As a voice actor, your voice is your product. So, when it comes to social media, everything you say literally represents your brand. Often times it’s easy to forget that what you post can easily go beyond the personal. As a matter of fact, if not careful, it can directly affect your business reputation. Building and maintaining that reputation is a part of managing a successful voiceover business.
Business is business
There is a multitude of advantages to using a social media account to grow your business brand. An online presence gives you an opportunity to have a lot more eyeballs on your product than the traditional methods of advertising from long ago. However, it is important to understand just who your audience is on each platform, as well as having an idea of where your potential client might hang out. So many times I see voice actors marketing themselves to their fellow voice actors. While it’s great to network with others in our industry, if you think you are advertising to potential clients, you’re really barking up the wrong tree. For the most part, potential clients are not other VO talent or your family. That’s not to say there is no benefit to occasionally using your personal profile to reinforce your image. I have gotten work through the social media network via friends and colleagues. But you’re really better off using a business account to promote and showcase your branding and your business. When interacting with potential leads or clients on social media, you’ll create a professional perception that will only add credibility and professionalism to your business.
My, What Big Eyes You Have...
Every social media platform has a way of creating or designating a “business” page or profile. Back in the day, it was always advised to keep your personal and professional social profiles separate. Today, however, voice actors often combine their own personal media profiles with their business. But this blend of personal and business overlay can cause some real awkward moray patterns when it comes to creating a clear social picture for your business and branding. It is prudent to always be mindful of what you post, as you never really know just who is looking. It could be a friend, or it might be someone that casts in the business or even someone who works for a company that may need your voiceover services someday down the road. Not everyone will click that like button or even comment, but you better believe they are still reading and perhaps even judging <gasp> silently. There are some casting directors and agents that even belong to closed voiceover groups but never post. And depending on your comment or rant that day, they could decide to not work with you. Those impressions you leave may last forever, and you may never know the true extent of your lost opportunities.
TL:DR
Have you ever seen the acronym, TL:DR? It stands for “Too long, Didn’t read”. Our attention spans have shortened, and our patience for long or detailed advertising has all but vanished. Keep this in mind when you’re creating your content to post on social media. Meme culture has taken over on our social media sites. A quick headline, graphic, or video may be more effective when it comes to communicating a message or feeling. Combating social media fatigue boils down to story and tone. People will stop and read when they see a genuine story that they connect with in some way. Sure, it’s important to stay positive, post uplifting messages, or repost important information, but what really gets people’s attention is authentic and genuine content.
Ditch the pitch
How often are you posting about your business? Do you leave constant messages about your services and what you offer? Do you create a catchy graphic that talks about how you’re easy to work with and how professional you are? I have seen this over and over, especially on Instagram. Unless you are paying for targeted ads on social media, stop. Think about how you feel when your feed is barraged with ads. Try to focus your content on how you may help your potential client, or consider how your post may reveal more of your brand story. Keep in mind how you want others to see you and your business. Consider this even when posting to your personal page. It doesn’t hurt to include some sort of call to action for your business every once in a while, just not in every post. Your goal is to create the desire to work with you, to seek you out when they need a voice actor. That’s not going to happen if all you’re doing is creating ads. Elevate your content marketing in a way that is outwardly focused, and even if you never book a client, at least you are contributing in a helpful way.
Beyond the billboard
Creating content to post is only a fraction of how you should be using social media. Even though it may seem like social media is nothing more than a digital billboard, in actuality, its power comes from your ability to listen and interact. It is called “social” media after all. In all honesty, you’ll get a lot of traction out of listening to your client and understanding their needs, and then interacting with their post when appropriate. Your potential customers may not even see your wall in their feed. Go and find them. Join industry groups in the markets and social platforms where you want to book work. When there is a relevant post where you can help or offer positive feedback, go ahead and leave a comment. Do this consistently and you’ll be remembered. Much more so than if you’re just putting up brag posts on your wall.
The bottom line here is to treat your social media interactions just like you would if you were networking in a room full of people. Introduce yourself, but then stay focused on learning about the people you interact with. I’ve found that if I use that paradigm, my posts tend to get more interaction and create a genuine connection. And really, that’s what all this is really about, connecting and telling stories. So go out and get your Social media mojo workin’!
Much love and Keep on rockin' your biz!
About the Author: Anne Ganguzza is a full-time voice talent and award-winning director and producer who works with students to develop their voice over and business skills - including VO demo training and production. She specializes in Conversational Commercial and Narration styles, including Corporate, E-Learning, Technology, Healthcare - Medical, Telephony, and On-Hold. Located in Orange County, CA, Anne offers private coaching and mentoring services to students in person and via Skype, ipDTL or Zoom.