From Virtual Assistants to Voice-Only apps – here’s how voice technology has got marketers talking.
We all know Amazon’s virtual assistant ‘Alexa’ can tell us the date, time and weather but over the years, Alexa has learnt a variety of new skills. From setting your morning alarm, turning on your lights to ordering your favourite takeaway – Alexa has got it covered.
Music streaming is another one of her many talents, so if you’re too lazy to unlock your phone, or decide you want a different song to sing in the shower, then you can simply ask for the song you want and it will start playing. Completely hands-free, no fuss involved.
This has already massively benefited the music industry, as this hassle-free AI technology makes it easier than ever for music fans to stream their music.
All streaming services provide artists with insights on their audience but Amazon Music has taken this one step further. The Amazon Music for Artists app now offers musicians insights on how many voice requests have been made for them via Alexa. Even sharing data with how their fans are asking for their music – whether that’s their name, album, song or even lyrics.
The music industry has already begun to recognise the potential benefits of voice technology, as it allows record labels to take much more targeted and creative approaches to market their talent.
A recent collaboration with Sony Music, provided Tom Walker fans with a unique virtual experience via Alexa’s ‘Number One Fan’ skill. This provided the virtual device user with a Q&A/quiz session voiced by the singer, as if they were standing right there, talking to them in their living room. The music label claims that this gives fans the opportunity to get to know their favourite artist better, but marketers will see there’s a lot more to it than that, with hints to download their latest single being dropped throughout.
So you may be thinking how does this affect digital marketers? Well the reality is, this is just one industry example that shows that voice technology has arrived and it isn’t going anywhere.
It’s highly unlikely that voice technology will be taking over from popular audio-visual content like videos. However, it is likely that audio-only content will be more common.
This can already be seen through the growing popularity of podcasts and the launch of Clubhouse, an audio-only and highly exclusive social networking app in 2020. While currently only available on iPhone and via an invite from an existing member, the app is based on the voice and aims to engage users to talk, learn and listen to each other. Only now are the brands being allowed to get involved, so it’s definitely one to watch as the platform evolves and unlocks potential marketing opportunities.
Adapting to new technology and keeping up with the latest digital trends is vital to keeping your marketing efforts relevant. The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) has many resources on the future of voice-led technology including how voice search will impact SEO performance.
So now all you need to do is to figure out how to use voice to your advantage!