Image source: Gerd Leonhard via Flickr
Voice search accounts for more than 20 percent of mobile searches, but most marketers (66%) participating in a BrightEdge survey have no plans to prepare for voice search. Almost a third of marketers (31 percent) believe voice search is the “next big thing.” Just under a third (27%) also call mobile “the next big thing,” even though mobile has already surpassed desktop use.
About 32% of respondents to the BrightEdge survey also believe artificial intelligence (AI) is the “next big thing,” but 57% are “not likely” to implement any element of AI this year.
Gartner predicts that 8.4 billion connected devices will be in use this year, a 31 percent increase from last year. The number will reach 20.4 billion by 2020. The consumer segment is the largest user of connected things, with 5.2 billion units in 2017, 63 percent of the total number.
A Competitive Opportunity
The fact that so many marketers don’t recognize the here and now of new technologies offers marketers with technological savvy a significant competitive opportunity.
“And if marketers are behind the curve, you can bet PR practitioners are even further back. Your company can be among the few that have taken steps to be found in the exploding voice tech space, and AI can help you better target audiences and engage with customers and prospects,” says Shel Holtz, principal of Holtz Communication + Technology.
Marketers and PR executives need to ponder a simple question: How can our organization employ new technologies to better achieve our goals. The new technologies to start considering include voice search, virtual reality, machine learning, chatbots, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) – even driverless automobiles. Being willing to experiment with new technologies can pay off big. Start the internal research process by learning the capabilities of the technologies and how others are applying them to marketing and PR. Recognize that it’s often the early adopters and innovators that gain the greatest competitive advantage.
Voice Search Opportunities
Voice search – probably the easiest of the new technologies to integrate into a marketing strategy — differs significantly from text web searches. Voice search is more conversational than text search. It’s typically performed on mobile devices, is usually locally focused, and search queries are typically longer. For best results, SEO experts recommend longer, conversation keywords and website content that’s more complex. PR and marketing pros, typically responsible for writing website copy, will be instrumental in helping their organizations implement new practices.
Voice search is frequently integrated with web-connected devices, known as the internet of things. Marketers will gain a windfall of customer data that can improve business intelligence and deliver personalized marketing messages.
“Any device or sensor that’s connected to the Internet is part of the IoT. That includes everything from old-school infrared sensors at store entrances to radio-frequency identification tags on merchandise to beacons that connect to consumers’ smart phones to new lighting systems that form the foundation of a smart store,” explains Dan Mitchell, director of retail and consumer packaged goods at SAS, to CRM Magazine.
IoT Benefits and Pitfalls
Although marketers can gain more opportunities to interact with customers through connected devices, that doesn’t mean they should. It’s important to keep communications within the proper context so customers welcome communications and don’t view them as annoying sales pitches.
The IoT provides real-time focus groups that provide product feedback and information that can save them from spending millions of dollars in research and development. It also provides sales and marketing data that can improve customer engagement.
The huge amount of data may overwhelm marketers and their current soon-to-be-outdated systems. The solution is to seek partners and IT solutions that can scale up.
Experts urge marketers to develop a strategy to apply IoT, including what and how often to communicate with customers rather than pursuing the technology just because it’s the shiny new object.
Bottom Line: A surprising number of marketers may not realize how quickly the public is accepting new technologies. The widespread adoption of mobile searches is old news and voice search and connected devices are swiftly gaining traction. Marketers who embrace voice search and the IoT may be able to seize a competitive opportunity.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
