Before getting to know about the relevance between ZMOT and SEM, we need to have an in-depth knowledge about Moment of Truth and gradually Zero Moment of Truth.
Moments of Truth(MOT) in marketing, is the moment when a customer/buyer interacts with a brand, product or service to form or change an impression about that particular brand, product or service. In 2005 A.G. Lafley Chairman, President & CEO of Procter & Gamble coined two Moments of Truth i.e. first and second. Third was gradually introduced later.
Advertisers have generally centered around three stages in the purchasing procedure, namely the Stimulus, the first moment of Truth and the second moment of Truth yet with the coming of the web, a forward stage has developed as a huge Influencer on the purchasing procedure.
In the initial step, known as “stimulus,” potential clients are provoked to search out an item, ordinarily by commercials. They then make a beeline for the rack, regardless of whether physical or virtual, to buy the item that looks best; this second step is known as the “First moment of truth.” Finally, in the third step, the shopper encounters the item, satisfying the “second moment of truth.”
The Zero Moment of Truth
In the same way as other different things in the computerized age, the web has changed this model of the way buyers shop. Lately, a fourth step has left the woodwork: the “zero Moment of truth.”
The general population are progressively settling on choices at the Zero Moment—the exact minute when they have a need, expectation or question they need addressed on the web. These inquiries can be anything from “Which brand of diapers will help my child stay asleep from sundown to sunset?” to “What toothpaste will make my grin brighter?” or “What will expel colored pencil marks from my wood eating table?” A brand that answers these inquiries at simply the correct time scores a twofold win: It enhances a buyer’s life and stands to pick up an upper hand over brands that don’t.
A New Step in the Buying Process
With simple access to a heap of items, most customers now direct preparatory research before obtaining anything. A review supported by Google demonstrated that the lion’s share of purchasers makes a beeline for the web to settle on an educated choice when it’s a great opportunity to purchase, regardless of whether they need another auto or only another book. Notwithstanding taking a gander at particular models of the item they’re occupied with, individuals lead more broad research, making inquiries, for example,
- What components are imperative or helpful in this item?
- How does a particular item contrast with comparative ones?
- What are other individuals saying in regards to the item?
- Where is the least expensive place to buy the item I need?
This research procedure is alluded to as the “zero Moment of truth,” or ZMOT (“zee-Mot”).
What Does the ZMOT Mean for Me?
The ZMOT is a tremendous calculator in deciding an item’s prosperity. These days, items must hold up to industry principles as well as to the surveys of any clients who have ever utilized the item. Advanced expert Brian Solis places that, in the web period, the client experience is normally a mutual one since customers put stock in each other more than organizations and can without much of a stretch share their encounters online. Obviously, Google declared that the ZMOT is currently the most essential stride in the purchaser procedure. So what would you be able to do as a business to guarantee your item survives the zero moment of truth?
- Make data about your item promptly accessible so customers can look at it
- Request surveys about your product–good or awful, they’ll help you make strides
- Get your item recorded in purchaser’s list
- Be set up for thorough examination versus comparative items
The internet has changed altogether the way consumers are interacting with brands, products or services this online decision-making moment is termed as ZMOT. According to research conducted by Google, 88% of US customers are researching online before actually buying the product. Promoting on account of the ZMOT can be a frightening jump for customary advertisers, however you ought to grasp it! The appearance of the ZMOT speaks to not an impediment but rather a jump forward in giving shoppers what they truly need and want.
Now, How is ZMOT applicable to SEM?
First, Lets learn about SEM..
Search marketing is the process of gaining traffic and visibility from search engines through both paid and unpaid endeavors.Search Marketing includes:
Search engine optimization: Earning movement through unpaid or free postings
SEM: Buying activity through paid search postings
Initially called “search engine marketing,” the shorter expression “search marketing” is currently regularly utilized as the umbrella term over SEO and SEM. The more drawn out expression “search engine marketing” — or SEM — is currently ordinarily used to depict paid search exercises.
Search Engine Marketing is all about Searching for products or service or anything related to it. This is directly related to ZMOT as it is about searching for a Product or Service or anything related to it. Like when a person searches How can I prevent my Baby from Bum Rashes? The search engine may directly show you Baby Diapers like Hampers etc. this is an example of Good SEO or SEM which includes paid searches.
The relevance can be further understood with the following example, Let’s assume you play Football and you need boots I.e. Stimulus, you go out with your friends and find a nice pair of boots and you buy it, this is The First Moment of Truth But when you go out to Play with the Boots you will experience it, this is The Second Moment of Truth now you will recommend the product to others mostly your friend If you like the product you will say it’s really nice and your friends may buy it too, and if you don’t like the product you will say it’s not good and your Friends may not buy it.
Let’s say in this case you recommend the product and say it is good to your friends and then one of your friend is also interested in buying that boots and he goes and searches in any search engine about that product, here comes Zero Moment of Truth(ZMOT), when your friend searches for the boots in any search engine. Now once you search for it SEM is related to it, as paid ads will appear when you type for Boots.
Hope this example clarifies the connection between ZMOT and SEM. This example can be used with any other product or Service. here is a video to have a better understanding about ZMOT.
