Casting Voices

InteractiveVoices is changing our name. We're going to be Voices.com!

In the spirit of this future change, let's take a look at our past:

Established in 2004 as a voice-over marketplace (InteractiveVoices.com), our roots run deep in the audio recording business, originally founded as a recording and production studio in the year 2000.

A combination of industry expertise, marketing, and education has nurtured and secured the foundation of Voices.com.

I thought I'd share our mission statement with you as noted on the Voices.com website.

As the largest database of voices online, Voices.com sets out to achieve the following:

1. Make it easy to find voices regardless of language, location, and voice type.

2. Give everyone who uses their voice professionally the ability to be found and heard online.

3. Create a living database of every voice type and language in the world.

4. Be the definitive news source for reporters, journalists and bloggers.

5. Provide talent career guidance and the tools to conduct business online.

You will all be pleased to know that many aspects of the current service you receive will remain the same, including our management team, mailing address, and toll-free telephone number.

We will soon have a different name, and to put it bluntly, a much better name!

What's changed so far?

Here's one:

The new logo, as you can see, is strikingly similar to the current InteractiveVoices logo.

In addition to a new name, Voices.com will receive an updated look and feel, which will prove comfortable and familiar to you. Several new features are in the works at Voices.com, many of which were requested by you, our customers.

Early feedback from the business community has been contagiously positive, generating buzz from all angles and spreading like wild fire.

Why are we changing our name?

Company CEO, David Ciccarelli says, "Voices.com is a name that encompasses the entire industry, dropping the interactive media connotation, opening more doors to our customers. Voices.com is short, obvious, descriptive, and memorable.”

I couldn't have said it better myself :)

If you want to help spread the word, blog about this and or link to the new Voices.com website.

The official launch is September 2006.

What do prospective customers think about your company?

Usually, the first impression that they receive of your organization is via advertisement or your telephone system when they call in. Either way, potential customers are likely 'hear' from you first and base their impression of your business upon that first sound bite.

One way to ensure that a positive impact is made upon customers is to have a dynamite voice-over recorded by a pro who knows how.

Their voice type and interpretation of your script will yield dividends beyond all telling for your reputation and presence.

Most of life revolves around perception, that is, what you believe to be true. If your voice-over is persuasive and relatable, listeners will assume that your company is everything that your voice-over exudes.

A powerhouse voice-over will positively brand your company image by exuding the following qualities:
Confidence
Persuasion
Leadership
Accountability
Passion
Knowledge
Authority
Authenticity
What's in a name? Plenty. What's in a voice? EVERYTHING!

Let the true voice of your company shine through and go for the gusto with the right voice actor for your job.

This afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to see a post directly related to the success and mass adoption of podcasting at the official FeedBurner weblog.

Sweet!

If you aren't familiar with FeedBurner, here's a few quick stats about them and the podcasting market from their blog:
FeedBurner alone manages more podcasts than there are radio stations worldwide
Podcasting is outpacing the speed of adoption of the last "most successful consumer product launch in history"

Podcast directories are growing, and driving activity back to podcasters' originating Web sites. As we saw with text feeds, distribution begins as a mechanism to drive traffic back to the originating source and then evolves to become its own consumption medium. The FeedBurner Team has analyzed this market forwards, backwards, sideways, you name it.

If you're interested and want to learn more about FeedBurner, visit their website.

A fabulous Memorial Day Weekend to our American friends south of the border!

You are probably familiar with Google and are actively using their search engine to conduct keyword searches online.

As good as Google and their contemporaries are for finding generic subject matter, they are no match for finding niche search queries or specific answers to your questions about voice-overs and voice actors.

Take our friend James, for instance.

It's lunch hour on a Thursday, and James in Boston needs to find a voice actor to record 10 minutes of voice-over for his sales presentation. He has to present on Friday morning, so timing is critical and he needs to find a voice talent, fast.

James knows that he wants to hire an authoritative male voice in the 30 - 45 year old range with a Boston accent, but he is having difficulty locating someone who matches all of his requirements searching on one of the larger search engines.

After a series of frustrating dead end searches, James turns to one of his colleagues, Crystal, and asks her what to do.

Crystal lets James in on her voice talent search engine of choice, InteractiveVoices.com.

Using the tools at InteractiveVoices to find talent allows James to conduct a more robust search, giving him search options such as voice gender, keyword, location, union status, and language.

It's already 20 minutes into his lunch and time is of the essence. James thanks Crystal for her advice, and heads straight away to the InteractiveVoices website.

While visiting InteractiveVoices, James realizes much to his delight that he can find voice actors quickly via 3 unique ways.

Firstly, he can go about his voice talent quest by searching the voice actor database.

Secondly, James can browse the Featured Talent Categories, all of which are specific to a given application for voice-over.

Thirdly (and best of all), James can post his job requirements and have qualified voice actors reply to his job posting, complete with a sample of their voice, a proposal, and a price quote. All of the replies are hosted conveniently online and can be viewed by other members of his team to help make a decision.

Best of all, there is an option for James to have his job approved immediately, saving him time and money. This Express job posting option is just what James needs to get responses from talent quickly and complete his project for his Friday morning presentation.

James opts to post the job with the Express option. It's about 12:27 p.m. James leaves his desk to microwave his lunch. Around 12:40 p.m., James returns to his desk and opens his email. He sees the following message:

"Dear James,

Your voice-over job has been approved! Talent are being notified and will answer within minutes..."

James is astounded! He hadn't been away from his desk for longer than 15 minutes, and already there were 26 responses from talent with Boston accents awaiting him in his account, all with a sample of their voice, a proposal, and a price quote for his review.

After listening to several demos, James identifies the voice actor who he would like to work with.

James quickly consults with some of his co-workers and they give him the thumbs up to move ahead with Boston Sean.

Boston Sean is exactly what James was looking for and more. Not only is his voice perfect, but Sean is able to record the voice-over by 3 p.m. and will deliver the files before the end of the work day.

Paying Sean is easy - he prefers PayPal, so the entire project is completed and paid for on the same day.

After Sean is awarded the job, he gets to work on the sales presentation. Earlier than expected, an email appears from Sean in James' inbox letting him know that the files are ready.

James eagerly listens to the voice-over, grinning from ear to ear. He excitedly picks up the phone and starts dialing Sean's number, thanking him profusely for his professionalism and for the spectacular interpretation of his script.

The next day, the sales presentation goes off without a hitch, complete with a voice-over recorded the day before by the voice actor, Sean.

The room errupts with cheers, the audience exclaiming "What a success! Where did you get that voice?"

James knows that he found a real winner in Sean. He decides to work with Sean regularly, and over the years even refers him to other colleagues in vertical markets.

Afterwards, James finds Crystal and reiterates his thanks. He confides that he couldn't have done it without her help and the fantastic site that she referred.

Still basking in the afterglow of a successful presentation, James decides to call a number of his friends and tell them about InteractiveVoices and the presentation that got him a record number of sales.

Knowing that it's easier to go to a website if it's emailed, James opens his email program and types the website URL emphasizing his praises for the InteractiveVoices service. He BCCs all of his colleagues and zips it off into the night.

This story rings true for many people who use the InteractiveVoices web service to search for, audition, and hire voice actors. Many of our customers come to us through web searches, but a growing number are finding us by means of word of mouth or peer to peer marketing.

Let us be a part of your success story. It's what we do best!

Looking forward to serving you,

Stephanie, David, Carol and Laurynda

A new species of marketing has been discovered, one that effortlessly propagates information to targeted audiences and receives exposure to the masses online.

Allow me to introduce to you, the newest member of your marketing family, the Podcast.

To see how familial relations break down, I've devised a scientific classification system for you that demonstrates where podcasting comes from and how it fits into your business marketing strategies:

Kingdom: Business
Phylum: Marketing
Order: Public Relations
Family: Media
Genus: Digital Media
Species: Podcast

Faster than weeds are popping up in your garden and rising higher in popularity than Virginia Creeper are podcasts, abounding wherever fertile creative ground and a captive audience is available.

These podcasts are designed to execute campaigns with distinct purposes, be they promotional or educational, and are able to penetrate consumer interest like no other marketing tool.

You have a direct say in how your podcast influences your customers and company culture, and best yet, you can even choose a voice to represent your organization.

This voice will deliver messages on a regular basis to listeners subscribed to your podcast, will become a trusted voice of your company, and will be a wonderful introductory source for new customers wanting to learn more about your business.

Podcasting, while not only a tool for businesses, is also used for the promotion of tourism, politics, and education.

A podcast is the perfect way to keep up with active people (your customers, current or prospective) on the go with their iPods or similar MP3 players.

Heads of state including George W. Bush of the US, ranging all the way to city leaders, for example, the Mayor of Limerick, Diarmuid Scully, in Ireland are podcasting, proving that all levels of government are using podcasting as a means of communication to spread their message and gain feedback from their respective audiences.

Scripting the podcast is not difficult. You probably already have some written material on hand that you use to promote your company, suitable for a podcast script or segment of a podcast.

All that you are really missing is a voice to represent your organization and convey your message.

Did you know that the best podcasting voices in the world are at InteractiveVoices?

We've worked hard to consolidate the finest voices on the web, not to mention the most diverse voices available online so that you can find the perfect voice for your podcast.

If you've been thinking about starting a podcast for a long time or if this letter has sparked a keen interest in pursuing a new marketing tool, now is the time to get the ball rolling.

Here are 3 Easy Ways to Find the Voice of your Podcast:

1. Post a Podcasting Job
2. Browse the Featured Talent Categories
3. Search by keyword

Don't miss out on this - it's going to be big!

I thought I'd take a minute to talk about the secrets of attracting the right voice talents to your job postings.

They aren't so much secrets as they are valuable insights that will save you time, money, and precious key strokes.

Here are some ideas on how to simplify your experience and get exactly what you want at the same time:

• Be completely open with the voice talents and let them know your full requirements and vision for your project
  
• Highlight qualities of the kind of voice that you want to represent your organization, i.e. friendly, middle age, creamy, robust, techie, motherly, confident etc.
  
• Give a sample of your script for talent to evaluate and record custom demos if applicable
  
• Include the full word count, how your audio will be implemented, and how long it will be used
• Keep an open mind regarding the scale of your budget range
• Be appreciative and recognize quality when you hear it
• Arrange to thank talent for applying for your job after the fact or simply thank them in advance for applying for your job posting

The insights we've explored are not just about filling out details in a job posting, but are the finer points of how to conduct business online.

Clarity is king and Transparency is queen.

If a talent does not feel comfortable applying for a job either due to lack of details, an unrealistic budget, or insufficient information about a given project, they will not take the time to submit a reply and the right voice may pass you by.

Job postings act as your first impression in many cases to professionals whom you are considering to employ.

A detailed job posting, a friendly and sincere tone, and a realistic budget will bring the right voices to you like bees to honey.

Just as they are presenting themselves to you for employment, you are also presenting yourself and your company to them as potential employers.

There is nothing more appealing to any job seeker than ample insight about a company and details about the job they are applying for.

Any thoughts on this?

When you're in a bind and need voices, where do you turn?

When the timing is critical and a message needs to get out, who comes to your aid?

This is an open invitation to those of you who have not yet found a home to locate reliable voice talents.

InteractiveVoices is the #1 destination for you to connect with voice-over professionals who will be your go to talents in time of need.

We give you the tools to connect with talent who have the quickest turnaround time in the industry, often delivering finished products within hours of hiring them.

While some agencies may take days to arrange a voice-over with several middlemen in between and higher costs, InteractiveVoices makes it easy for you to contact talent directly in real time and get responses quickly - saving you time and money.

Professional voice talent are ready to record your vital messages 24 hours a day and are all conveniently located at one website.

Now, that's encouraging!

Timing and Communication are everything in this fast paced, on demand world.

Liberate yourself from the rat race and take advantage of the best voice talent service on the planet.

Go direct, pay direct, receive direct... There's no better way.

3 Ways to Find Voices Fast

1. Post a voice-over Job
2. Browse the Featured Talent categories
3. Search the voice talent database

To your success!

Stephanie

When you hire a talent for a voice-over, let's say for a national radio commercial, have you ever measured the return on investment that you received from the radio commercial campaign?

Usually, the ROI you receive at the end of a good radio campaign will far outweigh the cost of the voice-over, and it should. If all of the right ingredients are there, including the perfect voice for the job, you should exceed your campaign goals with flying colors.

Taking this into account, the financial compensation that a voice talent receives from you is usually a one-time deal otherwise known as a 'buyout'. Essentially, you only pay the voice talent for their work once, but you continue to make money from their voice every time that it is heard on the airwaves.

Amazing, isn't it?

This brings me to ask the following question:

Do you budget for your voice-overs with your ROI in mind?

Many people estimate what they think they will make from a campaign but don't take into account one of the main reasons why they are making a profit every time the advertisement is played.

Here's an interesting idea:

Why not budget for the cost of a voice-over factoring in your expected return on investment, thus raising the budget for hiring a voice-over talent?

The results may yield:

• Working with your first choice talent
• A better voice-over
• An even higher return on your investment

If this is your current impression, you may need to revisit past voice-over campaigns and take an objective look at how they turned out.

Some areas to examine closely are:

• If you settled for the lowest bidder and paid the price, resulting in a poor voice-over performance
• If people noticed and responded positively to your campaigns
• The overall ROI from respective campaigns
• If you were prompted to hire the same voice talent because of those results

Remember, the voice talents voice continues to generate revenue for you after the recordings have been delivered.

In this way, you can come to think of them as a member of your team and sales force, working for you to promote your business or organization via broadcast channels or through other mediums and by other means.

How's the ROI on your voice-overs?

InteractiveVoices has been nominated for the 2006 WebAward Competition!

The winner of the contest will be announced in September 2006, honoring the best websites in 96 industries.

96 Industry Categories will be Judged Including: Advertising, B2B, Computer Software, Design, Financial Services, Health care, Manufacturing, Media, Professional Services, Small Business, Travel and more.

This year's top awards will include a "Best of Industry" WebAward, a "Best of Show," and a "Top Interactive Agency" WebAward.

Thanks for your support!

This coming week, InteractiveVoices will be attending the mesh Web 2.0 conference in Toronto, Canada!

mesh is a conference with a mission, and that mission is to connect, share, and inspire.

Speakers include over 30 leading minds from the Web 2.0 Community, and it promises to be an super event for networking, learning, and a good time.

If you want to join us and others at the conference, here's some information from the good organizers at mesh:

Connect

mesh is Canada's Web 2.0 conference, being held in Toronto on May 15 & 16. You will hear from thought leaders, connect with peers, and get a better understanding of the impact of new developments online. mesh brings together people who are passionate about the potential of the Web to change how we live, work and play. Meet the next generation of Web ideas, leaders and companies at mesh.

Share

mesh is for marketers, public relations practitioners and the media; it's for entrepreneurs, investors, and software developers; for those in academia, politics, public policy, NGOs and non-profits. If you're trying to grasp the fast-moving world of Web 2.0, you need insight and intelligence. Participate in keynotes, panels and workshops, and create your own conversations to get the knowledge you need.

Inspire

Canada needs a conference like mesh. Web 2.0 is happening all around us, as the Internet becomes the place to communicate, collaborate and entertain. mesh is brought to you by people who want to inspire enthusiasm, creativity and opportunity; by people who believe that for Canada to remain vibrant and competitive, we have to connect with each other and share our ideas about what the Web should be.

If you would like to register, visit this link. Only a couple of days left!

Hope to see you there next week!

Society as a whole takes voice-overs for granted, especially great voice-overs. They seem so effortless, ethereal, and behind the scenes... Ironically, the less time you think about the quality of the voice-over, the more professional it is.

If you’ve ever heard a poorly performed or recorded voice-over, there’s no doubt that you noticed right away and lumped the product or service that the voice was trying to sell in the same category as the vocal performance.

Why are there bad voice-overs? You may be surprised, but most companies do it to themselves.

When you set out to have a voice-over recorded, be sure to avoid these 5 Critical Mistakes

Critical Mistake #1 Trying to Do it Yourself ( or getting a friend to help you )

Many bad voice-overs happen because a business owner attempts to record all by themselves. For reasons related to finances, pride, or a need for immediate gratification, an alarming number of companies think that recording a voice-over in-house will solve all of their problems.

It usually goes like this: Sally in Accounting has a nice voice. Somehow, the boss recruits Sally to be the company voice talent. This arrangement has its perks because Sally won’t need to be paid and her voice is pleasing, if not acceptable. There’s one thing that Sally doesn’t quite have in her favor or the company’s - Sally is lacking professionalism, experience, and voice acting skills.

What happens from here? The recording is tolerated, but only by customers who are already familiar with the company and the customer service received in the past. New customers are turned off by the voice-over and don’t take the company as seriously as they should be.

Critical Mistake #2 Using Low-Quality Equipment

What kind of recording software is available to you at work or home? If the answer is a desktop computer with an internal microphone, it’s all downhill from there. Do the recordings sound “tinny”? Is the voice “far away”?

Professional grade recording studios are equipped with state of the art technology including a very good microphone, mixing board, and recording software with editing capabilities. Without the proper equipment, any voice-over will sound amateur, turning your voice-over into an embarrassment instead of an asset.

Critical Mistake #3 Ad Lib Your Script

Ever heard someone ramble on, inadvertently contradicting themselves? There is nothing worse than an inconsistent message. If a script is not communicated clearly, the voice-over will be uncertain and confusing. A professional voice talent would know how to interpret the script properly, even tweak it a bit if necessary to convey a message successfully.

Critical Mistake #4 Go into a Studio Without a Rehearsal

Would you give a speech in front of thousands of people without rehearsing once? If you have a target market of several thousands if not tens of thousands for your ad campaign, the last thing you want to do is send in a novice to record.

Time to rehearse is often not a luxury for companies bent on recording themselves, and it shows. Not only is the voice-over questionable, it takes significantly longer to get the right take. Recording studio fees will also increase!

Critical Mistake #5 Saving the Data in the Wrong File Format

Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to make use of something. Typically, most businesses are not aware of how to format audio files. For example, a PBX telephone system needs specific file formats to operate properly, usually ULAW. These file extensions are often confusing and require special file conversion software and audio engineering to convert to the proper file format.

A Mistake-Free Voice-over Recording

Don’t make any of these business-killing mistakes when you are ready to record a voice-over. Your business is simply too important to risk! InteractiveVoices can help you find the perfect voice to record based upon the specific needs of your voice-over project. It takes only a few minutes to start receiving replies from talent... Take time to do it right and you’ll have a voice-over your customers will instantly recognize and positively respond to whenever they hear it.

As in any business, in order to receive quality work, you must be willing to pay a person what they are worth. The more talented, skilled and equipped the voice artist is, the better results. The image your voice-over portrays is ultimately up to you. A professionally produced finished work is worth the extra money.

All week long, interactive entertainment companies have been showing their wares and unveiling the newest in digital technology.

If you aren't at the conference, the next best thing is to check in with the E3 Insider, a site where "consumers can experience the excitement of E³ through www.e3insider.com, a web site launched by the Entertainment Software Association, the show's owner. The site offers visitors an insider's look at the hottest new consoles, game titles and related peripherals through exclusive videos, images, news and blogs."

If you've never heard of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (lovingly referred to as E³ ), here's how the organization describes their annual event:

Every year, the ESA presents the highly acclaimed Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³), the world's most important show dedicated exclusively to the interactive entertainment industry. Wholly owned by the ESA, E³ attracts tens of thousands of industry professionals from around the world to see the latest in interactive entertainment software and related products, and to participate in three days of thought-provoking workshops and seminars. Information regarding access to E³Expo, conference sessions, or any other information relating to the expo itself can be found at www.e3expo.com.

If your company is at E³, let us know and we'll mention you on our blog.

After you've selected a voice talent to work with, do you thank the other voice talents who applied for your voice-over job?

Sending a quick email to voice talent who were not selected for your project is a considerate gesture that helps build relationships and a qualified network of skilled professionals.

It also lets the talent know that you reviewed their submission and appreciated their efforts.

Here's a sample template that you can work from for thanking voice talents:

Dear (Voice Talent Name),

Thank you for responding to my job posting "Name of Project".

Although we selected another professional for this particular job, our team is interested in your voice and will keep you in mind for future projects.

Thank you again for your audition.

Sincerely,

(Your name and company name)

A simple yet grateful message will go a long way and build a good rapport with voice talent for future endeavors.

As promised last week, we did some researching and found a wonderful catalog of world languages and the countries where they are spoken.

I'd like to introduce you to a web service called Ethnologue, a database that contains statistics for 6,912 world languages as documented in the 15th edition, released in 2005.

Ethnologue has 6,912 main languages in its language name index and distinguishes about 39,491 alternate language names and dialects.

Wikipedia defines Ethnologue as follows:

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a Christian linguistic service organization which studies lesser-known languages primarily to provide the speakers with native language biblical texts.

To read an exhaustive list and learn more about Ethnologue, visit their website for more information.

Who knew that there were so many languages and dialects? More are being discovered and identified each year, so keep checking their website for updates.

Cheers,

If you've spent any time working with languages, especially encountering the need to translate documents, you've probably heard of globalization and localization services.

When it comes to working with different languages for projects, you'll need to have a clear definition of what these terms mean, particularly if you are the project manager.

Globalization

Globalization is understanding cultural differences and customizing both the content, written and verbal speech requirements relative to each specific location.

Essentially, you're reaching your entire customer base, addressing them with words and concepts that they understand, customized to satisfy the communication requirements of each culture and respective location.

Although this sounds complicated, it gets more so when dialects are involved.

For example, you are preparing an eLearning presentation for French speakers in Quebec, Canada. In order to best accommodate your audience, you would need the literature or voice-over to be presented in the French Canadian dialect, not in the traditional Parisian Frenh of continental Europe.

You would have to take the subtleties of a language into account, for example, using the informal or formal form of the verb etre (to be), either tu or vous, depending on the established relationship with the audience.

The same issue could crop up if you need Spanish localized. Which Spanish would you need? If you are preparing a presentation for Spanish speaking audiences native to Spain, you would need to present them with learning tools in their native Castilian Spanish dialect. If you were entertaining Spanish speakers in Mexico, their Spanish would differ significantly from that of Spain, and accordingly, so would Latin American Spanish from either of the other Spanish dialects mentioned above.

Localization

Localization is the modification of services or products to the cultural, linguistic, legal, and technical requirements of a specific location. Basically, each product or service is programmed to serve a specific community according to their language, resources, and culture.

Localization is a painstaking endeavor, often outsourced to professionals who are already familiar with the conditions that localization presents.

Wikipedia defines the localization aspect of translation this way:

Often, localization is the adaptation of an object to a locality. An example is in software localization, where the messages which a program presents to a user need to be translated into various languages.

Next week, we'll discuss the sheer number of languages and dialects spoken throughout the world.

Cheers,

Did you know that the first impression of your company is often your telephone system?

When a caller telephones your business, how are they greeted, what are their options, and most importantly, what perception is immediately generated when they call in?

Many companies have telephone operating systems. This vital framework, particularly for larger companies, often comprises of:

1. Auto Attendant
2. Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
3. On-hold Messaging
4. Individual Personnel Voice Mail Boxes
5. General Voice Mail Box
6. After hours / Holiday Message

In future posts, we'll go over the functions and significance of each aspect of the complete telephone system and how to enhance the experience of your customers.

Best wishes,

David

P.S. If you have a telephone job that you need recorded ASAP (or in the very near future) you can always post a job for voice talent to apply for at InteractiveVoices.com

Neither sleet, nor snow, nor rain, nor hail... sounds familiar, doesn't it?

The mail carriers motto is quite similar to ours. We will go the extra mile for you, our clients, at Voices.com.

Whether you need help posting your job, managing your project, or don't know where to start, the friendly team at InteractiveVoices, the voice-over marketplace, is always here to help you.

Here are just some of the ways that we work hard for you:

• Help you to write your job details
• Provide you with copy writing services for scripts
• Make your project as attractive as possible to voice talent applicants
• Offer you express job posting services, giving priority to your job posting above others in the queue
• Consult on how to select the right voice for your project
• Manage your projects and support you whenever you need us

Here's the number you can reach us at: 1-888-359-3472

Cheers,

David

P.S. Learn more about our team in our Company section

Have you ever considered including voice-overs on your website? Here are two options that you can look into so far as a virtual representative is concerned:

• A talking character, similar to those created by Oddcast, developer of SitePal
• A simple voice-over without an interactive character

For example, a voice-over could welcome visitors on a landing page, or could be enabled to speak when an icon or a link is hovered upon.

Many sites that use voice-overs on their site give visitors the option to turn the audio on or off, depending on their preference.

Bloggers are also now able to add SitePals to their blogs, employing the same, easy-to-use technology that webmasters enjoy when adding SitePals to their websites. With many avatars to choose from and customizable characters, the possibilities for your company are endless.

Have you used voice-overs on your website?

Have you ever had a voice-over recorded for a broadcast radio commercial?

Perhaps you work at a radio station and are responsible for hiring freelance voice talent to record your advertisers commercials, for station identifications, promotions, advisories, weather reports, and other purposes.

Over the years, many things have changed including the way that radio stations acquire their voice-overs.

Voice-over projects are managed online now making it easier, more organized, cost-effective, and efficient to find the perfect voice to meet your needs.

Finding the best voice talent for your radio station can be achieved in 3 simple steps:

1. Sign-up for a free client account
2. Post your voice-over job
3. Get responses from pro voice talent in minutes

Looking forward to serving you.

Cheers,

David

Welcome to the "Casting Voices" blog, your premiere destination and proverbial ear to the ground regarding the use of voice-overs in the business world.

Everyday, we'll discuss how voice-overs impact customer behavior, purchasing patterns, and loyalty to products and organizations. We'll also talk about what's in, what's out, and of course, the next BIG thing for voice-overs and how YOU can take advantage of this crucial information.

Since this is the first post of many, you are welcome to send me any ideas that you may have for this blog and what you would like to see covered.

As leaders in the voice-over marketplace, we're well equipped to answer your questions about voice-overs and voice talent, so don't be shy :)

Looking forward to speaking with you!

Cheers,

David

Have you ever wondered what a voice talent does for you?

Here's a list of the different roles and responsibilities that voice talent perform while working on your projects. The following may surprise you.

Voice Talent are...

1. Performers.
2. Business owners.
3. Project managers.
4. Consultants.
5. Artistic directors.
6. Recording engineers.
7. Text Editors and interpreters.
8. Mixing and mastering engineers.
9. Accountants.
10. Customer service and fulfillment.

These professionals often assume the roles of many people while performing, producing the voice-over, and serving you as their customer.

If you were to work through an advertising agency or creative studio, several different people would provide these services and premium charges would be applied to each task. Why would it be a vastly different case when working with one person who performs all of these for you in a timely manner without markups for the professional services they provide?

Buying directly from the source does have its benefits and cost savings, but it is also important to recognize the amount of work, effort, and creativity that goes into each voice-over recording, whether it be a simple telephone auto attendant or a documentary narration.

The voice actor that you employ will appreciate the recognition and respect that you give them for their work.

Some food for thought the next time that you hire a voice talent.

Best wishes,

David