There are a lot of voices out there touting the virtues of Voice. Voices Voicing. Huh? Who’d have thunk it?!? But how should you be thinking about Voice for your spa business? What does it really mean? If you’re not selling products on Amazon, do you really need to think about Alexa? Who is Alexa anyway? How can you promote your spa business via Voice? Can you run Voice ads? What about SEO for Voice? So many questions. So much to know. Where do you start? Allow me. Let me share a few thoughts on Voice – in 5 Easy Lessons.
Lesson 1 – Why Voice Matters
Why does Voice even matter? Mainly because it’s arguably the most effective and efficient form of communication. It’s just quicker. We speak about 4 times faster than we can type. So, just imagine if you could replace all your written processes and communication with Voice. How much time could you – and your customers – save if they could speak their query instead of typing it into a browser? Indeed, according to Google 20% – 25% of searches on mobile are done via Voice, not type. That number is growing steadily. As Voice Recognition gets better, it will increase at even greater speeds than today. Smart Speakers, like Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot devices and Google Home devices are the hottest items on the retail shelves these days.
I shared a few more reasons about why Voice matters in Episode 88 of Trent365! You can have a quick listen that episode right here…
Lesson 2 – SEO for Voice
So, if our customers of today and tomorrow are going to be searching via voice command, what does that mean for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Is traditional SEO dead now that Voice is taking over? No. Far from it. The concept of SEO is still very much live. But instead of optimising for text-based search, you need to instead apply a voice-based lens. It’s the long tail of search terms that will help your business be found on Voice. Typing in one or two key words will be replaced with speaking a full sentence. And searchers will now be more likely to ask for exactly what they want, rather than more general searches.
You can hear some more thoughts on SEO for Voice in Episode 89 of Trent365! …
Lesson 3 – Voice and FAQ
If you want information from someone standing right in front of you, the natural way to get it is by asking questions. The same is true in a world where Voice Search is the primary search tool. Whereas today, with type-based search, we tend to just punch in a few key words, in a world of Voice Search, we will ask questions. It’s just the way we communicate using Voice. So, that FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on your website now takes on a whole new significance. No longer is your FAQ page the place for a few, stock standard, generic questions. Instead, give some real thought what sort of questions people want answers to when it comes to your spa. You should include as many of those questions as you can in your FAQs.
Here’s what I discussed in Episode 90 of Trent365! …
Lesson 4 – Ads on Voice
How to get found in a world of Voice Search is probably the Number 1 question spa operators ask me when we talk Voice. But by far the second most popular question is to advertise on Voice. The simple answer is, it’s difficult. Advertising generally involves interrupting something you want to do/watch/hear to tell you about something else. Even the most useful ads are still essentially interrupting you. And as long as there’s a visual component like text or video, we’ve kinda come to accept that. But interrupting with audio only is a completely different dynamic. Just imagine listening to someone speaking to you and then someone else interrupting that discussion. That is kinda what Ads on Voice is like – for now at least.
To understand what that means for Ads on Voice for your spa business, take a listen to Episode 91 of Trent365! …
Lesson 5 – Ecosystem of Voice
Ok, so now that you understand what Voice is, why it matters and the constraints…what can you do with it? It’s all about Skills and Briefings, Actions and Apps. These are the tools and platforms used by Amazon and Google respectively in their voice ecosystems. Just like real power of the smartphone is only realised once you start using Apps, so it is with Voice. So, the sooner you understand the Voice Ecosystems the better. The power of Voice for your spa business will lie in the Alexa Skills and Briefing and Google Actions and Apps that you, or others, will build.
To get a quick idea of the Ecosystem of Voice, take a listen to Episode 92 of Trent365! …
Here endeth the lesson (s) !
