/emerging-channels

name: emerging-channels
description: "Explore emerging marketing channels. Use when: evaluating voice search, social commerce, or new platforms."

Emerging Channels

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user's request involves any of the following:

• Optimizing content for voice search (Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, smart speakers)
• Preparing for or leveraging visual search (Google Lens, Pinterest Lens, Amazon visual search)
• Building conversational commerce flows (WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, chatbot funnels, SMS marketing)
• Setting up or optimizing social commerce (Instagram Shopping, TikTok Shop, Pinterest Shopping, YouTube Shopping)
• Building, growing, or managing online communities (Discord, Slack, Circle, Facebook Groups, Reddit, forums)
• Planning podcast marketing strategy (branded podcasts, podcast advertising, guest appearances, podcast SEO)
• Developing video marketing strategy across formats and platforms (short-form, mid-form, long-form, live)
• Marketing on newer or underutilized platforms and channels
• Evaluating whether an emerging channel is worth investing in for a specific business
• Understanding platform-specific commerce features and shoppable content
• Designing chatbot conversations and automated messaging funnels
• Building voice applications (Alexa Skills) or surfacing brand content in current Google Assistant/Gemini experiences
• Exploring international messaging platforms (WeChat, LINE, KakaoTalk, Telegram) for commerce

Brand Context (Auto-Applied)

Before producing any marketing output from this module:

1. **Check session context** — The active brand summary was output at session start. Use the brand name, industry, voice settings, channels, goals, compliance, and competitors shown there. 2. **If you need the full profile**, read: `~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/profile.json` 3. **Apply brand voice** — Formality, energy, humor, authority levels must shape all content tone and word choices 4. **Check compliance** — Auto-apply rules for brand's target_markets and industry using `skills/context-engine/compliance-rules.md` 5. **Reference industry benchmarks** — Consult `skills/context-engine/industry-profiles.md` for the brand's industry 6. **Use platform specs** — Reference `skills/context-engine/platform-specs.md` for character limits and format requirements 7. **Check campaign history** — Run `python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/campaign-tracker.py" --brand {slug} --action list-campaigns` before planning new work 8. **If no brand exists**, say: "No brand profile found. Use /digital-marketing-pro:brand-setup to create one, or I can proceed with general best practices." 9. **Check brand guidelines** — If `~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/guidelines/_manifest.json` exists, load and enforce: `restrictions.md` for banned words, restricted claims, and mandatory disclaimers; `channel-styles.md` for channel-specific tone overrides (may differ from base voice); `messaging.md` for approved key messages, taglines, and positioning language; `voice-and-tone.md` for detailed voice rules beyond the 4 numeric scores. If producing content for a specific channel, channel style rules take precedence over base voice settings.

Do not ask the user for information that already exists in their brand profile.

Required Context

Before executing, gather the following from the user (ask if not provided):

• **Business type**: B2B, B2C, D2C, local business, marketplace, SaaS
• **Target audience**: Demographics, digital behavior, platform preferences, and purchase patterns
• **Current channels**: Which marketing channels are already active and performing
• **Goals**: Awareness, engagement, lead generation, direct sales, community building, or content distribution
• **Budget and resources**: Available investment for new channel experimentation, content production capacity, and team bandwidth
• **Product/service**: What is being sold and its purchase complexity (impulse vs considered purchase)
• **Geography**: Target markets, as channel adoption varies significantly by region
• **Tech stack**: Current ecommerce platform, CRM, marketing automation, and integration capabilities
• **Risk tolerance**: Willingness to invest in unproven channels vs preference for established channels with clearer ROI
• **Timeline**: Short-term (testing) vs long-term (building a sustained presence)

Capabilities

Voice Search Optimization

• **Query pattern analysis**: Voice queries are longer, more conversational, and more question-based than typed queries. Optimize for natural language patterns ("What's the best Italian restaurant near me" vs "Italian restaurant NYC")
• **Content structure for voice**: Featured snippet optimization, FAQ schema markup, concise answer paragraphs (40-60 words for Google's spoken responses), and position zero targeting
• **Speakable schema markup**: Implementing structured data that identifies sections of content suitable for text-to-speech playback by voice assistants
• **Local voice search**: "Near me" query optimization, Google Business Profile completeness, local schema markup, and review volume/recency
• **Voice commerce**: Voice-initiated purchasing flows, reorder by voice, voice-exclusive promotions, and integration with Amazon Alexa shopping
• **Voice app development**: When to build Alexa Skills, use cases (brand utilities, content delivery, customer service), and discovery optimization. Google sunset its conversational-actions platform in June 2023 — reach Google Assistant/Gemini users through well-structured web content and schema markup instead of a standalone voice app

Visual Search

• **Image optimization for search**: Descriptive file names, comprehensive alt text, high-quality images from multiple angles, and consistent image sizing
• **Google Lens optimization**: Product images that are easily identifiable by visual recognition, unique product design elements, and schema markup for products
• **P