A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques can be used to study ZMOT. But the more a company understands what content already exists and where it exists, the better they will be able to design a study to provide a complete picture.
Companies should consider which of the following areas are applicable to their category and how deep understanding needs to go to make sure the right decisions are being made related to how content is developed and distributed. Each information source represents an opportunity to drive influence, but also a potential blackhole to pour resources down.
Sources of ZMOT information:
Company websites: Many people accept a healthy dose of propaganda when consuming branded content. However, well thought-out designs can present a sales pitch in a manner that is viewed as more objective and balanced to some and almost invisible to others.
Facebook: The sharing of both sponsored content and peer perspective can deliver awareness, interest and guidance that shapes what questions people decide are worth answering related to a topic or product.
Twitter: 140 characters can do a lot to create or damage the personification of products or the companies selling them.
YouTube: In all its forms and formats, video can often better convey far more information than the best written essays of text while getting an audience’s attention to engage and consume that information.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Being on page one of Google, Bing or Yahoo creates a significant sense of authority and much higher level of awareness.
Blogs: The once unbiased and unfiltered commentary or rants of autonomous bloggers created a sense of authenticity few companies could match. Affiliations and sponsorships are starting to blur how independent people continue to view the position of many bloggers.
Customer ratings and reviews: Getting to hear about and share in the experience of others is often viewed as one of the best indications of what the second moment of truth is really like.
Amazon.com: The dominance of Amazon has made it a single destination for many to gather product specs and descriptions, pricing, images and reviews.
Tumblr / Discussion boards: The focused and detailed information from these posts can tap into the expertise of category fanatics unlikely to exist many other places.
Pinterest: The visual stories told on Pinterest provide both information and inspiration to share the actual and perceived benefits of products.
Price comparison, coupon or deal sites: For those that value the deal, these sites can permanently alter the perception of how much certain products should cost or at least how much they are willing to pay for products in a category (even if it means switching brands).
Household members: While one person may be the primary shopper for a home, most members of that home provide some influence related to what categories are bought and what particular items are bought within those categories.
In addition to understanding where ZMOT is more heavily influenced, it is critical to understand what information (or content) should be incorporated into those areas. Here are some common forms of information that can have varying degrees of importance across different categories.
Types of ZMOT information:
Educational: For most categories, some amount of factual information is sought to satisfy the desire for logic to play some role in the decision or to establish an intellectual alibi for an otherwise emotional decision.
Entertainment: Even the most mundane categories (think body wash) can be presented in very off-the-wall ways that completely alter how the purchase decision is approached. Other categories only exist because entertainment is a core part of the value offered by the product.
Inspirational / Creative: The ability to adapt, modify, personalize or do other DIY treatment is often a critical part of making a product relevant or appealing.
Fascination: Creating awe, discovery or a sense that more exists than meets the eye can prompt curiosity or interest where it might have otherwise not existed (think telescopes or microscopes).
Investigative Reporting: Journalistic-like reports can increase the sense of urgency or legitimacy to make topics or products more important than they might otherwise be viewed (think products marketed to doomsday preppers).
Testimonials: The impassioned recommendation from someone viewed as an expert or even an everyday Joe others can identify with helps sell a message to certain people far better than anything coming out of a marketing or sales department.
How to: These two words (often brought to life in video) can lead to a greater sense of confidence and remove many barriers that keep people away from categories that require instructions or directions.
Tips & Tricks: The satisfaction of ownership can be enhanced with little secrets or unofficial applications that might never be independently discovered.
Unboxing: This ritual elevates both the perceived excitement and privilege of acquiring certain products (think Apple’s updated iPhone), but it can also draw attention to the details that went into everything surrounding the actual product.
Product specifications: Companies should never lose a sale because potential buyers can't easily find basic specs like dimensions, weight, compatibility, features or ingredient lists.
Consumption: Hearing the first-hand experience others had owning or consuming a product can remove many of the unknowns that can create unnecessary concern and reasons to delay or reconsider a purchase.
Conspiracy Theories: Fear is always a good motivator to justify the purchase of products that can be easily delayed or ignored (think how some people changed their opinions and behaviors based on the movies An Inconvenient Truth or Food Inc.).
The gathering of information only matters to the extent that it is utilized or acted on. As you develop more content, consider how it encourages (or can be easily used for) the following behaviors.
How ZMOT information is used:
Deselection: In many categories, initial evaluation is more about identifying what products can be ignored or removed from the consideration set before the process of identifying one product to purchase even begins.
Value framing: In many situations, value is more complex than the equation quality or quantity divided by price. Content frequently introduces the consideration of or increases the relative importance placed on new attributes or variables that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Brand equity development: Content can create brand equity from scratch. It can shape and refine the tangible and intangible attributes people assign to a category or product or brand. It can make a product feel fun or serious, nostalgic or futuristic, trendy or timeless.
Urgency: Content can determine what categories get more immediate attention. It can determine how quickly a purchase decision is arrived at and where an extra dollar of purchasing power gets allocated.
Importance: Content can also determine what categories get more attention overall. The more important a decision is perceived to be, the more likely undivided attention will be allocated to that decision. And the more likely a decision will actually be made.
Attribute hierarchy: Decision maps are fluid and change across circumstances and people. This means they can be influenced, creating the opportunity for companies to elevate the influence of the attributes their products perform best on.
Social reinforcement: Sometimes peer pressure is the most effective means to convince reluctant shoppers to become committed buyers.