Voice search advertising: Tapping the next billion globally

What’s the big deal about voice search? As we start in 2020, we begin to ask what’s next! In many ways, 2019 was about the evolution of voice and the ecosystem around it. Today, Voice search is here and it’s the next big thing, with 50 % of searches globally are expected to be voice-based. Consumers are becoming more familiar with the voice and expect seamless experiences. This has been augmented by the growth of AI and smartphone assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana, etc. Thanks to Natural Language Processing and AI, search is getting better than ever.

With the concept of going beyond traditional search, people now prefer smarter options. Alexa can now control – lights, televisions, and appliances making life easier. As a consumer, voice search is conversational, faster, more convenient, and accurate. It is just easier to speak to your phone than type! We as marketers need to keep in mind that conversation is key here. With technology making its way, voice is one of the most impactful ways to close the gap.

The rise of voice assistance is transforming the way consumers search and buy products or services. They are not just accessing the internet through their phones but also adapting new technologies and devices which are faster than ever.

Vernacular languages are getting popular as players are expanding to tier II and tier III cities. We are already seeing support for AI in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu and Gujarati and more, recognizing the importance of voice in tapping the next billion globally.

We all demand convenience and are adopting technology to fundamentally make our lives simpler. Unsurprisingly, 85 per cent of all respondents own a smartphone with a voice assistant. However, the adoption of voice searches is slower than expected. This is also because of the formats that help explore the web. Some platforms may not support voice search to begin with. The moment voice search trends and becomes a part of our regular platforms, it is sure to explode.

The possibilities of Voice Search advertising are fascinating. As stated in a study by ComScore, 20% of searches in the Google app are now done by voice. Voice search is on the rise in the marketing world, and it is not stopping any sooner. This further suggests that marketers are preparing themselves for voice advertising.

So far, players such as Amazon and Google have held back from opting for voice search advertising. Though, it’s not far away when these players start using voice search advertising. Imagine searching for something via voice search. It will be quite frustrating to listen to several searches, whereas one can just glance through the results on a search page, on the desktop, laptop or mobile screens. Voice search will probably enable marketers to play ads in the search results, but also pose as a risk, of losing the customer interest.

Nevertheless, there are ways to tackle these issues. A possible solution would be to have sponsored results followed by organic results. The voice assistant would still read them out, and users won’t be obliged to sit through sponsored search results in order to hear the organic results.

However, users might still resent being compelled to listen to an ad after the content they want. This can be tackled by giving control to the user and have them on board for the experience. Consent is key here.

Imagine this scenario: a person asks Google Home device, “Hey Google, which is the best Chinese restaurant near me?” Google responds with various restaurant options as well as informs the user about a sponsored result which is relevant and asks for his/her consent for hearing the same. If the user says yes, Google will share the ad. This ‘Cost per Consent’ method, just like the ‘Pay per Click’ method will charge the advertiser for every user who agrees to hearing out a sponsored result.

While Voice search is gaining popularity among consumers, there are some obstacles in the way of marketers. Adopting voice search strategy is about creating a unique and optimized customer experience that will foster and build brand loyalty. However, it will also require technology support and maintenance. Different voice search holds different capabilities and different challenges. This will also need marketers to determine their strategy for different platforms and devices. Another point to note is the intrusiveness of voice search advertisements as compared to text or display ads. Not all consumers are going to be accepting of a voice search advertisement while listening to a result. The challenge then is to make voice search advertisements conversational and relevant for the consumer.

There are several predictions for the future of voice search marketing, however, time will tell. As of now, we are sure that humanity will soon have digital personal assistants coming together to save the day.

 Neena Dasgupta, CEO & Director, Zirca Digital Solutions