If you don’t tell somebody what to think, they will make it up.
Someone with no brand has zero control over how they are viewed, heard, and perceived. In an industry as competitive as voiceover, that’s a sure-fire way to debilitate a career and sabotage success. On the flip side, someone with a strong brand is able to maneuver the imagination and set the framework for greatness.
With this truth in mind, let’s revisit the basics for a minute. What is a brand?Seth Godin says, “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a customer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
Indeed. The beautiful advantage about voiceover is that YOU ARE YOUR BRAND. It does not need to be INVENTED, it is already there. It just needs to be excavated and polished to reveal a bright & shiny you — and delivered in the right way.
Your assignment is to dig deep and spend some serious time on your brand. Here are a few questions that will help get you started:
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- What makes you unique?
- What makes your voice talent tick with ‘I GOT THIS’ style, skill & confidence?
- What do people say about you and your work most often?
- What brands do you admire and/or see some of your superstar-self in?
- What are you?
- What are you not?
Funny, but if you asked me what I wanted to be when I was a kid I always said, “An archaeologist, of course!” And I guess, in a way, I have become one…only I’m unearthing VO brands & industry positioning instead of buried civilizations.
So, if you need help unearthing a strong, unforgettable brand that leads the conversation about your image and tells people EXACTLY what’s what about YOU – let’s talk.
Till’ then, happy digging my darlings.
Celia
