Lesson #14 -
How to Build a Successful Voiceover Website
Long before I ramped up my voiceover business I became an internet junkie. I went through the process of learning how to develop websites and then how to market them. It was a foundation that has proven very helpful to me in growing my business. In fact, I am an Internet Marketing Consultant for AT&T and Google/Yahoo adword certified. I’m not sharing that to impress you. Just wanted you to know that I am qualified to give you advice on how to market your voiceover biz on the internet.
Back in 2001 if you googled “plumbers” you would have come up with 300,000 results. That same search today will produce over 4 million. A July 2009 web server survey reported over 239,611,111 websites around the world. The number of websites is growing by about 1.5 million per month. The point is that it is growing increasingly difficult to be found on the net. Just having a website is of little to no value. Getting noticed is no small task.
I talk to people all the time who have put up websites and found them to be useless as a vehicle for building business. “Been there. Done that. Didn’t work.” But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Your website should be your top salesman. That’s good news for voice artists. Most of us are going it alone without a sales team. A fine tuned, rightly positioned website will outperform all other marketing efforts. It can do more than an agent, more than websites that represent multiple voice artists, and more than you can do soliciting ad agencies by phone.
You don’t have to spend megabucks to build a successful website. In fact, you can do it yourself. Doing your own website also gives you quick access for important changes and updates. And you don’t have to spend hours learning techno-geek language. There are plenty of user-friendly services and software that can get you on the web at minimal cost. However, stay away from the free sites. There are too many limitations and strings attached to free sites.
Following are crucial elements in building the foundation for all your web marketing through the construction of a website strategically designed for success.
1. Content is king
Research indicates that the average person seeking a product or service on the web will spend no more than 8 seconds on a web page looking for what they need. Ask yourself what your typical customer is looking for and make certain that they can find that info quickly and easily.
Don’t be wordy. Be succinct. Say it in as few words as possible.
What sets you apart from your competitors? Why would somebody want to hire you? What can a client expect when doing business with you? Give very specific information about the services you offer. If a shopper doesn’t see what they’re looking for they will assume you don’t have it.
Make certain that your content is well organized on the page and that your site is easy to understand and navigate.
2. Strategically target your customer
Who is it that want to reach? Remember that you’re not building a website to impress your friends or even the people in your vocation. The object is to create a website that appeals to your preferred clientele.
When targeting my website I aimed at reaching two advertiser groups. The first was made up of creative advertising professionals. Most are well-versed on how voice talent works and they have a pretty clear picture of what it is they are looking for. As a second group I have endeavored to reach small and medium business owners and managers. The voiceover industry is foreign to them and a good website gives them useful information on how the process works and what the talent can do for them. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and consider what they will be looking for.
3. Create the right image
The look and feel of your site must capture the image you want to portray. Many voiceover sites miss the mark because they’re too dark or flashy. If you’re going to deal with a variety of business types you don’t want to turn them away by not looking like a serious business professional. Use photos sparingly and stay away from jumping and gyrating images. Keep it classy and clean.
4. Give a call to action
What is it that you want the client to do? Call you? Email you? Get a quote for a project? Get that message prominently displayed to move them toward that important contact. “Call me today!” “Call me for a free consultation!”
5. Contact information should be big, bold, colorful, and near the top
One quick way to frustrate a potential customer is to send them hunting for your contact info. Make certain that your phone number and email address are a major focus on every page of your site. If your address is important to your voiceover business then also include that information. Use email forms with caution. Potential clients want to be able to interact with you and not a questionnaire. If you have specific hours of operation be sure to also make that information easily accessible and highly visible.
6. Testimonials from satisfied customers, awards, and certifications
Ask your clients to give you a few words of recommendation and supply that info on your home page. Don’t use phony testimonials. Use only real people with genuine comments. False testimonials will come back to bite you. Be genuine.
Have you received any awards or certifications that validate your work? Use that info and related logos on your home page.
7. Make use of ALT tags and Meta Tags
You may need to do a little research on these important elements. ALT Tags give key info behind graphics and photos that is picked up by search engine web crawlers. Meta Tags supply the crawlers with important keyword info about your products and services that can not be seen on your site.
8. Keep the main thing the main thing
Your website must have a clear focus. Many of us in the voiceover business have other jobs and backgrounds. Use only that which is pertinent to voice talent. Your potential client doesn’t care if you are or have been a radio superstar or stage actor. The question is “Can you do the work that I need?” What you can do today is far more important than what you did yesterday. Many websites fail because they are all over the road. Stay on point.
9. Potential clients don’t want flash - they want information
Ever go to a website that locks you in and you can’t get out by hitting the back arrow on your browser? You probably didn’t like it. Well, neither do the search engines. You may think that you have trapped the potential client into staying on your web site but what you have actually done is told the search engine web crawlers to leave you alone. Also, all that fancy flash slows your website down and the crawlers ignore it. Don’t hurt your site with too many bells and whistles. Right information strategically placed is essential for success.
10. Keep it fresh
A website left alone will die. Update your site regularly with relevant information. Incorporate changes in your business and give potential clients reasons to come back to your site.
11. Be an expert
Devote a page or two of your site to helpful information to others in your industry and to potential clients. Pertinent information that you may consider commonplace can be valuable to others. Demonstrating a willingness to share free information makes potential customers feel more at ease in doing business with you. Further your image as an expert with a blog that links back to your site.
12. Create special offers
Look for creative ways to offer special incentives for doing business with you. Coupons, discounts, or online specials cost you nothing but can be the extra enticement necessary to gain a new client’s work. Save your blogs and turn them into an ebook that you offer free to new clients. It’s not necessary to give away the farm but remember that “everybody likes a good deal.”
An effective business website is a labor of love. Done right it will serve as your star salesman. But the website alone will not succeed unless you aggressively market your site. In my next article I’ll share a strategy for making use of free and pay web marketing opportunities for driving the right traffic to your website.
These lessons have been written by Richard Weirich.
For help with your voice talent career contact Richard at rw7475@gmail.com or (205) 260-9362.
Voice Talent coaching services are available. Initial critiques are free.
