ZMOT should be a priority for all brands

I talk a lot about the first and second moments of truth, however, when it comes to choosing a brand 84% of consumers in US look on-line first - according to Google. They are calling this the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).

The ZMOT concept is simple. The internet has significantly changed consumer shopping habits. Now they typically start the process of choosing by checking out blogs, consumers opinion websites, social network, competitor sites, etc, before they visit the store

Delivering winning brand experience at the ZMOT is something all brand organisations need to be focusing on.

Kevin Roberts has posted the some excellent nuggets that Lecinski (Google US Sales) has suggested. These are key:

1. Put Someone in Charge. If it’s nobody’s job, it’s not going to get done. You need a ZMOT evangelist, in on every meeting and empowered to do the job.

2. Find Your Zero Moments: Find out exactly how people search for your product. Where do they go? Who do they trust to give them information?

3. Answer the Questions People Are Asking: There’s no point meeting people at ZMOT if you’re not giving them the kind of information they want, as and when they want it.

4. Optimize for ZMOT: Show up more when it counts by making your content super-relevant, and being where you need to be (Lecinski makes the point that having a great mobile presence is a big part of this).

5. Be Fast: Know when something’s making people search for your product, and do something quick to capitalise on it. Speed beats perfection.

In my view there is another thing missing from this list. That is to ensure you WOW existing consumers so they become advocates. This is a vital component because positive social commentary and conversations from delighted consumers will fuel your brand's on-line reputation.

Powerful stuff.

Cool ad from Touchwood

Docomo - Trees / Forest / Touchwood SH-08C - (2011)

This is a cool ad.

It is fun, engaging and should get noticed.

Tips on how to get mobile right

Mobile is becoming an increasingly important way for brands to deliver enhanced brand experiences that have the potential to delight consumers.

Technology is getting extremely smart.

Revenues are growing fast (ABI research predict $119bn of goods and services will be bought via mobile by 2115).

Internet Retailing recently published a very useful article for any brand that recognizes the potential of mobile and wants to start using it now. It has a common sense checklist when comparing mobile to on-line.

Here are the highlights:

Screen size - means you have to be sure what content should be served (with on-line 90% of page can be irrelevant).

Load times - mobile is generally slower so you need to think about content and number of steps you get users to take.

Mobile vs tablet – may require parallel sites to take into account differing functionality.

Innovative services – like Augmented reality and location based services are powerful but not always relevant.

Personalization integration –the mobile experience needs to be consistent with that delivered by other brand platforms.

It is worth getting it right because it can be a smart way to deliver brand experiences that will delight consumers and thereby drive loyalty and advocacy.

However, get it wrong and consumers will desert you and may even become detractors who use social media to rapidly spread bad news about your brand.

My advice is simple. Start to test and learn as soon as you can.