It sounds cliche, but in marketing, the only constant is change.
Every year there seems to be a new social media platform everyone loves. Video marketing keeps evolving and changing. And advancements in artificial intelligence are making tools like chatbots easier to use, which means they are more prevalent.
But one change may make the biggest impact on your marketing. It’s something that has gone somewhat under the radar, but may have the biggest impact in marketing today and into the future.
That change is voice search.
Just about every smartphone has some sort of voice-activated virtual assistant (Siri for Apple and Alexa or Google for Android). And the number of households with a home virtual assistant like Alexa or Google Home keeps increasing.
Consider the following statistics (source):
- Nearly 40 million Americans own a smart speaker
- 55% of households in the US are expected to own a smart speaker in 2022
- 58% of people have used voice to find information on a local business
- 43% of smart speaker owners use the technology to shop.
- 20% of mobile queries are currently done with voice search.
If those stats were not enough to convince you of the rise of voice search, let examine some other reasons why you should look more into this emerging technology.
It Is Only Going to Grow
As with a lot of technology, voice search has had a slow start and initial growth, but those usually lead to an explosion of use.
Here are some more stats (source):
- In the U.S. in 2017 voice commerce sales topped out at $1.8 billion. By 2022, that voice commerce in the U.S. is expected to reach $40 billion
- 5% of consumers use voice shopping, but experts predict that number could reach 50% by 2022
- 72% of people who own voice-activated speakers say that their devices are used as part of their daily routines
Voice search is becoming a part of daily life for many Americans. There is nothing that is going to change that. In fact, that feeling is only going to grow, especially amongst younger generations.
It Creates a Better Customer Experience
Want to know why people like voice search?
It is easier to use than typing every search. If you are able to take advantage of voice search, you can make it easier for your audience to find you and the answers they need.
With voice search, your audience does not have to waste time picking up their device and tapping away to get the answer they need.
You Could Be at the Forefront of SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, has been around for decades now. Voice search is just the latest development. By being an early adopter of voice search, you are remaining at the forefront of SEO.
As the technology improves, new uses for voice search will arise. An early adopter like yourself will be in prime position to benefit from these improvements.
Your Traffic Will Increase
Voice search represents another way for your audience to find your business. This will result in increased additional traffic to both your website and your social media channels.
You can use this increased traffic to grow your digital reach and ultimately provide a boost for your revenue.
You Can Stand Out From Your Competitors
Not everyone, including some of your competitors, will be quick to incorporate voice search into marketing their business. This means you will have a way to stand out from your competition, which can be difficult to come by.
Your audience will be able to better find you and the products/services you provide. This will result in more revenue for you and a way for you to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Voice search is here and it is changing how potential customers are finding businesses. It might still be in the early stages of adoption for many small- and medium-sized businesses, but we are predicting that will change over the next year. More businesses, like your competition, will begin to incorporate voice search as part of how they promote their business. If you wish to get found and stay relevant in the future, you have to find ways to make voice search a part of your marketing strategy.
