Podcasts Voice Over Experts Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking
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Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking

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Stephanie Ciccarelli
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Join Voice Over Expert Terry Daniel in his lesson “Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking”. Learn how services like Twitter and Facebook help to extend your brand and connect you with prospective clients. Not just for teenagers anymore, social networking is very important for business, and the best part of all, it’s free! Terry shares numerous tips on how you can promote your voice while providing valuable insight and being authentic.

Tags:

Terry Daniel, Social Networking, Twitter, Facebook, voice overs, voice talent, voice acting

Links from today’s show:

Terry Daniel
Terry Daniel’s Voices.com Website

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Expert Terry Daniel
Terry Daniel’s voice over career began over 15 years ago when he started working as a radio host which reviewed movies, known as “The Movie Guys.” Daniel then grew into becoming a professional D.J. for a smooth jazz station, as well as alternative rock station, After this, he moved into working as a marketing executive for Clear Channel and CBS Radio. It was after this career move that Daniel broke free into his own endeavors and began to move into his voice over talent niche. Daniel specializes in voice overs for commercials, Internet podcasts, books and various business projects. He has quickly made his way into the top ranks of being one of the most recognized voice talents in the industry, which has led to his association with corporations, businesses and nationally recognized voice over organizations.
Terry Daniel’s partial commercial client list includes corporations such as Apple Computers, Sprint, Lifetime Fitness, United Way, Hallmark, McDonalds, Great Clips and hundreds of others who need the perfect voice. Daniel has also done exclusive work for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Did you enjoy Terry’s episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It has never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won’t find anywhere else.
Now, for our special guest.
Terry Daniel: Hey, everyone. It’s Terry Daniel and if you don’t know me by my voice work, you probably know me from Twitter and Facebook. I can’t believe I’m admitting that. Actually, yes, I can. What is it with this social networking chaos? Why do people on this planet have this unfathomable appetite to know what our friends are doing on a moment by moment basis? Maybe because we might just have some great advice on how to grill fish on a barbeque or maybe you know the best place to play golf when visiting Virginia. Social networking is evolving and these days, it’s going mainstream business.
Through this medium, we are now able to throw our professional hats into the business ring we want to occupy. When I started off in this business almost 20 years ago, I would have never thought I would be using websites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. These sites have launched my business into a whole new stratosphere which gives sky is the limit a whole new meaning. My established clientele has been built with major corporations, media-based businesses and even philanthropic organizations. The fostering and network I have done has not only allowed me to establish a phenomenal resume but also allowed me to be part of exclusive voiceover associations.
One of the main reasons that I’ve been successful in my voiceover business is because I’ve made up my job to know how to hunt, seek and capture clients through untraditional methods like social networking. The concept of social networking isn’t new to most of you listening now. But many of you have not yet unlocked the potential of how to attract clients for your business by using social networking websites. Many of us understand the nuts and bolts of using these applications for keeping in touch with old classmates but for business, it’s a whole new ballgame. These sites aren’t just for teenagers anymore. Ask my 69-year-old father. He’s addicted to Facebook. Ask around and you’ll be surprised at how many of your professional friends can be found on Twitter or a place like Facebook. There is a craft in turning a Twitter follower into a paying client and I’m here to pass along some tips for doing that. I’ll get to them in just a moment.
Just this year alone, I have gained 15 clients from social networking sites. That’s 15 clients that I would have never been in the same room with. That’s 15 clients that write me checks to do what I love from the comfort of my own home. Amazing, right? I think so. So why should you care about social networking sites? Well, three reasons come to mind.
A, they are free. These sites are free to promote your self and most have millions of potential clients just waiting for you to charm.
B, the economy. It is nearly impossible to pay for advertising these days. You really are on your own to let the public or your business pool know you’re out there and
C, social networking is changing the world in amazing ways.
You might have seen one of the latest covers of Time Magazine highlighting how Twitter is changing the way we live our lives and now, how the world is doing business. The writer Steven Johnson says that businesses will pay big money to have a major following on Twitter. There really is no reason why you can’t have a piece of that digital, social pie. Now, Twitter is really the site that I’ve had the best luck with which funny enough, out of all the social networking sites, tends to confuse people the most. They don’t understand how a status update that can be no more than 140 characters can be worth anyone’s time. Truth be told, there are a lot of creative services industry people on Twitter so it’s definitely worth engaging in. For me, Twitter and the other sites I use have resulted in professional leads, repeated business and yes, dollars in my bank account.
So, here are my top five tips in using social networking to build your voiceover business.
Number one, sell your personality more than your product. Don’t send off a million tweets a day that say, “Get your voiceover right now for $100.” You know, make your tweets engaging. It’s okay to post a link to a commercial that you did but then follow it up with something clever or witty later that day. Twitter followers respond best to real people rather than habitual spammers.
Number two, if you were hired to do a voiceover from a client that you met on Twitter, tweet it. Tell people about it. Get people interested in how this works as a marketing tool.
Number three, blog like crazy on your website and then post the link on Twitter and Facebook and make sure these blogs are interesting. It’s okay to talk about all the work you’re doing if you include an interesting story about the session or client. And going back to number one for just a second, there are people on Twitter and Facebook where all they do is post links to their blogs. This should not be you. It’s okay to post links to your blogs but also start interesting conversations with people about just about anything.
Alright. Now, number four, I want to talk about YouTube for a moment. Do you have a webcam that’s collecting dust? Dust it off and use it to record your voiceover sessions and then get them on YouTube. It’s all about driving traffic, right? People are absolutely fascinated by what we do for a living. So why not share it with the world? I’m telling you from experience. People love watching voice talents record voiceovers. It’s amazing to them and it’s a lot of fun too.
Finally, number five, if you have demos, did you know you can post them on Facebook? You can also start a fan page for your self and invite everyone you know to become a fan. And you’ll be amazed of how many of their friends become fans. All three of these social networking sites allow you to post a link to your site too. All of this is free.
Look, the industry of voiceovers is proving to be a great strategic career move. With ever changing technology and the rapid need for voice talent, it is a very good time to either break into the business or make waves in the industry. My best advice is to find your niche, become an expert at that niche and tell every social network out there about your niche. Good luck. I’ll be rooting for you. This is Terry Daniel. And have a great week.
Julie-Ann Dean: Thank you for joining us. To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.
If you’re a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.
[Closing Music]
Julie-Ann Dean: This has been a Voices.com production.

Stephanie Ciccarelli
Stephanie Ciccarelli is a Co-Founder of Voices. Classically trained in voice as well as a respected mentor and industry speaker, Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. For over 25 years, Stephanie has used her voice to communicate what is most important to her through the spoken and written word. Possessing a great love for imparting knowledge and empowering others, Stephanie has been a contributor to The Huffington Post, Backstage magazine, Stage 32 and the Voices.com blog. Stephanie is found on the PROFIT Magazine W100 list three times (2013, 2015 and 2016), a ranking of Canada's top female entrepreneurs, and is the author of Voice Acting for Dummies®.
Connect with Stephanie on:
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Comments

  • Herb Merriweather
    June 25, 2009, 1:07 am

    Thank you, Terry for a wonderful podcast. Not only did you SOUND great…but the information is timely and invaluable. I’m rootin’ for you, too!

    Reply
  • Sara Mendes da Costa
    June 25, 2009, 12:25 pm

    Great episode. It’s really got me thinking…in fact..it’s got me acting… I’m off to join Twitter. Thanks Terry x

    Reply
  • Linda Ristig
    June 25, 2009, 2:30 pm

    Terry, just a few short months ago, I would have had NO idea how to join social networks, let alone use your methods to enhance my business. However, with Trish Basanyi as my mentor, I’ve been using some of the ideas you’ve mentioned. (One day soon, I’ll get over my shyness of using You Tube, even though I have an account.) I’d like to add another strategy to your already excellent podcast, if I may. If you know a teenager/college student who is out of school for the summer, ask them to help you set up a few of the social networking sites and show you how to use them. Rely on their kindness, or offer to pay them for their services! The Y generation takes to social networking and technology like a duck to water. Thank goodness for my sons! They love that they were my first Facebook and MySpace friends! Oh, and Terry, thanks for being a virtual friend!

    Reply
  • Mike Elmore
    June 28, 2009, 7:41 pm

    DOH!!!!! I thought we agreed not to let this golden gem…out of the bag!!!>>>???!!!!! haha..just kidding.
    As you know I have been very successful as well when it comes to adding clients thru these network sites. I have 6 regular clients that I got 4 years ago from MYSPACE..(which I don’t keep up with anymore) and have close to a dozen that I have gotten through Facebook. One of the “cool” things about this is about 4 or 5 of them are FRIENDS…..old friends that I went to school with that own their own businesses now. The others….complete strangers that found me thru various searches or on “friends” lists…..now that EVVVVERYONE knows of this I’m gonna have to ramp up even more>> haha….BEST of luck everyone and great cast, Terry>

    Reply
  • Corey Anderson
    July 2, 2009, 4:49 pm

    Man…this was great man! I’m like wow! LOL I’m off to make a list of things I need to do to make my arrival as a professional talent in the social networking world. I need some type of logo perhaps, I’d like to let people know I do graphics as well, a head shot would be nice, a couple of good spots I’ve voiced and that would probably work. I would like to start doing a podcast of some sort, but I’m having trouble deciding “what I think” people will think is interesting. Or more so, I’m thinking, why would anyone want to watch this. LOL, that can’t be good, right? LOL Oh, and I’m gonna look for places to get sample copy. Like what is worth reading for practice…I’ll be looking for some answers or be open to discovering that as well. But this was real cool man. Word up!

    Reply
  • Tom Conklin
    July 17, 2009, 2:55 am

    I believe totally in the social networking scene. I haven’t, at least so far, had the luck with landing clients as Terry did, but I have had a job lead or two. Anyway… I see the potential.

    Reply
  • Morgan Barnhart
    October 19, 2010, 10:00 pm

    Love tip number 4!!! They’re all awesome and Terry is by far one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to voice over and social media. I feel number 4 is definitely a biggie! Voice actors need to jump out of their comfort zone and begin showing off their skills in new and exciting, fun ways and webcaming your sessions is a great way to do that. =)
    Another tip I’d like to add, is get other voice overs involved with you. Do collabs, do small interviews (on your youtube!!), do anything to interact with those in our field.
    Social media is about interacting with others on a personal level, let’s not forget that. =)
    Thanks for the fantastic article!

    Reply