How do I Market Myself? The 3 Month Challenge

Hey Everyone,

I've started a marketing challenge for myself. I'm hoping that it'll pay off in the end.

Some people have said, "You have to market directly to whoever wants your service, create niche, and fulfill people's needs".

Well, that is all amazing, but that leaves me more clueless than ever. I do LOTS of different voice overs and I don't feel like cold calling all the time or picking random companies and kind of manipulating my way to someone who can give me a job.

Plus, I have no idea where to start or what to do. So, I've decided to do what I've normally been doing just publicly put everything out there. Make an online presence.

Here's my Challenge: 3 Months (end of the year)

1) Create a contact list of all jobs I've completed and do the following.

• Contact each individual thanking them personally and asking if they'd like me to link their video to my site for publicity and give them my email for future jobs.
• Note each interactions date, so as to re-initiate contact every three months or so.
• GOAL: 25 contacts put into a database and contacts per week (more is better)

2) Create a facebook professional page

• Post my facebook page to all voices.com, v123 sites
• Post on a daily basis of found videos or jobs gotten. 

Like this video, I found today.

Kick Brands Reaches Soccer Fans with The Trade Desk from The Trade Desk on Vimeo.

3) Twitter and tweet.

• Tweet once a day about jobs gained or videos found

4) Really update that LinkedIn Account

• Coinciding with the contact list. Connect with every client and post every job I can to my profile.
• GOAL: 25 job postings and Contact connections attempted per week (more is better)

5) Update my Website Twice a Week

6) Blog 3 Times a week

***Blogging creates contacts and give you a social presence. I'm hoping this will work out****

I have these items posted on my wall right behind my computer. I hope that this will just get me into a system of marketing from the pool I have. 

This is an experiment at best. But, if any of these get me in contact with more people for work or reinitiate contact with older employers for jobs, then it'll be worth it. We shall see. 

How to do Tutorials in the Conversational Manner

Hey Everyone,

So, I'm on a bit of a marketing kick and so I ended up finding actual links to videos I've done and once I saw this series, I figured I would give a lesson on how to do these things.

Tutorials and websites usually have scripts with lingo that is very specific. Sometimes you have no idea what you are talking about.

Here's the link for the vid.


1) Know how they need the acronyms and hard words pronounced. That'll save you a pickup.

2) If it's terribly long and has lots of different files, go the one runthrough aspect. Don't double up unless they ask for it specifically or if you offered it. (just one runthrough is good). If it's a smaller tutorial, then by all means, do it 2-3 times, the client will love you.

3) How to say this stuff!

First off, I know what a PDF converter is but I have no idea what I was saying. That's kind of the cool thing about VO, you don't really have to know anything. If they want conversational, then you need to just explain.

Line: We're going to go through the steps of how to setup a database in the pdf convertor for sharepoint.

**Take that line and replace all the specific words with something that makes sense to you***

Line (to you): We're going to go through the steps of how to make a sandwich in the kitchen for friends.

** Take a note of where the inflections go and try and match the line on top of that with the other lines**

Sometimes they give clues about how you should feel.

Line: In other applications, copyrighting and accounting takes up too much cloud space, Sharepoint has unlimited bandwidth and can increase your productivity.

**The implication is that other applications are sucky, Sharepoint is good, that tells you where the lifts are but lets change the lines to something easier to understand.**

Line (To You): In other rooms, air conditioners and shelves take up too much living space, IKIA has tiny furniture and can make life easier.

**The way you say that line TO YOU, is the key on how to say the harder line.

4) Use physicalities to help. If your talking about something that is bad, try tilting your head. It'll give off the notion that, "Look, I know they kind of suck, but I'm a good guy". If you are presenting the product a lot, put your hands forward as if giving a gift. "It's Sharepoint", it can sound like, "It's a playstation!".

Hopefully this was somewhat helpful. As a beginner and throughout my professional career, I have done lots of tutorials. This is my meal ticket, hopefully it can be yours too.

READ! BEFORE IT COSTS YOU VOICES.COM JOB!

Hey All,

I usually only blog when something goes right or wrong and last night something went wrong! Cost me a job, wrong. The thing is, after looking at the situation, I made two key critical errors that I will now NEVER make the mistake of again!

Okay, so I got a job yesterday, agreement was at about 12pm EST on 9-3-2014.

The message said this:
This should be smooth, natural, and fun. I need to sound natural so if you feel yourself adding a word or not saying a word to make it flow better, that is fine. Mp3 format.

The job itself said this:

Need voice actors for *********. The target audience will be young adults. This will potentially be broadcast nationally though our online marketing campaign. 150 words is the total read for the three males we are looking to hire. Deadline is August 31, 2014.
Sep 3, 2014 @ 11:07

Reminder this is 9-3-2014. 3 days after that deadline. So, I figure I have 24 hours to get it done, because I specify in my audition that I can get things done between 24-48 hours of the agreement and usually within 24 hours. I agree to the job.

A few hours later, I get a message of this:

Hello, the agreement for this service was for today September 03, 2014. I'm not sure what happened here.
Sep 3, 2014 @ 21:44

This is a pickle. It kind of sounds like he's blaming himself. Maybe the files won't upload or something. Notice the time difference. It's about 10 hours later. I haven't gotten started, honestly, I figured I had a day.
I get home late, so I send this.

I'll have a few shots to you within an hour. I can get jobs done within 24-48 hours of the agreement. Not a problem.

Keep an eye out for the files,
Justin

Sep 3, 2014 @ 23:25

I check out the voices.com files folder. I see a file that says "Download Erik Revised Script" below that an hour earlier was "Script". As a vo actor, anything that says Revised or was uploaded later is the script you should use. I record em up. I record 4 takes and pop them up. Unfortunately, I get them in at around September 4th at 0:45am. FIRST MISTAKE and ultimately a SECOND MISTAKE. Can you figure out what I did wrong? 

Okay, next morning, I get a message from the client. 

Thanks for your work, but the deadline was not met and the wrong scripts were recorded. I will have to request a refund and to cancel the project. Your file will not be used. Thank you for your time.

I call voices. Here's what I did wrong.

1. There are DATES on the agreement that you agree to. Mine said September 3rd. Had I gotten the files to him under the September 3rd deadline (40 minutes Earlier), I would have been in the right.

2. The file that said Erik Revised was not for me. It was mistakenly put there by THE CLIENT. By doing that script as opposed to the script in the AGREEMENT page, I am in the wrong. 

Personally, I have agreements where the date on the agreement is TOTALLY not the deadline. I have two jobs that have deadlines that have passed that I'm working on and both me and the client know what the situation is. There is also agreements where it may say ten days from now, but the client wants it tomorrow. 

As for the revised script, I have ALWAYS done the newer script. Script changes happen all the time and why would someone upload a newer script they didn't want to get recorded. Also, why would someone upload someone else's script to me. 

Now comes to the TIPS to protect you from this crappy situation:

1) Look at the Agreement date. Take it as GOLD unless otherwise SPECIFIED IN MESSAGES!!! That is your due date until specified otherwise. You are going by VOICE.COM server time which is Central time. That is your due date. Midnight Central time. If I had done it before that time, I would be in the right.

***********in the event you have a one day deadline, ask for specific times they need it by, by doing it by midnight, you may be pissing off a client. But, if they don't specify a time it's technically their bad, you're well within your right to get it done by midnight****************

2) Revised Scripts are only revisions if you compare it to the Agreement script and they are the same script. Always compare the two. If they are different scripts, ask if you should record both and you may be within your right of asking for more payment. The most recent upload may not be a revised script. Look at the scripts carefully. 

I hate to say this, but this is a once in a lifetime dumb client I was dealing with here. To not even specify RUSH, to not even specify a TIME, and to top it all off upload a script to the WRONG talent. Also, I hate to say this, but I made some DUMB mistakes. To not look at the agreement and not compare the scripts. Also, to think that since the client didn't specify RUSH or a date in job posting or messages that it wasn't rush. 

In conclusion, take the time to take note of the agreements. Get it down in writing through email and messages. Clarity helps. I could have had this done in one hour within an hour of the agreement but I didn't do it. Next time..... there will be no next time.