When we’re talking about voice technology, three names come to mind: Siri, Alexa and Google. However, it’s Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant that take up 70% of the personal assistant voice adoption space. These voice assistants are projected to grow 1,000% by 2023 (and that’s just in homes) and consumers continue to engage with them on a daily basis. In fact, 71% of smart speaker owners use them at least once a day, and nearly half use them multiple times a day. Continued integration partnerships are also enabling Alexa and Google Assistants to be more available in automobiles, where hands-free and voice are opportunities for consumers to engage with brands, during moments that would otherwise be idle. 

It’s clear that voice technology is not going to be an evolution, instead its already a revolution that is happening very fast. Brands should think about how they can activate their voice strategy as it increasingly becomes a way to shop, search and simplify everyday tasks.  

Here are three simple ways how your brand can break into voice.

Voice Search Monitoring. We need to know how to ask the right questions or give commands we feel are relevant to a brand’s consumer intent. We apply this data to see where the opportunities and gaps exist. Marketers should start to think about the main questions people frequently ask on Google or Alexa about their brand, products, or services. With our proprietary Voice Search Monitoring (VSM) software, we are able to understand at a larger scale how good or bad the user experience may be.

Search Engine Optimization for Voice. Particularly on Google Assistant, SEO is a key win for brands, who want to activate immediately. At 360i, we help clients setup a rigorous SEO process that competes in regular search engine results, while also being more voice-friendly. This ensures the brand controls more of their own narrative and authority as Google specifically mentions what brand provides authority for specific answers.  

Skills: Voice Applications for Google and Alexa Assistants. If you were to say something explicit to Google and Alexa like “Hey Google, Talk to Starbucks,” Google would say, ”Okay, launching Starbucks.” This activates a voice application that lives on one of these platforms, so you're now talking to Starbucks and the brand is guiding the experience. So, how can brands launch a Google or Alexa Skill? It’s typically about a six-month process to get a quality product in market that can converse with consumers, bring them utility, or provide some sort of experience that keeps them engaged.

Today, devices program themselves to understand humans, versus humans programming for devices. Is your brand ready to take the leap into a world of new opportunities?

This blog post highlights key insights from a LiveTalk hosted by 360i: How to break into voice technology.