The Age of Voice

2018 will be an active year for voice technology. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas earlier this month, companies brought so many talking devices that it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and countless startups, each are pursuing voice assistant technology. With voice recognition approaching 99% accuracy, a world controlled by the spoken word is just around the corner.

In 2017, many popular brands embraced voice technology, including Clorox, Nestle, Patrón, and Purina. Their creative use of engaging conversations brought new value to their customers. Purina, for example, used Amazon Alexa to educate consumers about the characteristics of different dog breeds.

Take a moment to consider, “What conversation is your company equipped to moderate?"

Marketing

Pro tip: To stand out in the Age of Voice, your brand must adopt an audio signature. This includes both an audio logo and a brand voice. Is your brand witty, friendly, smart, or authoritative?

Classic examples of sound logos come from Intel and “Mario.”

Anchoring your identity to a sound bite provides fast and effective brand recognition. In an audio experience, time is valuable and wordy slogans can compete for your customer's focus.

A 1-2 second audio logo is the key to success.

Do you want to see brands taking advantage of The Voice Revolution? Explore these 10 examples of effective content marketing.

Design

Proper design is crucial for voice only experiences. Here are some key insights:

Embrace Radical Simplicity: Time is valuable, and a brand that respects its customer's time will succeed. Understand Deep Empathy: Good voice design starts with an intimate understanding of the consumer. Avoid all Jargon: Conversation should be casual, direct, and concise.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Here's an interesting article that compares Voice User Interfaces (VUI) to Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). The article provides fantastic insights and it was written in 2002!

The Future

Voice experiences continue to gain traction. As they do, companies like Amazon are realizing that voice is fast and convenient for user input. However, computer screens provide fast and information dense output. Clearly, then, the future of voice is both spoken and visual. This video describes what to look for in the future.

Also, in the future, audio-only voice ordering might kill brands. Watch this video to find out why.

In short, if brands sit back and allow Amazon and Google to serve audio-only product searches, Amazon and Google are going to promote their own products. Yes, I’m sure advertising will arise eventually… so when it does, make sure your brand is prepared with its own audible presence. Otherwise, it might get lost in the static.

Is voice on your roadmap for 2018?