Introduction
We’ve covered the person-to-person ethos about digital transformation, but what are companies supposed to do when it comes to the digital marketing element of transformation and in particular, the B2B buying psychology relating to the marketing moments of truth?
As the overall process is not linear, the simplest way to grasp what is required and how everything fits together is to view how each sector is ‘stacked’. It’s a variety of things that happen at the same time and the best way to illustrate this is through a series of infographics.
We have also recorded a podcast about the same subject, to listen, click here - The Marketing Moment of Truth
The images and descriptions below help identify the processes, experiences and the necessary technology that can blend seamlessly to help you exploit the overall strategy and become more profitable in the process.
The Digital Moments of Truth
The ‘moments of truth marketing’ terms were first coined by A.G. Lafley in 2005. Lafley was the Chairman, President and CEO of Procter & Gamble – For more information and links visit Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_truth_(marketing)
- ZMOT – Zero Moment of Truth – When they realise they need a product
- FMOT – First Moment of Truth - When they notice YOU
- SMOT – Second Moment of Truth – When they buy from you
- UMOT – (Third) Ultimate Moment of Truth – when they recommend you
Recognising these stages helps identify the ‘who, what, when, where, why and how’ of your marketing infrastructure.
The Marketing Funnel
Most marketers are familiar with the Marketing Funnel, but as you’ll see from the Marketing Operations and Experience Flow graphics, there must be something to put in to the top of the funnel in the first place.
Marketing Operations
Keeping the graphics aligned, one on top of the other, you can see what activities need to be actioned from the top working down. For ease of use, we have included a slide show at the bottom so you can scroll through each graphic in the right sequence.
Customer Experience Flow
Trigger to connect; the approaches to ‘trigger’ someone to engage with you are as endless and as varied as your imagination. The key must be to keep them engaged.
From the first ‘touch’, we know what we like to see, hear and feel. The same goes for prospective customers. For some it could be as simple as receiving a smart brochure printed with a bit of spot varnish and matt laminate. For others, it could be using your a smartphone app that keeps your suspects or prospects up-to-date with new developments in your company.
And it doesn’t stop at mobile apps. The Customer Experience is the overall journey that includes folders, presentations and packaging; but not just product packaging. It’s the way you deliver your business to your customer and how you take care of them in the long term. This leads to encouraging the Ultimate Moment of Truth (UMOT), i.e. the coveted referral.
The Technology Stack
When it comes to marketing technology there is so much to choose from. In 2011 there were 150 different marketing technology products; now there are over 8,500. So, trying to find someone who knows all the kit out there is virtually impossible.
In terms of a technology stack, you can see that all of it is Software as a Service (SaaS) and therefore it enables you to visualise and build your stack as you see fit. It’s rare these days that products will not integrate, especially with middleware SaaS like Zapier. So if there’s no connectivity currently available for your software, head over to www.zapier.com and find the necessary connectors.
Technology Vendors
The solutions offered by the technology vendors below only scratches the surface. The important point to keep in mind is that your long-term plan should be to emulate the technology stack, at the same time as developing your longer term marketing strategy. The tactics you employ will sync with the technology and ultimately enable you to automate as much as possible.
It’s worth bearing in mind that as your business gradually develops, that you think along the lines of employing a chief marketing technology officer or someone similar, simply because the technology integration required to keep all this tech moving and functioning properly is a full-time job. Think of it in the same way as you would a mechanic for your car.
Social Media
Social media activity does not need much of an introduction, however, considering how much ‘noise’ there is out there, it can be extremely difficult to get noticed. One of the key points about ‘social’ is that most people ‘zone-out’. Social media is also, for many people, a welcome distraction; a time to take a break from what’s going on around them. Therefore, whatever strategy you are going to adopt, you must make sure that it’s consistent, not repetitive and can be properly managed.
My suggestion is to complete a stack of posts/content up front, which means you will be able to consistently post your content AND get noticed because of the frequency, without trying to post content piecemeal and therefore not get noticed by anyone. Follow this link to review our fully comprehensive strategy called Social 444.
For more information about preparing content in advance, take a look at our Alternative B2B Marketing Strategy and start planning you content strategy now.
The author and founder of salesXchange, Nigel Maine is a B2B marketing and sales expert with a proven track record in scaling up growth for Technology, SaaS, and Professional Services organisations. With 30 years hands-on experience and unique approach, Nigel has developed an effective strategy that dramatically increases exposure and profitability for B2B organizations.
