Voice Over Talent by Terry Daniel!

In today’s fast-paced world of internet communication it’s easy to forget about the success of “old-school” advertising. Now a days, marketing is driven by websites, blogs and email; such as, podcasts, vlogging, and multimedia on the web. This means your business needs a marketing strategy that includes voice over artists, creative photography, and video production.

Before T.V. and the internet, people tuned into the radio to get their daily news and commercials. Voice over talent was in high demand back then since many businesses turned to radio to promote and advertise their products. By the time television arrived, everyone was already used to ‘hearing’ from advertisers; the T.V. took this to the next level with much more sound and images.

Fast forward fifty years and the public is turning to a new medium for entertainment and information; the internet has grown to become one of the leading technologies for marketing and advertising, and prompts visitors to effectively read pitches and sales letters instead of listening to them. However, this is quickly changing with the development of other multimedia such as online video, podcasting across the web.

Now that podcasting and blogging are becoming ubiquitous, every business needs a memorable message that sticks with visitors and listeners so they can remember the brand long-term. The same effect that the radio had on the listening audience in the 1050’s is returning full swing with online advertising, video commercials, and podcasts. Voice actors and actresses now play an important role in presenting your business’s marketing message, slogan, and can even promote your brand name. Hiring the right voice over actor (with the help of a voice talent agent) is a simple approach to creating an attention getting that attracts new prospects immediately.

Voice overs can be used for little commercial segments, presenting products on a web site, podcasting, or making a radio ad. If you are thinking about producing a commercial for the T.V., you’ll need a voice over artist to perform the narration so that it is appealing and produces the kind of impact you’re looking for.

Voice overs are becoming even more important for businesses who want the competitive edge with their web presence. Musical narrations, songs and jingles can still have a strong impact on visitors and potential customers, and are essential when you’re using radio advertising as a part of your plan. Introducing voice overs into your advertising helps to enhance your brand, create an identity, and even build stronger relationships with new customers.

Print advertising may have less impact as more people turn to video or audio on the web. Why invest your marketing budget in an area where only a few people are even paying attention? Audio and video segments created with voice actors can create the impact you need and make your marketing message soar above from your competitors.

The work of voice-over artists is ever-present in today’s society. In fact, your daily life is brimming with it, and chances are, you don't even notice it. At least you didn't before you started considering one of them. If you're wondering why you never thought about voice actors before, it's because you aren't supposed to. One of the most interesting things about being a voice-over artist is the ability to grab someone's attention while correspondingly redirecting their attention from the speaker to the product being described. That sounds a bit hard when you start to actually ponder it, doesn't it? If you try to do that yourself, you are only going to wind up drawing everyone's attention to you and off of your message, which ain’t very good. That's the biggest reason you need to hire a professional voice artist to do the job for you.

Consider the large number of places that voice overs show up, and that is after considering television promotions and jingles. But you can use voiceover artists to announce your special event or your business’s website. Heck, you can use an actor to tell the world about your personal website if you really want it to be known badly enough. Many people those kinds of projects for themselves. Maybe it is because they don't think of them as important enough to hire a voice. In that case, why are they bothering with it at all? If it is worth your effort, it’s is worth doing right.

For example, if you want to produce an audio book, why would you even consider voicing it yourself - unless, of course, you have a professional-grade training level. And most people simply don't. Then you have corporate and educational videos, which are very helpful and can be extremely - if done right. If you have good material, and the listeners enjoy listening to the narrator, then you have a message that can bring you a measure of success. But if people can't stand hearing the voice for one reason or another, then you are out of luck.

“I’m talking to people with this voice all the time!” you may protest. True, but your listening audience can deal with a lot more face-to-face than they will endure on a recording. And are there people actually paying to have you speak at this point? Probably not. If they are, then don’t bother reading any further. This article is not for you.

You could be under the impression that hiring an amateur or doing it yourself will save you some dough. At the outset, yes, but if this is a money-making venture you are planning, it will actually cost you money in the long run. Looking cheesy can cost you the respect of the people you're attempting to impress. People are more apt to spend their money with people who give them the appearance that they truly professional. If they hear you confused in a recording, like so many wannabes do, then they’re going to rethink buying your product or service.

Reaching your buying audience effectively is the main purpose of your marketing plan, but discovering which avenues will work can be a bit of a crapshoot. Now that podcasting, webinars, and online advertising are opening new avenues of communication, more businesses are developing high-impact slogans and messages to increase the presence of their brand. Radio and television advertising still offer a lot benefits, and each and every one of these sales andmarketing channels are made better with the use of voice overs.

Combining a voice actor to your advertising campaign will help to create a unique message and differentiate your brand. Whether you’re trying to persuade your buyers to purchase something, present new information, or simply entertain an audience, voiceovers can deliver your message in a special way. Effectively delivering of you message assists in creating a powerful presence for your business; consider how often a jingle, slogan, or just one sentence can become a part of pop culture. Having the right voice behind your message will definitely “pump or dump” your marketing campaign.

The first thing to think about with voice overs is what your target market looks like. Consider demographics like age, ethnicity, and location. If you are marketing to customers in the South, for example, you might want to choose talent and advertising concepts that have the components of Southern culture and a Southern accent. When your customers resonate with the voice and message, they’re much more likely not to forget the message, slogan, and most importantly, your company.

The 2nd idea to consider is how to hire the most appropriate voice over talent. Voice over actors might be represented by an agent, or they might have created their own website and online profile. Some voice artist directories can also help you narrow down your quest; these can be searched by keyword, age, type, and background so you can find a perfect match with very little effort involved. If you do decide to work with a voice over talent agent, you may be paying an extra fee for services. Never the less, the agent will hopefully help you to track down a pro voice over artist who has experience in the field, and also a strong list of references.

The third thing to consider is how long you will want to hire your voice over talent for. If your’re developing a selling strategy that involves various sales messages and advertising for extended periods of time, you’ll want to write a contract with your voice actor. Since you don’t want to continuously switch voice artists and ruin the memorable “voice” of your brand, think of ways you can negotiate payment for the long-term, and plan on hiring the talent for more than one campaign at a time. In most cases, costs are negotiable, and you can look for current rates online in order to devise a compelling offer.

Voiceovers are a great method to enhance your image and create a more professional representation with your marketing campaign. From online-radio to podcasts, the voice over artist plays an essential role in delivering the right communication to your customers.

As a new Voice Talent, now you must decide what services you will offer to your voice over clients. Today let’s take a look at just a few to consider the options available – the more you can offer, the larger variety clientèle you will be able to serve.

* Advertising/Sales Voices TV/Radio

* Podcasts and Podcasting Voices

* Documentaries and other Narration

* Phone System Recordings/Messages

* Movie and TV Show Trailers

* Video Game and Toy Voices

* Cartoon and other Character Voices

* Educational Videos and E-Learning

* Corporate and Business Video Voices

* Transcription Services

* Audiobooks, Books on Tape/CD

* Language Translation Services

* Soundtracks, Sound Effects, Music Composition & Production

* Writing and Producing Jingles and other materials

Each of these services requires a separate and distinct set of skills and talents, so you may already know which you can or cannot perform. Translation, for example, requires working knowledge of one or more languages beyond your own. If you don’t have this skill or know someone who does, it is illogical to include this as one of your services.

Anyone contacting you should know immediately if you are able to perform the voice over job they are hiring for or not. Wherever you are advertising, this is one of the first and foremost items to address. If you have business cards, be sure to have your services listed there too. Often, if the list is long like the one above, you can choose to have it added to the back of your business card in order to make full use of the card. However or wherever you do it, just make sure you can adequately perform the services you list, or you will lose a repeat customer on the first job.