By Alan Perkins
Managing Director
SilverDisc
JUNE saw Google’s Joseph McEntee visiting Kettering to co-host a ‘Predicting the Future’ seminar with SilverDisc, a Google Premier Partner digital agency.
A roomful of Northamptonshire businesses heard from Joe how assistive technologies based on smart speakers, mobile phones, tablets and PCs are changing the way that people use the internet to help them complete tasks; how this change is affecting marketing; and what that means for their business.
Predicting the future is a very useful skill to have when it comes to staying in business, and it’s a skill we’ve maintained at SilverDisc throughout our 25-year history. It’s good to have one eye on the past, remember what worked and what didn’t and what got you to where you are now; and one eye on the future, as very often what got you to where you are now isn’t what’s needed to get you to where you want to be. This is especially true in the fast-moving world of digital marketing.
In SilverDisc’s early days, when the web was still really in its infancy, we took it solely upon ourselves to predict the future. We filed some search engine patents and, through marketing our patent-pending technology, came upon a young Google and worked with them to write their Webmaster guidelines. This cemented SilverDisc’s relationship with Google in 2001 and sowed the seeds for us being a Premier Partner today.
Fast forward 17 years and now a significantly bigger and more profitable Google is helping SilverDisc to predict the future on behalf of ourselves and our clients.
Joe gave a fantastic demo of Google’s Artificial Intelligence booking a hair appointment, and explained the technology behind that and where it is headed. Another example was Joe squeezing his phone and asking it ‘When are United playing next?’ and being told that it’s currently close season but Manchester United’s next game was against Milan on 26 July. Lots more examples were presented!
I believe that these technologies will be hugely positive and life-changing for large numbers of people, helping them to achieve things that are currently financially beyond their grasp. Everything from freeing up their time on mundane tasks like shopping and appointment-booking to providing advice on health, legal issues and money matters.
For marketers, the possibilities are endless. During July I am off to Google in California to discover the next steps in the adventure. Give SilverDisc a call if you’re looking for a marketing partner to take your business into the future.
Contact SilverDisc on 01536 316100 or visit www.silverdisc.co.uk