How to Be Helpful and Trustworthy in Voice Search [Podcast]
In recent years, the rise of voice search has made it even more of a necessity for businesses to land the top spot on Google search results. Without the ability to scroll through, a number one ranking is really the only way to get your brand “in front” of your customers who use it.
But what this week’s guest on the Conex Show proposes is to become the search, rather than fight for your position in the search. Instead of relying on the consumer stumbling upon your brand in voice search, utilize the abilities of the device to become the source your customers go to for help.
Tom Webster, VP of Strategy and Marketing at Edison Research, joins the Content Experience Show to discuss how to succeed as a brand in voice search.
In This Episode:
How Smart Speakers Became One of the Fastest-Growing Trends in Consumer Technology
Webster explains how his team partnered with NPR to essentially move into people’s homes for a few hours a day to research how families interacted with their smart speakers. They looked at how they use them, how they address them, what kinds of things they asked, and how they’re incorporated into day-to-day routines.
“It's a pretty rapid adoption curve. The first trend that we tracked from two years ago to last year was from 7 percent of the U.S. population owning a smart speaker to 16 percent. That year-over-year trend was the steepest adoption curve we've seen for a piece of consumer technology.” — @webby2001
How Smart Speakers Have Changed Behavior and Media Consumption
Smart speakers do, in fact, change behavior when they start to get into people's lives and people start to understand what they can do. One of the particularly interesting insights Webster shares is how parents have enabled their children to interact with their smart speakers. Kids used to have to ask their parents to play "Frozen" on their laptops or on Spotify, and now they can ask for things like that themselves.
Why a Strong Brand Off-Device Means a Strong Brand On-Device With Smart Speakers
It’s one thing to fight for that number one search result—it’s another to have people searching for your unique offering altogether. That’s why Webster suggests developing a skill as part of your brand that will differentiate you in voice search.
“Having that strong brand, that strong top-of-mind preference, is something you have to do off the device in order for people to find you on the device.” — @webby2001