How to brand yourself as a creator
Knowing how to brand yourself as a creator is essential for clients to remember you in a crowded market. So, in this guide, we’ll explore how to brand yourself as an influencer, voice actor, and freelancer through personal branding strategies to help you build a unique brand.
What is personal branding for creators?
Personal branding for creators is a branding strategy that involves creating a unique, consistent identity across the creator’s various social media platforms or websites to build a recognizable presence that attracts potential clients. Personal branding encompasses your vocal range, delivery, versatility, storytelling ability, or niche expertise in specific genres, projects, or industries. So, as a voice over expert, you’re not just sending auditions and booking jobs; you’re creating a distinct personal branding that clients associate with you as a quality benchmark.
How to brand yourself as an influencer
- Identify your niche: If you’re just starting out as an influencer, choose a specific niche to help you stand out and attract a targeted audience.
- Create a consistent visual identity: Develop a unique, recognizable visual theme for your social media profiles with a consistent color scheme, logo, and style.
- Develop a content plan: Craft content that’s centered around your niche and make it valuable for your audience. Diversify your posts with tutorials, reviews, personal stories, and collaborations.
- Engage with your audience: Build a community by responding to comments, hosting Q&A sessions, and participating in relevant discussions.
- Collaborate with brands and influencers: Partner with brands that align with your niche and values. Collaborating with other creators can boost your credibility and expand your reach to new audiences.
How to brand yourself as a voice actor
- Create a professional demo reel: Include a high-quality demo reel in your voice over portfolio that showcases your range and versatility with various styles and genres.
- Build a voice over portfolio: Set up a voice acting website and sign up for a free profile on Voice123. Include your samples, demo reels, resume, client testimonials, and contact information in your profile and website.
- Optimize for SEO: Use relevant keywords related to voice acting on your website and social media to improve search engine rankings and visibility.
- Network within the industry: Attend VO events, join voice acting forums, and participate in online communities to build connections and learn from others.
- Keep improving your skills: Stay up-to-date with industry trends and enhance your voice acting skills through ongoing training and workshops. Showcase these new skills and capabilities in your voice over portfolio.
On this point, Celia Siegel, author of Voiceover Achiever aptly notes that “language, imagery, font, and color choices all matter in developing a cohesive brand story. When properly executed and marketed, online and across all collateral materials, your brand will educate the world about your voice, open doors, and inspire confidence in both you and your buyer.”
How to brand yourself as a freelancer
- Define your unique selling proposition (USP): Highlight what makes your services unique and how you can better solve your clients’ problems.
- Create a professional website: Build a comprehensive website with a portfolio, service descriptions, client testimonials, and a blog to showcase your expertise.
- Leverage social media: Use social media to promote your work, share industry insights, and engage with potential clients.
- Network and build relationships: Attend networking events, join professional groups, and collaborate with other freelancers to create referral opportunities.
- Seek feedback and testimonials: After completing projects, request feedback and testimonials from your clients. Display these on your website and social media profiles to create a credible brand that will attract new clients.
Joan Baker, VP of Sovas points out that “there is no space for the “fake it until you make it” attitude. From your truth comes your audio/visual brand presentation; website, demos, logo, business cards, photos, etc. Use these to strategically and consistently target clients whom you believe will resonate with your talent. Continue to define your brand through your work ethic, interpersonal skills, and willingness to do what it takes to deliver the best possible performances.”
How to brand yourself with a voice over portfolio
1. Identify your brand persona
Your voice over portfolio reflects your vocal image. So, consider the projects you want to be associated with and create a matching persona—a friendly neighbor, authoritative expert, or quirky character.
2. Diversify your samples
Opt for samples highlighting your strengths with a mix of voice over styles. These could be commercials, corporate or documentary narration, and character voices.
3. Create a concise portfolio
Use clean, attractive, simple designs with a brief bio and your contact info. Include a handful of your best voice over samples that represent your skills and versatility.
4. Optimize for SEO
Voice over and voice actor keywords related to your specialties and industries enhance your visibility, helping potential clients find you through online searches.
Creating a sample playlist? Check out our helpful guide on optimizing your Voice123 samples for success.
Rudy Gaskins, CEO and Chairman of Sovas advises you to “think strategically about what you say and do as it helps clients better understand your unique value. If you’ve been interviewed for podcasts, articles, etc., share these items (if they are well produced) as they will help shape and give concrete existence to your brand. All your social media channels should express a well-honed theme that expresses what you believe to be your brand.”
How to use social media branding as a creator
When and what to post
- Brand on platforms where your target audience is most active, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
- Create interesting content with cool voice over samples, behind-the-scenes insights, or personal stories to engage followers.
- Post routinely to keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them. Around 3-5 posts per week.
- Engage with followers by responding to comments or integrating client interactions into your CRM for easy access and follow-up.
- Monitor online results with analytic tools to adjust your social media strategy to match the content followers want.
Check out Voice123’s social media checklist to optimize your social media branding for success!
“Voice actors overlook a clear objective. Are you trying to use social media to reach new clients vs. email marketing? Are you connecting with existing clients to remain top of mind? Or, are you trying to increase your followers to use as leverage? Or maybe some combination of these? Define your focus and craft a content creation strategy from there!” – Melissa Moats from The Voice Actor Studio
Resources on how to brand yourself as a voice actor
- The Booth is a content studio for voice actors with useful voice over resources to help you find VA jobs, set up a home studio, improve your VO business, and more.
- The voice over resources on Voice123 can help you prep your voice over toolkit with various free options for voice actors, from books to podcasts.
- The Voice Actor’s Studio offers a supportive learning environment by covering the full spectrum of the voice over industry, including the craft, the tech, and the business.
Boost your voice over work opportunites with a paid Voice123 membership
First-time paying members are eligible for a discount
FAQ's
Start by defining your strengths, values, and style, then analyze your audience and create concise brand messages for social media to build a professional network and establish your reputation.
Branding yourself means creating a professional identity and reputation that consistently showcases your strengths, values, and skills across various platforms and resonates with your target audience.
The seven pillars of personal branding are purpose, authenticity, consistency, visibility, expertise, value, and networking.
Clarity, consistency, and constancy are crucial to creating a unique brand identity that clients recognize and remember.
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