Marketing yourself for Voice over
One of the biggest things I’ve leaned in this industry is that jobs don’t just fall in your lap. Even if you’ve signed up to several P2P sites and are looking to get an agent, one of the most effective ways to get good recurring work, is to network. Network your little butt off! Building relationships is key to making this stuff work for you.
It’s best to think of yourself as a business and a successful business needs to have a good marketing strategy in place. Having worked in marketing for 4 years before stating voice over, I had a pretty good advantage to get started, but I’ve found marketing in this industry is quite unique in some ways. So here’s my top tips to marketing yourself as a voice over artist.
1 Get a website.
When I first started I had hardly any money for this venture, so had to be really careful about what I chose to invest in. I actually thought a website would be one of the last things I would need (don’t run before you can walk and all that). However, once you’re confident in your abilities and audio quality, a professional looking website can really make a difference to how you come across to potential clients and kind of works like an online business card. If you’re cold calling (or e-mailing) companies, it’s good for them to see straight away that you’re professional and you mean business. Your website might not get you much work directly, but it’s a great way to showcase your demo reels and previous work. I’ve also had a little experience in web design so keep your eyes peeled for my tips on making your website look professional.
2 Use social media.
Social media is a great way to promote yourself but also for networking. If you haven’t already, make a Facebook page for your VO and sign up to Twitter. I’ve found Twitter to be a great tool for connecting with people in the industry. I keep a modest presence on Facebook and Instagram, but Twitter is really the site for making friends, it’s just buzzing with voice over bees! Once you’ve connected with a few VO folk, try looking at who they’re interacting with and follow them. Check out a few hashtags and see who’s posting. A lot of people even share live casting calls. There are a few sub communities too, so it’s particularly great if you’re looking to get your feet wet with gaming or animation. If you like and interact with posts, you’ll make some great connections in no time.
If you find keeping up with social media a pain – try some of the free management tools that are out there like Hootsuite or Buffer. They’re great for keeping on top of things and allow you to write up a load of posts when you have some free time and then set a schedule for them to go out when you want.
3 Google is your friend
When you really want to start hitting the market hard, the simplest and best way I’ve found to try and drum up business, is to just search for any business which might use voice over, such as video production or marketing companies, find their contact info and drop them a message. Just something casual to introduce yourself with a link to your website or demos.
Now you do have to be prepared for a lot of nothing, as many companies won’t reply, but if you keep at it, you can get onto the books with some great people and you’ve then got a chance to grow that relationship and potentially get some recurring work. It’s good to do this regularly if you can. I usually set myself a target to try and send at least 5 e-mails a week. But this is because I’m actually fairly busy at the moment, if I have a quiet week I can send as many as 10 or so a day. So when you get some down time in the studio, get searching! You never know where it might lead. Also – don’t be afraid to follow up. If you keep a list of who you’ve contacted, after a month or so, drop them another message, just to let them know you’re still interested in working with them. It works!
4 Build relationships
Once you’ve started to make those all-important connections, it’s time to start building lasting relationships, or in some cases even friendships! Make sure the first time you work with someone you make an amazing first impression. Go the extra mile and get to know them if you can. There are some brilliant people in this industry and once a company knows you can deliver, they’re likely to want to use you again. If you’ve done a job with a client, ask to connect with them on LinkedIn or follow their Twitter page. It’s just a good way to show you’re interest in working with them again. If you don’t hear from them for a few months, go in for a little nudge! Maybe message them and say how much you enjoyed working on their project and that you’re available for anything in the future. I hear voice over artists who have been in the industry a long time talking about clients they’ve worked with for years! So getting some solid relationships can really make your career.
Overall, the main thing to remember is to be consistent and keep at it! Putting in the grunt work early on means an easier ride later on. Have the confidence to go after work directly and put yourself front and centre. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, then others int eh industry will find it easier to believe in you too. For me, I’ve noticed a real difference in the amount of work coming in just by spending a little time each week on promoting myself and keeping up an online presence. Just remember to keep it up, even if you start to get work coming in. There’ll always be quite days or even weeks, so don’t waste them – get marketing!
Sing too loud, talk too much and take care!