With the rise of voice platforms like Alexa and Google Assistant, you now have more ways to share your content than ever! And you don’t have to be a developer to publish content via Alexa or Google Assistant. If you can fill out a spreadsheet, you can publish a voice app.

1. Voice Platform Marketing
Melanie Seibert
Sr. Content Strategist, WillowTree
Let Alexa & Google Home Distribute
Your Marketing Content
@melanie_seibert
Central Virginia AMA

2. Voice Platform Marketing
Have you tried a voice interface?

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Agenda
What Is a
Voice Assistant?
Content Marketing
Implications
Introduction
01 02 03
More Ways
to Explore
04
Q&A
05

4. Voice Platform Marketing
Introduction

5. Voice Platform Marketing

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Hey Google,
make it warmer.

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September 2018:
24% of U.S. households own a smart speaker.
Source: Nielsen

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December 2018:
2.5 billion digital voice assistants in use.
Source: Juniper Research

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What Is a Voice Assistant?

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What Is a Voice Assistant?
Hardware Software+
• Voice-only device
(smart speakers)
• Voice + screen
devices (multimodal)
• Voice platforms
• Third-party apps

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Hardware
Voice-only devices
Smart speakers without a screen,
including:
• Amazon Echo
• Google Home
• Apple HomePod

13. Examples:
• Smartphone
• Smart speaker + phone screen
• Smart display (Amazon Echo
Show, Google Home Hub)
Hardware
Voice + screen (multimodal)

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Software: Voice Platforms
Amazon Alexa
Google Assistant
Apple Siri
Microsoft Cortana

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Just as you can create an Android
or iPhone app, you can create a
voice app that integrates with
Alexa or Google Home.
Third-Party Apps
(that’s you!)

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User Adoption May Be an Issue

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With one big difference from
mobile: you don’t have to
know how to code.
Third-Party Apps
(that’s you!)

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Does building a voice app sound hard?
It’s not.

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ImportantTerms
Voice apps have different names
depending on the platform:
• Google Assistant actions
• Amazon Alexa skills
I might use the terms “action,”
“skill,” and “voice app”
interchangeably.

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Voice App Types
for Alexa and Google Home
Flash Briefing — Alexa
Personality Quiz — Google Home
Flash Cards — Google Home
Trivia — Google Home
Custom Apps — Alexa, Google Home
Plus more!

22. Voice Platform Marketing
Content Marketing
& Voice

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Do you have a blog?

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Do you have a podcast?

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Flash
Briefing
Personality
Quiz
You have a blog ✔️ X
You have a podcast* ✔️ X
You can create
custom content
✔️ ✔️
ALEXA ASSISTANT
Which approach fits you?
* Google Assistant can play podcasts natively—no app required.

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Flash Briefing

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Flash Briefing Skills
• Good for distributing blog articles
• Good for distributing podcasts
• Can play recorded audio, or Alexa can
read your text
ALEXA

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Flash Briefing Skills
ALEXA
Examples:

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Flash Briefing Skills
• Update content daily if possible
• Content must be at least 10 seconds
long
• Content shouldn’t be longer than
4,500 characters
• You have to own the content (of
course)
ALEXA

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ALEXA
Ideas:
• Tips and tricks
• Industry news
• Fun facts
• Thought for the day
• Snippets from your podcast
• Audio snippet from your video blog
Flash Briefing Skills

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ALEXA
I did this ^^ in 20 minutes.
https://blueprints.amazon.com/bp/amzn.ask.bp.
0758a769-9b10-4089-9679-1791ee6bfa5f?ref_=ask_bp_home_4
Flash Briefing Skills

32. Section Title01

35. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz

36. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz
• A fun way to engage with your
audience
• You simply fill out a Google Sheet
to create this action
• Doesn’t require upkeep or
additional content generation
ASSISTANT

37. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz
ASSISTANT
Example:

38. The Sorting Hat

40. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz
Ideas:
• Help your customers identify
interests (Sorting Hat)
• Help your customers choose a
product
ASSISTANT

41. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz
ASSISTANT

42. Voice Platform Marketing
Personality Quiz
How to get started:
• Create a Google Assistant action
developer account
• Select the type of action you want
to create.
ASSISTANT

43. Voice Platform Marketing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y01IrU2D4M

44. Voice Platform Marketing
Exercise:
• Think about your existing
content marketing program
(blog, podcast, etc.):
• What kind of flash briefing
skill could fit your
organization?
• What kind of personality
quiz could fit your
organization?
Write your
thoughts
(5 minutes)
Discuss in
groups of 2–3
(10 minutes)

45. Voice Platform Marketing
More Ways to Explore

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All Google Actions
Templates
https://developers.google.com/actions/templates/

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Alexa Skill
Blueprints
https://blueprints.amazon.com

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55. Voice Platform Marketing
Thanks.
@melanie_seibert