You may have heard of voice search. But do you know all of the types of voice search like Flash Briefing that are already available?
Voice search is here to stay. 72% of people who own a smart speaker or device use voice search as part of their daily routine. When you consider just how many people have access to voice-assisted devices (phones, tablets, speakers, even computers), it paints a clearer picture of how much of a presence they are in our lives or those of people around us.
With an increasing number of people using voice search comes the question, “What could this mean for my business?” Before we can answer that, it’s important to consider a user’s intent and how they may relate to your business goals. Having the user’s intent in mind is a big first step to seizing this opportunity.
We are seeing new developments in voice search at an increasingly fast rate. One of those developments is Flash Briefing for the Amazon Alexa. Let’s look at this opportunity a little more closely.
What is Flash Briefing?
A lot of us are in the habit of getting news and information delivered through apps on our phones, tablets or computers. The effectiveness of smart speakers has grown in this respect, becoming a go-to means to consume information and entertainment.
Flash briefing is a feature, or “skill” offered by the Amazon Alexa category of smart devices. This is a new way for brands to deliver timely or relevant content their audiences through custom voice commands.
Even though the idea of talking to a device is a relatively new and — for a lot of people including myself — awkward concept, the Alexa devices have made it fairly simple to start the “conversation”. Through a couple of simple commands like, “Alexa, play the news,” you can begin getting the content that you find relevant or informative. However, if you find that you’d like sports-related news instead of news about traditional, world events, you can specify the source from which you get your news: “Alexa, play news from CBS Sports.”
How Does Voice Search Apply to Marketing?
Voice search’s growth presents your brand with opportunities to engage with audiences in a new way.
Let’s say that you work in the oil and gas industry and your company’s website has a “News” section that is updated regularly with industry news and trends. You would create and program flash briefings, so that whenever someone says “Alexa, what’s the news in oil and gas?” your briefing would play the latest updates. This leads people to consider your brand as a reliable source of information.
It’s important to keep in mind that investing time in optimizing for voice search is not right for every business. However, if there is alignment, it is definitely a great way to try a new path if other marketing channels in your industry have become overcrowded.
Is Voice Search a Priority for Your Brand?
Flash briefings are great avenues for content delivery that are worth taking advantage of if you provide relevant or timely information to your audience.
These serve as a great asset for your brand’s marketing strategy if:
- Your business regularly offers new services or products
- Your brand or business a website with a Blog or News section that is updated frequently with helpful information, answering popular search queries
- Your brand is part of an industry that moves quickly and offers any information about the latest trends
It’s worth keeping in mind that there are some barriers to entry, including but not limited to:
- A base knowledge of developer tools
- A familiarity with Amazon’s developer platform
- Experience with audio editing and processing software
- A submission and review process
With this in mind, there are several quick, how-to guides that are helpful and that can assist you in setting up this feature.
Voice search is a new, overlooked avenue for content engagement and delivery. However, there are a lot of opportunities unfolding. While larger brands or businesses have made their presence known in this space, smaller businesses have yet to. Alexa’s flash briefing “skills” gives these small businesses a more accessible way to do just that.
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