“The Moment of Truth Marketing” is in the past
In the past it was always thought that grabbing the attention of a consumer was about getting the best professional advice possible. This was all about who was saying what about your product, and a good review from the best product reviewer in the industry meant that your sales would skyrocket. Those days are shifting, and the role of the professional reviewer is being, and has been diminished in the realities of today’s world. Marketing has shifted from information being delivered in a waterfall fashion (top down fashion) to being one where information is organic and delivered in a geyser fashion (from the bottom up). The print publications, television shows, and product reviews in a newspaper from a trusted reviewer don’t hold the weight and relevance they used to a decade ago. Getting a positive review from one of these people is not always the best use of a business’ time and energy, rather today they need to focus on the masses. With the advent of the social media sites that exist today, the masses hold more weight not only because there are more of them out there, but they have a voice that was not heard years ago.
The Consumer Experience
The consumer experience has shifted, with peer reviews becoming something that is commonplace today. If one is to purchase an item, they can do a lot of research online prior to making a decision to buy. In the past you did this through Consumer Reports and a few other magazines or sites that tested products. Today you can pull up the website that sells the item and read multiple peer reviews regarding the product and how well it has “tested” in the field. People are quick to point out both the pros and cons of each item, from the user perspective. This gives real information when determining actual value of a product today, and you will get a wide variety of end user feedback in actual conditions, not just what the professional reviewer thought of the product.
The Retailer Experience
Many online retailers (and brick and mortar with online presence) have found the power in the peer review. A review that is well written with factual information and statistics is often seen by the consumer as trustworthy. If the reviewer gives his or her name, the product is more likely to be purchased due to the review according to recent research. Sites like Yelp.com have become noticeable game changers when it comes to marketing and reviews of products and services in the industry. People can become fanatical about a service or product and tell their story on Yelp, and this can have tremendous, positive effects for the business. Yelpers (as the reviewers are called) can also destroy a service or product image through negative reviews that are read by many people looking to purchase this product or service.
ZEMOT – Google’s Zero Moment of Truth
Click here to read the full version of Googles new Online Marketing Strategy
With quick access to real time information and customer reviews, the landscape has shifted. Connectivity is greater with the use of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Yelp, and many other sites out there. A person can reach out to networks of people all at once to gain information, where as before it was something that was time consuming and difficult. People have access to greater information realms, and the role of the professional reviewer isn’t seen as necessary in the lives of many consumers today, often it is seen as negative if a business needs to engage such a person. Without a conversation from a business to its consumers, the trust factor is failing in today’s reality.
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Logan
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