This is a continuation of the Daily Golden Nugget from March 26, 2013.As a quick recap, ZMOT is the "Zero Moment of Truth" which represents the idea that someone will search for more information online before considering buying your jewelry. Something "stimulated" them to "google it." That stimulation could have been an advertisement, or a conversation with a friend who was wearing jewelry. That motivating factor then leads them to do some research on their own before deciding to visit a store in person. That research action is referred to as ZMOT.
In yesterday's Nugget I left off explaining the 8 common ZMOT research method that jewelry buyers might take before they step foot in your door. Today I will explain each one in a little more detail.
ZMOT Actions:
1. Use a search engine to find out more ("google it").
Want to find out more information about something you see in an ad? The most common first course of action is to look in your favorite search engine. Although I'm quoting "google it" because it's a common expression now; the fact is that people may also search Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, and AOL in addition to Google.
According to the http://www.zeromomentoftruth.com website 50% of all people will search for more information first.
In order for you to participate in this ZMOT action your jewelry store must be able to rank for whatever keyword relates to the original stimulus. For example, if your newspaper ad shows Chamilia beads then your website needs to rank for Chamilia related searches. Thinking backwards that also means that you should only run offline ads for jewelry designer names that you rank well for. Your offline ads will produce higher results if you take the time to search optimize your website for that designer first.
2. Talk with friends or family who own the jewelry or bought from that jeweler.
This second action occurs when one of your existing customers has a conversation with their friends or family about the jewelry they are wearing. In this situation you have an existing satisfied customer that is giving advice to their friend about their jewelry ownership experience and about the in-store buying experience.
This casual conversation between friends isn't necessarily a direct recommendation or referral for your jewelry store, it's just a casual exchange of information that could result in your future sales.
In order for you to participate in this ZMOT action you need to make sure your staff is trained to provide the best possible in-store buying experience which includes friendly, personalized service.
3. Compare prices between online product catalogs between local jewelers and e-tailers
Online price comparisons, and online product catalog browsing is becoming more and more important for the local jeweler. Small independent retail jewelers are starting to add their entire inventory of product online. Those with online catalogs are advancing faster and further in their online marketing success while the other local jewelers are struggling to stay in business.
If you haven't done it yet then it's time to add your full catalog inventory to your website.
4. Visited the jewelry designer's website for more information
Any offline advertising needs to also be reflected on your website somehow. Does your advertisement show Chamilia beads? Then your website needs to show the same ad along with a link to more information about specific Chamilia beads you are showing in that ad.
Participation in this ZMOT action is directly related to the search engine optimization mentioned in action #1 above. That extra Chamilia information on will help with the optimization efforts.
5. Read product reviews on e-tailer websites for similar products (BlueNile, Amazon)
Participation in this particular ZMOT action can only achieved if your website software provides a review system. Those online reviews have the potential to appear in search results if your website programmer correctly programs the HTML of your website with tags from schema.org. That's a technical topic that I mentioned in the past, and a conversation you should have with your website programmer once you add a review system to your product catalog.
6. Visited the website for a local jeweler for more information
How up to date is your website? If your offline advertising does not include a specific brand, like Chamilia, then the person will probably search for your store name, or visit your website directly. When you look at your own Google Analytics you will see that your store name is always the most popular search phrase that brings people to your website.
Your website needs to be updated regularly. Google recently published 7 tasks that will improve your SEO tremendously. Updating your website often was #7 on the list.
So add a blog post, update the home page, and keep that copyright notice on the footer of your pages current. These are simple things that tell potential jewelry customers that you care enough to give them updated information.
7. Read blog posts about the jewelry
Using blogging as a method of inbound marketing has become very popular in the last few years. Every website should have a blog and a blogging strategy. Getting back to that Chamilia bracelet example, you should write a blog post about the same bracelet or beads that you will be showing in your offline ad.
Assuming someone searches for Chamilia or your store name, that blog post should appear as one of the search results. Think of this blog post as a product review, and include different photographs than those you have in your ad and your online catalog. I realize photography is usually a challenge for most retailers, but the photography included in a blog post could be provided by your smartphone.
8. Visited the jewelry designer and/or local jeweler's social network (Facebook, Google+, or Twitter)
Speaking of keeping this updated, if you are going to set up a social property you must keep it updated. If you do not have the time or resources to keep your social networks updated then you shouldn't create them in the first place. Empty social profiles reflect badly on your customer service.
Big brands have the resources to create huge followings based around their product, but as a local jeweler you need to be more creative in how you engage your local audience. You should share events, products, and blog posts from your website to your social networks, but you can also share topics that you feel your local community will also find interesting.
Many marketing firms worldwide have adopted new universally inclusive marketing strategies since Google published the original eBook about the Zero Moment of Truth. I hope this information presented here will help you further understand the importance of how the internet should be the center of your advertising focus.
