VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[audiblyandrea]

Hello! I'd love some feedback on my website/demo. Not a newbie per se but trying to move to a new level.
Thank you!

www.meltonvo.com

[Bob Bergen]

OK....ready for an odd response? Who is Becky Halcomb??

[audiblyandrea]

Hi Bob! Becky is a small market radio station client.

[George]

I love that everything relevant is right there on the front page. Don't have to scroll or click. Commercial demo sounds great; I'm surprised I haven't heard you on the 1000 rheumatoid arthritis commercials my wife and I have to endure to watch just about anything on Hulu (:

Teeny tiny nitpick: in the Services link, what I think I would like to see is either re-framing the features into language that feels more like benefits, or an added section that talks about what your services will do to benefit the prospective client (which could give you more SEO bits to scrape from)

[Bob Bergen]

[audiblyandrea]

Thanks Bob and George for taking the time to give me some valuable input. I'm going make adjustments today!

Bob, I agree with you. I went back and forth on the testimonial. I'll axe it.

I "re-launched" my vo business a few weeks ago after a year-long stint in law school. (I'm going on 40 and I had thoughts that I'd better do something more secure for my family's future) Suffice it to say, law school was not my happy place. Now we are moving back home and I'm recommitting to dreams I've had for a long time. I think I've got my ducks mostly in a row.... now to find some work! I have a steady eLearning (K-8th) narration gig but narrating math problems also is not necessarily my happy place. 😁 Again, thank you for your feedback.

[Bob Bergen]

Good for you! And trust me, that legal education is gonna come in very handy in this business of show.

[Philip Banks]

In addition to the solid input above, if you think it may help I'd be happy to have a chat with you on Skype. My ID is voiceoverist.

[audiblyandrea]

[Philip Banks]

Don't see you but am sure you'll show up at some point

[Jack Daniel]

I really like your demo.

Describing yourself as "authentic, connected, etc." is a waste of time. First, 95% of VOs claim such descriptors, and it comes off as filler that glazes the eyes. Your demo conveys that info much more powerfully than your own generic hype. That space could be used to share an example of your work, which is going to be much more important to a potential buyer than your opinion of your own voice.

To the right of that, you have a generic image of a soundwave in a chat icon that again is simply cliche.

In your "About" section, you describe a journey to VO that also comes off as--you guessed it--cliche. You did this and that and finally found VO. Yep, sounds like most people in the voiceover world. I ask, what do you think this little piece is buying you? You don't want the subtext to be "hey look I'm like all the other VOs who want to be loved."

In short, you are clearly talented and don't need the generic distractions. Right now your demo-proven ability is fighting against uninspired filler that contradicts the message of talent.

In the end, these are quibbles about things that most buyers have learned to ignore anyway after visiting countless VO sites. But I figure, why not show that you know by avoiding the well-trodden paths of all the rest?

I wish you the very best, Andrea. You have a frankness in your voice that is very marketable, and I expect you will do well :)
_________________
Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[George]

Hey Jack, I have a follow-up question regarding your (really, really good) feedback.

The only reason I didn't bring up some of the stuff you mentioned in the about section was because it's not on the main page. It's on a separate page that a prospective user would actually have to click on to go to in order to find that out. I've been on the fence back and forth about trying to find the balance between "what is and is not cliche" and "what is going to give Google the SEO dopamine rush it needs" as that pertains directly to my own current web site reconstruction.

Not that web pages are necessarily a "set up shop and wait for the business to come to you" kind of scenario, I'm just trying to find the balance between great advice like yours and satisfying the "algorithm" that is a part - if relatively small - of the overall picture.

[Jack Daniel]

George, in my opinion, the algorithm is not going to be much affected by adding an "about" page or section. Google's algos are pretty opaque and barely recognize the SEO-stocking strategies of yesterday. And frankly, at the traffic levels most of us get, the impact will be negligible.

My site has very little text. No one cares about me personally, they want to know if I can do a job. They aren't going to find me by typing in search terms, they will find me because they have a reason to look at me. In my opinion, what they want to know:

Have I done the kind of work they are doing, and at the level they represent?
Who are my reps (if they don't already know)?
THEN... if my work doesn't confirm my ability for their needs... they look at my demos, but most visitors do not. (In my experience, demos are primarily [1] for getting in an agent's door and [2] tools used by agents to get work or auditions for work.)
Basic contact info for my reps and for me, though primarily for the reps.

What they aren't looking for:

Info about my studio. They presume I have all the tools necessary.
My personal history, hobbies, or thoughts on the industry or whatever.
A client list. These are almost meaningless and are more likely to reduce credibility than reinforce it.
Pictures of me with a mic.
Coaches I've worked with. I do workshops and receive coaching regularly, but no one else gives a damn. It either works or it doesn't as reflected in my performances.

Keep in mind, I made every mistake you can make regarding my website in the past (as well as a host of other mistakes not website-related).

I'm sure people will disagree with some of my points, but I stand by them.

Hope this is useful, George!
_________________
Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[Bob Bergen]

Agree with a lot of what Jack said. I have never been a fan of an actor telling the listener what they sound like. You risk your demo not living up to your own assessment of your talent, which in itself on your own marketing is pretty presumptuous and narcissistic. If your demo is great, the listener will find it great. If your read is authentic, the listener will find it authentic. But conversational and authentic is expected. It's like a fast food drive thru advertising, "Our food is served hot." Well, no duh!

Less is more. Let the demo and your talent be your sell. Don't tell others how they should feel about you and your skills. I have found people investing more in their branding or the color of their site than acting classes, or demos with relevance. You don't invite people to a play you are in telling them how wonderful your acting is on the invitation. And you don't get a quote from someone unimpressive on the invitation. A website is an invitation for buyers to delve deeper into what you have to offer. Let them decide what you sound like and are right for.

[Philip Banks]

Wonderfully articulated! Never tell people what to think, never tell them their opinion of you because their thoughts and opinions may be head and shoulders above yours.