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Scott Brinker, a columnist at SearchEngineLand.com recently posted an article that caught my attention.

Many industry experts have talked about the importance of conversion but Scott’s article took it a step further and introduced a new acronym to me: ZMOT

You should read Scott’s entire post Conversion Optimization In The New Marketing Landscape and have I highlighted a section from his post for further discussion:

The Zero Moment Of Truth

The other “big picture” story is presented in Jim Lecinski’s book, ZMOT: Winning the Zero Moment of Truth. Published by Google and distributed for free, it passionately describes the new reality of marketing where consumers are always connected, both to each other and to huge repositories of information on potential purchases.

Procter & Gamble’s former CEO A.G. Lafley popularized the First Moment of Truth (FMOT), when a consumer looks at a shelf of products in the store and decides which brand to buy, and the Second Moment of Truth (SMOT), when that consumer actually uses the brand at home and decides if they like it or not.

Google makes that point that there is now a new Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), where consumers explore and examine products and providers online — leveraging search and social media channels — to identify what’s most interesting to them before they ever go to the store. And this new ZMOT applies equally to B2B and considered purchases as it does to the consumer packaged goods where the FMOT was born.

Every touchpoint that a prospect has with you online contributes to their ZMOT decision.

An obvious example is when someone searches on a keyword, chooses to click your ad, and views your landing page. Their impression of you from that experience will impact their choices moving forward.

Conversion optimization is therefore critical in winning the ZMOT. Thinking of it this way frames the mission more broadly too — it’s not just about converting a visitor with one specific action in one particular context, but ultimately persuading them across a bevy of touch-points for the duration of their ZMOT deliberation. It’s customer experience management writ large, from the earliest moments of contact onward.

In fact, when you step back and view the ZMOT as emerging from the sum of all these digital interactions around your brand, you realize that the marketing technology landscape we discussed at the start is what enables and empowers your ZMOT strategy and tactics.

From both perspectives, conversion-oriented marketers are poised to take the lead.

Zero Moment of Truth

Take a moment to absorb this concept of Zero Moment of Truth.  You can download a free eBook from Google on this topic by visiting:  http://www.zeromomentoftruth.com.  You can also watch the book’s trailer video:  ZMOT Video

According to Google Blog on the subject of ZMOT:

Data from IRI’s latest Economic Longtitude 2009 study shows that 83% of shoppers make their purchase decisions prior to entering a store.

So, 83% of consumer goods shoppers make their purchase decisions PRIOR to entering a store.  Then think about Scott’s summary statement pulled from the text above:

 ”it’s not just about converting a visitor with one specific action in one particular context, but ultimately persuading them across a bevy of touchpoints for the duration of their ZMOT deliberation.”

After reading this statement, I asked myself a question. How do we leverage this short period of time where a consumer is researching cars and deciding which dealership to call and which model(s) to test drive?

The answer is to make sure that all our digital touchpoints are designed to work together and to convert.

So ask yourself this question: Do ALL your digital assets work in harmony to convert?

Industry conversion leaders like Larry Bruce have spent a good deal of time helping car dealers understand the importance of landing page design in the context of a Google Adwords campaign.  This is a great start for the auto industry that is wasting millions of dollars annually on poorly designed PPC campaigns.

Creating An Integrated ZMOT Marketing Strategy

But Scott is taking the discussion of conversion to an entirely new level when he says:

Every touchpoint that a prospect has with you online contributes to their ZMOT decision..

Are all your digital assets designed to convert and support our unique selling proposition during the ZMOT?

Is your website properly supported by carrying the creative design and call to action to your microsites, press releases, social media sites, and online brochures?

You get the idea, those companies that are conversion focused on ALL their digital assets will be pulling ahead of their competition.  The implication is clear: There is no room to be sloppy with your digital media investments.

Here is an except from Google Blog on ZMOT:

What does ZMOT mean for marketers? It means that marketers need to button up their pull marketing strategies, not only the push strategies, and find ways to connect the two. Marketers need to ensure that a consumer has a consistent and positive experience — from the Zero Moment of Truth to the point of purchase and beyond — by getting in front of a consumer with the right brand message early in the process of discovery, and staying there along the way.

PCG Develops Digital Marketing Strategies

PCG Digital Marketing is embracing the need of dealers to create a powerful set of conversion focused digital assets for the ZMOT decision.

Next month we will be announcing additional products and services to address the need for a integrated digital campaign that supports your brand during the brief ZMOT consumer timeline.

There is only a limited number of car dealers that will put in place the disciplines that will create a complete set of digital assets that work in harmony to convert.  This is not a project that a dealer can do without help from marketing professionals.

My hand is extended for those that want help creating a market dominating strategy that INCLUDES consistent messaging to address the ZMOT decision.

Keep in mind: “83% of consumer goods shoppers make their purchase decisions prior to entering a store” so do a AUDIT of ALL your current digital assets and decide if they ALL support your unique selling proposition. And of course, make sure you answer this question: Do they convert?

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

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Brian Pasch

The tsunami of changes that are coming from Google these days is without parallel.  I look back to October 2010 when Google Places was integrated into organic search results and since that major shift, the team at Google has been keeping Automotive SEO strategists on their toes.

It is clear that organic search results shown on Google Page One are being influence by social media posts, likes, fans, and now +1.  Just this week I noticed that a dealer’s Facebook page moved to the second spot on Google Page One over well aged and well linked microsites.

This dealer has over 35,000 likes to his Facebook dealership page.  The highly trafficked Facebook Page outweighs the SEO strength of his other web assets.  Change is here and documented!

Google +1 Implementation

Now we have Google +1 to play with and people are asking how they can leverage this new search “stamping” tool.  According to Google’s website:

“Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1′s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.”

Do you believe that your business provides great products and service to local consumers?  Do your employees feel the same way?  If the answer to both questions are “YES”, then what strategy do you have in place to educate and energize each employee to +1 your key digital assets.  These assets are MORE than your website.

Your Google +1 strategy should include your Youtube Videos, microsites, press releases, slideshare docs, etc.  Any web assets that will help consumers connect with your brand and that show your company in a positive light.

Have you started tagging your web assets with the +1?  What are you waiting for then!

Empowering Your Customers

Once you and your employees have been educated and a strategy put in place, next comes family, friends, and customers.  This means that you email templates and communication process for soliciting reviews can be enhanced to leverage the Google +1 tag.

Have you added the +1 toolbar on all your blogs like the one at the top of this page? This toolbar makes it easier to get your readers and fans to engage in your +1 strategy. By the way, have your new customers been encouraged to +1 tag your Google Adwords ads?

By the way, before you leave this page, use the toolbar at the top to +1 the article and share it with your network.  What are friends for, correct?

When You Use Google +1 – SERP’s Change

Here is a quick task, please follow along with me.  Log into your Google Account.  Go to Google and search “Automotive SEO“.  Here is what you will see if you are logged into your Google account:

The first two listings should be www.dealer-seo.com and www.automotiveseo.co. 

Click on the +1 button for these two listings.

What happens after your +1′d these two listings, the next time you search for this same phrase “Automotive SEO“.  What changed?

Now was that hard to do?  You know the top search phrases that consumers use to find your goods and services.  If your website is not at the top of search listings, these +1 tags from local consumers can make your listing stand out.   Do you want your website assets to stand out?

The Bigger Picture – Socialized SERP’s

Google is aligning business interests and search engine result pages (SERPS) to get more consumers to create a Google account and use Google tools.  Once Google decided to get into the review business, a clear signal was sent.  Reviews posted with GOOGLE accounts can be leveraged top increase SERP visibility and traffic; that’s Google Boost.

Now that Google allows consumers to “mark” their favorite search engine result pages, once again businesses will educate and encourage consumers to mark THEIR listings to create a more visible SERP listing.

The future of SERP’s is socialized and personalized results for local markets.  The sooner your business engages with a proactive review collection process and now a proactive +1 process, the faster your SERP listings will be standing out.  The faster your PPC campaigns can be enhanced with “stars”.

Do You Have A Search Strategy

If you need assistance implementing a strong search marketing strategy that includes reputation management, SEO, Google Adwords, or Google Boost, we would love to discuss your needs and come up with a customized plan for your market.  Call our team at 732.450.8200 and ask for Matt O’Such for a free consultation.

Recently one of my clients asked me how he can get his Google Adwords listings to include the review counts as shown above for AutoPartsWarehouse.com.   I wanted to write a post to make a distinction between Google Seller Rating (shown above) and the newly released Google Boost.

In the example above, Google Seller Ratings are included on Google Adwords campaigns.  Google Boost is not Adwords and it is controlled from within Google Places.  Secondly, the Google Seller Ratings has a number of parameters that must be met in order to qualify for “star” treatment.

Google Boost is a way to create a simple ad based on your data in Google Places.   If you have good consumer reviews on your Google Places listing, I recommend that you test Google Boost. We have been collecting data on Google Boost campaigns and I will be sharing the data from various tests at the upcoming 2nd Annual Automotive Marketing Boot Camp.  I’ll be conducting a workshop on Automotive SEO and Google Places optimization and Boost will be part of the curriculum.

Requirements for Google Seller Ratings

According to Google’s website:

Seller rating extensions does this by attaching your merchant star rating from Google Product Search to your AdWords ads. These star ratings, aggregated from review sites all around the web, allow people to find merchants that are highly recommended by online shoppers like them.

If your online store is rated in Google Product Search, you have 4 or more stars, and you have at least 30 reviews, you’ll automatically get seller ratings with your ads. What’s more, you’ll only be charged if someone clicks on the headline of your ad – clicks on the review link are free.

So, for car dealers who operate a parts website or an extended warranty website,

• Your Online Store needs to be published in Google Product Search
• You have to have 4 or more stars
• You have to have at least 30 reviews

Then your rating will automatically  be added to your PPC listing.

CarMax Integrates Their Inventory With Google Product Search

What is interesting is that CarMax.com got the their website into Google Product Search by getting it classified as an online store.

Now their website looks like a typical dealership website, shown below, except they took the time to integrate their inventory into Google Product Search.  I don’t know about you, but the fact that their Google Adwords ads have “stars” really makes them stand-out from the other Google text ads that surround them.

I would suggest that dealers discuss getting their inventory and website setup with the Google Product Search database.  There are some helpful instructions in the Google Merchant Center on how you would load your inventory into Google Product Search.  Basically, it looks like CarMax.com submitted a compliant Data Feed for all their cars.

I have not seen any other car dealers setup their inventory in such a way to get the star ratings, so it looks like a wide open opportunity.

With increased competition for online advertising space, it is clear to me that Seller Ratings can make a difference on which paid ads will be clicked.  There are so many ways to tweak and enhance your online advertising strategies so keep up on your reading and digital marketing education!

If you like to learn more about Automotive SEM, come out to the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp, April 16-18th in Orlando for great hands on training and cutting edge strategies.  You can see the full schedule of classes at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com.

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com