Voice apps may still be in their early days, but there’s no mistaking the fact that in about two years from now brands will be trying to grapple with voice searches, voice apps, and conversational and voice strategy.
So why 2019 in particular? Do a quick search through the blogosphere, and you’ll notice that this year seems like the tipping point before everyone starts talking about incorporating a voice strategy into their digital marketing plans. It’s mostly a combination of cheaper smart speakers with improvements in virtual assistant technology. This means you can expect more uptake in the market and that more and more of your customers will be looking to interact with you through these devices.
We’ve tackled how timely it is, but let’s take a closer look at how it can affect your brand in particular.
The latest trend for brands and magazines? Voice search and voice apps.
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First mover advantage
With voice apps being in their early stages and usage still in its early days, you can take this opportunity to already have a voice strategy and a voice app for your customers to engage with when voice applications finally become more mainstream.
The way voice search interfaces are designed, they only give one search result. Establishing your strategy early will allow your brand to position its content at the top of voice search results.
Have a mature voice app by the time voice apps become mainstream
At present, voice apps are still far from mainstream. But this is the perfect opportunity for you to start experimenting and really gaining market-specific insight.
You can think of it as a sort of beta release to a small group of testers. It will allow you to hone and perfect your voice app so that eventually, when voice apps become part of the mainstream channels for you to engage your customers in, you’ve got a mature offering that’s far from your competitors that will most likely just start reacting to the shift in trend.
A new dimension in your customer engagement
Up until recently, you’ve been limited to text and visual engagement tactics through your websites, videos, social media. If you’ve incorporated podcasts or live chat into your strategy then that brings you a step closer. Nonetheless, voice apps will provide a new dimension to your customer engagement strategy.
It’s a new medium, requiring the use of new channels, eventually resulting in the acquisition of new customers, but requiring the establishment of a guiding strategy. For customers that you will engage with it, it’s a breath of fresh air.
Opportunity to strengthen your brand
Implementing a voice strategy will also be an opportunity for you to improve your brand image and reach.
While some marketers are worried that voice searches will be the death of “brands”, we’d rather think of it as an opportunity to strengthen your customer’s emotional attachment to your brand as campaigns will be more focused on getting your customers to search specifically for your brand in voice searches.
Reinforce your image as a pioneer
Lastly, doing something this early in the technology’s lifecycle automatically puts your brand among the most innovative.
Aside from that, it also signals your agility and how you are always on the lookout to meet your customers where they are. No one likes to be left behind, and that goes for your customers too. By adopting voice apps backed by a strong voice strategy, it tells your customers that they are keeping abreast with the latest developments in the market.
Now it’s up to you
Aside from all the reasons stated above, you should remember that you’re not the only one looking at the developments in voice search and apps. It isn’t too unlikely for your competitors to be aware of these trends as well. Will you take this opportunity and adopt a voice strategy this early in the game, or will you wait and see what your competitors come up with?
