Over the years, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of voice over artists achieving fantastic success. As more talent joins the industry, it becomes vastly more competitive, so it’s essential to understand the voice over business skills necessary to succeed. Sometimes you may feel like you’re wearing too many hats, so let’s narrow it down to the basics so you can focus your efforts and avoid feeling frazzled.
- Know Your Voice Over Genre Specialty
- Learn About Voice Over Coaching
- Acting as Your Own Sound Engineer
- Business Skills You Need
- Voice Over Marketing Skills
To effectively market your voice as a business, you need specific skills beyond knowing how to talk and read aloud. As with any other vocation, becoming an expert in marketing involves mastering different aspects of your new industry before launching full-steam ahead into it as a service provider. This article will discuss critical skills prospective voice over business owners should develop to advance their growth and success.
Choosing Your Voice Over Genre Specialty
If there is a particular genre of voice over you like, then focus on perfecting it and letting others know you’re strengths. It’s much easier to compete with all the medical or eLearning voice artists than to stand out against all voice over talent everywhere. Vocal properties vary widely in pitch, tone, and cadence, so you need to find the projects that can benefit from your unique voice.
For example, if you are interested in doing impressions, improvisation, or special effects work, video game and character voice over may appeal to you. On the other hand, if you have a soft, soothing voice and hate raising it, then audiobook or medical voice over may be a better fit. Visit the websites of other voice over professionals, listen to their demos, and evaluate how they portray their talent. Soon you’ll find a genre that speaks to you, and pouring your heart and soul into it will pay off in the long run.
Learn About Voice Over Coaching
No dedicated professional can have too much education or practice, and voice over coaching provides ongoing opportunities to improve your craft and hone your skills. Each coach will have a unique perspective, which can give you valuable insight and help you develop a strategy that will make you stand out from other voice over businesses. In addition, it allows you to practice your work in front of an objective audience. The best part about voice over coaching is that there are many out there to choose from, and each one may have a customized morsel of wisdom made just for you.
Acting as Your Own Sound Engineer
With the move toward home-based businesses, you’ll need to know how to perform and produce your auditions. You don’t need to be an expert in sound engineering, but you will need to understand general audio concepts and the fundamental tools professionals use. The right equipment and your own home studio will help you create professional-quality demos and keep up with the best in the business.
In today’s digital age, you can easily find excellent technology such as a microphone and recording system, a computer, and voice over software. You’ll need to be familiar with tools like limiters, compressors, and noise gates. In-studio opportunities will still be available, but like most independent artists, you may find working from your home studio the best way to go.
Business Skills You Need to Develop
The cornerstone business skills you need to be a thriving voice over talent are persistence and consistency. Some of the most prolific artists prioritize getting into their studio every day to audition, audition, audition. They also dedicate a portion of their resources to marketing and promotion. Excellent communication and customer service skills are essential to generate sustainability.
You can’t start a voice over business without a plan of action. The first step is to identify what you want to do with your voice over career. You should know what work you want to do and the clients you want to work with. You may also want to consider whether this is a long-term project or something you do on the side while working.
Running Your Business
The next step is to determine how much time, effort, and money it will take to make this venture successful. Voice over marketing requires an investment of time and resources that need to be set aside before diving in headfirst. To bring in business, you will need to invest in different types of advertising, such as email outreach and digital ads. Additionally, you should spend time on social media creating posts on Facebook and Instagram and search engine optimization (SEO) efforts like blogging about your brand online. These investments are necessary because they help attract new clients from different channels and allow them to learn more about you as an individual, making it easier for them to trust your services.
Must-Have Voice Over Business Skills for Marketing
Marketing is a mythical beast for many artists and the most challenging part of running a business. In truth, it is the lifeblood of your business and the key to bringing in new clients year after year. With the rise of digital marketing, you may feel at the mercy of the Google Gods, but if you dedicate some time and resources to it, you can exponentially receive future rewards. Let’s break down the main components of voice over marketing to understand the big picture better.
Reaching Talent Seekers Online: Understanding how consumers search online and what media they respond to the best will give you more control over your marketing efforts. Your voice over website is the core element of your online presence and the best way to reach new customers. You can use your site to educate customers, promote your work, and help them find you. This activity presents you as an expert in your field in the eyes of search engines, so when someone types in voice over related terms, your website has the potential to be presented in the top results (more to come on SEO in later posts).
Create Content That Resonates With Potential Buyers: Voice over clients do not exist in a vacuum; they have different needs than the simply curious. You need to understand these different needs for your marketing strategy to resonate with potential buyers. Like in many industries, this is achieved primarily through marketing and word of mouth. They find you through previous clients who acknowledge the quality of your work and what they experience online. Whether it’s voice over demos, videos, or written words, you must create content that resonates with others. Continue to produce great blogs, visually appealing videos, and updated demos so everyone will understand who you are and what you can do.
Manage the Best Social Media Platforms: Social media is a great way to connect with people and increase brand awareness. Facebook has over 1.35 billion active monthly users, so it’s a huge opportunity for voice over professionals to market themselves and their services on a platform that has such a broad reach. There are plenty of other social platforms that you can opt for as well. Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Twitter are all great options if you want to start or grow your business by promoting yourself through social media channels.
Take Your Voice Over Business Skills to the Next Level
Formulate a plan and set realistic goals yourself over time. Also, be prepared to adapt your goals if it appears you are drifting. Be proactive and professional at all times, and never stop learning. Focus on the cornerstone skills of your industry, and you will become a master.
The skills needed to be a thriving voice over talent will vary a little, depending on the type of work that interests you. However, common aptitudes include expert vocal technique, sound engineering, business knowledge, and marketing. The best way to learn these skills is by researching and taking classes related to each. At Voice Actor Websites, we have decades of experience helping voice artists achieve their business and marketing goals. We also provide a wealth of resources, such as our database and library, script samples, website design, SEO services, and more. Contact us today to give your voice over career boost!
