Alexa as a Lead Engine
Voice search – the use of smart assistants on phones and smart speakers to answer questions or perform activities – is on the rise. Nearly 90 million people in the U.S. now have smart speakers from Apple, Amazon and Google.
Voice searches have increased about 11% year over year in 2020, driven in part by more people stuck at home during the pandemic. This represents about 38% of US population — a significant audience — and we, as marketers, ought to be tapping into this conversation.
Consumers are using voice search to turn on music, answer questions and check the weather, but they’re not often using it to research products or make a purchase. Perhaps, we can show them how.
As marketers build out their Learning Agendas for 2021 and continue to fight for consumers’ attention across screens, it’s important to find ways to connect with and bring them down the funnel. Voice search is certainly worth consideration.
Here are some ways to look at voice search for your brand:
Evaluate and Perform SEO on Voice Search. If a consumer asks, “Send me info about Brand X,” use SEO techniques to ensure the right information appears. For example, adding an FAQ page on your site can help your brand win more searches of commonly asked questions.
Test a Voice Search CTA. Since consumers use smart speakers to listen to music more than anything else, consider audio advertising that tests an audio call to action (CTA) for the quickest connection. “Want to learn more? Ask your smart speaker, ‘How can I enroll in an ACME Online Cooking Class?’”
Capture Consumers for Retargeting. Take the same care in converting customers from Voice Search as you would any other digital channel. Build an audience for retargeting across display, OTT/CTV and email.
Expand CTA to TV. As marketers build out their SEO for voice search, it should become a viable call to action for TV/OTT spots. It’s all about making it easy for consumers to engage with your brand and learn more about your products.
As people get more and more comfortable utilizing smart devices to research and buy products, brands will need to keep up. To be prepared and make the most out of this emerging medium, small steps today will get your brand ready for tomorrow. Whether it’s with Alexa or Siri or Google, we’re going to be conversing a lot more with our helpful A.I. friends.