Using the Internet to market your voiceover business

The voice-over industry is undergoing a sea change as a result of the proliferation of the Internet. Voiceovers can be remotely recorded in high quality today, and the location of the recording doesn't even matter. Virtually anyone may launch a career as a voice talent if they have access to a computer, a microphone, and the internet.

In the past several years, a remote session consisted of a voiceover performer standing in a commercial production house studio, such as one in Los Angeles, and receiving instruction over the telephone via a "phone patch" from another location, such as one in New York City.

The satellite link was a subsequent development in the field of remote recording. It has excellent sound quality on both ends, but because of its high cost, it can only be utilized in recording sessions that have the highest production values and the largest budgets.

ISDN, which stands for Integrated Services Digital Network and is a more cost-effective alternative to the satellite link, emerged a few years after the satellite link. ISDN is a digital hookup via the telephone system. A piece of hardware known as a "codec" serves as the connecting mechanism between each of the locations. The use of an ISDN hookup is recommended for customers and agencies that have budgets that are sufficiently large to cover the additional expense of recording an out-of-market voiceover artist.

The now-ubiquitous. The mp3 format, which is the same file type used for exchanging songs over the Internet, is the most recent and, to this point, the most freeing technology that is available to voice-over talents. It is possible for a voice talent to set up a home studio anywhere in the world and begin working immediately. The voice talent uses a personal computer (PC) that is equipped with basic audio editing software to record the voiceover, taking direction from the client (through phone patch) if the customer so desires.

After that, an MP3 file is made and attached to an email that is then delivered to the client or the agency, depending on which comes first. No pricey satellite or ISDN linkups There is no production facility for commercial use. Put another way, there is no middleman.

Is this something to look forward to? Not in every way. It is possible to draw parallels between the explosion of home voiceover studios and the desktop publishing craze that occurred 15 years ago. Even if you have a powerful printing machine sitting on your desk in the form of a box, it does not guarantee that you will be able to generate publications that are logically sound and attractively laid out.

Everyone believed that all they needed to do to make a living publishing newsletters was to get PageMaker, print some business cards and letterhead, and presto! they would be successful. Naturally, the vast majority of these people who were new to desktop publishing found out that there is more to being successful than just technology. To utilize the tool, the program, successfully and, most importantly, profitably, one must first and foremost possess the talent, training, and experience necessary for the task.

Now that we've gotten that disclaimer out of the way, and on the assumption that you have what it takes to make a success of your at-home voice-over business, let's take a look at how the Internet has also changed the promotion of voice-over talents.

Getting the business up and running

Before the invention of the home studio, voiceover artists were required to travel to recording facilities. Promotional activities included sending your demo on tape or CD to production houses, ad agencies, talent agents, and casting agents; making phone calls; sending reminder cards with your latest credits; sending thank-you gifts to clients during the holiday season; and networking with anyone and everyone you could find. In fact, you are still required to do all of those things in order to be successful, but thanks to the Internet, you now have extra chances for advertising at your disposal.

So, where do we even begin? Create a website as a first step. You could design it yourself, or you could pay a professional. A brand new web hosting business that specializes in assisting voice actors and other performers in getting their websites up can be found at www.magicinet.com. What kind of content should you upload to your website? Putting your demos front and center on your website is the single most critical purpose it serves. In addition to that, it ought to emphasize your credits, contact information, and bio.

Examining the websites of voice talents is the most effective technique to educate oneself on the subject of website design for voice-over artists. Conduct a search using a variety of search terms, such as voiceovers, voiceover talent, and voiceover artists, as well as any other search terms that come to mind, to investigate what work other talents have produced. Subscribe to a few search engine optimization email newsletters, such as WebProNews and SiteProNews, if you are developing your own website. This will help you stay on top of the latest SEO trends. They will provide you with a wealth of useful design information and assist you in "optimizing" your website in order to achieve a high placement in search engine results.

OK. You've finally got your website up and running smoothly. You should now make it a point to include the address of your website on anything and everything that you send to potential customers, including demos, stationery, business cards, reminder cards, and so on. If you still have reams of stationery, all you need to do is include the address of the website in the letters that you type and print off. Buy some labels, print your website address on them, and then stick them onto the demos, business cards, and reminder cards that are still sitting on your shelf.

Warning: Buyer beware!

There are a large number of locations, both free and paid, on the World Wide Web where you can promote your voice-over services; nevertheless, YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL. Caveat Emptor, which translates to "Let the Buyer Beware," is the appropriate word here. The following is a list of free places where you can post a link to your website:

http://www.voiceartist.com/, http://www.radio411.com/addlink.htm, http://www.starsnsites.com/voice/index.html, and http://audioworld.com/.

Be sure that the website you choose to pay to be listed as a voice talent online is a legitimate one before you pay the fee. Unfortunately, similar to the majority of other things that get off to a good start, a few rotten apples begin to appear. Be sure to speak with or write to other talent featured on the site before you fork over any cash to find out whether the site has truly gained them any work before you invest any money in it. The following is a list of reputable websites that charge user fees:

www.mktmania.com, www.voice123.com, www.gotvoices.com, www.1212.com, www.voicefinder.biz, www.voiceoverselect.com, www.interactivevoices.com, www.commercialvoices.com, and www.voiceoverselect.com are some websites that offer voiceover services.

In addition to websites that charge a fee to be included, there are also CDs that charge a fee to be included. These CDs are supplied to advertising agencies, production houses, talent agents, radio and television stations, and other such venues. Again, Caveat Emptor! Con artists have learned that people who do voiceover work might be quite eager to sell their services, which they have used to their advantage. These con artists will sell you CD demos, but they either never make the CDs or never send them out.

They will, however, take your money in any case. So, be careful. Always check the reputation of a business before doing business with them. Ask for references. Wait until the first CD has been distributed and has been in circulation for some time if the business is just getting started. After that, give a few of the participants a call and ask them if they found any work as a result of their participation. The following are two trustworthy CD demo services:

http://www.tmcentury.com/?products/HitDisc/hdemo.htm, http://www.vo-usa.com/contact.htm

Please send me an email at pdrew@portone.com with the details of any other credible CD demo services that you are aware of, and I will add them to both my list and this page.

Groups and discussion places

On the internet, you may find a great deal of discussion forums and groups devoted to voiceover. You can discover numerous groups where you may drop in and learn from others if you go to Yahoo Groups and key in voice over, voiceover talent, voice over artist, etc. You'll find several groups where you can do this. Participate if you like, but keep in mind that everything you write in these chat rooms will likely be there for the rest of their existence. If you think you might regret what you say, then keep your fingers off the computer until you've thought it out.

Marketing vs. talent

It's possible that you have the most amazing voice talent on the entire planet, but if no one knows who you are, then that talent is going to waste. Therefore, you need to get out there and promote your company in order to be successful.