With today’s search landscape in flux, brands need to tailor their marketing approach to reflect the nuances of individual platforms, with voice the main driver of change, an agency executive suggests.

Writing in the June issue of Admap (topic: Audio: Prospering in the ever-present medium), Sophie Harding, trends and futures director at Mindshare UK, notes how voice-based assistants and smart speakers are changing consumer behaviour.

Mindshare’s own research has shown, for example, that 47% of parents already agree that their smart speaker feels like part of the family.

“As voice is integrated into many other products, such as cars, TVs, headphones and other household products, voice-assisted search will be used across more locations and moments in people’s lives, eventually becoming an unquestioned part of our everyday routines,” she writes in Beyond the search bar: When brands should tune into voice in tomorrow’s shifting search landscape.

But how well voice works depends on the circumstances – and it can just as easily add friction as remove it, Harding says. It’s less good when a complex answer is required, better at producing a quick answer and delivering ease at a time of need.

This “makes voice search likely to happen much further along the purchase cycle, when specific product queries or details are required,” she states.

From a brand perspective, she adds: “The focus should be ensuring that their SEO evolves to consider how content is surfaced in voice search or via voice assistants. The right tagging and mark-up will be key.”

Ultimately, a shift towards a more conversational and long tail type of search will mean a shift away from keyword buying, with intent being the biggest priority. That means marketers will need to develop a greater understanding of people’s search needs and intentions.

“The focus will shift to intent buying, for instance by homing in on a concept, such as holiday clothes ideas, and optimising across a range of keywords,” Harding writes.

“We will also see more advertiser integration within assistive search or suggestions, and, with digital assistants, some form of paid suggestion is likely to come into play.”

This issue of Admap features eight articles by thought leaders from across the globe, from companies such as HSBC, Mindshare and Ipsos Mori. WARC subscribers can access a deck which summarises the expert advice from contributors and key considerations on the topic.

Sourced from Admap