The Internet of Things is here. Are you ready?

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a tech geek. I enjoy learning how to use new technologies as they come to market, but even more than that, I enjoy playing around with the potential of how brands can strategically use these technologies. As a marketer and social media professional, I see this as part of my continuing education (and if you work in the same space, you should, too).

This past holiday season turned out to be our family’s introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT). We received several IoT gifts, including a Nest thermostat, an Amazon Echo, and a WeMo starter kit from Belkin. Needless to say, I spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s playing with our new toys and basically creating the Plummer Home v2.0.

Admittedly, a lot of marketers aren’t familiar with IoT beyond a few articles in business publications. Because of that, I’ve jotted down a few observations to help others get up-to-speed;

The learning curve is quick

Although there’s still plenty of opportunities around UX, it’s amazing how quickly one can learn these devices. If you can connect a computer to wifi, you can set most of these devices up. (Getting them to talk to each other is a different story, though. More on that in a minute.)

Between smartphone apps and their self-learning capabilities, users don’t need to program IoT devices as much as customize their personal preferences. The goal of IoT is to function behind-the-scenes without much direction, and leaders in this space are designing products with this in mind.

Voice will likely become the standard for IoT

Many of us are already using Siri or Google Now, which means we’re already being trained on voice commands as a user interface. Playing around with Alexa (the female name used when talking to the Amazon Echo) felt more natural than using Google Now, and having the device respond via voice is a huge wow factor.

We’re already evolving from keypads to touchscreens for many of our devices. That next leap may well be from touch to audio (voice), and if so, it’ll have massive implications for users. Devices like the Echo are already making lives easier for people with disabilities, and other impacts can be expected. This also means children have the potential to become key users of technology along with adults.

For example, my four-year-old son learned how to use the Echo within moments, much faster than his tablet. Five minutes in, he learned that he could ask for his favorite songs on demand, and after hearing Frosty the Snowman several times, said: “Alexa, I love you.” She responded with “I’m flattered. Thank you.”

It’s certainly funny, but also a bit disconcerting.

Buy in will be a piece of cake

We all want our lives to be easier, so as long as companies build IoT devices with a focus on convenience, consumers will have no problem snapping them up. This has been true for all new technologies; convince buyers that it’ll make their lives better, and you’ve got a customer.

For the Internet of Things, however, this may be a bit of a challenge. Sure, a Nest thermostat can save you money by learning your preferences, then making adjustments as needed. But for my wife, the real benefit is the ability to turn the heat on from our bed upstairs — especially when she wakes up at 4:30 in the morning to get to CrossFit before work.

Marketers supporting IoT devices may find that benefits differ for various individuals, but that’s okay. As our society moves more towards customization, the idea of personal benefits isn’t going away. In fact, it’ll become the norm. Convey the right WIIFM, though, and you’ve got a sale.

The benefit must be clear and obvious

As with all technologies, just because there’s a new high-tech way of doing something, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best way. For example, turning on the lights in my dining room remotely is a several step process. I have to unlock my phone, open the app, wait for it to connect to the lights, then tap the on/off button on my screen. It’s great if I want to turn the lights on while I’m out of the house and make it appear as if I’m home, but it’s not practical when I’m sitting in the same room. It’s actually quicker (and easier) to walk over and flip a light switch.

Successful IoT products are going to integrate with current real world operations, not replace them. Had WeMo built a system that overrode traditional light switches, I doubt the benefit would be worth it. All too often, we’ve seen neat technology advances that, in all honesty, no one really needed. The benefit of any IoT device has to be clear, or it won’t be successful.

Devices will be easy to forget

As IoT devices evolve, they’ll offer services that are extensions of our phones, computers, and watches. But given our current reliance on those devices, and our built-in habits, we’ll probably overlook some of these features initially.

For example, one of the great features of the Amazon Echo is that you can ask for weather or the top news stories of the day. It’s great, but as I’m struggling to make my first cup of coffee in the morning, I usually forget to ask for a weather report. Instead, my habit is to pull it up on my phone.

You’ll also take them for granted really quickly

Just like high-speed internet, Google searches, and our phones, we’ll quickly become reliant on these ioT devices as they come into the mainstream. I’m already finding that it’s a pain to play Pandora on our other Bluetooth speakers. I have to open the app, turn the speaker on, select my station, and press play.

You’ll want it to do more

Along with the easy acceptance of these devices will come an immediate wish for them to do more. The Amazon Echo can access my calendar and tell me today’s schedule, so why can’t it also tell me what new emails are in my inbox? Shouldn’t the Echo be able to make calls, as well? Why can’t I just say, “Alexa, call mom.” and have that happen?

You get the point. Functionality will continue to grow, but once these devices become part of our lives, we’ll immediately expect more. It’s part of the human condition.

The potential for abuse and addiction is there

It’s no surprise that some people are addicted to Facebook, Twitter, or television. As these connected devices become more commonplace, the potential for addiction and abuse will extend to them also, just not in the ways we imagine.

No one is going to be compulsively turning their lights on and off, of course, but there could become a time when everything in our house is so connected, we become even lazier and dependent on these devices. Whether you want to imagine a future like The Jetsons, or the bloated humans of the film Wall-E, there’s no disputing that the Internet of Things will make it even easier for us to minimize physical exertion.

Standardization is desperately needed

What’s really keeping the IoT from going mainstream right now is a lack of standardization among products and companies. Everyone’s rushing into this space and partnerships are being developed, but this also means that some products play well with each other, while others don’t.

It’s a bit like an elementary school playground, to be honest. The Amazon Echo can interact directly with Philips smart light bulbs, but WeMo lights require a bit of third-party tinkering. Our Nest thermostat can’t interact directly with the Echo, but it’ll connect to a Samsung SmartThings hub, which in turn connects to the Echo.

Right now everyone’s trying to become a big fish in this growing pond, and it shows. Eventually, a few companies or products will become a “hub” or central interface for the Internet of Things. But until that happens, connecting all these devices takes some work.

Amazon seems to be making a play for becoming that main user interface, thanks to the Echo. But once Google and Apple introduce their own hardware that incorporates their own voice recognition systems, it could be anyone’s game.

Eventually, though, I expect we’ll either have houses run by Apple, or Google (much like our phones). Other companies may create great products and hubs that pull everything together, but since these two companies have such a lock on our personal information and preferences, it wouldn’t be surprising if they become the central interface for our homes, as well.

The bottom line

The Internet of Things is not quite ready for prime time, but soon it will be. And as with other technologies, smart marketers will be ready. That means not only understanding this space and how it works but what it could mean for brands.

Just as social media allows brands to connect with customers in their personal lives, the Internet of Things could allow brands to integrate that connection even further. Great marketers and social media professionals should be learning the ropes of IoT now to ensure they’re ready for that opportunity.