Marketers Need to Optimize for Voice Search

Marry With Other Marketing Data

“Speech technology is arguably one of the most critical and fastest-growing data acquisition channels for marketers,” says Chris Bergh, CEO of DataKitchen, a data platform provider. “The amount of data that comes pouring in via speech tech is like a fire hose. The trick for leveraging this increasingly crucial data channel is being able to most effectively extract and analyze the data and marry those analytics to other marketing data the organization has via other areas, like mobile and web apps, location-based, advertising, social media, etc.”

All of this data is collected in separate CRM, marketing automation, web analytics, data management, and call center platforms and other business systems. When companies interact with customers, they need a unified view of all interactions and data related to that customer. This means integrating all of the various operational systems that collect customer data as well as any third-party data feeds, Bergh suggests.

Unfortunately, though, today few of these enterprise systems talk to one another, Bergh adds. Customer data in different databases can be difficult to match and combine on the fly. The result is often lost history or lost critical information from internal or external sources, but in the case of speech systems, it could mean completely misunderstanding the input or missing key insights, according to Bergh.

Smart speakers are growing the most, but an increasing number of companies are also preparing voice options for vehicles, according to ABI Research, which projects that 20 million vehicles will enable one or more voice assistants by 2023.

This could boost business for companies that take advantage of the trend and are designed for the mobile experience. Quick service restaurants (QSRs) could have among the biggest benefit, and many of them are already moving in this direction.

KFC Canada, for example, in late February began a test of Google’s food ordering feature that’s available on its website, mobile apps, and voice-powered devices. Customers who search for KFC on Google Search or Google Maps will see an “Order Online” button that brings them to a digital menu for the nearest restaurant. The feature lets customers order food for delivery or pickup and pay for it within the Google platform.

KFC Canada is also letting customers place orders through its voice-powered Google Assistant on Android and iOS phones. By saying, “Hey Google, order food from KFC,” Google Assistant will wake up to take an order. Google Assistant also will store past orders to speed up the ordering process for repeat customers. By saying, “Hey Google, order food again from KFC,” customers can place orders based on past purchases from KFC, which has 600 locations in Canada.

Expect marketers for other food purveyors to monitor KFC’s success with the program and adopt something similar themselves if it pans out.

While KFC Canada and similar companies could have success with voice search, Bender says programs like this need to be considered along with other marketing technologies that might be a better fit for companies’ target audiences. After all, not everyone likes or wants to use voice search.

“You can’t ignore the fast growth of voice search,” Owens said. “You need to have it as part of your overall marketing strategy.” 

Phillip Britt is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area. He can be reached at spenterprises@wowway.com.

Two-Thirds of U.S. Consumers Use Voice Search

In looking at the prevalence of devices that use voice-search technology, like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri, Zion & Zion found that usage varies across demographics.

Among the findings, the study revealed the following:

• 28.4 percent of consumers between the ages of 30 and 44 have embraced stand-alone voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home.

• 49 percent of consumers ages 18 to 29 have used Siri, but that drops to 30 percent for those 60 and over.

The research clearly demonstrated that Americans are increasingly connected to devices that offer voice search. In fact, 86 percent of adults own smartphones and 86 percent own desktop or laptop computers. In addition, 25 percent own Amazon Echo/Dot, Google Home, or other dedicated voice assistant speakers/devices.

While both men and women own these devices in equal measure, some differences emerge when analyzing the data by age and income. For example, people 60 and over own the most desktop/laptop computers (93 percent) and the fewest smartphones (75 percent).

And while the data supports the notion that high-income consumers are the greatest users of home smart speakers, Zion & Zion notes that these devices are making significant headway with middle-income Americans as well. --P.B.