Public Relations and the Zero Moment of Truth

If you haven’t read the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) by Google’s Jim Lecinski, you’re missing out on a wonderful framework for thinking about your marketing and communications. You can download it for free here, but to summarize, there are four general stages of the marketing process in the ZMOT framework:

• Stimulus: when the consumer becomes aware of a need.
• Zero moment of truth: when the consumer goes in search of answers to fulfill their need. This includes social media, search engines, word of mouth, reviews, and more.
• First moment of truth: when the consumer enters the buying process and sees if your product or service fits their need.
• Second moment of truth: after owning your product or service, the consumer decides whether or not it lived up to their expectations.

You might be tempted to think, if you read only marketing blogs, that with search, mobile, and social media, there’s no longer any need for public relations or communications. However, when you dig into the ZMOT study, you discover that earned media is a vital part of the stimulus phase:

Source: Google/Shopper Sciences, Zero Moment of Truth Macro Study, Apr 2011

Paid and earned media comprise the top 5 sources of ways consumers became aware of their needs and then went in search of how to fulfill those needs. This is one of the most vital reasons why your communications and marketing must be integrated!

If you’re getting great earned media and spending lots on ads, but you’re poorly optimized for search, then you’re effectively advertising on behalf of your competitors. If you’ve got earned media and paid media working hard for you, but you’re not doing anything with social media, then consumers who have become aware of a need will ask friends and family about their recommendations and you won’t be there when they ask.

The core lesson is this: in order to make the most of your marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts, everything must be integrated from top to bottom.

Your PR/communications agency can’t work independently of marketing. Marketing can’t work independently of sales. Sales can’t just sell things without working with customer service. Do all of that well, and your existing thrilled customers will power the next wave of earned media for you.