TRY THIS: Two Tactics to Reach 145 Million Smart Speakers

By Kayla, Account Executive / Communications Specialist| March 9, 2020

Do you have one in your home? According to Strategy Analytics, the global smart speaker market reached a new high in 2019 with sales of 146.9 million units, an increase of 70% over 2018. Amazon was the leading brand with 26.2% market share, and Google retained second place with 20.3%.

Smart speakers are here to stay. As I mentioned in a previous post, Is Your 2020 Marketing Plan Keeping Up With Technology?, marketers need to develop strategies for smart speakers. Here are two tactics you should try:

Optimize your content for smart speakers

With the introduction of smart speakers, methods for SEO are evolving. When people are chatting with Alexa or their Google assistant, they will most likely use questions or short phrases, such as “what’s the weather?” or “sushi near me” or “who played Monica Gellar on Friends?” Marketers must optimize their content with this new norm in mind. We recommend incorporating these types of phrase in your web content, especially in title pages and blog posts.

Also, a recent Forbes article noted that mobile voice search is three times more likely to be used for local-based queries than text searches. Location-based SEO terms is crucial for local business owners. It’s important to have the business name, address, and phone number on every web page. This will help the smart assistants connect your service, product, etc. with your location, and bring the right customers to you!

Create an Alexa skill

Amazon still dominates the smart speaker market. According to Business Insider, there are roughly 100 million Alexa devices in the market right now, which includes devices that Amazon makes as well as third-party gadgets with Alexa built-in.

In the 2020 marketing trend blog post mentioned above, I shared a great Alexa skill that Patrón implemented in 2019. If you tell Alexa to “Ask Patrón for a cocktail recipe,” she will respond with a list of possible recipes. If this is something you’re interested in, check out this step-by-step tutorial on how to create an Alexa skill: https://www.pluralsight.com/guides/amazon-alexa-skill-tutorial.

This all might seem a little intimidating, but do not fret! We are here to help you implement tactics for smart speakers. Contact us to set up a free consultation.

Also, if you’re in the tourism and travel industry, you might also be interested in this blog post: Using Voice Search & SERP Position Zero to Enhance Your Travel Marketing.