How to Promote Your Alexa Skills during the Holidays

Michelle Wallace Dec 17, 2019
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The holidays are here, and shopping season is in full swing. With more than 100 million Alexa-enabled devices already sold around the world and more being purchased every day, it’s a great time to reach more customers for your Alexa skills. And through December, Amazon is giving US customers a $3 Amazon digital credit when they make an in-skill purchase using Alexa (details here), so Alexa customers have an added incentive to try out premium skills. That means it’s the perfect time to monetize your skill by adding premium content using in-skill purchasing (ISP)—and to reach even more customers by promoting your skill.

But how do you spread the word about your skill? There are so many ways to promote your skill to customers that we’ve put together a list of tips. Here are of some of our top recommendations for promoting your skills, attracting new customers, and giving existing customers a reason to keep coming back.

Spread the Word to Get New Customers for Your Skill

One of the easiest ways to attract new users is to start with those you contact on a regular basis—your personal and professional network. Here are a few ideas for spreading the word about your skill within your own network.

  1.  Send an email announcing your skill: Let your friends, family, and colleagues know about your Alexa skill by sending a quick note with a link to your skill on the Alexa Skills Store. Make it easy for them to get started by including instructions on how to enable and invoke it on Alexa. While you’re at it, you can also spread the word to your professional connections on LinkedIn through InMail or LinkedIn messaging.
  2.  Add your skill to your email signature: You send emails every day, so put them to use to build awareness for your Alexa skill. Edit your email signature to include a short description and a link to your skill. You can also include your Alexa icon as well as what to say to invoke it, which will help users enable your skill and start using it.
  3.  Feature your skill on your website’s homepage: Showcase your skill by announcing it on the homepage of your website, along with a link pointing customers to it in the Alexa Skills Store. You can also announce your skill on your blog, including a description of what your skill does, why you built it, and how customers will benefit from using the skill.
  4.  Promote your skill on social media: Social media networks offer the possibility of reaching thousands (or millions) of potential users. You can start by announcing your skill on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Post a link to your skill in the Alexa Skills Store or share a link to the blog post that announces the skill. For added interest, make and post a short, engaging video that highlights how customers can use your skill and invoke it. You can also share your skills to social media directly from the Alexa app.
  5.  Highlight in your mobile app: Do you have a mobile app? You can promote your Alexa skill within your app, and use app-to-app account linking to let customers initiate skill enablement and account linking with a touch. When users choose to link their accounts using iOS, this “one tap” operation passes their account credentials to your skill, so customer won’t have to enter their username and password to enable and link the skill. 

Drive More Engagement with Your Existing Customers

You can also capture your existing customers’ interest to keep them engaged with your skill. Here are some ways to get started.

  1.  Encourage your existing customers to create routines that use your skill: Your customers already use Alexa to perform everyday tasks and simplify daily life—and one way to do this is through Alexa routines. Alexa routines are an easy way for Alexa to perform a series of actions at the same time, in a certain order. Tell your customers about routines in case they don’t already know about them, and make sure they know they can add your skill into a new or existing routine.
  2.  Use proactive events to keep your customers engaged with timely information: With the Proactive Events API, you can enable your Alexa skill to send notifications to customers who have granted permissions. This is a great way to engage with your customers and provide timely notifications that keep them coming back. Example use cases include sending weather alerts, order status updates, reservation confirmations, content availability, and invitation to games.
  3.  Keep your existing customers posted on email and other channels: Don’t forget to keep your existing customers up-to-date on the same channels you use to reach new customers! If you release new skills or premium content, let them know by sending them an email or including details in your newsletter or blog. Give them a few example phrases to catch their interest and get them started.

The holidays are a great time to reach more customers and bring them joy through engaging, voice-first experiences. And with the Amazon digital credit being offered to US customers who make an in-skill purchase through December, now is a great time to reach customers with premium content. So, go ahead and add premium experiences to your skill. And don’t forget to use these tips to help customers find and use your skill—and hopefully try your premium content, too.

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