Give Your Voiceover Business a Boost

Building your business is very likely at the top of your list of objectives if you are a voiceover artist.  Working in this field very often requires an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as a strong understanding of business.  If you have honed your voice, but you are still struggling to build a consistent business flow, you may want to consider the following tips.

Offer a Secondary Service One of the biggest pieces of advice offered by those who have been in the business to those who are new and struggling to find their footing is to offer a secondary service.  One of the most commonly mentioned is translation service.  You can’t speak another language?  It’s okay.  Find a company that does and contract their services.  Once the piece has been translated in writing, you can do the voiceover work as usual.  You can draw in more clientele, the translation company gets paid, and so do you.  Other services you might consider, depending on your strengths, are script editing, script writing, or you could even lease out your recording studio (if you have a nice one) at an hourly rate.

Consider Referrals If a voiceover job comes across your desk, but you know that you aren’t really the right fit for it, consider giving a referral.  This can be a very effective way to build connections and a sense of loyalty, if handled in the right manner.  Don’t refer to someone who would be seen as direct competition (i.e. someone with very similar vocal range and skillset) and do make direct contact with the other voiceover artist to let them know that you’ve made the referral and that he or she should expect a call or email.  This doesn’t guarantee that you will receive referrals in return, but it does increase the likelihood that you will.

Clean Up Your Own Work Additional services were mentioned above.  Post-production work wasn’t mentioned, but it is worth considering.  If you can hone your skills on the audio editing software, you can provide the post-production services that will increase your value in the eyes of potential clients.  You may be surprised to find that offering those services, even if they come at an added price, will lead to substantial increase in the number of voiceover jobs you secure.

Stalk the Successes Not literally.  You don't want to get arrested, after all.  However, there is nothing illegal about tracking the behaviors of competitors online.  Pick out proven successes in the voiceover world and watch what they are doing online.  You may find that mimicking their behaviors (to a reasonable degree) will result in a boost to your own business.  After all, they must be doing something right!