Just as cursive writing has faded as a common communication format, I have to wonder if typing will be the next to disappear. Not just because emojis are almost as ubiquitous as the written word, but because you no longer need the keyboard or mouse to interface with computers. You can simply talk to them.
Technologies and devices like Siri, Amazon Echo, and the newly launched Apple HomePod, are dramatically changing the way we interface with computers. These innovations allow us to talk to a machine, and they can respond.
It works through speech recognition technology, which is defined as the ability of a machine or computer program to receive, interpret, and carry out spoken commands. It should be noted that speech recognition technology is sometimes interchangeably used and referred to as voice recognition technology.
The difference is that voice technology is a bit smarter than speech recognition. Voice recognition can actually distinguish the difference in individual voices. Meaning the technology can tell the difference between my voice and my sister’s.
Impact on B2B
Both of these technologies are continuing to see growth and adoption of use. But what does that mean for B2B marketers?
One area that is already being impacted is Search. The major search engines (which refer to the technology as voice search, not speech search) have shared statistics that put voice searches at 20-25% of all searches. ComScore has reported that 40% of adults use voice search once a day and that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020.
This means it is time to start approaching content and search strategies from a slightly different perspective. Marketers will want to optimize for voice search by building out longer tail keyword phrases that are derived from more of a conversational approach.
Think about how someone would ask for information, versus how they would type it into a search box. If one of your current target keywords is “efficient widget”, you may want to optimize for voice search with question phrases, such as “what is the most efficient widget”? or “where do I buy efficient widgets”?
Besides building a modified keyword strategy, it is also important to align the structure and content of a website to accommodate voice searches. Since voice searches tend to skew toward asking questions, this could be done by adding new pages that are designed in a Q&A or FAQ format.
Mobile applications
Another area that presents opportunities for marketers when it comes to voice technology is with mobile applications, including advertising. The ability to create interactive interfaces that users can actually speak to have been around for several years, but their adoption has been slow going.
But as the technology continues to advance and people become more comfortable talking to a device like Amazon’s Alexa, there will be a whole new generation that will come to expect that type of interaction.
Marketers will need to approach any type of voice activated interaction from a place of helpfulness, not intrusiveness, following generally accepted content marketing best practices.
Imagine listening to a podcast or watching a video, and through speech technology, you could simply ask a question to get clarification or additional information.
I am not sure keyboards will be totally replaced in the near future by voice and speech, but it is clear this is an area that will continue to evolve and will definitely have an impact on how B2B marketers approach interacting with their current and future customers.
