You might remember when “branding” became a thing. And you suddenly realized that maybe you needed to have a brand, work on it, and make it work for you. You have contemplated all the components that will make your brand highly successful, and now you’re ready to move to the next level. The word “brand” was created from the Old Norse language and refers to the branding you equate with TV Westerns—the ranch’s brand is cattle and horses. (Ouch!) It signified ownership, and in many ways, the current marketing definition of branding is about ownership, standing out, and rising above the fray. Think about differentiation and what you need for that, and how voice over strengthens your brand.
It’s a perfect way to catch the attention of your intended audience, engage and connect with them—and motivate them to “do something,” which, in most cases, is to buy the service or product you’re advertising. The right voice will serve as a call to action; if you use the same voice-over consistently, that voice will become synonymous with your brand.
Great Voice Over Strengthens Your Brand and Tells a Story
A successful marketing campaign always includes brand storytelling.
- Relate to how consumers live. Your campaign reaches out and touches prospective customers and establishes a relationship with your product or service. Your voice over, whether in a radio spot or on a video, can emphasize the benefits you offer. Don’t they?
- Show them what your product or service does: A video that explains the wonderfulness of what you’re offering will also show consumers how to use it, how much it costs, and why they need it.
- Touch their hearts: That perfect voiceover can connect emotionally and touch the listener in ways that spur them to put confidence in your brand—to buy what you’re selling.
Celebrities Lend Power to Brands
When you hear a familiar voice, such as a celebrity’s voice, you automatically think, “Now, who is that?” even though it might take a minute to figure out who the voice really is. Endorsements are big deals, and that’s because they get the job done for the product or service for which they’re voicing.
For example, you have probably heard these voices speak for brands now or in the past:
- Morgan Freeman for VISA
- Gary Sinise for the U.S. Army
- Julia Roberts for Nationwide Insurance
- Chris Pine for BMW
- Will Arnett for Reese’s
- Sam Elliott for Joe Biden, Coors, Smokey the Bear
- George Clooney for Budweiser
- Lisa Kudrow for Yoplait
- Matt Damon for TD Ameritrade
- Tim Allen for Pure Michigan
- Stanley Tucci for AT&T
- Queen Latifah for Pizza Hut
Maybe you don’t want to bend the budget for an A- or B-list celebrity, but you can affiliate your brand with a voice over who can distinguish your offering by telling your essential story in a crowded and competitive marketplace where you must stand out/
Not Just ‘Any’ Voice for You
Just remember that as much as consumers can connect with the voice over you choose, so, too, can they disconnect if they can’t relate to the voice or just don’t like it. Don’t risk alienating a prospective customer by using the “wrong” voice.
If you’re doing an excellent corporate video or a TV commercial, you probably want to choose your voice before you produce the video. You have a “tone” in mind for this production and the telling of your important story, and it will be cohesive with your brand identity. You also have emotions in mind for your brand, so make a note of them and seek a voice that best represents those emotions with their delivery.
Think about who’ll be listening. For example, a voice for a children’s product will be very different than one selling a luxury car or Medicare. If you’re promoting a national product, it’s a great idea to “test” your voices with a focus group comprised of people whose age matches the prospective buyer demographic for your product or service.
Your market location matters, too, since a Southern accent on a voice over isn’t going to play so well in Manhattan. You don’t have to hire someone in your location since all voice over artists work remotely from all parts of the world.
Maybe you’ll find the right voice-over online at a talent’s specific website—I’d love to help you with your next project, and you can hear my demos here. Or maybe you’ll go to a major casting platform to select from thousands of voices. The point is that the right talent for your brand can be anywhere in the world, and location is no longer a factor, given the sophistication of current recording technology.
The right voice over is ready to take your brand to the next level.