As a business owner, you need to pay attention to what’s happening with voice search. Voice search is when a device user asks, rather than types, their inquiry – things like “Siri, is the florist open now?” or “Alexa, how do I get gravy stains out of a t-shirt?” Last year, Google I/O CEO Sundar Pinchai revealed that 20% of Google searches conducted on mobile devices are voice searches; today one in four of all Google and Bing searches are voice searches. This tremendous growth has happened because voice recognition technology has become much more reliable as mobile device usage reaches peak levels.

[Tweet “Today one in four of all Google and Bing searches are voice searches.”]

Many brands already have voice-search driven marketing strategies. One of the most successful has been the famous Tequila maker, Patrón. They created a Patrón Cocktail Lab that users could access through multiple platforms, including Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa. Users ask for drink recipes tailored to suit their preferences – it’s the digital equivalent of an experience traditionally available only face to face, from your friendly local bartender.

As customers have these type of experiences with larger brands, they will come to expect them from smaller companies. Luckily, the martech that powers voice is increasingly available and affordable to business owners. Chatbots, which are used to provide an enhanced level of customer service on websites, social media, and messaging apps, can be custom built, deployed, and supported for a realistic budget. Amazon is providing tutorials and assistance to any brands wishing to build more complex experiences to be accessed via Alexa. Today, we are able to clearly behold what tomorrow’s digital environment is going to be like: chatty. Very, very chatty.

Your job right now is to think about the conversations your customers are currently having with you. What questions do they have? What questions might they have after they’ve already made a purchase? These are the questions Patrón answers in their Cocktail Lab. What customer support issues come up regularly? What do your customers enjoy about doing business with you? Knowing the answers to these questions is an integral aspect of developing your voice search strategy, so it’s a great starting point.