Search is a natural step in the discovery process. In a web-based world, search engines offer a lens into a qualified and structured view to help online consumers focus and make informed decisions. With Google dominating search, marketers concentrated on improving search ranking through tried and true techniques to ensure that what they were marketing earned a coveted position in the likely search results a customer might consider clicking.
Search is only part of the story now.
The experiences that people have, and in turn share, have created a powerful collective repository that is indexed and tapped every minute of every day—mostly outside of Google.
The importance of search engine marketing is fundamental to the discovery process. And, this is a world that still thrives today even though popular conversations among businesses and marketers center on social and mobile media as the "next big thing." There's notable truth in the hype surrounding social and mobile of course. With over one billion users, for example, many tout Facebook as its own Internet. And with Graph Search now available, a new era of interest and relationship-based content optimization will become a reality for the majority of its users.
This isn't a debate about the merits of SEO versus social media optimization (SMO), nor is this a discussion about social media. This is a discussion about behavior and the importance of discovery among an increasingly connected customer and the need to optimize and unite their journeys, whether it's on the traditional web, in social networks, or via mobile.
The zero moment of truth (ZMOT)
In 2011, Google released an ebook written by Jim Lecinski, Winning in the Zero Moment of Truth. The premise of the book introduces us to instances when shopping decisions break down into a series of moments of truth, each requiring a special understanding to help nudge customers along their journey. For example, when a customer is considering a purchase, whether driven by a stimulus or need, in the zero moment of truth customers are essentially going to "Google it." Anyone involved in the art and science of search wins in this moment by ensuring that web pages are optimized to outperform competitive pages as people search.
Without awareness, there can be no consideration.
What happens, though, when your customers naturally start their discovery process in communities other than Google or traditional search?
Trust
This is an important question, as the pervasiveness of social and mobile media is conditioning a new generation of connected consumers to rely on their networks of relevance, not just search engines, as an alternative and efficient means of guiding decision-making.
Think about it for a moment. Study after study shows that everyday consumers trust others like them. They don't trust executives. They don't trust ads. But, they do trust peers. Global marketing agency Edelman also revealed in its annual Trust Barometer, that customers trust employees of companies. Why is that a significant finding? When people are searching for information in a social ecosystem, they wish to find qualified information that informs and guides them quickly and efficiently. Landing pages are just the beginning. Employees-as-experts are also part of the content and discovery equation, allowing customers to find answers that help rather than sell.
This is just the beginning. The future of search is tied to the experiences shared by your employees and your customers across the web, social networks, communities, and mobile apps.
If you think about traditional search for a moment, what comes back as someone types in a keyword or question into the search bar? That's right, websites. And websites are often the last thing a connected customer is looking for in a moment when trusted impressions and experiences outweigh pages ranked by inbound links and keywords. After all, many of these connected customers are mobile, and as a result are looking for content that's organic to the context of their state of mind and the device they're using in each moment of truth.
In the zero moment of truth it is shared experiences—those that are passed on through social networks, communities, and apps—that serve as the ultimate PageRank. In addition to promoting designated landing pages, how do you optimize experiences to be shared and also appear in each moment of truth?
What's beyond the zero moment of truth?
You've all heard the stat shared by search and social media experts that YouTube is the second largest search engine. Many skeptics will of course argue that YouTube is merely a network for funny cat videos, wannabe celebrities, movie trailers, and music videos. But you and I know that YouTube is indeed a notable alternative to Google for processing more search queries than any other search engine.
Connected customers don't just seek information, they're searching for input, validation, and direction in a way that they can appreciate and use. This isn't a surprise. As consumers, we too have searched on YouTube for content to help us accomplish tasks, learn, or conduct research. We're not alone in the hunt for product-related videos to see them in action and also gauge the impressions of others.
YouTube becomes a search engine not for web pages but for shared experiences.
It's a good thing Google also owns YouTube. According to a research study published by Ask Your Target Market in Q3 2012, 95% of consumers use both YouTube and Google when searching for relevant content. And it's not just YouTube either; connected customers are fragmenting search through every social network, community, forum, and app where shared experiences become a currency in decision-making.
Shared experiences become a critical part of marketing, as discussions around them contribute to a more conversational approach to branding and decision-making among digital consumers. Google's new Hummingbird search algorithm further demonstrates the significance of shared experiences by building them into search results. In a conversational web, people are asking questions rather than plugging in keywords. This changes everything from SEO to tracking search behavior and corresponding results, learning how to spark the creation and exchange of experiences in order to guide a connected and informed customer journey.
We now need to optimize search results for shared experiences in every network that's significant to our connected customers.
The ultimate moment of truth (UMOT)
Our work starts with uncovering what comes back about our brand when we use keywords or questions, as our customers do, to search each network.
The zero moment of truth is matched in significance by the ultimate moment of truth, a critical bookend to search introduced in my recent book, What's the Future of Business (WTF). The ultimate moment of truth represents the future of discoverability, branding, and influence, and it is directly tied to the zero moment of truth.
The UMOT signifies the instant when a customer creates content based on an experience with your product or service and publishes it in their community or network of preference for others to find. The intention of doing so is a combination of self expression and the desire to inform others. This experience then becomes discoverable for anyone who searches each network. And in many cases, these experiences also populate Google's search results. Said another way, the Ultimate Moment of Truth becomes the next person's zero moment of truth.
Every day, customers are sharing experiences in the form of videos, blog posts, reviews, Tweets, status updates, etc. This content doesn't self-destruct like SnapChat images. Shared experiences build upon one another, forming a collective repository in the cloud that's indexable, searchable, and influential. SEO, branding, and sales compete with this content and at some point, without address and optimization, shared experiences can eclipse traditional marketing no matter how creative or aggressive.
Without defining and promoting desired shared experiences, businesses will become victim to whatever people create and share.
Optimizing shared experiences
Social and mobile bring to light the importance of shared experiences and why organizations must first design them rather than just react. Certainly great experiences start with vision and purpose enlivened by the product or service design and its intentions. For marketers who may have little or no control over business affairs, the ability to shape and steer experiences is made possible by promoting every nuance tied to your value proposition and also the unique advantage customers discover on their own. I refer to this as the experience gap.
In the experience gap, there's the experience we want people to have, which is reinforced by our marketing messages and strategies. Then, there's the experience people have and share, which usually demonstrates that what "they" say about us is frequently different than what we say.
A key question for you to answer is, "are you facing an experience gap?"
Driving shared experiences is a form of customer journey optimization that literally closes the gap. This is where search works for us beyond traditional SEO. With a little keyword anthropology, we can better understand the questions, not just key words, that customers are asking and answering. This research also reveals the following key attributes to develop a UMOT optimization strategy:
- Searching beyond keywords: The questions that people ask over and over again.
- What comes back in the zero moment of truth: Patterns and context of questions, what customers find that helps them make decisions, and also why customers err to locate or value traditional content.
- The communities and people of value: Where people are finding and sharing experiences outside of Google or other traditional search engines (this introduces new touch points in the customer journey).
- Helpful content that actually answers customer questions: Discover valuable content, additional links, reactions, and a rabbit hole of ambient experiences that further guide customers to or away from you.
- Real world impressions as told through expressions: What product opinions, tips and tricks, cautionary tales and how these shared experiences influence the impressions of others.
- New marketing opportunities : Hidden gems and new product usage scenarios not originally considered.
- A clear picture of your connected customer's journey: All touch points and related information that shows exactly how UMOT connects to ZMOT and where your customers click to continue their journey.
Once you've identified the state of shared experiences, it's time to develop a strategy to close the experience gap. Start by defining…
- What is it that you want people to experience?
- What is it that you want them to feel and share?
- What are people sharing today, where (networks/apps) and how (content)?
The relationship between keyword anthropology and content creation will guide your strategy development so that you can understand how to influence the relationship between what's shared in the ultimate moment of truth as customers begin the discovery process in the zero moment of truth.
Truth can often be a painful surprise. And we all know that perception is reality. There's no need to be placed on the defensive in reacting to shared experiences. It's our job to optimize positive experiences and promote beneficial content and stories to enhance the zero moment of truth wherever customers go to learn and explore.
The future lies in the mixing of experience design, content marketing, UGC, and SEO.
Positive conditioning promotes a collaborative effort to solve the experience gap. By activating and rewarding customers and influencers, marketers can rally content that promotes desired experiences at every touch point that customers uncover in their journey or lifecycle. By coordinating these efforts, what appears in new channels in each zero moment of truth is no longer a surprise; it's strategically optimized to walk people through each moment of truth. It also loops together, to create a value cycle that keeps on giving to the next person who enters the journey.
User and employee-generated content must then become part of an integrated SEO program to optimize the right content in the right context for each moment of truth.
When balanced with a premier SEO program, optimized shared experiences will complement the customer journey wherever your customers search and share. What we soon realize is that moments of truth aren't just moments in time, they become an experience fueled continuum.
The future of shared experiences and your brand isn't just created, it's co-created.
Hey Brian,
It was the excellent post. I would like to include 1 more thing in this.
"Customer Feedback or reviews Evaluation and implementation."
Let me explain in steps :
1. First gather bunch of reviews by setting up feedback scripts on website or signing up your business on reviews gathering portals. (i can explain this in detail, but it will take a long page :) ) 2. Put all reviews and feedback on 1 platform and then Filter them as per location, Products, services, quality, positive v/s negative, new v/s return visitors and you can do filtering as per your niche. 3. Then create some concrete points by evaluating your all filters and implement appropriate changes on website or on your process system.
I guarantee, it will increase the authority and of-course visits day by day.
So what you say Brian about this?
Let's try it!
Brian, awesome post. So great to see something on branding and how it relates to SEO here. I've always believed great SEO can't happen without great branding.
My favorite bit in what you wrote was this:
"Truth can often be a painful surprise. And we all know that perception is reality. There's no need to be placed on the defensive in reacting to shared experiences."
I think great branding takes great humility. I think great humility is difficult for many people with a traditional C-Suite frame of mind. There's a lot of ego involved. However, the pain of realizing how your brand is actually perceived and working with that is probably a lot less painful than not doing so and losing market share or worse, going out of business.
I work for a small company and manage SEO and PPC. I've been here about two years and in that time have watched and heard the company struggle over and over again with branding and value proposition. They still think that branding is all about what we tell customers, versus what customers are saying about us after we've left the room (I can't take credit for that last bit...someone way smarter than me thought that one up). They've been working on a redefined or clarified value proposition since the beginning of the year and I still haven't seen it. What I don't think they realize is all they need to do is ask or listen to customers. Yes, close the experience gap.
I think until you admit where you are (in the eyes of your customers) you can't begin to define or shape those shared experiences. Perhaps they are talking about you where and how you want them to...in that case great! Most likely, what they are saying will come as a surprise. It's at that point you need to decide to embrace that, or begin to try to steer the boat and get them to share a journey with you in another direction.
Thanks again. I'm a big fan...so glad you posted here. Perhaps we can see you at MozCon in the future??? :-)
Hey Brian,
Very Good Post! i would like to add little here;
We can effectively eliminate the experience gap by following simple methods like-
-eliminating the gap between what people are expecting and what you are thinking that customers are expecting.
-eliminating gap between you are thinking that people are expecting and the level of quality & standards you are planning to deliver
- eliminating the gap between the quality you thought you will deliver and the quality actually delivered.
- eliminating the gap between what you actually delivering to people and what people are actually perceiving or getting from that product or service.
- eliminating the gap between what people perceived and (1st point) what people are expecting from you.
If we ensure that these gaps are well handled, it will give a wonderful experience to people.
Companies can share regarding how they made an extra effort for giving people better experience, as a result there will be many great moments, many great experiences for you and your customers to share.
Hope this was helpful!
Legendary!
Where does this then place Facebook and Twitter. Although mass amounts of people move within these circles, the closed borders to these social networks mean I have to go to Facebook, Twitter and then Google.
When in reality, we as humans are pathetically lazy.
How soon until Facebook and Twitter begin to be overlooked due to the ease of Google's radical personalized results that display results based off of your friends, circles, friends friends, history, interactions, email, etc.
It's almost as if Google wants to be the know-it-all SE that displays the results you want before you even know what you want. Weird. :)
If this is the case, why would I go anywhere else?
not easy :(
You are right!
Google DO wants to be know-it-all, or you can say display results which are best for individual.
With code-named Hummingbird it seems Google is closer to its aim.
In fact this article by Brain is posted at very right time as there will be need of optimizing the ultimate moment of truth for your products and service, So that Google can answer people’s long question better.
Let’s see what others have to say about it….
Great article! Nice twist on the data reconciliation. As you mentioned " Experience Gap" which my pet name is Marketers Limbo. I personally see it be less of a lack of experience yet a mental block, let me elaborate.
Looking back over the past 5 years or so, how many times have we neglected our thoughts on giving the customer what it is they were looking for rather a search engine. We were able to push the limits with our past SEO techniques. Now they are less effective possibly even to your brands determent.
So wake up its not a lack of experience its is a lack of will to abandon those expired tactics that are now a practice of the past! Blend your old SEO knowledge with your new understanding of inbound, customer personas,engaging , lead nurturing along with just helping your customer what they need while giving them a service they will remember you by.
UMOT to ZMOT good cycle....
Brian how do you think Google's hummingbird will change the current discovery process? Do you think it will reduce touch points and complexity on customer journey maps?
The ultimate aim of Google is to get natural conversation between people and its search engine, So I think definitely there will be less customer complexity :)
First thing you need to do is have technology that can capture those moments of truth outside of search, organize them and activate them. That's what we've built at Yieldbot and our performance for marketers validates that everything you've said is true. Great post.
Taking a look at Yieldbot. Thanks Jonathan.
Are the search engines so smart that they are keeping notice on user experience in such a way?
This can also be used like negative SEO.Any one can create multiple fake accounts and can say that her user experience for this and that product is not good.Feedback surely have value but search engines need to set up that kind of standards so that scrutinizing of these reviews/feedback is good.
Umm... yes. There was a point in my (blush) career (10+ years ago) where multiple accounts and multiple reviews was effective.
Although I am sure you can still do this, but if big brother, I mean Google, finds out, it's lights out.
Imagine what would happen if people focused as much time on generating unique, rich and trustworthy content as they did scams. :)
Love this comment.
Great comment! :)
OrganicUx
@ Brian
Excellent article, some great insights on the cognitive distances between; what a provider thinks, and what their users experience! Positive conditioning - a collaborative effort to take people through each moment of truth - whilst bringing value ! I like it.
Thanks.
Just my experience, but I find Youtube search very poor. Given that the search tech is provided by Google, I'm always astonished at how poorly matched the results are to the actual query. Strangely Youtube results within Google search seem better.
Facebook search is even worse. Again, just my opinion.
Finally, perhaps I'm in the minority here, but there are very few things I would ask my friends for recommendations on - and judging by the average amount of thought and balanced opinion behind most Facebook posts, I wouldn't trust friends of friends either. Perhaps I just need new friends!
I agree with you that Facebook search is awful. Although it is obvious there is an attempt to generate localized and personalized search results, it feels a bit juvenile when compared with what Google has been doing!
Agreed - although it still is in its infancy.
Good stuff... the ultimate moment of truth (UMOT) strategy
Thank you.