Nowadays, social media is at our fingertips, and it’s quickly become an outlet for our lives. People share everything, from what their cat did last night to their professional goals and accomplishments. Once you engage with website branding and start utilizing social media as a marketing tool for your career, it shifts what you should and should not post about.
Here we’ve outlined the most important things to keep off of your professional social media pages and your voice-over website:
Typos and poor grammar: 10 years ago, “Ur” and “TTYL” were the norm. While social media doesn’t exactly scream grammar, maintain your own to reflect a professional demeanor that shows you’re capable of working with any type of client. Have a second pair of eyes look over your bio, always spell check, and give your social media posts a once over before making them public.
Politics & Religion: Like any profession, keep your politics and religion out of it. Plain and simple. You never know who you may offend by being partisan or biased, even if you mean well. Another point to this is local politicians and religious affiliates contract voice-over artists for radio or political commercials. Make sure you don’t imperil potential work by keeping your personal views on either off of your social media page and your voice-over website.
Outdated info: Life can change and shift, meaning it’s important to keep your information and your work up-to-date. Update your links to reflect your latest projects (or how to reach you!), publish about what’s going on in the studio, double check your bio every other month to ensure it is still accurate, and always keep your clients up-to-date.
Lewdness: There are a lot of trolls on the web, don’t engage with them and don’t make the mistake of becoming one. Mood does not dictate manners, always comport yourself in a professional manner. Keep cursing or insults off your social media platforms and your website.
Unpublished client work: I cannot express how important this is! I am a firm believer that you should showcase your clients on social media. However, some clients will have you sign Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality/Secret Agreements for marketing or commercial campaigns that you do. Some clients don’t, but this doesn’t mean you should ever release information about the work you’ve done before the client does. You never know what you may spoil.
Bonus Tip!
Many people don’t know where to draw the line on social media between personal and professional, but since your clients will be looking at what’s going on, you should certainly have that distinction. The rule of thumb is to balance professionalism while still being personable. Nobody wants to see what your child has for breakfast every day, but if you’re welcoming a new baby, having a fun outing, or getting married, let your followers know with appropriate content. You can always celebrate life and your world of voice-over to connect with others while maintaining your professionalism. After all, that’s what social media is all about!
We LOVE hearing your feedback and your personal VO success stories each week. Don’t be shy – share them with other voice-over talents and become a part of the SAV conversation!
