Yup. I said it.
Auditioning is NOT marketing in the voiceover biz.
Suckling on the teat of pay-to-play websites is NOT marketing.
You’re basically waiting in a soup-line where the soup runs out if you’re too far back in the line.
That anonymous client doesn’t really know you by name.
They don’t know or care what makes you unique.
They have little to no reason to reach out direct to you in the future, just like you don’t call the Coca-Cola corporate office to buy a bottle of soda.
You go to your preferred supermarket where you can have your choice of multitude of other beverages.
And guess what?
Those auditions from agents aren’t marketing either.
The AGENT did the marketing FIRST by cultivating the relationship with that ad agency or post house.
Keep in mind that it’s the AGENCY that has the relationship in place to furnish their clients with ANY from the collection of voices in their stable. . .not YOU and ONLY you.
There are very few talent that receive most of their full time income via their agents (props to those that do). Most working-class talent don’t even have an agent.
The reality is, whether you like it or not. . .
whether you accept it or not. . .
your voice is a commodity.
And there are literally MILLIONS of others competing for the same slices of the VO pie.
And there’s so much more to eating that pie than auditioning.
Unless you have the tools and systems to create brand recognition and top of mind awareness. . .
Unless you invested the time, energy, and expense to build know like and trust DIRECT with potential clients. . .
You are NOT marketing.
Hope this clears up any confusion.
