7 steps to create a practical Moment of Truth (MoT) strategy
This relates to the series of articles that was published related to audiences. The objective of this article is to go through the different steps required in order to transform the theoretical framework related to audiences (and described in the audience series) into practical steps that can be deployed within every organisation and applied to every campaign in which MoT should play a role.
1. Be inclusive in the initial brainstorm
In order to generate as much ideas, be inclusive when it comes to partners. For that you need to stop thinking in terms of silo’s. You might have a partner in charge of the strategy but that doesn’t mean that any of your partners, be it creative or media, can’t come up with good ideas. Capitalise on the synergies that take place on.
2. Add data
Look at the data you have accumulated. Excellent tools in order to distil ideas are Google Search Console and Search Term Reports within Google AdWords. Both tools give an insight into how users actually look for your products, be it on impression or click basis.
3. Turn MoT into targeting / audiences
Verify within the platforms (Facebook, DoubleClick, AdWords, …) if the MoT can be targeted through audience buying. Imagine you defined ‘moving’ as a MoT relevant to your product (and thus business), then verify which audiences each platform offers in order to reach these users. Do this for every MoT you defined and create audience pools across different platforms. Create a matrix (see image below). Insert MoT’s for rows, platforms for columns. Populate the cells with the audience that matches the MoT within each platform.
4. Run inventory availability
Run an inventory availability based on each cell within the matrix. Verify the available number of cookies.
5. Prioritise
Based on the inventory availability you can start prioritising. Organise the MoT based on their inventory size. Then figure out if potential overlaps exist. If so, combine MoT or focus on a single one. Based on this exercise you’ll be able to identify which MoT are worth investing in.
6. Create the content, tag & deploy
This not only means creating the creative materials, it also means creating the proper website content, landing pages and even ad copy. Make sure the content is adapted to the audience you’re trying to reach. Link it to the MoT directly. In the example of ‘movers’, makes sure your banner, ad copy and landing page refer to that MoT. Use relevant images and text in order to create this match. Make sure you don’t invent a story, create an experience. Never proceed with a campaign without thinking through tagging. You don’t want to spend 50K media on a campaign in which conversions can’t be tracked. Don’t rush through this, dedicate enough time to this phase, it’s crucial! Once done, deploy your campaigns.
7. Iterate
Constantly re-assess. There is nothing such as a status quo. As the campaign evolves, new MoT might emerge, either driven by the market, by product innovation or by how users consume your product. Once your campaign runs, don’t settle but stay on your toes!
There’s an additional learning hidden within this plan and that is that the true cost of a successful advertising is larger than purely the amount of media you invest. Accept that building a successful campaign requires investments not only in media but also in strategy and qualitative content creation.
Author: Glenn Vanderlinden
