Voice bonds stronger connections because it is more intimate. But what makes the voice a marketing super power is its ubiquity. An audio content, say a podcast, follows you while you are driving, walking or exercising. Many feel that, listening to an audio theme while doing these activities improves their focus. No wonder then that an estimated 8 million people would be using AI-based voice assistance by 2023. More on whys and wherefores of voice marketing follows…..
What is Voice Marketing?
To put it simply, voice marketing encompasses a set of strategies and tactics designed to reach audiences who use voice devices. Understanding how the consumers of a brand use voice-controlled devices, augmenting one’s marketing efforts to better connect with audiences using voice and analyzing what a brand’s audiences want out of voice that they cannot find anywhere else are the three important issues that marketers need to cater to while implementing voice marketing strategy. Emily Binder, Founder and Chief Strategist at Beetle Moment Marketing observe that there are three elements of voice marketing:
- Sonic branding
- Recorded audio content e.g. Podcasts
- Voice search optimization
Voice Marketing in India
With the enhanced opportunity of audial customer engagement, marketers need to amplify their efforts with voice. Here are some pointers that reveal the scope of the opportunity:
- According to Voice box, a comprehensive report launched by Group M India, there are 574 million active mobile internet users and 500 million smartphone users in the country
- Voice search queries in India are presently growing at 270% per year
- 72% of Indian internet users prefer to use a language other than English and voice will help to bridge the gap
The major advantage being offered by voice tech is its ability to connect with audiences ‘on-the-go’ and facilitating consumer queries without having to type in and paying attention to typing errors.
How to Go About Marketing Voice
Text-to-speech (TTS) tool help marketers to minimize costs as far as hiring voice actors, renting sound studio and buying expensive recording tools is concerned. Marketers can easily convert their content into voice by singing up for an app, uploading their files and clicking and then go on to create high quality audio files compatible across digital platforms where target audiences of a brand can engage with. TTS tools can be used in the following domains:
- Voice marketing in customer care
- Voice search
- Voice marketing in applications
- Business podcasts
- Social media apps and Twitter spaces
- Voice assistants
Benefits of Voice Marketing
Some of the primary advantages offered by voice are automation of tasks, information accessibility and accomplishing fastest results for brands. Reaching brand consumers in new and innovative ways, enhanced customer engagement, wider audience reach, hands-free way to receive brand information or rather receiving brand information ‘on-the-go’ are some of the major benefits that voice marketing offers and makes itself a potential choice for marketers across verticals.
Examples of Successful Voice Marketing
One of the best examples to cite the extent of penetration of voice in Indian households and its frequency and reason of usage is the ‘Google Se Poochho’ advertising campaign where we find people across demography seeking important and relevant information from Google by asking and not typing.
The soul of India lies in its hinterlands and hence it makes sense to cite examples of voice penetration in rural India and these are of course innovative in their own way. Take for example, Good Knight’s ‘Fastcard Ki Paatshaala’- a voice-based education IVR that proved to be an education enabler for school children in rural India by bringing a school into their homes through their mobile phones. Colgate ‘Pocket Dentist’ is another great example where voice recognition technology was used to answer questions about common oral health problems plaguing individuals for who access to a professional dentist is a huge challenge.
Conclusion
With the expansion of digital ecosystem, voice is set to become a formidable medium of communication and Indian marketers are hopeful about the opportunities that this large and scalable market will provide in the days ahead. Not only in urban but rural India is progressively resorting to voice to get things done. Voice tech is and will keep empowering marketers to reach out to consumers in more relevant and effective manner.
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Discussion Question
Do you think recognizing the local accent by voice apps is a major challenge for voice marketing in India? Why?
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Source Articles
- Jawarski, Ron, “What is voice marketing and why you should use it”, , November 29th 2021
- “Voice search sees a 270% increase in India: GroupM report”, , April 6th 2021
- Tewari, Saumya, “Voice search queries in India are growing at 270% per year: Report”, , April 23rd 2021
- “What is Voice Marketing? Trends and Benefits Explained , August 19th 2022
- Ruparel, Niraj, “Voice for Bharat: Building smart solutions for ‘no so smart’ phones”, , October 5th 2020