AI (artificial intelligence) assistants*, like Alexa, could better connect businesses with customers, and new features expand Alexa’s reach.  Here are four Amazon updates for voice application developers that could change how businesses operate:

 1) Skills Recommendations

“Skills” are applications (apps) that let Alexa speak to devices, even websites, allowing users to perform more actions with voice-activated control and third-party offerings:

• Amazon’s “CanFullfillIntentRequest” interface checks location, so Alexa can answer questions like “Help me find a nearby carpenter”.
• Alexa can tap into its universe of voice apps with this interface, offering a new and growing way for local businesses to reach customers.

 2) Payments

Amazon accepts Amazon Pay for one-time payments or ongoing subscriptions:

• Curation services that recommend local activities and offer to buy tickets could also help facilitate commerce and provide convenience for users.
• With user location access extended to third-party voice app developers, businesses can complete the transaction loop by offering delivery.

 3) Notifications

Voice apps are bypassing some voice commands to interact with users through notifications:

• Notifications can be sent via an auditory noise or by animating the ring of light atop an Echo speaker.
• They’re available for a select group of skills, including Domino’s Pizza delivery updates, Washington Post news, and AccuWeather alerts.

  4) Voice Identification for Skills

If paying by voice alone, Alexa needs to understand whose credit card to use:

• “Your Voice” by Amazon is a voice identification service that provides personalization: playing news flash briefings, adding events to calendars, choosing the right number to call, and logging a user’s previous interactions with a game or skill.
• Alexa can also remember whatever you tell her, including what you recently said.

Don’t Fret/Forget! If you are a GSM client with business listings management, you are already listed on Alexa!  Since Alexa uses Google, Yelp and Bing listing data for local service/product voice searches, your business will be found if someone is searching for a service/product you provide.

 

*AI (artificial intelligence):  Conversational computers that people can interact with simply by having a conversation.

Source:  Venturebeat.com, reported by Khari Johnson.

Many internet marketing companies state that their services can get you to “number one” on Google, but do you know what is actually being done to get you there? Search engines have changed and “number one” cannot be guaranteed. Here is what you should know:

1. Getting to “number one” on Google isn’t necessarily the best goal for local businesses.
The first position on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are paid ads. This is what is being offered to you when you hear the line “we can get you to number one on Google” (see example at right)

• People who search for local businesses tend to ignore ads, and scroll to listings and search results.
• Searchers know that ads may be from national companies with no local presence in the community.
• Nearly all clicks on ads are accidental during searches for a local business.

2. No one can guarantee that you will be “number one” on Google.
Google doesn’t allow any website to be the “king of a keyword”; it’s about showing searchers what THEY want to see, based on their prior internet activity and location at the time of search:

• Google changes its ranking algorithms¹ frequently, so what worked previously, might not work today.
• If your business/website was previously visited, you are more likely to be number one, or high up on the page, if that person does a search relating to your business.
• You might be number one for those who live around the block from you, and number five for those who live one town over. Your position is NOT static even if it looks that way when you search for
  your own business.

3. Google AdWords² is not Search Engine Optimization, so what is?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about the content/structure of your website being tuned to peoples’ searches, not about placing ads leading to clicks to your website:

• The hit on your website through AdWords is not making it more “in demand” in the eyes of the search engines because the click did not originate from your website’s link on the SERP.
• Focus on actual SEO, so that the rankings you generate are real, with quality over quantity content that is relevant to who you want to drive to your website.
• Come up with a specific goal, such as pushing a product, service or sale and keep track of results.

Local businesses should have a unique approach when it comes to SEO, based on industry, location, and other factors. Be wary of companies making promises before getting to know your goals. Being number one on Google is not necessarily the ticket to success anymore in today’s digital landscape.

¹Algorithms: how social media platforms filter, rank and organize the content we see based on a specific set of criteria (prosperforpurpose.com).

²Google AdWords: An advertising service by Google for businesses wanting to display ads on Google and its advertising network. Businesses only pay when people click on ads; the service is largely focused on keywords. (webopedia.com).

All businesses are digital in some aspect.  Between finding new customers or staying connected to current ones, there’s much to consider for your marketing strategy.  Below are 4 key ways to give your business a digital tune-up:

1) Give your digital platforms a review.
Consider the look of your website, which is often your first impression to consumers:

• Ensure that your website is clean, responsive and easy to navigate.
• Fix broken links, refresh images, and update designs to engage more visitors.

2) Yes, you probably should pivot to video.
Research predicts that video will account for more than 80 percent of web traffic¹:

• Video can often better engage and tell a story than can a whitepaper or blog post.
• Video can be repurposed and shared across multiple platforms.

3) Think about your social media strategy.
Determine how social media plays a part in your overall business:

• If it is a source for new customers, or if continued engagement is important, then focus more attention on social media.
• Social media platforms each have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you have a loyal following or products/services that do well on a specific platform, stay the course.

4) Great content still matters.
Research indicates that longer-form, higher-quality content will be even more important in the years ahead²:

• Avoid generic filler content that populates the page with useless language.
• Provide readers with value so they feel they’ve learned something beneficial.

Leading trends in digital marketing will help move your business forward with a vision for success.  A balance between traditional marketing and an eye toward the future of brand building through digital is important in today’s media landscape.

Source:  BusinessNewsDaily.com, written by Derek Walter, founder of Walter Media; ¹Cisco Visual Networking Index-Forecast and Trends 2017-2022; ²Forbes-buzzsummo.com; internetmarketinginc.com

A recent study shows that CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) rank business growth as the top priority in marketing goals. Following are insights into achieving this objective, as well as other strategies and challenges*.

What are the top priorities in marketing?

Business growth ranks first as the primary role of marketing:
• #1: Delivery of business growth.
• #2: Ensuring effective brand management.
• #3: Developing the overall customer experience.

How do CMOs support business growth?

Building lasting relationships with customers is key to delivering business growth:

• #1: Securing long-term customer relationships.
• #2: Driving revenue growth.
• #3: Enhancing margin growth.

CMOs see a battle for consumer attention.

There are challenges in building long-term customer relationships:
• #1: Increasing levels of competition.
• #2: Consumers’ less responsive to traditional advertising.
• #3: Information overload.

*Top 3 rankings for each category

Source: Dentsu Aegis CMO Survey Report, reported by Marketing Charts

Online activity is a two way street:  consumers are “showrooming”— browsing businesses and going online, and “webrooming”— researching online and purchasing in brick-and-mortar establishments.  Following are insights about success in the connected commerce space.

What Consumers are Doing Online (activities scoring high):

• Looking up product information.
• Checking/comparing prices.
• Searching for deals/promotions/coupons.

What Consumers are not Doing Online (activities scoring low):

• Clicking on email ads.
• Subscribing to product/store emails.
• Liking/tweeting/commenting on social media.

Consumers Pursue Information All the Time (see chart):

• 87% before visiting a business.
• 79% while visiting a business.
• 35% after visiting a business.

Strategies for Omni-Channel (Online/Offline) Success:

• Be customer-centric: Understand consumers’ demographics, purchase habits, path to purchase.
• Prioritize personalization: Provide clients with relevant, personalized information/offers.
• Think digital, but don’t neglect in-store: Physical establishments maintain many key advantages over online-only channels.  Customer service is a differentiator in every channel — providing exceptional service should be a primary focus for businesses.

Connected consumers = smart consumers, and they are using digital options to make informed purchase decisions, from reviewing products/services online to using in business establishments.

“Digital is viewed less as a threat to brick-and-mortar… and more as an opportunity.  Today’s winning brands use a combination of on and offline strategies to… help consumers make more informed decisions… [and] add value throughout the entire [purchase] experience.”

— Patrick Dodd, President, Nielsen Global Retailer Vertical

 

Source:  thinkwithgoogle.com

 

Awareness is the first stage in the customer purchase funnel — a buyer must be aware of your product/service before making a purchase. While ROI (Return on Investment) focuses on sales, ROO (Return on Objectives) focuses on defining metrics, such as increased awareness, brand impact, and purchase intent. Awareness is an important metric to be measured as it can be a major asset when trying to influence purchase decisions.

STRATEGIES

Strategies for how awareness contributes to driving objectives and sales defines the metrics used to measure effectiveness:

• For short-term gain, generate a spike in awareness just prior to an integrated campaign; also, condition the target audience with awareness of key attributes that educates potential buyers.
• For long-term strategy, re-position brand perceptions that builds awareness of advantages relative to a competitor, leading to higher preference, sales conversion, and loyalty.

METRICS
Awareness works well as a “diagnostic” tool to understand why other metrics, such as consideration, intention, purchase, etc., may be under-performing:

• Place increased weight on your primary target audience since they are a good fit with your brand and are more likely to move from awareness to consideration and purchase.
• Assess awareness among buyers currently in the purchase funnel, which is a better measure of effectiveness than from consumers not likely to buy for a long period of time.

MEASUREMENT
To measure ROO and ROI from awareness-building initiatives, design the measurement to understand customer behaviors:

• Assess the short-term lift in engagement and purchase actions associated with increases in brand awareness; allow for a slight lag time using modeling or market testing.
• Track perception metrics and your brand attribute ratings relative to competitors with ongoing or pre-post campaign surveys; closely monitor awareness changes relative to other metrics (consideration, intent, purchase, etc.).

Your business is mentioned all over the Internet.  It’s important to have your business listed in as many directories as possible, as it helps your ranking in Google Maps’ search results and with local SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  Following are steps for optimum results:

1. Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)

• Google improves search results by aggregating information about your business from all over the web. Make sure your name, address and phone number are listed the same everywhere, especially if your business has moved, changed names or phone numbers.
• Check that your business information on third-party sites is accurate; contact the respective site directly with any corrections.

2. Google Yourself

• Google your business to see if it shows up in directories, such as Yellow Pages, Manta, Yelp, Foursquare, etc.
• Every directory gives the option to update information. Follow up in two weeks to verify any changes you made.

3. Take Ownership

• Many directories add businesses on their own, not based on submissions.
• It is important to see if there is an option to claim, manage or take ownership of your listing.

4. Document

• Taking ownership gives you full control over your listings and is essential in keeping your information correct.
• Document the sign-in user name/password for each listing, so if your information needs changes, you can easily do it yourself.

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Listings are the first “picture” consumers will see of your business, so ensure that each one is accurate, informative and up to date.  Claiming and maintaining listings is one of the most crucial elements of your presence on the Internet. 

Source:  Jordan J. Caron, Meaningful Marketing; Google My Business Support Area