Written by: Brigitte Kaps, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Although technology-based Public Relations activities are a “must do” to build a company’s brand, in the upcoming disruptive technologies that will most affect your business, its voice is increasingly becoming important. Voice marketing and commerce is about using marketing strategies and tactics to reach your target audience through voice-enabled digital devices.
Increasingly in Switzerland and Europe, voice marketing has become an important part of the marketing outreach strategy of innovative brand managers. An expert survey with Swiss and European managers in July 2020, conducted by the University of Zurich, found that innovative brand managers are looking at voice commerce as a viable, potentially disruptive technology.
Almost 87% of managers agree that voice assistants will become a “powerful marketing, sales, and distribution channel” and a technology that will influence consumers’ choices in the future. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents believe that voice commerce represents a “great opportunity for their brand while two-thirds of the study participants expect a “severe impact on consumer brands” because of voice commerce.
And it’s not a trend, it’s here to stay.
According to a blog on Think With Google, Google’s future trends prediction site, voice assistance is not only being adapted but is also changing consumer behaviour. About 72% of households in the Western world use voice assistants daily and 61% of 25-64-year-olds say they’ll use voice devices more in the future.
There are many benefits to voice search interactions – making it an attractive option for not only the tech-savvy younger generation but also older ones. Voice searchers are quicker, make life easier, are disability friendly, help consumers multitask, empower them with instant answers and information and make daily routine easier. For the younger population who doesn’t want to wait for answers, it also offers instant gratification, building brand loyalty.
Voice searches are growing, especially on mobile phones, and considering that voice especially benefits local businesses (1-in-5 queries are about location-specific information), it’s something that needs to be put in for building brand loyalty. You have to keep your voice in mind for your brand’s future.
How to optimise your content for voice search
Building brand loyalty is not only about bringing in voice on your website or in consumer interaction. It’s also about thinking creatively about your content and developing content that’s ready for voice-enabled devices.
If you want to be ready for this future, you must understand how voice marketing will evolve and how to optimise your content for voice search.You can begin optimising your content for voice-enabled digital devices today with some of these suggestions.
Have a conversation through your content: The language of voice search is different. Typically, people use questions and full sentences for voice searches (What is the weather in Zurich today?). Therefore, prepare content that delivers clear, cohesive answers in conversational language.
Keep in mind long-tailed keywords: Specific queries with long-tail keywords will become the new SEOs
Focus on the instant, local solutions: Google’s already moved to mobile-first indexing. With more people using mobile voice search, your content needs to provide answers that are local, immediate and knowledgeable.
Prioritize mobile-first: Improve your site speed as consumers expect faster results in voice and create shorter, concise answers to queries meant to fit into a mobile screen.
Brand Managers should not forget to assure potential customer’s privacy
There’s another important thing all brand managers need to keep in mind. According to PWC’s extensive study on voice assistants, 38% of consumers see voice assistants as a privacy risk. It’s important for brand managers to assure potential customers that they value their privacy and would keep their interactions private.
After all, the future is in listening to your customers, literally. And responding quickly, efficiently, and with empathy. If you haven’t begun, it’s time to shape your content for voice-enabled digital devices.
Brigitte Kaps, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Brigitte Kaps is the founder and CEO of Executive PR.ch & Rent a PR.ch. She holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Business Communications and a degree in communications science She has almost 20 years of international experience in management positions with leading foreign banks (ABN Amro, GE, RBS). Before becoming self-employed in 2015, she was responsible for corporate communications at Cembra Money Bank (formerly GE Money Bank) in her capacity as a member of the Executive Board.
