Susan Westwater, CEO of Pragmatic Digital Talks About Voice Marketing (Episode 174)
Welcome Susan Westwater
Susan Westwater is the CEO of Pragmatic Digital. Pragmatic Digital is a voice consultancy firm that helps brands understand what voice means for them as marketers, and helps create better customer experiences.
Susan’s Upcoming Book
Susan is working on a book called “Voice Marketing” that is expected to be released in 2022 with her co-authors Laurence Minsky and Colleen Fahey. They are the authors of the book “Audio Branding.”
The Voice Marketing book is going to be about helping marketers conceptualize what happens when their brand has to go Sonic and what it means from an interactive voice experience.
Susan Shares Her Tips for People Who Are Just Getting Started in Voice
Susan said it’s important to not be afraid to reach out to people and go to Voice Lunch and events like The Voice Den. Susan also said to read as much as you can to learn and expand your knowledge.
Research with Vixen Labs
Susan mentioned that they were trying to gauge directional and user experience thoughts in terms of usage. The exciting part is they were able to survey about 2,000 people to get a range of various markets and an understanding of the different attitudes towards smart speakers. Susan shared that when it comes to multi-modality, we must think about the smart speaker and smartphone.
What Surprised Susan About the Results?
The first thing that surprised Susan was that people are using smartphones and speakers at home. This confirmed the concept that “smartphone” doesn’t mean that they are not at home. The second thing that Susan noticed is that 70% of the users are not afraid of being adventurous; they are open to exploring their options. Susan shared that 91% of all voice users use voice search to ask questions.
The Voice Masters Program
Voice Masters launched in 2019 and it is a partnership between Vixen Labs and Pragmatic Digital that has an educational aspect. Furthermore, there is a component that helps marketing agencies understand how to sell to their clients, what is voice, and what it means for their brand. Susan came up with a concept of how marketers can start with voice. This concept helps them understand what they can do today and how can they work with a client to get them into voice.
Once a brand moves into voice maturity, it starts with optimizing what they have and it then moves into creation and a concept of integration.
Join the Voice Masters Group on Facebook
Susan has a Facebook group called “Voice Masters” that people can join and there will also be a 4-week mastermind group.
Susan’s Involvement with the Open Voice Network
Susan and Scott are moderators and ambassadors of the Open Voice Network and help with education, networking, and helping designers with inclusivity.
Connect with Susan
Check out Susan’s links and connect on social
Pragmatic Digital website
Thank You to the Sponsors of The Voice Den:
Headliners Sponsors
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