When you’re creating your own VO brand, there are a few things it needs to be: authentic, representative, and long-lasting. To have a brand that includes these factors, you’ll need to brand strategically.
Strategic branding is the task of creating a brand that truly represents you and your values as a voice actor, and then conveying that to your target audience.
Branding this way requires time, intentionality, and consistency– but it works wonders. When you take the time required to brand strategically, you will feel completely solid about your brand and your VO career.
Branding begets success because it gives you a cohesive image to work with and it infuses you with confidence. Once you have confidence in your brand and in yourself, you will truly be unstoppable.
“Branding is really just about paying attention to yourself, the world around you, and the magnet that connects the two.”
To start the process of strategic branding here at Celia Siegel Management, there are a few questions we always ask in our Brand Finder. These questions give us valuable insights about you as a person, your core values, and the way that you want your brand to represent you. Here are the top three questions we ask you before branding:
1) What brands do you like and why?
This question reveals more to us about your brand than you can imagine. Why? Because as humans, we are intrinsically attracted to things/brands that match or reflect our personal aesthetic, as well as elements that represent what we want to emulate through our own brands.
For instance, lots of people point to Apple’s branding for inspiration– but the reasons we like it may differ. A creative person might appreciate Apple for its sleek and futuristic aesthetics, while another person might appreciate the brand for its technological genius, and even another person might like that the brand is always coming out with the latest and greatest equipment.
What you like in a brand helps us understand what you would like your brand to represent.
2) Can you describe yourself in 100 adjectives?
Here’s the catch– the first 10 are easy–it’s the next 90 that are difficult. But, when you keep pushing for more descriptive words that define yourself, you get to the core of what makes you stand out as an individual.
For example, you might start out with common adjectives like creative, hard-working, funny, friendly, and honest. But, by the end of your list, you’ll have many adjectives that set you apart– whether it be spunky, outlandish, rebellious, or tenacious.
The descriptors at the end of your list can lead your brand in a direction that represents your uniqueness.
3) Who can you help?
Knowing who you want your audience to be, and being in tune with their specific needs is a part of your brand that will help attract buyers to you. Solving your client’s problems by providing them with great voiceover and using your unique knowledge is what keeps them coming back to you. Whether you’re a medically trained professional, a veteran, a business person, a trained actor, or lighting fast in the booth, anything can be your superpower! Use your superpower to attract people to you.
When you have a brand that has been developed authentically and strategically, clients who are in need of your services will be able to find you– and most importantly– book you.
We’re Here For You
Need help building your own strategic brand? We’re here for you. Let’s work together on creating a brand that truly represents who you are and where you want your career to go.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me to get started today!
– Celia Siegel
