Branding | Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Local Coverage

August 21, 2012 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Nothing’s better than getting a local publication to write an article about what you do.

Golden.

It can be a newspaper, a local radio station, a local weekly, a local TV station or talk show…you name it.

Nothing will elevate your profile to the market where you live better than this. Convince a local media outlet to do a feature piece on a person who does voice-overs. Seriously. People are fascinated with what we do.

Don’t believe me?

Read this article that came out Monday about a fairly small-town Michigan guy named Markham Anderson, and his story about how he became a voice-over artist.

GRAND BLANC MAN FINDS AUDIENCE AS VOICEOVER ARTIST

I did a similar blog about Kelley Buttrick in December 2010, and she’s been growing and growing in her career. Not because I did a blog about her local paper article, but because she’s a darn good voice actor who was featured in a local newspaper. Like I said…it works!

CourVO

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceovers, voices

The Case For Voice Acting You Can See

July 9, 2012 By CourVO 1 Comment

Everything you do online for your VO business: Demos, Blogs, Twitter posts, FaceBook updates, profiles, newsletters…even email signatures should have a picture.

I used to sit on the fence on this debate…you know…the debate over whether a VO should be heard and not seen. I was there for a long while.

The argument was that, say…an animation voice actor with a voice that rattles the bass register, but a real-life visage that looks like Pee Wee Herman sets up a conflict in the mind of the prospect deciding whether to hire this voice or not…and loses you the job.

That is perhaps the ONLY argument that has ANY merit. All others don’t. So in the case I just described, at least use your logo.

There are a few other scant possibilities where a logo/brand says more than your face, but even there, I would argue for using your logo AND your face.

These days, I’m firmly on the side of the fence that says put your picture of you on all your branding. I expect to catch flak for this. So bring it on…but I’m gonna stand pat.

“That’s easy for you, Dave…” you say, “you have a face for TV…I have a face for radio.” That is a pathetic cliché…untrue…and I’m sick of hearing it.

Everybody…even the Elephant Man…can get a decent photo of her/himself with a modest expenditure and an able-bodied photographer.

Why have I switched sides of the fence?
1) No client wants to see a picture of your dog or cat. It’s lame. It’s avoidance, and you stand the risk of the prospect hating Chihuahua’s (or Siamese).
2) Simpsons Avatars are childish and misleading
3) Video/pictures are KING…no…Czar…no…beyond that…pictures are the subatomic “God particles” that power the universe these days
4) They are your best bet to immediately personalize and solidify your character and identity to first-timers.
5) Everyone, especially clients, have a natural inbred curiosity about how you look. It’s not fair. It’s not even legal (I think) but it’s how we’re wired.

‘Hate to run the risk that people don’t like moustaches, or glasses, or long hair, or tattoos or chubby people? If they’re that close-minded and biased, do you really want them as clients anyway?

In case you haven’t noticed, the new currency on just about every manifestation of the digital universe is a picture (or a link, or both).

So use a picture…make it a standard headshot, a photo with you and your wife, you and your kids, you cutting up (ever see Pat Fraley’s headshot…he’s always laughing, and his eyes are closed). Use a pic of you in B & W, you in sepia, you with a mic (cliché too, but bearable), you with a trophy, you upside down.

Nancy Wolfson can’t take a bad picture, and this is her current one…there’s a coy assuredness to it that says a lot about Nancy.

Use a shot that speaks to your true character. For every photo of you that you think is edgy (risky) there will be as many who love it as who hate it…so it’s a wash. In 1996 I shaved off my moustache of 26 years. I told no one. Viewers called in for days…somebody in the newsroom started keeping track. It came came out absolutely 50/50, for/against.

Further reason supporting the argument for pictures or video. YouTube. Need I say more? The thing is a juggernaut. Bad video, shakey video, awful on-cam appeals…it all survives and thrives. People are hungry for pictures — moving pictures, bad pictures, grainy images …ALL OF IT is worthy these days. Don’t ask me why…but it’s true.

My final appeal to make you see the wisdom of including a picture — SOME PICTURE — with everything you do online, can be summed up in one word: PINTEREST.

Pinterest is the hottest new Social Media site going…and it’s entirely driven by images. Sure, there’s all the connections and relationships you can curry there. Make comments, add copy…but bottom line: it’s the picture that brings you in, and keeps you looking. Don’t believe me? Read this: HAVE YOU EMBRACED PINTEREST FOR YOUR BRAND? Or read an article from just a few days ago on my blog (in case you missed it): A VO’s Place on Pinterest.

Still don’t believe me? Google Bill DeWees or Terry Daniel…both of those voice actors have figured out how to capitalize on video to help their voice-acting business.

Get the picture?

CourVO

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: head shots, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice over talent, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceovers, voices

Introducing the “CourVO” App!!

October 19, 2011 By CourVO 12 Comments

Didja really think I’d be able to resist the inevitable march of progress?

The COURVO app is now available in the iTunes store. It’s free.

Now you can read all the great content of this blog on your iPhone/iPad.

You can also do a search for the app from your iPhone App Store icon by searching for “CourVO”. There’s apparently an app named “Courvoisier” too. Not mine. (the actual name of the app is CourVO’s Voice-Acting in Vegas)

The app presents all the branding and content of this blog by pulling the info from my RSS feed and displaying it in a simple interface.

This was actually not brain surgery at all, and almost anyone can do it. Visit AppMakr.com to see about doing your own. There were some costs involved: about $100 for the Apple Developer’s license, and some minimal AppMakr fees.

This was actually slated for launch a couple of weeks ago, then Apple announced iOS 5.o. Immediately, all apps considered for review were rejected for rebuild to be compatible for the new operating system. S’OK…the result is pretty much what I wanted.

From the app, you can:
comment back to the blog article
share the article on Twitter
share on FaceBook
“like” the article
see the original blog layout in a browser window
email the article

Some functionality of the app is still in development. You’ll see that if you select the “camera” icon, or the RSS icon. Pressing the ATOM icon will bring you back to the list of articles.

I hope you’re reading this blog on your iPhone.

BTW, the Android version of this is coming…likely within a week.

Let me know what you think.

CourVO

Filed Under: Apps, Branding, iPad Tagged With: app, CourVO, courvo app, CourVO's app, CourVO's Voice-Acting in Vegas app, iPhone, iphone app, VO, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voice voice over, voiceover

Crafting Your Personal Brand

July 30, 2011 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Wanna know why resources on the web about branding are never-ending?

1) New ideas come up every day.
2) New perspectives on old ideas come up every day.
3) People/companies change…and what works one day, won’t work the next.
4) There’s a lot of flailing around, and sometimes you just have to take calculated risks on things to see what sticks to the wall when you throw it out there.
5) What you can legitimately claim as your most marketable (branded) feature/service/product has evolved.
6) {and about a million other reasons…branding is a moving target}

For all those reasons and more…I will probably never stop posting and referring to great articles about branding….and this one is about as good as any I’ve read.

Courvo

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ri69eC

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/crafting-your-perso…

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: brand, Branding, career, dan schawbel, Marketing, offers, personal branding blog, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, your story

Why You Need a Brand, & How To Create One

May 27, 2011 By CourVO Leave a Comment

That’d be great if I was actually smart enough to write a blog with that title…but the truth is someone already has, and I don’t want to be guilty of plagiarism.

I’ve mentioned FreelanceFolder before, right?

Good, ’cause that’s where you need to go to read this excellent article.

Sure, you could read books and books about branding…but that’s for tomorrow. For now, just start with this excellent blog.

CourVO

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/kNI746

URL: https://www.google.com/reader/view/?tab=my

Filed Under: Branding, Marketing, VO Community Tagged With: 1000, blogs, brand, freelance folder, freelancefolder.com, google reader, Marketing, news, onegoogle, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, voices

7 Sizzling Tips to Enhance Your Online Brand Identity

March 1, 2011 By CourVO Leave a Comment

My Fave in this list: #6 “Break Category Norms For Your Product”

Branding is such a hard target for most people to hit. At FaffCon the topic came up often, and while there are some timeless truths about branding, today’s social media world HAS changed the game a little.

One of the opening lines to this article that is so true: You need to flow with the trends and touch those tipping points to make it big. The more you adapt what is new, the more you come into the spotlight. What becomes usual fails. There is one thing. Businesses either change or they are finished!

Peruse this list for a little refresher!

CourVO

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bs508

See original post: URL: http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2011/02/enhance…

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: debleena bose, enhance, indentity, species, strongest

Bettye on Branding

December 31, 2010 By CourVO Leave a Comment

What a ballyhooed word: Branding. Where to start? What’s MY brand? Is a brand a logo?…a slogan?…my face? How do I get my brand out there?

January 4, VoiceOverXtra starts the New Year with “7 Steps To Building A Better Brand” – a webinar led by Bettye Zoller.

Zoller details how to analyze current brand marketing, effective marketing techniques, and how to keep the brand consistent everywhere – even in personal networking.

Here’s the link to details: http://conta.cc/BrandingWeb

CourVO

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: Bettye Zoller, brand, Branding, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice talent, voice-over voice over, voiceover, voiceover talent, VoiceOverXtra, VoiceOverXtra.com, voicesvoices.com

49 ways to build your brand using online marketing

December 28, 2010 By CourVO Leave a Comment

VoiceOver is 20% talent & technology, 80% marketing. Of these 49 tips, make sure you’re using at least half…OK?

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fClynC

URL: http://blog.sponsoredreviews.com/?p=67

Filed Under: Branding Tagged With: brand, building, market, scratch, thing49

Brand in a Box

September 21, 2010 By CourVO Leave a Comment

How will the rest of the world see you?
What is your “look”?
How do you want to be perceived?
What kind of first impression will you make?

When you consider BRAND, these are some of the questions that you’ll ponder (along with others — I do not profess to be a branding expert).

There’s more that goes into a brand of course, especially in voice overs. But when you do business cards, when you design a website, when you consider what your email signature will look like…you start thinking about finding a logo and a tag line, and putting it all together in a nice neat little rectangle, or square, or circle, etc.

What colors will you use, what font, what picture (if any)?…how should it appear?

These are all rhetorical questions, of course, but lately I’ve been getting LOTS of examples of how Voice Actors want to be perceived.

In the rush to launch National Voice Over Month, I promised to place the logo of any supporter on the home page of the NVOM site. I’ve been doing that over and over again, thanks to the enthusiastic support of many VO companies and individuals.

What has emerged is a colorful tapestry of logos and brand statements. Have you looked? Do you have a favorite? How does yours stack up against the others? Did you get some ideas seeing all the different offerings? What works? What doesn’t?

Take a look now if you haven’t lately. I added two more logos last night. I find it fascinating to see the spectrum. Yes, there are some microphones. There are very few faces. Some have slogans, others have website URL’s. Some are no-nonsense, others are artistically or aesthetically pleasing.

Here’s the question, though: Which ones WORK? Which ones achieve the owner’s intent? Which ones truly extend a memorable brand worthy of what the voice actor hopes to impress upon the seeker?

CourVO