Voice Over Talent by Terry Daniel!

As you develop a successful marketing and advertising plan, your creative strategy may include multimedia channels such as audio and video segments. Many companies continue to use radio and television as their primary sources of advertising, but now there are even more options with web-based advertising such as podcasting, webinars, and video commercials broadcast across the internet.

With all of these avenues for the creation of memorable campaigns, savvy marketers will quickly realize that, although compelling visuals are certainly important, you will also want to put some thought into other crucial ways of reaching your audience, including powerful slogans and audio components.

A professional voice actor or actress can provide a powerful boost to the memorability of your campaign, and instantly render your marketing more appealing to your target market, regardless of exactly what you are advertising or how. Listed below are six reasons that you should consider hiring professional voice talent whenever you are using audio in a marketing campaign.

1. To help create an identity for your brand. To start your marketing campaign off on the right foot, you will want to create a strong sense of brand identity. A distinctive, professionally-done voice over can be the human element that makes consumers remember your brand.

2. To polish the appearance of your marketing. Marketing is always concerned with portraying a product or service and the organization that provides it in the best possible light. A good voice over can do a lot to increase both the professionalism and relatability of your ad campaign, making your product or service palatable to wider audience.

3. Voice overs differentiate you from your competition. For marketers attempting to sell a product or service in an already-crowded market, the only way to position yourself as a leading member of your industry is to immediately evoke a unique, powerful presence. Professional voice overs are a great way to achieve this.

4. To create a harder-hitting advertisement. Print and visual media are all well and good - in fact, they're essential facets of communicating effectively in marketing. Audio, specifically speech, however, is likely the most important of all. When customers are addressed by the right voice actor or actress, they're sure to listen, and sales will increase as a result.

5. Voice over talent can increase website traffic. As more people turn to podcasts, webinars, and even television for entertainment and business, you can boost traffic to your website with strategically-placed messages. Audio files on websites are becoming easier to implement, and people can simply tune in as soon as they visit your page.

6. To make the most of your marketing dollar. Television spots are great, but let's face it: they're expensive. Production costs can also be restrictive when it comes to creating online video. Investing in a voice of by a professional voice actor or actress can be a cost-effective way to increase the impact of your marketing.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Dozens of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.

Voice acting has become more and more important in modern marketing campaigns, and there's no indication that this trend will change anytime soon. Voice overs are a great, effective way to make a human connection with your target while extolling the virtues or your product or service.

Those who are considering using voice actors in their marketing projects would do well to learn a few key terms and definitions that are commonly used to talk about the voice over field.

Audition Tapes: Prospective voice actors and actresses will submit their audition tapes as they apply for the job. In addition to allowing you to judge the abilities of each actor, these tapes also can be kept on hand to help you keep track of the numerous applicants you will be interviewing.

Demo Tapes: As part of the interview process, you will want applicants to, in addition to submitting an audition tape, complete a demo tape recording of a sample script that you have picked out. If you choose the right sample script, these demo tapes can be a great help in picking the right actor or actress for the job.

Recording Studio: In order to obtain a demo tape, audition tape, or other vocal performance, you'll need a studio in which to records. If your voice actor or actress has a recording studio setup in his or her, you may be able to save on renting a space for your project.

ISDN Voiceover: Professional voice over talent will record most of their work in a home studio that makes use of ISDN technology. These recordings are sharper and more fine-tuned than the average recording studio.

Commercial Voice Overs: These are primarily targeting customers with a direct sales approach, and will push a product or service as part of the script. Commercial voice overs are powerful marketing tools that can deliver a message with high impact.

Narrative Voice Overs: These often accompany a film, video, or story and are scripted to entertain and inform, rather than sell. However, you may require a narrative voice for a portion of a commercial or sales segment.

Impressions: These are the types of voice overs that impersonate a famous person, celebrity, or imitate an historically famous personality. Impressions are a great way to make your message stand apart from the competition, and you can find many royalty-free scripts with this distinguishing feature in mind.

Performers' Unions: These are unions for voice over professionals that set market rates and help talent develop their skills. There are currently two unions that most professionals join; the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), and the Screen Artists Guild (SAG).

Actors: Many actors choose jump into the voice over market because of their skill set and background in impressions, imitation, and being able to dramatize concepts. You may find many talented actors who can read scripts and develop creative and unique voices for a specific project.

No matter what the project is that you are hiring for, you should take an organized approach towards searching for talent. Knowing the lexicon used to discuss voice acting affairs will help you fit in with professionals and find the right fit for your job.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.

When marketers make the decision to hire voice over talent, they aren't looking for just anyone - they're looking for a professional. It's certainly true that the right voice actor or actress for your project can boost the effectiveness of your marketing tremendously, but that means that you must put forth the effort the separate the wheat from the chaff and choose the candidate who is really the best fit for for the job. No matter the exact nature of your project, there are are several key traits that you will want to find in a professional voice actor.

These are a few of the characteristics that add up to an outstanding voice over artist:

1.He or she has a believable voice. Though there is certainly a place for exaggerated narration in the style of an announcer or newscaster, you're generally going to want an actor or actress who can perform naturally in a wide range of vocal styles.

2.The voice over has the right pitch and tone. Voice over artists are constantly practicing different pitches and tones of their voice so that they can create their own 'music.' This ensures that their voice stands apart from the rest; take the time to listen for distinct characteristics that make them different from other actors and actresses.

3.The voice over talent has quality demo tapes. Demo tapes are generally requested as part of the interview process, and you'll need these to evaluate the talent after the interview and testing is over. Professional voice over artists will have these items prepared and ready for your review.

4.He or she demonstrates the ability to perform in a wide range of vocal styles. During the interviewing process, you will probably ask your potential hires to read from a sample script or scripts of your choosing. Take a advantage of this opportunity and have candidates read in a variety of different styles.

5.A good sense of tempo. Another 'musical' element of voice over work is that of tempo, or pacing; you should look for a voice actor or actress whose speech flows naturally, and who has an intuitive grasp of the the rhythm with which he or she must speak in order to get your message across.

6.References. Checking into the references that you receive from potential hires is an essential part of the hiring process, as it will give you an invaluable chance to see whether or not your candidate truly is the seasoned professional he or she claims to be.

7.The voice over artist has a high energy level. You need to work with someone who can withstand the stresses and pressure of recording, re-recording, and in many cases, starting from scratch. Try to determine if they can articulate and develop a strong voice even when they may be tired or repeating the same piece for an extended period of time.

Interviewing potential voice talent may, at times, feel tedious, but in reality it is a key factor in the success of your project. If you can find a voice actor or actress with all of the aforementioned traits during the interview process, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble down the road.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

The sheer number of voice actors vying for jobs today can be a little overwhelming when you're looking for the one perfect candidate to represent your project. Take your search online can be a great way to streamline the process of finding the right voice actor for the job.

The internet offers many resource and options for putting together your multimedia project. You can locate scripts from a database, or create a script of your own and find just the right tone and theme by reviewing samples of other companies in a few clicks. The web allows you to view artist portfolios and samples with ease; many professionals upload clips of previous projects as samples which saves you time during your hiring process, and can help you narrow down your search. From reviewing resumes to conducting online interviews, the internet is making the voice over talent search much easier and effective.

Still, when you are trying to find the right match online, you'll need a strategy and process that will maximize your efforts. You can waste countless hours searching and sourcing candidates, only to find out that they won't follow through on a project or even submit a quality sample. Knowing what to look for and how to proceed online can make your interviews and auditions much more valuable. Here are the steps involved when hiring a voice over artist over the web:

1. When you first contact a voice actor or actress, ask that they send you samples of their work. Any professional voice actor or actress is sure to have some .mpeg files that they can send you, or a website showcasing their work. Actors without any samples can safely be written off as amateurs. This simple screening step will save you a good deal of time and effort.

2. Ask potential hires for a resume. Any serious voice actor or actress should be able to provide a formal resume, complete with his or her employment history and references. Speaking of references, they're there for a reason; you should make sure to contact two or more of the past employers listed in order to get a balanced assessment of the performance you can expect from a potential hire.

3. Ask the candidate for a preferred rate. You should make sure you understand how much the actor would like to be paid, and when. Actors may want to be compensated either per hour or per project, and though some do not mind being compensated on delivery, others may want a portion up front.

4. Conduct a telephone interview. Telephone interviews are best for any talent you may not have the opportunity to meet with in person. Telephone interviews can touch upon previous work, a brief script reading, and to gauge the confidence level of your candidate.

5. Ask if they can provide all services digitally. Some professionals have the equipment and skills to record the voice over in their home studio, convert it into a media file for review, and allow you to download it directly from the web. Find out what your options are, and plan accordingly to save on mailing fees, travel expenses, and other costs typically incurred for projects of this scope.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, MN and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Dozens of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.