Voice Search: Implications for B2B Marketing

Hark! The Digital Assistants Are Singing!

There I was, a humble marketer, toiling in the dusty vineyards of content creation, when I first heard the distant rumblings of voice-activated digital assistants. Alexa, Siri, and their ilk - the digital debutantes of the smart home, who were soon to wrest control of our heartstrings and wallets alike.

These modern-day sirens are not just seducing the seemingly innocent realm of B2C marketing; they have their sights set on the hallowed halls of B2B as well. B2B marketers must gird their loins, for the winds of change are upon us, and they sound suspiciously like Alexa ordering more printer toner.

A Brave New World of Voice-Activated Keywords

Picture it, if you will: a once familiar landscape of clattering keyboards and bleary-eyed marketers hunched over their AdWords campaigns is replaced by a cacophony of disembodied voices barking commands at their digital assistants. 'Siri, find me the best industrial-grade stapler!" 'Alexa, who can supply me with bespoke burlap sacks?" The very ground beneath our feet is shifting, and with it, the very nature of the search landscape.

As B2B marketers, we must embrace this brave new world and adapt our strategies accordingly. No longer can we simply rely on the tried-and-true tactics of yesteryear; the typed keyword is no longer king. Instead, we must focus on the natural language queries that will inevitably dominate the voice search landscape. For example, one might optimize their website for the query, 'How do I choose the right bespoke burlap sack supplier?" rather than the more stodgy 'burlap sack supplier selection.'

• Focus on natural language queries and long-tail keywords
• Optimize website content to cater to conversational search queries
• Ensure your content answers common questions and solves problems

The Rise of the Locally Loquacious

As any agoraphobic marketer knows, there is no place quite like home. And it seems our digital assistants are inclined to agree, with local searches becoming increasingly prevalent in the age of voice search. 'Cortana, find me a locally sourced, gluten-free, cage-free, vegan, artisanal, fair-trade, non-GMO, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, shade-grown, ethically harvested, wind-powered, soy-based ink supplier within a 5-mile radius.'

Thus, B2B marketers must ensure that their businesses are not just locally relevant but locally accessible. So, update your Google My Business profile, ensure your NAP (name, address, phone number) information is consistent across all platforms, and engage with the local community to boost your ratings and reviews.

Content: the Heart of Voice Search Darkness

As we venture ever-deeper into the murky waters of voice search, one inescapable truth emerges: content is still king. Yet, as our digital assistants grow ever-more eloquent, so too must our content evolve.

Now is the time for B2B marketers to craft compelling content that speaks directly to their audience, answering the burning questions that plague their very souls (or at least their purchasing decisions). This is the age of the FAQ, the how-to guide, and the expert interview - content designed to cater to the conversational nature of voice search.

Featured Snippets: a Glimpse into the Voice Search Cosmos

As any B2B marketer worth their salt knows, the almighty Google has long been the arbiter of our digital destinies. The advent of voice search has only served to strengthen their stranglehold on the search landscape, with the rise of the featured snippet.

These tantalizing tidbits of information, plucked from the very essence of our carefully crafted content and displayed atop the search results like a digital crown, are the holy grail of voice search optimization. To capture these elusive creatures, B2B marketers must once again do battle with the forces of SEO, crafting content that is informative, engaging, and answers the questions posed by voice search queries.

In Summary: Embrace the Voice Search Singularity

The march of the digital assistants is inexorable, and B2B marketers must adapt or face obsolescence. Voice search has the potential to transform the way we do business, but only if we are willing to evolve alongside it.

So, B2B marketers, raise your voices to the heavens, and may the sound of your marketing triumphs drown out the din of a thousand digital assistants ordering printer toner.

Article kindly provided by b2bwize.com