Copyright 2015 Success Vantage Group Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Jenny Lewis.

Transcription

1 VOGenesis.com 1

2 Copyright 2015 Success Vantage Group Pte Ltd All rights reserved. Published by Jenny Lewis. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, scanned, or otherwise, except as permitted under Canadian copyright law, without the prior written permission of the author. Notes to the Reader: While the author and publisher of this book have made reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no liability with respect to losses or damages caused, or alleged to be caused, by any reliance on any information contained herein and disclaim any and all warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or reliability of said information. The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. It is the complete responsibility of the reader to ensure they are adhering to all local, regional and national laws. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering professional services. If legal, accounting, medical, psychological, or any other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The words contained in this text which are believed to be trademarked, service marked, or to otherwise hold proprietary rights have been designated as such by the use of initial capitalization. Inclusion, exclusion, or definition of a word or term is not intended to affect, or to express judgment upon the validity of legal status of any proprietary right which may be claimed for a specific word or term. The fact that an organization or website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the author or publisher endorses the information the organization or website may provide or the recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that the websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Individual results may vary. VOGenesis.com 2

3 What This Book Is About?... 4 The Five Marketing Elements... 4 Social Networks... 5 Branding... 6 Things To Consider When Creating Your Branding Website, s, Etc... 8 Awareness Campaigns... 9 Snail Mail Blogs Promotions Websites Setting-Up A Website That Sells Over And Over Again Building A Client List An In-Depth Look At The Resources Conclusion VOGenesis.com 3

4 What This Book Is About? Just like any other business or field, you need to become your own hero. You will not be presented with great opportunities on a platter. You will need to try for them and you will need to set an image of your own in the market if you really want to get good work. If you are looking to develop a career as a voice actor, then you must try to get jobs on your own. The agents are of no help either because they are busy with numerous clients. Therefore, if you really want to find good work and opportunities, you will need to become your own marketer and advertiser. This book is especially designed to help all upcoming voice actors to learn to market their talent in such a way that they get great work offers. The Five Marketing Elements Every freelance voice artist has trouble finding good projects. This usually happens due to the lack of connections and experience in the industry. Landing your first job is tough for everyone, but if you completely rely on outside sources, you will end up wasting a lot of time. Having a good voice is not the only thing that you require to build a career as a voice artist. You need to be able to sell your talent using your own marketing ideas. Self-promotion is not an easy thing to do because no one wants to hear you talk good about yourself. So, you will need to find several other ways to sell your voice and attract voiceover jobs. Many voiceover artists hire agents that promise to market them to producers and get them into the industry. Although these agents have experience in marketing, they often don t have enough time to give to each of their clients. So, when you think your agent will be working on you, they will be promoting several other artists, which will leave you with their divided attention. Therefore, if you really want to get into this industry and build a career, you need to work on self-marketing and self-promotion because only you can truly promote your talent. Let s take a look at the different ways a voiceover artist can promote their talent to land jobs. VOGenesis.com 4

5 Social Networks Social networking sites have become a huge hit in the digital world. They are being used by millions of people around the world for the sake of socialization and entertainment. Some of the most common social networks are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, MySpace, LinkedIn, BranchOut, Tumblr, and YouTube. Millions of people around the world connect with one another on these networks, and the best part about them is that they have proved to be great as marketing platforms for businesses. Due to their high engagement factor, these networks can help voiceover artists connect with many influential people from the industry. You can also send friend request to fellow voice actors to stay up-to-date on the latest industry news and jobs. Apart from connecting to others, you can also make use of your network for special announcements. However, it is better to separate your professional profile from your personal one. Both your profiles play an important role in bringing you close to your dreams. You can also ask your friends and family to share your work on their profiles for increased viewability and awareness. Even if you post a simple status message about your talent and interests, you can get a lot of attention. You should also be able to set-up your profile in such a way that it stands out and gets the attention of people from the industry. Your profile should also include the services that you are willing to offer as a voiceover artist. If you are more interested in commercial projects, make it clear in the about section of your profile. If you have a separate website that includes some of your recording, you can definitely add its link to your social networking site for increased validation. When it comes to expanding your network by adding new people to your profile, you need to be very careful. Don t just add random people but look out for the ones that will help you with your career. YouTube is a great platform for posting videos and creating viral content. You can record some voiceovers and post a video on YouTube for increased awareness. LinkedIn is another great platform which is only used for professional purposes. By updating your profile on LinkedIn, you can attract a number of jobs and opportunities. However, make sure you add the right people to your network. VOGenesis.com 5

6 Branding Have you noticed how every brand has created its name in the market by constantly promoting their name, tagline, message, and logo? Brands do so to build a presence in the market, so that the next time someone heads out to the store they instantly recognize their products/services. This is exactly what you need to do to become prominent and easily recognizable. However, every brand does so by creating a unique presence in the market. This means that you need to brand yourself in such a way that when people hear your voice, they recognize who is behind it. When it comes to branding, there are a few things that you need to consider. Value Name Recognition Quality Trust For voiceover artists, their voice is everything. That s what builds a name for them in the industry. Therefore, if you really want to create a distinct name in the industry, you need to have a unique voice and style. When you have a unique and easily recognizable voice (it must be good), producers will ask for you. This usually happens when you already have a settled career in the field and you have worked on several projects. You can also be the first choice for many businesses if you have a voice that sound like another famous voiceover artist. Because of that artist s rates, businesses will likely want to hire you at a lower cost. You also need to have a unique style to get job offers. When you go for auditions, there are several other artists trying for the same job. However, if your voice and style is different, you will be remembered and the judges might ask for you in particular. So, make sure your voice stands out or else you ll not have a chance at getting a yes for the job. VOGenesis.com 6

7 Apart from being recognizable, you also need to focus on making use of high-quality microphones and recording devices. Because if your voice over is poorly recorded, you will not be able to charm the listeners. As a voiceover artist, you need to be aware of your value and ask for an amount that is suitable. If you think that asking a high price will not lend you any job, then quote a moderate rate. If you think quoting a very low rate will get you too many offers, then you are sadly mistaken. Because when a VO actor asks for a very low price for the job, the clients perceive their services to be of low value. Exactly how we perceive low priced products. Branding holds a lot of importance for every VO artist who wants to develop a good career in this industry. Every business or brand has a personality, which their owners market to make them standout. So, when we hit the market, we instantly pick the one that we recognize. This is exactly what you need to do with your voice. Treat your voice as a product/service and create its presence in the market. Give it a unique personality by designing your website. In order to create a brand for your voice, you need to think of it as a person. Write adjectives that perfectly define your voice and use them in your branding strategy. When you design your business card, make sure you add the elements of your personality (voice personality) to it. You should also pay close attention to creating a distinct image of yourself that others remember. VOGenesis.com 7

8 Things To Consider When Creating Your Branding Website, s, Etc When designing your website to build a brand, you need to focus on a few things. Let s take a look below: The website that you design should be suitable for the general audience, which means that it should be targeted towards the general public. So, avoid making use of complex words and sentences, and keep it as simple as you can. Your website is the main source of information for everyone, that s the reason it should include every detail about your talent and skills. If you are more interested in recording VOs for cartoons, then you should mention it on your website. If you have multiple talents, don t hesitate in mentioning it on the website because it will give people an idea about you. Essential information also includes your contact information and any certificates that you have received. Refrain from using fancy typefaces on your website. Your aim should be to make your content easily readable. Therefore, do not use fonts that are hard to read because readers can easily be annoyed and leave your website, making you lose a good opportunity. Add your signature and contact information at the end of your s. This will add more credibility and appeal, allowing you to create a distinct presence. When designing your business card, make sure you utilize both the sides and design them creatively. An empty side is visually unappealing to look at and doesn t leave a good impression on anyone who sees it. When it comes to branding, you have to be consistent with your design, logo, fonts, and use of color. If your website has a dark theme, but you design your business cards with a light colored theme, then there is a high chance that the viewers will be unable to build a connection, which will be bad for your brand image and will result in poor recognition. If you make use of the four branding points in your marketing strategies, you will be able to get lots of job offers. A voiceover artist who brands themselves the right way is the one who can increase their rate. VOGenesis.com 8

9 CampaignAwareness Campaigns Without designing these strategies, you will be unable to get noticed. Your awareness campaign should neither be too aggressive nor too needy. All you need to do is deliver your message to the people in the industry that you are up for hiring. One thing that every voiceover artist looking to spread awareness needs to keep in mind is that you have to be smart in delivering your message to others. You should have a certain way to saying things and making others realize that you are up for grabs. If you sound too needy, it will only make you look bad and annoying. So, tell others that they can hire you in a creative and highly attractive way. Let s take a look at some good suggestions that you can make use of to get the attention of casting directors and producers. Snail Mail A good way to get the attention of casting directors and producers is to design fun postcards and send them by mail. However, you should refrain from designing highly formal cards that look more like your professional resume than a fun card to connect with important clients. Sending a postcard is a way of letting someone know that you remember them. People send postcards on big holidays and festivals, but do not keep them to that. Send postcards to clients telling them about your recent airing or project. But do this in a creative way. Design an interesting postcard so that it stands out from the rest of them. Don t be afraid to be humorous when writing the card, and try to add a few touches of your personality into it. Sometimes clients are more interested in finding out about a VO artist s personality than their work. When telling clients about your recent work, make sure your project wasn t for their competitors. So, always send your postcards to the right people. This is a great way to build new connections and increase your chances of getting a job. You can also write about your hobbies like if you love to cook or you have a small garden of your own. Anything that tells the reader about your personality will be a good way to form a connection. VOGenesis.com 9

10 services have become quite advanced over the couple of years. Today, you no longer need to write separate s to be sent to your list. By making use of distribution services like Constant Contact, Benchmark , Vertical Response, or Cooler , you can send group s with just a single click. These services also offer monthly and quarterly distribution which can be quite helpful in saving you lots of time and hassle. However, make sure the s that you send are unique, funny, and attractive. If you send s talking about your studies and keep asking for others to give you a job, then you will only get your s marked as spam. Your s should grasp the readers attention instead of being a nuisance to them. Because there will be several voiceover artists sending s to people in the industry, you need to find a way to be different. So, don t come out as a needy person, but try to impress them with your humor and your personality. A unique and funny might help your build a connection with the readers, allowing them to remember you whenever they have a project that is suitable for you. You should also give the readers an option to leave the mailing list, because not everyone likes receiving s from people they don t know. VOGenesis.com 10

11 Blogs Promotions Blogs have gained a lot of popularity in the online world. These blogs are extremely effective in letting you share your story. However, you need to make sure that the story that you want to share is interesting and fun to read. But the producers that you want to aim might not have the time to read your blogs, so make sure you target your pieces towards other actors. You can write blogs to impress producers and casting directors once you become friends with them. Writing blogs only shows your creativity. So, don t hesitate in trying this out and you might get lucky. When you go out for grocery shopping and get a free item or coupon, aren t you the happiest person? That s what promotional activities are. They are a great part of any brand s advertising strategies. Because everyone likes to win free stuff, you can really make use of this advertising technique to get attention from producers, and create a brand name. You can send key chains, mugs, pens, calendars, t-shirts, and gift boxes to the people in the voiceover industry as a token of love. Make sure that you have your name and logo on these items, as this will help build your identity and result in great brand recognition. You can only go for this promotional strategy if you have enough money to spend. You need to come up with unique gift ideas if you really want the producers and directors to notice you. Customized gift items can also be great if you really want to make an impact. Promotional gifts are great for increasing brand recognition and value in the eyes of the receivers. These gifts also create goodwill, but make sure you are not bombarding others with free gifts because it will come under harassment. VOGenesis.com 11

12 Websites In this digitally advanced era, it ll be foolish to not have a website of your own. Every business needs a website to tell the world that they are available. That s exactly what you need to do and make your online presence count. There are several ways with the help of which you can make your website more visible. You can add highly targeted keywords to your website to bring it on top search results. There is Google AdWords to help you publish pay-per-click ads to a targeted audience. However, all of these things cannot get you more voiceover projects. If you really want to drive the right traffic to your site, you should consider becoming a part of talent databases. These pay-to-play platforms like Voice123.com and Voices.com are designed especially for voice actors who can get membership by paying a small fee. You then begin to receive audition notifications. You can also choose the type of jobs that you want to receive. You will then be able to record your voiceover at the convenience of your home and upload its mp3 file on the platform. Once you upload your voice clip, you will receive lots of views by other actors and producers. Your voiceover demo will also reach different producers that might ask for your quote and interest in doing a project for them. Sometimes producers may ask you to send voiceover recording from home. Even if you were not selected for a project, you might still receive feedback from producers, directors, and other artists. Getting onto platforms like these is an overall positive experience as you not only get to learn new things, but you also get job offers. Another way to get voice acting jobs, you can log onto Craigslist.org and search for voiceover jobs. When you hit enter, you will get a list of voiceover job in different cities. If you are looking to work in a particular location, just add the name of the city ahead of your search keywords. VOGenesis.com 12

13 Voicebank.net is a platform that is targeted towards producers and directors belonging to the voiceover industry. There are several talent agencies that post voiceover demos or producers to check. Because it is a professional and highly authentic platform, your demo has a better chance at getting noticed here. However, this platform is ruled by talent agency that post demos. If you want to post your clips individually, you can also do that to get them heard by the right people. If you are doing all that you can but still failing from receiving any offers, then you might want to take help from platforms like Voiconeonline.com and Internetvoicecoach.com. Both these platforms provide coaching and practice to inexperience voice actors who are looking to get hired. You can find effective tips and lessons on these platforms that will help you practice the right skills. Setting-Up A Website That Sells Over And Over Again The main focus of your website should not be limited to attracting new clients, but it should be able to bring you repeat business. If the clients that you worked with in the past do not feel valued, there is a high chance that you will end up with a bad reputation in the industry. Apart from targeting new clients, your website should also include your previous projects and commercial work. Add a new portfolio page on your website and upload your previous projects in it. Do not forget to add details about the project and make sure you give credits to the client. Because this project will help advertise the client, they will be pleased to see it on your website. This is a great way to strengthen your bond with the clients that you have worked with in the past. A truly successful website is the one that can make clients come back over and over again. This is exactly what you should be focusing on when designing your website. You can also add a paragraph about the clients that you have worked with by paying gratitude to them. Share the experience that you had with these clients and talk about them in a positive way. Apart from mentioning your clients, you can also offer discounted quotes and packages or repeat clients. This is a value-added service that your clients will definitely be attracted to. VOGenesis.com 13

14 Building A Client List Every business that wants to stay in touch with their customers and keep them informed about their latest gigs and happenings create a client list. This client list includes addresses of their customers, which they use to send s to them. Having a client list is also very important for voice actors because it helps them stay in touch with their clients that can offer great work opportunities to them in the future. If you had no contact with your clients, then how can you expect them to remember you when they have a good work offer? That s the reason it is extremely important to stay in touch with those who can hire you. An In-Depth Look At The Resources Let s take a look at the different resources with the help of which you can stay in contact with potential clients. Friends And Family What can be better than taking help from the people you love? Yes, that s right. Friends and family can offer great help when it comes to getting you a job. That s the reason you should never hesitate in telling them about your skills, interests, and expertise. Tell them that you are in search of a job. Because they care about you, they will try to help you. If they can t get you a job on their own, they will spread the word and ask their friends to help you. Internet Internet is a humungous platform where you can find almost anything that you are looking for. Therefore, when looking for voiceover jobs, look for such listings on the internet. There are many production companies and advertising agencies that have their presence on the internet. So, type production companies or advertising agencies in the search bar and add the desired location. As soon as you hit enter, you will find a number of agencies and their job listings. You can check these websites and pick the one that fits your requirements. Voicebank.net is a good platform to begin your search as it lists numerous advertising agencies, talent hunters, production companies, animation agencies, and freelance producers. Be careful of the companies you choose, as many big names hire talent agencies to do all the hiring work, and they have strict criteria for hiring. Small to medium sized companies on the other hand can be easier to please. So, choose wisely! VOGenesis.com 14

15 Talent Agency Lists Many voice artists higher talent agents who help bring together clients and artists. These agents have great connections and network of people in the industry that they contact to get you jobs. However, these agents might be handling several other artists, which means that you will not be receiving their complete attention. Therefore, you can also your agent to provide you with their client list for a targeted promotion. However, it is not necessary that your agent will give you this information, but if they do, then you have a great chance to reach out to the producers and directors and leave a solid impression on them. If your promotional efforts work and you get responses from clients, then you can handle your own client list. Resource Guides There are several resource guides available on the internet that may help you get information about casting notices and different clients in the industry. These resources are a treasure for voiceover artists who can use this information to build their network and look for great job opportunities. Some of the most popular and noteworthy resource platforms include: Voiceoverresouceguide.com in New York and Los Angeles. Reel Directory in San Francisco. Producershandydandy.com in Washington, D.C. VOGenesis.com 15

16 Social Networks Social networks are great for expanding your network of friends. That s the reason platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are of special importance for voice actors who are looking to get jobs in their field. By becoming a part of these platforms, you can actually get work through listings. Because LinkedIn is a professional platform, you can set-up an attractive profile, get connected to people from the industry, follow advertising agencies, and get job offers without any hassle. Another great way to just get noticed by the people of interest is to ask friends and family to spread the word about your amazing voiceover skills. So, when your friends share your stories or recordings on their profile, they will instantly reach to hundreds of friend of friends, and might even reach the right person. That s the reason it is essential for every voice actor to build their network and get in touch with people from the industry. However, make sure that you do not act needy, which will only make them run far away from you. If you have taken these marketing and promotional tactics into consideration, then there is nothing that can stop you from being a big hit in the voiceover industry, and become the first choice for every major voiceover role. Conclusion Marketing is one of the major pillars of success for any business. Without implementing solid marketing strategies, every business will fail. Similarly, when it comes to voiceover artists, you should consider yourself a brand. Once you do so, you will come to realize that you will need help from the various branding, marketing, promotional, and advertising techniques to build your name in the industry. If you neglect any one aspect of marketing, you might end up waiting for a good work opportunity for the rest of your life. Every voice actor who wants to succeed and build a strong presence in the market needs to promote themselves in the best way that they can. By making use of the promotional and marketing tactics mentioned in this ebook, you will be able to earn big bucks, and build a good career in this field. VOGenesis.com 16