VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD! Forum Index VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!
Where A.I. is a four-letter word.
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Internet Marketing
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD! Forum Index -> Chat
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
mcm
Smart Kitteh


Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Posts: 2600
Location: w. MA, USA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:25 pm    Post subject: Internet Marketing Reply with quote

This post is about using the internet, and one's website, to get VO work, not about using VO marketing sites where you pay for the chance to compete with lots of other people for jobs that don't necessarily pay much.



How many of us get work from people finding our website? If work obtained this way is minimal, why? If we were making more of an effort to use the power of the internet, would this change? I talked with somebody from www.100keywords.com about internet marketing. For a fee these people will increase traffic to one's website by getting links to one's website on lots of other websites (plus keyword research and the various other things one needs to do to increase visibility). I don't really get how that works, but it sounds like a lot more work than I would be likely to do on my own. I've done a lot of keyword research and feel like I'm probably okay there, but as for all the other ways to increase traffic, I don't know if I can do it myself or whether it would pay off to pay somebody to do this kind of stuff. They say it takes 50-100 visitors to get a sale. On average. But maybe VO is not the kind of business that could fit into that average. I don't know how often casting directors or producers or anybody looking for voice talent actually sit down and search for VO talent-- does the talent tend to search for them?



My marketing plan is pretty slow and methodical. I'm not complaining. I have my work cut out for me and I'm willing to do it and it's fun. After about 35 telephone calls, I got my first audition (which is a better percentage than that 50-100-visitors-to-my-website figure-- and it does not take into account the people among those 35 who might need me in a month or a year). But it took a couple of weeks. I'm not complaining about that either. This way I get to choose the kind of companies that I might work with. I'm just thinking that with all the internet traffic, maybe one could be a lot more effcient by diverting more of that traffic to one's site. Which might mean paying somebody something to help make it happen.



Any thoughts?



Mary
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
billelder
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 3:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you mean the META tag for your web site, you can easily add it to your html code and the search bots will pick it up. You put it after the <HEAD> and before the <TITLE> in your code.



<meta name="keywords" content="voice,voiceover,voiceovers">

<meta name="description" content="Voice over talent">

<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">



Put whatever words apply to you.
Back to top
Joe Whistler
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 8:50 am    Post subject: Internet Marketing Reply with quote

Bill is correct about the meta-tags. But that's only half the work. The other half of the effort is getting your site listed on numerous search engines. You can do this yourself by going to google, MSN, yahoo, etc. and submiting your site URL and including the same meta-tags contained on your site pages. This method is cost effective (essentially free), but takes time to input and takes anywhere from 1 to 6 months before your site begins appearing on searches.



You can pay to have a listing service register your site, too. That can be expensive.



If you do it yourself, you can speed things along by frequently entering your search tags into the various engines on a daily basis. The search engines will "catch up" a little faster. I did this for a site and had it coming up on the first page of google within a month, and within the top 5 lines after 2 months.
Back to top
mcm
Smart Kitteh


Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Posts: 2600
Location: w. MA, USA

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't have that robot tag, and have now added it, although my very preliminary reading suggests that few robots currently support that tag. The other tags I already had, and I have submitted my site (2 months ago) and Google still hasn't picked it up. Yahoo picked it up, dropped it, and picked it up again. When you say "enter your search tags", Joe, do you mean to enter the keywords that I use on my site into the various search engines?



But I'd still like to know the answer to my other question-- do you get VO work via your website? I don't plan to change the way I'm marketing right now, but I don't want to miss opportunities either.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
billelder
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, I must have misunderstood the post. Yes. I get business from the web site. It is also an integral part of the way I do business.

To me, the search engine isn't so much help. Have you typed in the word "voiceovers" in Google lately? Now, when you type my name is Google you'll get me and the artist for Mad Magazine. That helps in that people who know my name and want to find me can do so. I don't expect my site to bring in new business, although it has. But, this is just me. I would suspect that everyone here has different ways of using the web.
Back to top
Joe Whistler
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:01 am    Post subject: Internet Marketing Reply with quote

yes, use the keywords in your search. I tried it using some of your keywords and last name and google comes up with your listing on voice123.com. It will take weeks/months before your personal site starts coming up.



I think your method of direct marketing will be more effective in the long run. These days, everyone is expected to have a personal website for the presence, but as far as generating business for voice over work, I would think it would be a small percentage. Having a website is certainly worth it when you make a contact with a prospective client or agency. Lends a bit more "legitimacy."
Back to top
billelder
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmmm. I did a Google on "Bill Elder" and I was the second and fourth one. I left Voice123 years ago. I get real nervous when folks start talking about getting work. It's like religion and politics...I just don't discuss it. But I wish you all the best in however you find your gigs.



(Ok...I use extortion. Happy now? LOL)
Back to top
Guest






PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 12:51 pm    Post subject: Internet Marketing Reply with quote

Yes Yes Yes.. extortion is important. But don't forget bribes!
Back to top
Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I mostly use my website as a reference for demos when I'm pitching for a job.



HOWEVER---Some of my best clients have found me through my website.



It's a mixed bag. Look up DB Cooper and you get the hijacker; I can tell that some folks find my site by looking for that name but I don't think they're looking for me.



You can always find out what meta-tags other folks are using by looking at the "source" of a web page that lands at the top of the search engine list.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
jrkaiser
Guest





PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 5:27 am    Post subject: Self Promotion Reply with quote

WHen you are promoting your business you must be shameless. Utilize all resources possible. DON'T FORGET PERSONAL CONTACT!



And don't think that just by having a web-site it will get you work. You need to work hard getting people to the web-site by putting your address everywhere.



The web-site is a great utility, I have garnered much work from it. More than anything though I use it to point potential customers to 1 of the 30 talent demos I have listed. To upload and download copy, spots, etc. And most importantly to receive payment!



You should be specifically targeting industries, making multiple contacts per day... every day!



Justin
Back to top
schaer
Contributore Level V


Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 169
Location: Las Vegas, New Mexico (yes, there is such a place...)

PostPosted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Everyone,



this is my first post here although I have been "listening" in for a while. Like Mary of mcmvoices.com I am new to the business but I have been involved in the Internet since 1995, designing websites etc. Regarding META tags: It seems important to me that you stay on top of search engine optimization of your site. Search engine bots tend to modify their ways of finding and indexing your site. These are the tags I will be using on my site:



<head>

<meta name="DC.creator" content="who are you">

<meta name="DC.description" content="what do you do">

<meta name="DC.subject" content="any keyword that even remotely pertains to what you do and have to offer like voice-over, voice, narration, IVR, audiobook, audiobooks, corporate narration etc">

<meta name="DC.identifier" scheme="DCTERMS.URI" content="http://www.yourwebsite.com/index.htm" Comment: modify this URL for each of your webpages on your website>

<meta name="DC.type" scheme="DCTERMS.DCMIType" content="Text">

<meta name="DC.format" content="text/html">

<meta name="DC.language" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC1766" content="en">

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

<meta http-equiv="content-language" content="english">

<meta name="robots" content="all">

<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">

<meta name="metatagupdate" content="Sun, 09 Jan 2005 12:17:43 GMT">

<meta name="date" content="2005-01-09">

<title>Title of your site</title>



Aside from the META tags, however, it is equally important to get yourself listed in as many places as possible to influence the ranking of your site particularly in Google. Get yourself listed in places like Marketing Mania, Voice123.com and chat places like this one. Whenever you post, mention your full URL in the post or post signature because Google will pick up your URL while indexing vo-bb.com and others. And then there is Google's AdWords and AdSense program of course which can be very effective and you can taylor it to your budget.



Best,

Bernard
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address
Guest






PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

schaer wrote:
Hi Everyone,



this is my first post here although I have been "listening" in for a while..........




Wow. Thanks Bernard. That's some VERY useful info on the meta tags. I appreciate your giving it to us.



I've just got done putting together my new website and shall be putting it up for opinions pretty soon.



I've started doing radio & TV IDs for a production company here in Japan that found me through my original web site. That's encouraged me to give it a make-over and finally get it translated into Japanese!



Cheers.



Mike.
Back to top
Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ya know, Mike-- you nut--



You have an option to stay signed in on this board.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
jrkaiser
Guest





PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unless he has something that regularly clears his cookies... One of a number of firewall programs or security programs out there do this and you have to continually sign into these things regularly. I know I have to.



Justin
Back to top
mcm
Smart Kitteh


Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Posts: 2600
Location: w. MA, USA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Bernard--



I'm glad you're here! Thank-you for this awesome information.



I've heard that one should not use a keyword more than 3-5 times or it gets ignored. Is that true? Legend? Used to be true but isn't now?



Mary
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD! Forum Index -> Chat All times are GMT - 7 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group