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Michele Koch

Voice Actor

Top Three Ways Adding Voiceover is Key to Successful Branding

Business

What is the sound of your business?

For entrepreneurs concerned with branding, much of their focus is on the look and feel of the generated materials whether print or digital through online platforms, how it relates to their emotions and the story they wish to tell, all of it created with an attention to detail about visuals, including color palettes, fonts, art work, video or still images, and the like. But when it comes to the voiceover work, too many businesses completely ignore the branding opportunities of the human voice, letting the Fates give them the voice of their business.

But let me ask you – does it make solid marketing sense to obsess over how a business looks… and then ignore how it sounds?

What is the sound of Geiko? It’s comedian and British voiceover Jake Wood. We’d know his voice anywhere. What is the sound of Lexus? Another British voice, this time an Oscar nominated actress Minnie Driver.

What is the sound of your business?

Voiceover – Giving your Business a Distinctive Voice in a Market of Babble

Genuinely savvy marketers and business owners understand the importance of voiceover work. Progressive Insurance surely understands this – most reading this can probably hear Flo’s voice in their head.

But why? Why should you, a small business owner, invest in voiceover work?

1. Voiceover gives Branding Consistency via the 2nd Most Important Sense.

Vastly important in commercials, and especially so for radio spots, having a consistent voice across multiple channels doubles your brand reinforcement. Don’t focus solely on the look of your marketing, make sure the sound of it matches as well.

2. Voiceover Gives Personality

Who is your company? Are you fun? Serious? Sassy? Texan? A combination of these? The right voice will give your branding a true personality, turning visual cues into audio reassurance. Inflection, pitch, tonality, word choice, cadence, more, are all important aspects to consider for the voice of your business.

3. Voiceover is Flexible

Voiceover gives a tremendous amount of flexibility to your business, enhancing your branding across channels not typically thought of as ‘marketing’: Phone Prompts. Narration. Training Videos. Capital Raising Videos. Corporate Events. Translation. Having the same voice on these, in addition to your advertisements, sends a powerful, reinforcing message to all audiences.

Voiceover – Branding Reinforcement by Personality

The use of the same professional voiceover actor(s) give the experienced marketing professional unparalleled flexibility in building your company’s brand and personality. Do not make the mistake of ignoring the 2nd most important sense in your marketing efforts, the one which gives your firm a true personality.

Contact me, Michele Koch, today to discuss your voiceover needs. Please email me at michele@michelekoch.com, or call 865-221-7676 to set up a conversation.

Quoting your next gig

Business, Finance

I was recently contacted through LinkedIn for voiceover gig. It was especially nice since I had never marketed directly to this individual, yet he found me, liked my demos, and sought me out to voice a new app he’s developing. I was thrilled!! But here’s the catch. He’s new to the video app industry and using Kickstarter to get his app up and running. Should I have quoted him industry rates from GVAA?

For this project, my choice was no. I discounted my rate (approximately 25%) and told him so. I have other voice work that I am paid at or above industry rates, so why not charge this client the full rate, or even to turn him down?

Sometimes it’s worth offering a discount to build a relationship that could result in more work – and as it turns out, this client is well connected in the start up industry locally and can refer me out.

I’m all in favor of keeping the voice-over industry strong and not undercutting my worth as a voice actor, but knowing when to discount (and how to explain that to a new client,) and when to charge full rates is a balance act.

But be very careful not to fall into a pattern of discounting. Word of mouth is strong, and your reputation could be tarnished if you’re not quoting your full worth.

The Age Old Question – Can I start a new career in my 50’s?

Business

Most voice over professionals I know have been in the business since they were in their 20’s or 30’s. Let’s face it, voice over is a passion, and what better time to start following your passion than when you’re young and full of spit and vinegar, right?? Not so much!

I’ve always been an actor and voice talent. I was acting in high school, performed in community theater in my 30’s and have ALWAYS used my voice in one way or another. Taking it to the professional level, though, was not in the cards for me in my 30’s or even 40’s.

Getting started in voice-over takes substantial investment in time and money – something I didn’t have much of in my early years. But when I entered my 50’s, I had the flexibility, the finances, and the fervor to finally reach my potential. So I began training with some of the best coaches in the industry, did a LOT of research, and invested in solid equipment.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been rewarding. My first paid gig was a video game character, my second paid gig was an independent film movie trailer. And I currently finished working on the first season of Lukas Storyteller.

Thinking of starting in voice over – don’t let age – young or older, stop you. Go for it!