How did I get here? Oh great, not another blog from some voice over artist, actor, talent...what are we calling ourselves these days? Let's keep it simple and call me a "VO", but I'm also fine with "voice over talent".
I've been inspired. I decided at the beginning of 2015 that this was the year that I'd really get back into voice over, and that I was not going to slack off anymore; aside from my day job I'm also a husband and a father of two very young high-energy boys. I really don't have time to even slack off come to think of it, but with voice over I've been kicking the can around long enough to realize that I can make something out of this. Through independent research and listening to the wise folks that have been doing this for a long time, I've come to grasp the notion that this just isn't all about recording reads and sounding good, but it's about running a business. Scary, but I'm accepting the challenge. So what brings me here, to this blog page?
I first would like to thank the well known talent/coach/instructor +Joe Loesch. I attended a webinar he conducted through Edge Studio last night on the subject of Marketing, specifically first impressions and how your website represents you. So, how does my website represent me? Take a look here at my webpage. That's all it is, one single webpage - a "landing page" as some may refer to it in web parlance. I wanted to keep it simple and have everything that you need to know about me on one single scroll-able area. Granted, I do have links to my G+ page, Voices.com profile, an email hyperlink, and yes my rate sheet is also linked from my page as well. It's got a couple of simple colors; red, gray, blue, and I found a cool looking cork-board background wallpaper to help you imagine that you're seeing my add at the laundromat/supermarket community board/college dorm/FBI wanted poster wall, wherever you'd find a cork board with local small businesses doing the old school advertising. I'm going for that down-to-earth familiarity - the honest, laid back, everyday man (hey, I didn't make that up - those descriptions were from my coaches when I got started). You be the judge though as my demo and a couple of samples of work I've done are on my page as well. The rub is if you run an Apple based browser e.g. Safari on your iPhone you'll miss out because my demos are on a customized flash based player (thanks for shutting that out, Apple). Nevertheless, it's something I'll be looking to fix, but in the interim hear me out on my Soundcloud page. Oh, and my site doesn't have a mobile version of itself either - something else on the to-do list.
So why am I here? As present day marketing strategy dictates blogging is one of the popular ways to get yourself known and keep your business up with that good ol' SEO (search engine optimization). To me, it seems blogging goes a bit beyond the social media posts and 140 character submissions. One can expand their thoughts and maybe have some fun (or get into trouble by stirring the pot too hard) when blogging is taking place. I don't intend to start a raucous, I'm just here to share what I can and promote our profession in a positive light.
The question I asked Joe on the webinar was how a "new talent" on the scene can market themselves to potential customers. More specifically, when we invite visitors to our website, blog, etc. one of the best things in creating awareness and establishing relationships is to give out something gratis, perhaps some nuggets of knowledge that backs up the "solopreneur's" professional image. Well, what if you haven't been around for that long or maybe you have, but you've got one or two steady clients and are doing this part-time (like me)? Or maybe you just started yesterday? Joe's answer was quite simple: Write about your current experience - mention a class you took or an article you read and what it meant to you essentially building a story about your journey. It introduces a level of humility that's certainly real. I thought that advice was brilliant.
And, here I am :)
More to come...
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