The widespread presence of voice technology at CES this year – toilets included – clearly indicates that we are living in an era dominated by voice assistants. Consequently, this technology is transforming how consumers handle even the simplest daily tasks.
As a result, brands and marketers must adapt to these changes in consumer behavior. The time to embrace this technology is now.
Let’s delve into ten ways voice assistants are reshaping marketing strategies.
1. Voice Assistants Highlight the Featured Snippet.
The most apparent impact of voice assistants on marketing is the increased significance of featured snippets.
To put it another way, voice assistants like Google Assistant often source answers to voice searches from websites ranking in position zero for specific queries. This makes securing a featured snippet a valuable optimization strategy for voice search. Interestingly, Danny Sullivan, previously the chief content officer at Search Engine Land publisher Third Door Media and currently Google’s public liaison for search, recently published a blog post “reintroducing” featured snippets, offering insights into their nature and Google’s efforts to enhance them.
“Traditional SEO strategies primarily concentrate on how users conduct text-based searches,” explained Tom Caulton, a digital marketing executive and SEO consultant at Dijitul, a digital marketing agency. “Projections indicate that by 2020, 50% of all searches are to be voice initiated. Consequently, optimizing your website for various search types is more critical than ever.”
2. Voice Assistants are Boosting Web Traffic.
Furthermore, Matt Jones, SEO executive at the online tutor platform Tutorful, noted that Google Assistant now informs users they can access the Google Home app for more information after providing a verbal response.
“This means you’re not only raising brand awareness through the initial answer but also benefiting from Google directing users to your website for further reading,” he elaborated. “As this practice becomes more prevalent, websites will experience increased traffic from voice assistants, and these users tend to have high intent.”
3. Voice Assistants are Leading to Improved Content and Storytelling.
Voice searches, characterized by longer queries with more natural language, are compelling marketers to rethink their storytelling approaches.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I consider the impact of voice assistants on marketing is the Alexa Super Bowl ad,” shared Anna Crowe, product marketing manager at Search Engine Journal. “In the ad’s final moments, [she says], ‘Thanks, I’ve got this.’ Through this, Amazon assures us that they’re taking care of things. Alexa has it handled. They’re managing tasks in the background, freeing us from those concerns.”
Voice assistants are also prompting brands to explore new forms of content creation. Justin Shaw, managing director of One & Zero, a digital marketing agency, highlighted the Ask Purina Alexa skill as an example. This skill allows dog owners to ask Alexa questions about their pets. This positions Purina as a trusted authority on a wide range of dog-related topics, fostering trust and brand awareness.
“To effectively convey their message, brands must prioritize customer experience. This involves considering how their audience consumes content and exploring ways to integrate their products with AI from a technological perspective,” he added. Steve Pritchard, search content manager at mobile network giffgaff, echoed the sentiment, stating that voice assistants are driving diversity and variety in marketing.
“Marketers need to adapt their content production processes to ensure they can deliver a diverse range of content across an expanded range of channels,” he added.
4. Voice Assistants are Driving New Forms of Advertising.
Unsurprisingly, voice assistants have prompted advertisers to explore new avenues for capitalization.
Robb Hecht, an adjunct marketing professor at Baruch College, referred to voice assistants as “the first truly interactive tool in homes, offering brands the future capability to dynamically deliver user-controlled ads.”
He explained, “Currently, Alexa and Google Home offer limited advertising options beyond allowing brands to develop content and sponsor skills or apps within their ecosystems. Skills are functions that enable Alexa to respond to a customer’s voice commands.”
However, he anticipates this to change if Amazon allows brands to directly sponsor skills.
“In the future, we can envision ‘choose your own adventure’-style advertising,” he speculated. “For instance, if Ford wanted to advertise on Alexa, they could do so within a skill related to ‘buying a new car.’ As the user answers questions, Alexa could provide different responses or information based on their interactions.”
5. Voice Assistants are Enhancing Personalization.
Voice assistants also hold the potential to deliver highly personalized experiences to individual consumers. According to Tyler Riddell, vice president of marketing for eSUB Construction Software, the specific nature of voice search provides valuable context about the user, enabling more personalized results.
Via WCSA Furthermore, both Google Assistant and Alexa can recognize individual voices, providing tailored experiences for activities such as messaging, briefings, shopping, and music.
Pete Meyers, marketing scientist at SEO software firm Moz, highlighted Google’s efforts to implement individual voice print identification across its devices. This development carries significant implications for personalization, such as using a user’s voice to access their settings, search history, and other data, much like logged-in search. However, he noted that this technology is still in its early stages.
“Unlike computers or phones that require a few steps for profile switching, this would be automatic,” he explained. “For example, I could ask, ‘My flights,’ and my wife could ask the same question moments later and receive a completely different answer based on her profile.”
Meyers mentioned that there have been discussions about factors like accents or emotional tone influencing voice assistant results. However, he emphasized that “those possibilities are further out, with many potential challenges to address.”
6. Voice Assistants are Providing Richer Insights.
Miné Salkin, digital marketing manager at Absolute Marketing Solutions, emphasized that the ability to differentiate voices and manage account profiles will equip marketers with deeper insights into multiple users within a single household. This includes understanding their individual purchasing decisions, brand preferences, wish lists, music playlists, and other personalized characteristics.
7. Voice Assistants are Facilitating Improved Retention.
Marty Weintraub, founder of Aimclear marketing agency, expressed enthusiasm for the potential of voice assistants to enhance customer service by incorporating retention and up-selling strategies into their information design.
“At the core of all voice assistants is a flowchart, a diagram that guides the system’s next steps based on user input,” he explained. “This concept isn’t new; think about airline or hotel phone systems. With AI and machine learning, these systems can learn and tailor their language for effective flow. Online assistants might learn even more readily than fixed systems.”
Consequently, brands can integrate retention and up-selling tactics into the assistant’s flow.
“For instance, as a user narrows down their hotel room search, the assistant, recognizing a partnership with the user’s credit card, could interject after credit card entry, suggesting, ‘For $57 more, enjoy 7X credit card points. Say ‘yes’ to accept or ‘no’ to proceed with booking,’” Weintraub illustrated. “This approach minimizes friction, provides excellent branding for the credit card partner, and makes the user feel valued.”
Weintraub also highlighted the importance of user data in refining assistant communication.
For example, if the assistant is aware that a user’s cell phone contract is nearing renewal, it can proactively offer a free month to encourage immediate renewal. Additionally, if the assistant knows the user has been browsing Samsung phones but has historically been an iPhone user, it can adapt its messaging to reflect current online offers or even sweeten the deal.
“The key takeaway is the power of data and business intelligence gathering. Assistants can monitor market conditions, including competitive intelligence,” Weintraub explained. “Marketing remains fundamentally the same: communicating strategically, testing timing, wording, and other elements. Envision what you want your assistant to know and apply creativity to solve marketing challenges with intelligent flow design. Remember, assistants are a user interface, not a strategy.”
8. Voice Assistants are Enabling New Product Experiences and Interactions.
According to Anna Lebedeva, head of media relations at SEO tool SEMrush, one of the most significant disruptions caused by voice assistants is their ability to connect companies and products with customers in novel ways.
Domino’s Pizza exemplifies this disruption.
“In anticipation of the 2016 Super Bowl, Domino’s partnered with Amazon’s Alexa to promote voice-activated pizza orders. This campaign generated substantial buzz,” she explained. “However, what set it apart was its positioning. They emphasized the convenience of effortless ordering – imagine relaxing on your couch during the Super Bowl, simply voicing your order to Alexa, and having a pizza delivered from the nearest Domino’s. The sheer ease of the experience was remarkable.”
This campaign, in turn, pioneered a new customer experience.
“Locally-focused advertisers can glean valuable insights from Domino’s strategic use of voice assistants for brand positioning. They effectively communicated that Super Bowl Sunday should be free from distractions, implying that traditional ordering methods, like using an app, laptop, or phone, were outdated,” she added. “In 2016, voice ordering became the new norm – as simple as asking your mother for ice cream. This campaign epitomizes the future of marketing: prioritizing human comfort and seamless experiences without being intrusive.” Nikki Lam, SEO account manager at Power Digital Marketing, pointed out that the rise of voice assistants reinforces a well-established principle in digital marketing: Consumers prioritize speed, convenience, and quality.
“Whether it’s replenishing laundry detergent, finding healthy recipes, or comparing shoe prices, consumers gravitate towards brands that excel in delivering fast, convenient, and high-quality experiences,” she remarked. Brett Downes, SEO manager at digital marketing agency Traffic Jam Media, agreed, envisioning a future where voice assistants seamlessly integrate with users’ favorite brands. This integration would eliminate the need for repeated app or website logins, allowing users to access brand-specific information through simple commands. For example, asking “What’s my bank balance?” for a banking app, “When’s the next train to London?” for Google Maps, or “I’m hungry” for Just Eat.
“This simplifies and streamlines queries and task completion,” he explained. Lam cited brands like PayPal, Patron, and, of course, Domino’s as prime examples.
“PayPal customers can effortlessly send money by saying, ‘Hey Siri, send Sam $20 using PayPal.’ Patron’s Bot-Tender provides personalized cocktail recipes from bartenders through Amazon Echo, and Domino’s customers can use the brand’s Alexa skill to order their favorite pizza without lifting a finger,” she explained. “This technology has opened up a virtual realm of possibilities, enabling brands to engage with consumers in countless ways across multiple platforms. These voice interactions are transforming branding into a series of interactive experiences that consumers are eagerly embracing.”
9. Voice Assistants are Emphasizing Conversation.
Voice assistants are designed with human-like names such as Alexa, Siri, and Cortana and often have corresponding personalities. This encourages more natural, conversational interactions.
“With their conversational user interfaces, voice assistants are humanizing technology. Customers interact with these devices like they’re talking to a friend, not a machine or computer," Downes observed. “This enables brands to connect with a broader demographic, particularly children and seniors.”
Purna Virji, senior manager of global engagement at Microsoft, explained that third-party skills enable brands to engage with customers more naturally and compellingly. Cortana’s skills suggestions further enhance this capability by enabling the assistant to understand a wider range of topics and recommend relevant skills to users.
“Users don’t need to memorize the names of every skill available. They can simply tell Cortana what they want to do, and she’ll suggest three or more relevant skills to assist them,” Virji added.
Beerud Sheth, CEO of AI and bot developer Gupshup, highlighted the effectiveness of conversations in driving conversions.
“A rich, engaging, and personalized conversation tailored to the user’s needs has a higher likelihood of converting into a transaction or, at the very least, identifying a lead,” he stated. “Conversations provide brands with valuable opportunities to understand customer requirements and position their products strategically. Similar to offline retail, where a skilled salesperson can effectively convert customers and upsell or cross-sell products, while an overly aggressive approach might alienate them. In the realm of voice assistants, whether your brand comes across as a friendly shopping assistant or a pushy salesperson will directly impact your conversion rate.”
10. Voice Assistants are Underscoring the Importance of Editorial Quality.
Ultimately, advancements in voice assistant technology and associated content are increasing the demand for skilled writers and editors.
“With the rise of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Homepod, and Google Assistant, content not only needs to be well-written, free from grammatical and spelling errors, but also easily digestible when read aloud,” emphasized Stan Tan, digital marketing specialist at sign company Selby’s.
The universal need for editors
Have voice assistants prompted you to rethink your marketing approach? They will!