The field of digital marketing is constantly evolving, and there’s a lot to keep up with. You want to keep your business on the cutting edge, but you just don’t have time. That’s where we come in. The Tree Ring team stays on top of the latest and greatest in digital marketing so you don’t have to.
Alexa, What’s Voice Search?
Currently, one of the biggest trends in digital marketing is the ubiquitous voice search. Even if you haven’t really thought much about it, you’re no doubt aware of the existence of voice search, and you’ve probably even used it yourself. If you’ve ever asked Siri, Alexa, or Google Home a question, then you’re one of the millions of people who are making voice search such a very big deal. Experts have predicted that 50% of online searches will be voice-based in 2020.
When Siri and smart speakers were first introduced, they were largely used to answer simple questions (“Siri, how many tablespoons are in a cup?”) or to play music (“Alexa, play Beyonce’s new song”). But now, savvy brands have leveraged the devices to amp up sales.
Why are Consumers Turning to Voice Search?
Voice search is certainly useful for the visually impaired or for those who have difficulty typing, but more and more often, people are using voice search when their hands and/or eyes are otherwise engaged (driving, cooking, watching TV, or exercising).
WordStream.com offers some interesting statistics:
Voice Commerce Statistics
- Voice commerce sales reached $1.8 billion last year, per OC&C Strategy Consultants. They’re predicted to reach $40 billion by 2022.
- 22% of U.S. smart speaker owners have purchased something using their devices, per Edison Research.
- 5% of consumers use voice shopping, but that number could reach 50% by 2022, per MoffettNathanson.
- Grocery shopping accounted for 20% of voice shopping in 2017, per OC&C Strategy Consultants. This compared to clothes shopping, which accounted for just 8%.
- 52% of voice-activated speaker owners would like to receive information about deals, sales, and promotions from brands, per Google. 39% would like to receive options to find business information.
And here’s a fascinating infographic that breaks down the past, present, and future of voice search.
What Does the Voice Search Revolution Mean For Your Business?
You have the opportunity to get ahead of the curve. According to The Digital Marketing Institute, early adoption of a voice strategy can improve customer experience – which translates to better, more loyal customers. Further, “Another reason it’s important for businesses today to incorporate voice into their digital marketing strategies is because voice search is driving changes in SEO best practices. One of the main reasons for these changes is the fact that people interact with search queries differently when they’re posed vocally rather than textually. For one thing, voice queries tend to be slightly longer than text searches, and you can address this by incorporating some longer (at least three words) keyword phrases into your content.”
Now that you better understand how crucial implementing voice search will be in the very near future, you may be wondering how you can incorporate a voice search strategy into your marketing plan. Never fear…Tree Ring Digital is here! We can help your business make the leap into the brave new world of voice search, putting you in front of more potential customers than ever before. Contact us to learn more.