Did you know that the first radio ad was served on November 2, 1920?

Yep, and since its invention in the 1890s, the radio was the pinnacle of media and entertainment until the creation of the television in 1927.

The TV remained top dog until June 29, 2007, when Steve Jobs announced the release of the iPhone during the annual Macworld conference. 

From there, the "two-screen" or "second screen" collateral consumption experience forever changed broadcast commercials (when the commercials came on, you'd grab your phone and start looking at something else until your TV show comes back).

Today, all of the devices in your home are designed to communicate with each other – making virtually any voice commands, in any media type to be deployed to any number of devices by you simply starting your sentence with: "Hey Google…" or "Alexa…"                  

The Point?

The way we consume and use technology continues to change and it's crucial for you to change with it.

If you own a Mexican restaurant, you need to ensure that the answer to "Hey Google, where is the best Mexican food in town?" points right to your establishment.

If you are a widget maker, you need to make sure that Alexa knows about you so that your customers can place an order to your business simply by saying "Alexa, add widget 123 to my shopping cart."

Which platform (Google or Amazon) you choose will depend on a variety of factors - including the type of business you have, what you are selling, and what your specific goals are. 

That being said, Google's "near me" feature is key for local businesses - along with ensuring your business is highly rated because as we've talked about before, your reviews matter. 

If you are an online retailer, placement on the Amazon Marketplace and Google Shopping indexes will be key for your brand’s product placement on these platforms.

Voice Commands are Not a Fad  

Voice commands across your connected devised are not a fad, they are not going away and if you focus on optimizing your business for voice-guided search – you will find yourself ahead of the pack when everyone has a Jarvis (Tony Stark’s digital assistant from the Iron man movies) of their very own.

[Diagram] How Jarvis Voice Search Works 

Thank you for reading and make it a great week!