Voice Overs Are Ubiquitous

Apr 08, 2008 in Blog

The work of voice actors is ubiquitous in the modern world. In fact, your daily life is probably inundated with it, and chances are, you don’t even realize it. At least you didn’t before you started planning to hire one of them. If you are wondering why you never thought about voice actors before, it’s because you typically aren’t supposed to. One of the best things about being voice talent is the ability to get someone’s attention while simultaneously diverting their attention from yourself to the product being sold. That might sound a bit difficult when you start to really think about it, doesn’t it? If you try to do that yourself, you are going to end up drawing everyone’s attention to you and off of your message, which is not good. That’s the main reason you want to hire a professional voice artist to do the job for you.

Consider the vast number of places that voice overs show up, and that is after considering television promotions and jingles. But you can use voice talent to announce your special event or your business’s website. Heck, you can even use an actor to announce your personal website if you want it to be known badly enough. Many people choose to voice those types of projects for themselves. Perhaps it’s because they do not think of them as important enough to hire someone. In that case, why are they doing it at all? If it’s worth your attention, it is worth doing right.

For example, if you want to produce an audio book, why would you even think about voicing it yourself - unless, of course, you have a professional-grade talent. And most people simply do not have this kind of experience. Then there are corporate videos and educational videos, which are very helpful and can be extremely - if done correctly. If you have a good script, and the listeners enjoy listening to the speaker, then you have a message that can bring you some success. But if people can’t stand hearing the voice for one reason or another, then you’re out of luck.

“But I talk to people with this voice all the time!” you may protest. True, but your listening audience can tolerate a lot more face-to-face than they will put up with on a recording. And are there people actually paying to listen to you talk at this point? Probably not. If they are, then stop reading right now. This article isn’t for you.

You could be under the impression that hiring an amateur or doing it yourself will save you money. In the beginning, yes, but if this is a money-making venture, it will actually cost you money in the long run. Sounding cheesy can cost you the respect of the people you’re attempting to impress. Customers are more apt to spend their money with people who give them the appearance that they truly professional. If they see you confused in a voice over, like so many do-it-yourselfers do, then they are going to have second thoughts about spending their money with you.

Locating the right match for your voice over is very important!

Mar 06, 2008 in Blog

From podasting to radio spots, locating the right voice over talent for your company and brand is an essential part of your advertising efforts. Voice overs play a role in educating, persuading, entertaining, and generating interest in your target-market. No matter what type of message or ads you are looking to promote, a voice over artist can assist you in creating just the high-impact kind of ad you need.

Locating the right match for your voice over artist is crucial in modern societies highly-competitive market; you need to create a marketing message that resonates with your clients and helps to ensure that your company stands above your competition. The process of hiring can be slow, but working with a voice over talent agent can help make it easier to locate the right fit. Still, there are many ways to find someone who can assist you in developing the best advertising message needed. These are some basic do’s and don’ts when hiring a voice artist for your marketing campaign.

Do ask for references. Learning how the voice artist has been with other customers and clients can provide some wisdom on how well they might fit with your business goals.

Don’t listen to only one example. Ask for at least 3-5 different examples that demonstrate how adaptable & flexible the voice over talent may be. Professional voice artists should be able to create a variety of voice talents and adjust their voice to meet the needs of your desired communication.

Do expect to have more than the initial interview. The 1st interview may just be to cover the person’s qualifications and discover more about their background. The second and third interview may include tests or evaluations, so plan accordingly and devise a series of interviews to narrow down your choices.

Don’t forget about the talent that’s online. Many talented voice over actors can now be found online, and have developed their own webpage and portfolio for you to. This can make finding someone much easier, and you will have a much better understanding of their background with the audio files and related-links that are accessible online.

Do select a voice that fits in with your target audience. Customers in your target market are much more likely to resonate with someone who sounds like their own friends, neighbors and coworkers. Don’t be afraid to invest the time to locate at least 3 distinct traits or characteristics of your target market, and look for voice over talent with the same traits.

Remember to request ask for demo Mp3s. You can listen to these after the interview, and having them on hand can help you compare them to all applicants and talent with ease. Don’t forget about those Mp3 or demo-tapes so you can do an ‘apples to apples’ comparison when it comes time to make the final decisions.

Choosing the best voice over talent is vital part of creating your sales messages, and you will want to do some research in your market to find out what your customers will resonate the most with. Finding voice talent with experience can make the process of developing your campaign much nicer; make the time to interview and review each candidate to narrow down just the right fit for your needs.