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A New Hat

October 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

A highly regarded local Speech-Language Pathologist contacted me the other day.  I’m encouraged that my online VO profile brings people to my door, but even this advanced professional was in the dark about the current skills needed to make it in Voice Acting today.

Her approach was intriguing:  “I work with headliners and singers who have a voice problem.  We have access to many folks who would help your industry and have interests and talents you may be able to use….Do you have any connections getting someone into doing voice overs?”

(collective sigh, right?)

My response to her included this introductory statement:  “Voice Acting work in the present day has developed into a highly entrepreneurial independent freelance business model that requires many hats.”

OUR CHALLENGE

I’m not making fun of her or anyone who is not close to this business, and is unaware of the challenges of  succeeding in voice work. (BTW, I sent her to my blog article with oodles of links and references for newbies, including Peter O’Connell’s excellent VOICE OVER ENTRANCE EXAM).  Nor am I saying it’s our responsibility to educate everyone who comes to our door.

Any earnest voice actor could him-or-herself be overwhelmed by the needed skill set to be successful in this business…if they stop to think about it.  It would be easy to be self-defeated by that on a bad day.

THE NEW HAT

Well, now…add to your bag of tricks a new skill that you may have to rely on more and more:  YOU AS THE PRIMARY ADVERTISER FOR YOUR COMPLETED PRODUCTS…and I’m not just talking about demos on websites.  I’m saying you will not be paid for your finished work if you do not actively advertise and promote it.

Right now, this paradigm is rearing its ugly head mostly in the audiobook marketplace, and largely on the initiatives put forth by ACX.  Their “Royalty Share” model  asks you to assist in the promotion of the book you just narrated for no money upfront (paraphrased).  Your share of the royalties can be handsome if the book does well, and IF you are great at social media, and other forms of online promotion.  If you’re not, the returns could be meager.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

An email from ACX yesterday notified me that my most recent narration of a Sci-Fi book called “Exile” was now available:  Here’s the notification:

Congratulations, EXILE – Book I of the Five Worlds Trilogy is now on sale at audible.com. And we plan to make it available on iTunes and Amazon.com within the next few days. Once you begin earning royalties on your audiobook, you will be able to monitor its sales on ACX.
To further galvanize interest in your audiobook, check out these tips on how to best promote yourself and your audiobook – and how you can capitalize on the ACX bounty program, which gets you $25 each and every time your audiobook is one of the first three purchases by a new Audible member. The more you promote your audiobook, the more you stand to earn. Good luck!

Here are some excerpts from the ACX site that outline a tutorial for promoting your work so it will sell well, and you will be eventually paid:

___________

Never promoted yourself online before? To get started, just take three simple steps. The payoff is worth it… And you just might have some good fun.

  1. Get on Facebook: Half a billion people are on board. You can find them.
  2. Try Twitter: It’s where information flows fast and freely. Dip your toes in.
  3. Join LinkedIn: This is home base for your professional profile. Be found there.

Feel like you could use some background? Learn the basics

Already on Facebook and Twitter?

Dive in deeper. Here are five ways to promote your work and make your online presence more effective:

  1. Start a blog: See how easy it is to build this potent tool
  2. Syndicate your content: Learn how to get more mileage from your online efforts
  3. Maintain your online identity: Follow these simple steps regularly to keep your information fresh
  4. Measure the impact: Find out how well your efforts are working
  5. Join the conversation: Discover ways to contribute to online discussions… and why you should

Extra Credit

Try these extra steps. They’re easier than you might think… and they pack a powerful punch.

  1. Try podcasting
  2. Get on YouTube

I just used about three or four of the above suggestions for promoting my book by writing this blog, and posting a link on FaceBook.  Who knows if it’ll be successful.

Luckily, while EXILE was a royalty-share deal, it was also under ACX’s stipend offer, which pays the narrator a set price for each finished hour.

I don’t mind using my Social Media skills in this way, but honestly, I much prefer being paid a solid dollar for earnest work up front.

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Compensation, Marketing, Social Media/Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SlideShare and Social Media

July 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

PowerPoint presentations are ubiquitous.  Who hasn’t done one, or at least thought about doing one?

The ole .ppt is at the center of just about every presentation, webinar, and teleseminar I’ve ever held or attended.  For instance, a PowerPoint slideshow was at the heart of the recent VOICE2012 seminar I did with Trish Basanyi and Terry Daniel on Social Media for Voice Actors.  (BTW, you can download it for yourself at SocialMediaVO.com).

You can easily send someone your .ppt file in an email (unless it’s a huge file), but sharing a PowerPoint presentation on social media networks isn’t that easy.  That’s why there’s SLIDESHARE.

From their website:  “…SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations. With 60 million monthly visitors and 130 million pageviews, it is amongst the most visited 200 websites in the world. Besides presentations, SlideShare also supports documents, PDFs, videos and webinars….”

SlideShare is free, but you may want to invest a few dollars for full functionality.  Slideshare immediately converts your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation into a share-able file for embedding, or sending to your favorite social media site like FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn or blogs.  You can configure your most recent presentation to show on your LinkedIn profile.

Presentations like this are a great marketing tool, especially when you can put them anywhere with SlideShare.  SlideShare is also a community, and in that sense is a social media site of its own, where people can see what other presenters are doing and learn some new tricks.  You can send clients to your own profile on SlideShare to see all the info you’ve created or gathered on categories of topics.

Since were talking about SlideShare, I’d like to also point out a great Slideshare presentation I found called:  THE STATE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN 2012 by Esteban Contreras, the Social Media Marketing Manager at Samsung, USA.  This 95-slide presentation is a treasure-trove of information.  It’s easy to “thumb through”, and pick up all sorts of trendy facts with the charts and infographics included.

Just to show you how easy it is to add a SlideShare presentation to a blog, I’m embedding it below.

Have a great weekend!

CourVO

The State of Social Media and Social Media Marketing in 2012

 

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Social Media/Networking, Web Resources Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Social Media Leads to VO Jobs

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In June, Terry Daniel, Trish Basanyi and I will be presenting on this very topic at VOICE2012 . That’s not all we’ll be talking about, of course, but that’s what everyone wants to know.  “How do you work Twitter or FaceBook so that it leads to jobs?”

‘Get that question all the time.

I understand the quandary.  It’s not a direct relationship.  You can’t see the car up ahead.  It’s through the tunnel or around the curve.

Basically, the thinking goes like this:

The Social Network connection leads to a conversation.
The conversation engenders familiarity.
The familiarity opens up a relationship.
The relationship breeds trust over time.
The trust prompts a job opportunity.

It needs to be this way for it to be legitimate.  And the job opportunity means you’ve done your homework, and you are ready to make the most of the opportunity when it arises.  This is when you “close the sale” so to speak.  But by then, you’re in the relationship, and both you and the other party are a known quantity, and there’s little stress or discomfort, so it’s not a hard close like a life insurance salesman on an awkward first-time call to your house.  It’s more like the friend you’ve had over for dinner, and “Oh, by the way…you do voice work, right?…well, there’s something we need you for in our shop…”

The author of the blog DUCT TAPE MARKETING, John Jantsch, wrote an excellent article on this recently.

His flow goes like this:  Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat and Refer.

Read more about it in his blog:  The Incredibly Logical Way to Manage Customer Relationships.

He makes a lot of sense.

You coming to VOICE2012?  ‘Hope so!

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Relationships, Social Media/Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the Bomb!

April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Video is in.

Big woop CourVO!…uh, I think we knew that.

No, I mean, really…even if you don’t want to be on camera…you should learn to work with images, take videos, edit montages, graphics, and even think about posting your demos with a video cover (talk to Peter O’Connell…he’s tops on this!).

Just look at the crazy, wildly ubiquitous, more-than-a-trend, hands-down incredible and continuing success of  YouTube.  ‘Second-ranked search service in the world next to Google (which owns YouTube, BTW).  See VO Pro Bill DeWees’ 100th instructional YouTube video.  He gets it!

Me?  I’ve been in video since the late 70′s, and I’m so jaded to the advantages of being on cam, that I’ve taken it for granted.  No more.

Recently, I’ve discovered and subscribed to a video email service, and I plan to start using it as a marketing tool, for follow-up, and everyday contact.

BombBomb.com

Yeah, maybe a funny name, but this is an innovative, agile, and hard-working company that keeps adding value to my investment.  I can choose from scores of pre-designed templates to insert my video into — making it basically a video newsletter –complete with logo, contact information, links, and more.  You can set up distribution lists and even “drip” your messages out on a schedule and get metrics back.  It’s very much a CRM tool.  Create embeddable forms and for your website or blog…I could go on…there are a lot of features.

Record your videos separately (it imports all the popular formats), or record your video from within the program itself, insert in a template, and send in seconds.  They give you a free trial period of two weeks, I think…and have reasonable rates.

Here’s a look at a little template I cooked up in a few minutes (click to enlarge):

 

The folks at BombBomb are very customer-service oriented, helpful, responsive, and willing to listen to your ideas to make their product better.  On sign-up, they’ll even custom-make you a couple of templates for starters.

If you decide to contact ‘em…tell ‘em you saw it here, and we’re both better off!

CourVO

Filed Under: Marketing, Software, Web Resources, Web/Tech Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Demand Media

December 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Wanna boost your brand by starring in a professionally produced video series?

Sure!  Where?

Demand Media’s Talent & Experts Network

HARO founder Peter Shankman gives great tips every day in his newsletter, and this is one that looks enticing.  HARO is “Help a Reporter Out” (see my blog: HAPPY GRASSHOPPER), and it’s geared to journalists, but when you subscribe to his daily feed, you get interesting leads like this one.

Demand Media’s Studios help you  “… promote yourself and your business to the 100M people that visit their sites each month. Once approved as an on-camera expert, you can choose topics that suit your expertise to create video projects, which are then directed by an approved filmmaker in your area. There’s no fee to join or create projects and when your videos are completed, they can be featured on one of their popular websites like eHow, LIVESTRONG.com or typeF. You can also use their video embed codes to add the HD video content to your blog or business website. They are looking for experts in Fitness, Drawing/Illustration, Mathematics and Home Improvement, but experts in any field can apply….” (Haro Newsletter)

100-million?  Yeah, seems like incredible exposure…but I’ve never known Shankman to link to duds.  I think I’m gonna look into this.

See you there?

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

VoiceBank v. Voice Registry

November 15, 2011 By 4 Comments

Are you clear on the difference between the two?

I really wasn’t sure, so I did a little digging.

VoiceBank.net and VoiceRegistry are run by the same people.

According to their website:  “The Voicebank.net system connects over 150 of the top voice over Talent Agencies to over 1600 Ad Agencies, Animation Houses and Production Houses around the world. “ 

And VoiceRegistry:  “The purpose of voiceregistry is to continually educate actors (novice to seasoned) about all aspects of the voice over industry and provide actors, when ready, with an opportunity to seek representation or additional representationy.”

All cleared up?  Yeah, me neither.

This whole mental exercise started when my fellow Vegas VO bud William Brady told me that he signed up for VoiceRegistry and was attending the “weekend workouts”.  He even got some personal feedback from seasoned pro Bill Ratner.  Bill talks about it in his blog.  Bill says he was told that since he didn’t have agency representation yet, he could not be listed on VoiceBank, but could sign-up on VoiceRegistry.  Further, that if he participated in the workouts, he could end up being scouted by the agents.

All this got me to thinking.  I keep running into VoiceBank at Faffcon Unconferences, ’cause they’re the major sponsor.  Amber Dahlin of VoiceBank is wonderful, and The VoiceBank Blog is mandatory reading.

But being a true lunkhead…I still wasn’t clicking on what was the reason for the two sites.  I’m listed on VoiceBank through my agent, but I can’t really log onto the site.  Wassup with that?

So, I wrote them and asked.  Chris Miyamoto of  ‘support’ replied:

“Voiceregistry is the site specifically for actors and gives platinum members access to the weekend workout. 

 Voicebank is designed more for business to business transactions, but actors can take advantage of getting more exposure by subscribing to the red star feature. The red star feature is a service that we administer from our end and does not use a login by clients. It simply links your name to a designated website of your choice and helps to give added internet exposure.

An actor can only login to Voicebank if they would like to subscribe to the digital delivery services we offer. This delivery service does not give access to projects. It is strictly a service that will allow you to upload a file and email a link out that will connect to your upload. Most actors who need this service use it to send extra large files (like video or super high quality audio files). I think of it as being a secure ftp service on steroids.

Since the 2 sites (Voicebank and Voiceregistry) are totally different and they each need their own login. ”
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email or call us. These are great questions, and we are working to clarify the two site’s services better for our users.

OK, that helps…I think I have it figured out now.  If you still need answers, I must say the people are VoiceBank are very helpful.  If you are already listed with VoiceBank, you might also consider paying extra for the red star next to your name that links casting agents directly to your website.
CourVO

 

Filed Under: Agents, Coaching, Marketing, Training/Education Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

You: Online

November 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

Hitting a moving target is a real challenge, and things are moving faster in the online marketing world than any human being with normal sleep habits can keep up with.

We all think we should be paying attention to the opportunities the online world presents.  Most of us voice actors do the preponderance of our work on the internet, so it’s only understandable that we’d turn to the web as a means of building out business too.

But Holy Buckets, there is just so much flailing around out there!  Who to trust?  What direction to go?  Where to put your assets of time and money?

I’m not here with the Holy Grail of answers…as far as I’m concerned, there are no “experts” or “gurus” of social media, only students, advanced students, and graduate teaching assistants.

MEASURING

One thing I think deserves your attention, though is metrics.  Measuring your impact on the virtual world.  Do I check my blog-viewer stats everyday?  Uh-huh.

What’s the best way to keep track of your presence on the web?  There are some decent (what I call) “approximators”.

Not long ago I blogged about the upset I felt with a diminished KLOUT score (which purports to measure your “engagement” in Socioal Media).  Commercial TV lives and dies by the Nielsen numbers, which set ad rates.  Everybody everywhere is struggling to find a similar metric that measures your online impact/reach.

Growing followers/friends in Social Network platforms (Twitter/FaceBook) is a rudimentary way of gauging your success.  But bigger numbers don’t always equal succesful marketing, as they dont’ reflect the quality of your relationships.

If you’re deep into SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or SEM (Search Engine Marketing), then your rank in a Google search is also a rough estimate of how well you’re doing.

Measuring your presence inevitably leads to “tweaking” your approach to build the numbers.  This is not a bad quest.  Any quantification that’s worth its salt will prompt you to do the things you should be doing anyway.  For instance, building a KLOUT score means you should be engaging your followers, contributing solid content, participating in meaningful conversations, and consistently being in the mix while paying it forward.  All admirable social media exercises.

But we’re a society driven by numbers, and analysis, and assessment, and it’s nice to have some figures to point at once in a while.

THE NUMBER CRUNCHERS

To give this any justice, though, requires bringing in people who make it their profession to crunch the numbers.  Typically an outfit like that also offers consulting on how to make the numbers better.

I like HubSpot.  They’ve been around a while.  They offer great information in their newsletter, blog, free materials and resources.  They also offer a 30-day free trial for their service.

Here’s a recent .pdf file they’ve made available for free, called The_Essential_Guide_to_Internet_Marketing.

Also, below, you can watch a quick video they’ve provided.  I’m not getting any kickbacks.  Just passing along info that could be helpful, and that I feel is legit.

What services do you use to quantify your presence on the web?

CourVO

Filed Under: Marketing, VO Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Five Fave Marketing Blogs (of late)

November 7, 2011 By 4 Comments

Does it really matter?…reading all these tips about marketing?…I mean, really?

Yes.

I’m talking about “Aha!” moments.  The simplest thing can trigger it.

I feel the same way about marketing gurus as I do TV consultants.  Their suggestions may not necessarily work for you, but they get you to thinking.

Peruse the following articles for ideas.  Pick up a thought.  Test out a theory.  Incorporate a suggestion.  Tuck away a tip for later use.  Sometimes, something just…clicks.

Why You Need a Local Search Strategy – Free Marketing Tips Blog

Seven Steps to Sure Fire Marketing Success – Duct Tape Marketing Blog

Job Searching with Social Media – eRocketFuel.com

12 Tenets of Relationship Marketing Success – MariSmith.com

Your #1 Competitor is Status Quo – Personal Branding Blog

Honorable Mention: Five Tips to Engage Your Followers – LinkedIn Blog

Got a favorite marketing blog or website or article you’d like to share?

CourVO

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Google Search Algorithm Changing – Faster, Fresher

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

My thanks to VO friend Steven Lowell for pointing out this article to me.

This has the potential to change the way a lot of people handle their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine maraketing).

It also leaves open some real possibilities to garner greater search success for your marketing/product if you constantly push out fresh content  (at least that’s how I read it).

See this Amp at http://selnd.com/tyK1rX
CourVO

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Published Articles, Social Media/Networking, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

VO Marketing, an Example

July 27, 2011 By 2 Comments

Creativity is a gift.  My gifts primarily lie in other areas.

For instance, I would’ve never had the vision to conceptualize Twitter, but I’m a machine at working it’s function.

I know this about myself…so rather than work creative angles at marketing, I work what works…and one of the things that works is relationship.

Over the years, I’ve curried a style that is welcoming.  I engage people.  I offer help.  I suggest connections. I enable, I start conversations.

Jim Kukral

One day when Jim Kukral walked into the room, I started a conversation.

Jim Kukral makes his living on the internet.  He’s a self-styled Internet Business Coach.  He consults.  He builds online promotions.  He’s a sort of hustler, but in a nice, virtual way.  He does videos, he instructs.  He was the first one to introduce thousands to the Flip-cam.

I’ve seen Jim speak at various conferences (BlogWorld Expo for one) in Las Vegas, and he is also a welcoming personality.  Eventually he asked me to be the subject of one of his many podcasts featuring entrepreneurs.  That was months ago, and I’ve had only sporadic contact with him of late.  Little did I know, I’d planted some seeds.

Did I mention Jim is also an author?  He is, and his latest book includes his podcast interviews with budding entrepreneurs.  Guess who made the final cut?  Yep.  Yours truly.

Now, I still have no proof that this exposure will directly lead to voice over jobs.  I hope Jim’s book sells a million, and I get lots of calls.  I know for sure it’s exposure to many many more different people than I would’ve reached in my normal marketing stream…and isn’t that one of the things you would hope for somewhere in your marketing plan?

Jim’s book gets announced today (I think).  I’m waiting for his final word to be able to publish the link, so check back.  In the meantime, here’s the link to the interview I did with Jim:

http://internetmarketingforbusinessanswers.com/internet-marketing-expert-interviews/

…and it all started with a conversation.

 

CourVO

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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