How To Use Social Media to Get Voice Over Clients in 2018
Most of what I see voice over artists doing on social media is sharing demos. You share demos in voiceover groups on FaceBook (won’t get you clients). You share demos on Twitter (won’t get you clients). No need to list the other social media clients. You do the same thing on those as well.
I also see voice actors promoting their services on these same channels and offering discounts. How is that working for you?
If you take a look at the posts that you have made over the past 12 months, how many of those have turned into actual work?
For most of you, probably none right? Well maybe for a few of you, you got 1 or 2 small clients, but nothing to write home about.
Am I right?
The main problem with this is approach is that you are going in for the ask on your first contact. In essence, you are doing the same thing as most other voiceover talents.
I call it begging.
Well, there is a way to utilize social media that works.
The problem is that most voiceover artists do not have the patience to really work on this the way that it needs to work.
Instead of using social media to beg for work, how about using it in the way that benefits the potential client as appose to YOU.
This approach takes a level of patience that most voice actors simply don’t know about, or do not want to do.
As I go deeper into this explanation let me also say this. We have a tremendous amount of competition, not only from each other, but also from the freelance sites, agents, and pay to play sites that are out there.
From their perspective, they market to potential clients on social media by offering a solution to a problem. They pimp you out by offering high-quality voiceover for the lowest possible price.
We then compete with each other by lowering our prices further still. We compete, literally on price and then our talent, equipment, and expertise come last. In many cases.
To make things worse we like shiny new things. We watch webinars and videos selling us on the best new course for Fiverr or the best way to get clients on Craigslist.
We watch an ad on FaceBook or YouTube from a coach promising you that you can get more clients and work if you just do ‘this’.
Oddly enough, I am not faulting the coaches. Most of them do have real answers.
I’m faulting YOU.
You see, most people that want a full-time job in voice-over have no real talent when it comes to sales and marketing. Most are looking for what I call an ‘easy button’.
That easy button mentality comes from laziness or simply not having a real business mind. For some reason, many people think that buying a microphone and learning Audacity makes them a voice actor.
It Doesn’t.
Being a voice-over artist is more than your voice, your mic, or your DAW.
It is mostly about your ability to market and sell the service you provide.
It’s a BUSINESS.
Marketing and sales, today is all about knowing how to use social media in the way that actually works.
- SnapChat
- and others
are all valid ways to get business. That is if you approach it by giving your potential clients more value than the money you are looking to make.
THE CLIENT HAS TO BE FIRST NOT YOUR POCKET.
What I mean is this.
Instead of wasting time posting your demo in places that don’t matter or begging for work in every Twitter post.
Try this.
What do you think would happen if you actually made a spreadsheet of your top 100 companies you really want to work with…
- Discover how the decision maker is
- Follow them on every social media platform they are on
- See what they are actually talking about
- Get involved in the conversation
- Add value where you can
- DM them about what you just read, watched, or viewed telling them how interesting you found it to be
- AND DONT ASK FOR THE SALE!
Again, DONT ASK FOR THE SALE! Just talk to them about they are interested in.
Guess what will happen?
Over time they will do exactly what you want them to. THEY WILL LOOK AT YOUR PROFILE!
If you have developed a relationship with them based on their interests, the natural course of action for them is to find out more about what you do.
What will impress them more than anything is if you display a genuine interest in what they are all about. The fact that you resist the benefit to you and make it all about them will be amazing to them.
You will have taken the time to explore their interests and possibly even developed a good friend over time that is now in your corner.
Oh but wait.
This actually takes time, patience, and…
WORK.
In 2018, if you are willing to put in the time to do this, you could get several amazing clients willing to pay you your worth.
Or
You can continue to do what everyone else is doing.
If you work social media the way that actually works, you can change your voiceover career forever.
#GrindAndDontQuit
