Ok, so I am in the middle of remodeling my basement. Although I am really looking forward to sitting on my new couch, drinking my favorite beverage, and watching my favorite football team (Packers) on my killer TV, the process getting there is a lot of work.
I am responsible for buying the right AV equipment for this project. It dawned on me today that I am very much going through the ZMOT process while I am shopping for what I feel is going to be a great entertainment experience when you visit my basement. What is ZMOT you ask? Well, it is Zero Moment Of Truth.
I have a need. In this case, it is a killer TV, surround sound system, receiver, speakers for the bar area and all the needed hardware to connect everything. That is my stimulus. I have checked out blogs, retail sites, reviews, asked people in my circle of friends, etc. for ideas what might work best for me. That is my ZMOT. Well, today, I made my first purchase in this process–the surround sound system. That is my FMOT (first moment of truth). I will soon have more FMOTs in this process as I purchase the other items. Eventually, I will experience a variety of SMOTs (second moment of truth). To me the SMOT is the most scary step because it will define for me if my whole ZMOT process was correct! I may write a review on certain retail sites about my experience in interacting with online chat rooms and retail store employees,and of the product itself. Now the next person looking to buy these same products will use my feedback as part of their ZMOT.
Make sense?
Well, how does this relate to Inbound Marketing? I don’t care if your business is B to B or B to C, in today’s digital world, this is a big part of the way people identify the business they want to work with. The buying process has shifted dramatically and people are using the internet to do their research when solving a personal or business problem or need. If you are a business owner, or responsible for the marketing inside your company, and you put the right information in front of the right person at the right time, you are in the “game”. Utilize blogging, white papers, eBooks, social strategies, paid media strategies, etc. in an effort to set yourself apart from the competition when someone is going through the ZMOT process.
So, if you are still stuck in your old ways of marketing, consider what I am going through as I equip my basement to be the entertainment experience my friends and family are going to be jealous of, and embrace an inbound marketing philosophy and help turn Leads To Revenue! Who knows, maybe at the end of my process I will invite you downstairs for a visit….
If you have thoughts or questions, feel free to contact me at LTR Digital Group.
