“What is the most important thing to add to my social media profile and professional voice-over website?” This is the most common question I am asked about marketing and branding. How you display yourself and your work online matters. Think of your social media profile and voice-over website as a written introduction to voice-over clients and agencies. How do you want to present yourself to them? What piece of VO work do you want to highlight? With these tips, my hope is that you’ll make a strong first impression and show them what you’re made of!
First, let’s start with your bio and about me section.
Bio/About me: If I show up to your voice-over website or social media accounts, I don’t want to have to guess what you do. Tell me, and make it coherent. A bio is a necessity, and it’s one you cannot afford to mess up.
Here are some tips for a great bio:
- Keep it authentic! If you’re excited about voice-over, say that. Tell me why you love your job. Increase your likeability factors by explaining what motivates you.
- Always list your expertise. If audiobooks are your niche and a potential client needs an audiobook narrator, the client should be able to see within a minute of being on your site that it’s your specialty and you can help them. If animation is your strong point, be sure to say that!
- Tell clients what’s in it for them. For example, “With me you’ll receive smooth reads and fast turnover, guaranteed to make your script shine.” Sell yourself! Because nobody else will do it for you.
- Invite people to connect with you, whether they need voice-over or not. Networking should be constant, just because someone doesn’t want to be your client, doesn’t mean they don’t know someone who does.
This is your moment to shine, establish rapport, and earn a client! So, make sure your bio can do those things. Make it dynamic, fun, and most importantly, about you.
Consistent Branding: One of the biggest mistakes I see on social media and professional VO websites is a lack of consistency. Whether it be your logo, color scheme, or your headshots, consistency is key! You need to make your brand recognizable and you can do so by creating a catchy tagline, getting professional headshots taken, and hiring a designer to create a logo specific to your voice-over business. When thinking of branding, look at companies like Coca-Cola or Nike. There will never be any confusion around their branding, you know it’s them anytime you land on their website or social media platforms. Here are a variety of approaches you can take to be recognizable:
- Tagline: Your tagline should be one sentence that pulls people in, it should be short and sweet, but telling of what you do and why it’s important. Make it personal. Have fun with it, brainstorm with your friends. Think something like, “Giving you bright vocal reads for any project” or “The best voice for your projects, I’m just sayin.”
- Headshots: Not everyone wants headshots, and that’s alright! But there are a few reasons to include one on your website and social media accounts. An important reason is it adds a face to the voice and name, making you immediately more reputable and likeable. I always suggest more than one headshot. Get a bunch done that represent your personality and professionalism. Make sure they differ slightly from one another. That way, you can use them on different platforms while maintaining the ease of recognition that comes with consistency! Pro tip! Caricatures can work just as well as headshots!
- Headshots: Not everyone wants headshots, and that’s alright! But there are a few reasons to include one on your website and social media accounts. An important reason is it adds a face to the voice and name, making you immediately more reputable and likeable. I always suggest more than one headshot. Get a bunch done that represent your personality and professionalism. Make sure they differ slightly from one another. That way, you can use them on different platforms while maintaining the ease of recognition that comes with consistency! Pro tip! Caricatures can work just as well as headshots!
- Logo: Not only does a logo scream professionalism, and give you something that you can have for years to come, it makes you instantly recognizable! If I throw up Volkswagen, Nike, or Disney, you’ll recognize the logos. Make yours simple and easily distinguished and you’ll have no problems! Come up with colors and ideas and then get a professional designer to put something together that will last.
I want to be clear on branding, consistent does not mean same! Don’t make the mistake of copy/paste on every platform. Nobody wants to see the same thing again and again, that’s boring. Logo and colors are one thing, but add some flair to your marketing by giving the same message in a different manner to your social media profile and your voice-over website!
White Space: Not every inch of your social media and website has to be filled up. Just because every corner of the web page isn’t filled doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. Make sure you have all the pertinent information displayed on each page, but allow yourself some white space because it can help balance out your design.
Buzz Words: When I say buzz words, I mean words that show up when people google, “voice-over talent.” Make sure you’re increasing your visibility in search engines by using keywords in your website that define what you do! Ex. animation, voice-over, voice talent, narration.
Links to your demo: If you have not completed your demos, you have no business publishing your website or having a professional social media presence yet. Your demo is your resume and calling card, it is your key to booking work in the voice-over industry. Once you do have them, make sure they are present and easily identified on your website. Then optimize your social media links to take potential clients directly to them. Clients will love that they don’t have to search high and low to hear your unique voice.
My last bit of advice is don’t rush to publish your social media pages and your voice-over website. Make sure everything is fine tuned, that you have content, and that your demos and bio are ready for the world to see. Once you feel it’s good to go, let the world see it and make that great first impression!
Join the conversation and connect to other VO talents for inspiration and ideas!
