Creating a voice search strategy for inbound marketing

In the time it takes you to read the first sentence of this blog, you could potentially find exactly what you want to know, avoiding any annoying typos, and without even using your fingers, thumbs or eyes! This isn't a riddle - it's all possible using voice search via Siri, OK Google, Alexa and Cortana.

Better yet, your business can implement a voice search strategy for inbound marketing campaigns. Create the perfect soundbite for a curious audience, and your brand voice could be heard all around the world.

Who uses voice search?

Push, speak, wait... wait a little more... Results. Not quite what you're looking for? That's cool, try again... Push, speak, waaaait... Results. Found what you're looking for? Yes. Great stuff!

I use voice search a lot these day because I'm all about speed. If I need information on the spot, the last thing I want to do is take to my preferred search app and type out long winded sentences that often pull up results that don't quite match my needs. It isn't intuitive and it doesn't suit my busy lifestyle. 

These stats just show the potential of a great voice search strategy:

• Humans can speak 150 words per minute vs type 40 words per minute
• 28% think voice search is a more accurate way of searching
• 21% don’t like typing on their mobile phone and so turn to voice search
• 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020
• 19% of people use Siri at least daily
• By 2019, the voice recognition market will be a £432 million industry
• 47% expect their voice technology usage to increase
• 56% of online grocery shoppers use or plan to use a voice controlled smart assistant or speaker
• 41% say using their voice-activated speaker is like talking to a friend or another person
• 1 in 4 shoppers used voice assistants while holiday shopping during 2017
• Mobile voice-related searches are 3X more likely to be local-based than text

...pretty impressive, right?

What do people use voice search for?

Here are some of the most common searches that users will investigate using voice search:

General Information: News, banking, travel, business, shopping.

Entertainment: Music, video, social media interactions, sports, films, TV schedules.

Localised Information: Restaurants, private hire firms, local business listings, shops, fast food delivery, weather and traffic information.

Personal PA: Calendar events, meeting entries, to-do lists and reminders

However, it's likely that over time, these uses will expand, until eventually pretty much everything can be searched using voice technology. For this reason, it's important to implement a carefully thought-out voice search strategy sooner rather than later. Lead the trend in your industry, and you could be benefitting from voice search dominance in months or even years to come.

Implementing a voice search strategy for inbound marketing 

If you're reading this as a business owner or marketer, and wondering how can you capitalise on this new trend, here are a few key points to consider.

First, make sure your website is user friendly so that visitors enjoy a great user experience, and you avoid any penalties. I have no doubt that Google will put various algorithmic changes in place for voice search, and as time goes on and adoption rates grow higher, they will only get more advanced.

Secondly, populate content with the most relevant keywords, especially long tail keywords that mirror exactly what you provide as a business. This is a vital piece of preparation,because everyone knows how much it sucks to have a high bounce rate don't they?

Planning in contextual answers should also be strongly considered for practical voice searches, such as "is there parking outside..." This is a unique opportunity to provide refined answers for the online users questions.

For all businesses targeting a local demographic or radius, make sure all these elements are absolutely spot on! It's forecast that most voice searches will be carried out for local requirements.

Finally, know your potential new clients. Are you answering all their questions? If not, you need to go through your business offerings and make sure that every blade of grass is covered. Consider every product and service you provide, and ensure that all the most frequently asked questions are optimised on your website.

Here at Six & Flow, we are ready and prepared for voice search, and can help you prepare too. So don't hang around, schedule some time to speak to one of our inbound marketing experts, and we can guide through all you need to know.