Your Brand Begins With That First Online Search

Your Brand Begins With That First Online Search.jpg

Imagine for a moment that someone on the other end of the interwebs was researching a product or service your business provides. They whip out their phone, type in said product/service, and BOOM, your business comes up as one of the top searches!

Based on your digital platforms, do you rejoice or panic?

The cold, hard truth is that your business is being judged as soon as a potential customer finds you online thanks to a little phenomenon called the Zero Moment of Truth.

Zero Moment of Truth is a term coined by Google in 2011, actually refers to the research which is conducted by a user online about a product or service before taking any action i.e. searching for mobile reviews before making a purchase.

Here are three crucial online platforms you need to check and update accordingly to make sure it’s up to snuff 

Google My Business profile
Does your business have a Google My Business profile? If so, yay! If not, then go open one stat. A 2018 Moz Local Search Ranking Report found that Google My Business “signals” are the most important ranking factor for local pack rankings.

Here are some key elements that need to be reviewed or included in your GMB profile:

  • Hours of Operation

  • Physical Address (you have the option to remove your address if you’re a remote business)

  • Website

  • Phone number

  • Photos of your products or services

Another bonus is that GMB also displays your company reviews. These reviews serve as social proof for a potential customer and can help solidify a purchase decision.

Social media accounts
Your company social media pages have now found a prominent place in a search query, nearly as prominent as your website.  Here are some important elements you should double-check are included and updated on your social media accounts:

  • Consistent posts with images or video

  • Business responses to all post comments

  • Crisp and clear profile photo and cover image

  • Hours of Operation

  • Physical Address (you have the option to remove your address if you’re a remote business)

  • Website

  • Phone number or email address

Website
This might be a bit obvious but making sure this information is correct on your website is a must in order to build trust and credibility. You also need to consider the following:

  • Is your site mobile-friendly?

  • Is it easy to navigate?

  • Is all of my business information up to date?

  • Do you share valuable content?

How would you rate your business’ ZMOT on a scale of 1 (worst) and 5 (best)? Leave your answer in the comments!



Branding, Digital MarketingMegan WagnerComment