Finding Networking Opportunities

Networking is critical to your success as a voice over talent so it pays to become a master networker.  While networking is necessary it doesn’t have to be a grueling experience.  Here are some tips to help you become a master networker.

Think of people who you know and businesses you frequent.  Do a bit of research to find the appropriate contacts and find out what their experience has been with current voice over talent and if they are open to accepting new voice over talent submissions.  Pay attention to any clues that may help you to serve them better than their existing talent base.

Look for networking opportunities in your local community where potential decision makers gather.  Chamber of Commerce meetings, marketing and advertising gatherings, and local business MeetUp groups are good places to start.  Attend these gatherings, introduce yourself and, in the course of the conversation, find out what you can do to help them accomplish their goals better with your voice over services.  Then make sure to follow up with these people within 24 to 48 hours after the event using the information you gleaned from your initial introduction.

Contact charities or causes for which you feel a passion.  The Animal Humane Society, The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, and so many more are wonderful and worthy organizations which you may offer to volunteer your voice for a commercial or event.  This gesture has also led to future paid voice over work for me.  Attend their events and you will meet other contacts of companies who support these organizations too.

Social Media Marketing is only growing and the people who are hiring voice over talent are using it as a tool to find talent.  If you are not yet taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube you need to do so.  Check out SocialMediaVO.com to see what is new in Social Media and Voice Over.

Set a realistic networking goal for yourself and schedule networking events and activities into your calendar.  What gets scheduled gets done!

Finally, relax.  People are not thinking about you as much as they are thinking about themselves, their challenges and how others perceive them.  Make it your goal to make them feel comfortable and important. See how you can help them and they will respond in kind.

Put these tips into practice consistently and you will build a fabulous network and momentum that will continuously feed your business.

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Brand You!

You are the entire package!  You have the skills, the personality, the training, the equipment and home studio setup, the knowledge, dedication, and attention to detail.  You’re it!  But how will anyone know?

It’s all about your brand. Regardless of your voice over prowess you need to figure out your brand.  Your brand is your image, your reputation, how people come to know you and what you’re about!  Competition is fierce, and as a voice over talent, if you don’t know how to brand yourself, much less know your brand, you might as well step into oblivion.

The concept is simple really.  Assess your strengths and what makes you unique.  Think of how you want to be known and begin positioning yourself.  What do you need to do to make your vision of you a reality?  You definitely need to have the obvious business cards, web site, demo, and social media presence.  That’s a given.

Here’s where the pros differ from the amateurs. Consistency.  Frequency. Quality.  Value.  Exposure.  The consistency and the frequency, and the quality and the value of your exposure are critical components of your brand.  Look at your current exposure. Is it consistently portraying the level of quality you deliver?  Is it portraying the value of what you have to offer?  How often are the right people exposed to your brand?  Now take a look at the opportunities to improve in each of those areas and begin!

Branding takes time and effort, but it is time and effort well invested.  Your brand speaks for you when you are not present to speak for yourself.  The fact remains, whether you choose to brand yourself or not, you will be branded!  The pros are sought after not solely for their voice over skills, but because they branded themselves so their voice over skills would be sought after.  What’s your brand?

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