The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January highlighted a number of technologies that will have a big impact on marketing in the future and 2017. One of the most talked about gadgets this year was Amazon’s Alexa. It wasn’t new to the show—it debuted two years ago—but Alexa got a lot of press for the number of updates and integration that have become available for the platform and the talk surrounding paid voice search for businesses.
Who What is Alexa?
Alexa is a machine learning technology created by Amazon and is their version of a personal assistant. Users are able to talk to Alexa to perform a variety of tasks, from checking the local weather forecast to ordering items online. The leap towards vocal computing and away from a graphical interface is a huge advancement that has created a stir in the technology world.
Alexa “lives” inside Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, but this year has also been integrated into third-party products. Most notably, users can now find Alexa in Ford cars, Belkin home monitoring systems and even Whirlpool washing machines.
Alexa and Voice Search
It’s been rumored that Amazon is looking at ways to monetize Alexa through paid voice search ads. This is similar to businesses paying for search or display ads through Google, but the future will see Alexa return search results that have been sponsored by a business. In practice, if a user asks for a restaurant recommendation, a business would be able to pay to be included in Alexa’s response between organic results for the highest rated restaurant.
How Does This Affect My Business Today?
While Alexa’s paid voice search is still under development, the mere prospect of this type of advertising should be influencing your marketing strategy today. The marketing landscape is constantly evolving and in order to stay relevant, your business strategy must evolve alongside to accommodate new technologies.
To discuss your current marketing strategy and evaluate how well you’re integrating emerging technology into your advertising, contact an idig marketing specialist today!
idig Marketing is a full-service digital strategy and development firm that generates meaningful website traffic and drives high value leads to your organization. By optimizing organic content with paid advertising our custom methodology is adapted to meet your requirements and to exceed your objectives.
