For a while during my hour-long teleseminar on Social Media sponsored by Edge Studio June 22, 2010…I waxed eloquent on the suggested do’s and don’t's of social media…that is, if you want to get and keep friends and followers.  Otherwise, it doesn’t matter what you do.

The whole teleseminar, of course, was based on the supposition that you DO want to get and keep followers and “friends”.  Furthermore, extending your brand onto those social media platforms may even garner you some new clients.

These concepts are not new, but apparently — with a teleseminar attended by the maximum allowable 100 listeners — a good many voice actors have a hunger for learning more about social media tools.

I set up my trusty FLIP video cam to record some of my end of the call, and the clip is below.  Mind you, I took NONE of my own advice for how to set up a good shot, as stated in my helpful website: OnCamTips…so forgive the terrible angle, and the news map of Las Vegas in the background.

To hear the full hour’s teleseminar session click HERE, and scroll down to the subheading ‘Marketing’.

Also, visit SocialMediaVO to see a more complete resource on leveraging New Media for your voiceover business.

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But apparently there IS something to show for the countless hours I’ve spent online.

The callers could be loosely herded into 3 categories from what I could tell by the questions (IMHO):

1)  Those who are neophytes and have yet to understand the value to their VO business of using Social Media site.
2)  Those who have launched their profiles and accounts with social media sites, and wonder:  ”Now what?”
3)  Those who have launched their profiles and accounts with social media sites, and say: “So what?”

For category one, I say:  Social Media is a FREE marketing tool that will help raise awareness of your brand online.

For categories two and three, I say:  ”Be yourself”…nothing more…nothing less.  It’s easy, ’cause — after all — you’re you.  And most of you are decent, hard-working people who aspire to excellence in your craft, and honorable relations with your clients.  Relate to people on FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., as your genuine self — remarking on other’s posts, paying forward helpful tips, and building your strengths — and you will find success on Social Media sites over time.

I could go on and on with do’s and don’ts, trends, methods, and “best practices”, but it boils down to being interactive and social.  Those of you who are not particularly social, well…these sites allow you to fake it better than if you were in person at the water cooler engaging in awkward shoe-shuffling conversations.

A complete audio copy of the session can be found — probably sometime late Thursday or early Friday — on the Edge Studio website HERE.

For those of you who were on the call…thanks for being good listeners and supportive.

Let me know if I can be of further help in any way.  Don’t hesitate to visit the site http://www.SocialMediaVO.com for further information.

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The hour-long call-in session is free, and is reserved to the first 100 callers.

Our topic will be Social Media, and how it can work towards building your VO business.  Yes, you will see some of the same points Terry Daniel and I shared in our VOICE2010 presentation, but this mostly Q & A session will be more tailored to the concerns YOU have…as we dig a little deeper into the concepts and tools for taking

advantage of Social Networking for VO.

To see more about Edge Studio’s Talk With A Pro series, and find out how to participate in the call, click HERE.

Also, look for more changes to the SocialMediaVO web resource site in advance of this webinar, and in the days and weeks to come.

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I don’t mind being a shill in this particular blog article, ’cause I believe in Deb.

Deb Munro: voice talent, voice coach, and all-around dynamic personality is offering a pretty nice TeleVoice Workout, and has a couple of slots open.
If you’re seeking a great tune-up with somebody eminently knowledgeable, this might be just your ticket.  Click this link for contact info, and note her pitch below:

TeleVoice Opportunity

Can’t afford the workshops, travel, hotel and parking to get the training you need?.….let Top Voice Talent/Coach Deb Munro come to you from the comfort of home.

Join her TeleVoice Workout this Wednesday – Two session times to choose from – 2-4 p.m. EST or 8-10 p.m. EST.  All via telephone, skype or free internet phone services.

This is not a Webinar – this is a hands on mini workshop that will make a significant difference in your voice auditions.

This weeks focus will be complimentary to this years workshop – Audition Acrobatics – if you tuned in to her webinar or attended any of her workshops, you won’t want to miss your chance to work with her directly.  Run through the audition process from beginning to end and discover techniques that will help you to stand out above the rest.  Each talent will be catered to depending on his or her level of experience and all sessions will be recorded and sent to you after the workshop.

- Expand your voice skills
- Work on current auditions
- Discover voice techniques
- Honest direction without the sugarcoating
- Individual mic time
- Q & A
- Biz of the biz
- Marketing

These sessions are in your control. Follow class curriculum or create a session plan that will work for you

ONLY 4 students per session allowed for fair mic time.

Advanced registration required to arrange your participation preferences – TeleSeminar or Telephone Skype or other internet phone service.

Register immediately – only 2 spots left

Two hours with Deb Munro for only $105.00 – that’s over 50% savings

Working via skype or phone is  more successful than you know.  This is a good way to take this method for a test drive.  You’d  be amazed at what you can learn from the comfort of home.

After all this is an Audio Medium.  She only needs to hear you to tell you what you need to do to improve.

Two hours with the energizer bunny – one of the most honest, generous coaches out there today!

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Voice over artist, casting director, voice coach, and producer MJ Lallo will be the focus of this session.  She’s the best.  I keep running into her at VOICE conventions, and her material is always right on the money…a great person to get to know, as she can open doors for you.

VoiceOverDirectory.com set me up with a teleseminar back in November, and their product is everything it’s advertised to be…speaking of which, their ad for THIS event can be seen by clicking HERE.

This teleseminar is Saturday, so now’s the time to move on this.

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Hillary has not only done a ton of AudioBooks, but is a veteran of live announcing for the Emmy’s, and People’s Choice awards, among other achievements in VO. (see bio below)

I had the honor of studying with Hillary at a Pat Fraley audiobook workshop/weekend, and learned SO MUCH.

Knowing Nancy and Anna, this March 31st event will cover all the audiobook bases and more.

I’ve taken the liberty of reprinting their newsletter/annoucement below so you can see the straight story.  It has all the links you need to sign-up.

If this is where you want to go in voice-acting, you need to be on this call!

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Break Into Audiobooks with Special Guest Hillary Huber!

Our Break Into Animation Part 1 Teleseminar was such a hit, we’re at it again–but this time with Audiobook Superstar Hillary Huber!

Join us for Break Into Audiobooks on Wed March 31, 2010 - 6 pm PST/ 9 pm EST.

With us, our special guest and audiobook veteran Hillary Huber gives thorough, no-BS insider answers to all of your audiobook questions.

From business to craft to all the details in between, Hillary’s gonna spill the beans on everything audiobook.

Go to Break Into Voice Over to reserve your space on the call (includes a studio quality MP3 of the teleseminar as well).

Just a few of the great questions to be answered:

• Do you read the whole book?  Do different people read different parts and characters?
• How do you get into audiobooks?  It seems so mysterious…do I need to know book publishers and authors?
• Do I need a specific audiobook demo? Are there audiobook agents?
• How could I even keep track of recording a whole book by myself in my home studio?
• I’ve been listening to a ton of audiobooks, and I KNOW I’m ready to break in, so tell me the action steps I can take NOW to get the audiobook gigs coming my way!

Go to Break Into Voice Over–$49 buys you a seat on the call and a studio quality MP3 copy as well.

More About Special Guest Hillary Huber

Hillary Huber has been working steadily as a voice over talent for 15 years.  She has done hundreds of commercials for clients such as Toyota, McDonalds, Tylenol, Coffeemate, Boeing, Subaru, Ford, Taco Bell, Walmart and countless others; promos for WE, CBS and the E! Network; and live announcing for The People’s Choice Awards, The Family Television Awards, and The Emmys. She discovered audiobooks in 2006, when her research, perseverance, and creative thinking resulted in a flourishing and profitable career in audiobooks. She now records books on a regular basis for major publishers such as Harper, Macmillan, Random House and Scribner. Some titles include Skinny Bastard and Light in the Piazze.  Her next project is Tell-All by best selling author Chuck Palahniuk.  Her narration consistently garners both critical acclaim and industry awards, including several Audie Award nominations.

“Hillary Huber’s narration is lyrical enough to be set to music.”
-Audiofile Magazine

Go to Break Into Voice Over to reserve your seat!

Since I know both John Florian, and Dan Lenard as friends, I’m giving their upcoming teleseminar my top rating! (whatever that is).  I’m just saying…it’ll be well worth your while to listen in.

Dan (right) is the dean of designing, building and innovating affordable home studios….he explains it in simple language that makes sense, and his ideas are designed towards an inexpensive but high-quality solution for a home studio.

John Florian, who runs VoiceOverXtra.com has been putting together some fine teleseminars of late, and this one is well worth the modest price.  For beginners and advanced pros.  February 23rd & 24th.

I’d say more but you’ll find all you need to know HERE.

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Some VO industry stalwarts are donating their time in a teleseminar to help improve your opportunities in the area of AudioBooks.

The money gathered from people like you paying to be on the call is being donated to the Red Cross.

Click HERE to read the entire pitch on VoiceCoaches.com.

Oh, and on that site, you can just donate out of the goodness of your heart, if you haven’t already!

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Mark Davidson’s VoiceOverDirectory is the same enterprise that sponsored my session on applying Social Media techniques to your Voice Acting business, hosted at the end of ‘09.

You can still get a copy of  my accompanying online material, as well as sign-up for David Goldberg’s session scheduled for this coming Monday, by clicking HERE.

To go straight to the sign-up page for the Goldberg session titled:  “The Acting in Voice Acting – Is It All Acting?”.  Click HERE.

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…or would you rather spend it on about the best VO advice you’re gonna find anytime this year from a panel of industry experts?

Click HERE to see the line-up of VoiceOver sages Edge Studio is putting together for a teleseminar next Tuesday, the 12th in the evening.  I don’t know ALL the names, but even the few that I DO know would would be worth the price of admission.

And even if you can’t get free to listen-in at that hour on that day, the price gets you an archived copy of the two-hour session.

Worth $49?

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