VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Rognog · Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:38 am Post subject: Voiceover Marketing

In the ten years I've been doing voiceovers I've learned that marketing, networking and follow-up is critical to achieve success. I've been developing a "cocktail" that combines:

Cold Calls
Demo Submisisons via email and snail mail
Postcard Mailings
Maintaining a Website & Blog
Sending out a Quarterly Newsletter
Creating the Good Karma Network to generate dialogue & good will
Meeting Agents & Casting Directors
Joining Voiceover Sites like Voice123

Let's start a thread of marketing & networking "success stories" that we can share. What's your formula for success?
_________________
Tom Dheere - The "H" is Silent, but I'm Not!
www.tomdheere.com

Jowillie · Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:08 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the list, Rognog. How about a simple explaination or an example of how you did each catagory on the list.
_________________
Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

Question-do you do the newsletter yourself, or farm it out, and is it an electronic or snailmail newsletter?

Rognog · Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:14 pm Post subject:

DISCLAIMER: this is my peronal experience with these methods. What works or doesn't work for me may not be so for you. Also, until last year I was having the life sucked out of me in the food service industry while I was pursuing voiceovers on the side so I've had less than a year to give it my all.

Here's another thing about me: I have two major clients that pay my rent and I got them through word-of-mouth. All of the VO dough I've made through the tactics below is less than 10% of what I've made through my two major clients. So is it just who you know + dumb luck?

Cold Calls: it's gotten me work but not repeat business. BTW I HATE cold calls. Most of the time the person on the other line has no idea what you want and the person who does know what you're talking about is too busy to talk.

Demo Submisisons via email and snail mail: hard copies are better. Put your name & number on the spine of the demo so it catches their eye when they glance at the HUGE stack of demos piled up somewhere in their office.

Postcard Mailings: they're good to keep you in a potential client's mind but it only works if a gig comes across their desk immediately or very soon thereafter.

Maintaining a Website & Blog: a great reference but I've never gotten a call from a potential client because they found my site.

Sending out a Quarterly Newsletter: a great to way to stay in touch but it has the same effect as postcards. Rob, I make it myself and post it on my website. Then I send a mass email with a link to the web page. Last month I emailed about 200 contacts and I got 42 hits on my site that day. Is that good? I have no idea...

Creating the Good Karma Network to generate dialogue & good will: I've gotten colleagues paying work. I haven't gotten work from it but it's not about that. It's my way of trying to give back what I've gotten from being a part of this wonderful profession.

Meeting Agents & Casting Directors: I've met dozens of them over the years and it's really important to know who they are and what they can do to help you. I've only come across one agent that consistently sent me out & I booked through but they were corrupt and took almost a year to pay me for some of the gigs I booked.

Joining Voiceover Sites like Voice123: I've booked three gigs via the same client within a month of joining and I've made other good contacts.
_________________
Tom Dheere - The "H" is Silent, but I'm Not!
www.tomdheere.com

jrodriguez315 · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:57 am Post subject:

Rognog · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:50 am Post subject:

If you want a referral just PM me your info and I'll pass it along!
_________________
Tom Dheere - The "H" is Silent, but I'm Not!
www.tomdheere.com