Marketing your voiceover talent on the internet

Talent

MARKETING YOUR

ON THE INTERNET

Voice Over

2 | Marketing Your Voice Over Talent

MARKETING YOUR VOICE OVER TALENT ON THE INTERNET

In this way, a voice over actor can effectively become the voice of the brand, offering suggestions of their brand values and goals through the nuances of hisor her voice.

If you’re looking to get into voice over acting, or even if you’re a veteran who has plenty of voice over work under his orher belt, you’re going to need to market yourself online. Yes, the Internet is a great place for research, watching movies, downloading music, and sharing the latest cat videos, but it’s also a powerful tool for marketing your talents, no matterwhat your industry happens to be.

Here are a few tips for harnessing the power of the Web for your voice over talent

From phone systems to commercials,companies are constantly in need of actors willing

to lend their voice to their product or service.


Create a Website

If you’re serious about landing voiceover work, you’ll definitely need to createa website that establishes you as a voice

over talent who is available for work.


Voice over actor Maxine Dunn writes on Voice-Over Extra that setting up a domain with GoDaddy, an inexpensive and popular option for those looking to establish an online presence. Dunn notes that their customer service is also impressive, which is always a good thing if you’re not terribly familiar with the ins and outs of building a website.

As a voice over actor, your site should definitely have a demo reel that gives visitors a clear picture of your voice talents. As for anything else it needs, that’s up to you. Voice Actor Paul Strikwerda writes on Voice-Over Extra that you should make sure your site is better than “just okay.” He writes: “An effective website is easy to find, easy on the eyes, easy to navigate and it loads fast.”

Create a Website

You’ll want to brand your website as yours and yours alone, so it’s probably agood idea to make yourURL your name.

If you’re Mary Smith and marysmith.com is taken, try marksmithvoiceover.com or marysmithactress.com.


Get Social

So you’ve established a Web presence.Fantastic. But your work is only just beginning.

Websites are must-haves in the world of marketing, whether you’re a major brand or

a novice voice over actor. But supportingyour site with a robust social presence dedicated

to your work will help you get attention.


Mashable notes that 50 percent of customers value a brand’s Facebook page over their website. For business, there are many reasons for this: access to special offers, early access to news about new products, and the ability to easily interact with the brand.

As a voice over actor, you’re probably not quite in the same league as Nike or Sony, but you can still harness the power of social media to get the word out about your voice over talents. For

instance, you can post links to your most recent voice over demo, or the latest commercials or other projects you’ve recently worked on.

You should also start a profile on LinkedIn, if you haven’t already. Forbes points out that the professional networking site has over 300 million users, making it an indispensible tool when marketing your voice over talents. And if that’s not enough, U.S. News points to a study that shows an amazing 94 percent of recruiters use the site to find and vet candidates.

But don’t be afraid to take your voice over talents to more artistic social networks like Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat. Create short, voice-based skits. Rebroadcast clips of your latest radio or TV commercial spot. Send out a Snapchat of you in the voice over booth, if you want to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a voice over actor.

These methods may not be right for everyone, but if you’re up for the creative challenge, they can be a powerful way to set yourself apartfrom the crowd.

Get Social


Network, network, network!

When you’re a small business, or a businessof one, getting out and meeting people is basically

marketing yourself. Think of it as real-world marketing, a chance for people to meet and speak to the person who also happens to be the product.


Network, network, network!

There’s a community for everything, including voice over talent. Meetup has a lively voice over actor group, and LinkedIn has several networking groups dedicated to voice over acting, one of which boasts over 13,000 members. PBS also has a listing over voice over networking events. If for some reason you can’t find a voice over networking group in your area, start one! Chances are, there are other people out there looking to connect.

When attending voice over networking events, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.Talk to people (let them hear that voice!) and trade information. This can be a good way

to find an agent, learn about potential jobs or better your craft.


List yourself online

As with just about every industry out there,there are specialized websites dedicated to

connecting voice over actors and brands and companies looking for voice over talent.


And don’t

forget to list

yourself and look

for jobs on broader

job sites like

Indeed and

Career Builder.

Voices.com boasts “the largest community of talent, actors, narratorsand audio producers” and offers guides and rate sheets that help you determine the best way to run your business. It’s even caught the attention of the New York Times. Other siteslike Voice123 offer similar listings and vibrant communities.

List yourself online


Now hit the pavement

Establishing a strong online presence andregularly using the Internet to do research

about potential voice over work andfuture industry connections is an important

foundation to start a voice over career.


Now hit the pavement

But most

importantly,

it’s almost

always a heck

of a lot of fun.

But there comes a time when you have to get out there and hit the pavement! Take meetings, register for classes, accept as many jobs as possible and make sure that you real-world reputation is as a flawless as your online one. When this synergy occurs, you’ll find that voice over work can be a hugely rewarding—and sometimes very lucrative—career.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Marketing your voiceover talent on the internet