Effective communication is the key to growing a successful business. To achieve this, it’s crucial to convey the right message to the right audience at the right time. By using eye-catching visuals and engaging audio, you can significantly improve your chances of making a lasting impression.
At Mello Studio, we’re constantly impressed by the impact voice-over has on our clients’ projects. Even if the audience is small and exclusive, investing in a professional voice actor can set the tone and entertain listeners in a highly effective way.
Professional voice-over is like a scrumptious cake – it’s enjoyable, satisfying, and leaves you craving more. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 13 effective ways to use voice-over in your marketing, internal communications, customer service, and more. While you may already be familiar with some of these methods, we guarantee there will be some surprises. We hope this list inspires you to take your business communication to the next level!
An unforgettable greeting outside of regular business hours
It’s easy to assume that the receptionist has a pleasant voice, but that’s just a matter of personal preference. Instead, ask yourself a crucial question: “What do my customers want to hear?” When customers contact your business after hours and hear a professional voice-over, it reassures them that their call matters and someone will respond to them soon. This type of clear and nurturing tone immediately conveys the high quality of your service and builds trust with your customers.
Guiding callers to the appropriate destination.
When it comes to handling customer calls, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems have become a widely used solution for directing callers to the appropriate department or person. Thanks to VoIP software, setting up an IVR system for a small business has never been easier, as you no longer require a dedicated server box or an IT expert. However, it’s crucial to note that using a professional voice artist on your IVR system is essential. Your customers should not feel frustrated and hang up due to a poor IVR system. Instead, make it inviting and engaging by using a professional voice actor to keep them satisfied and involved with your business.
Did you know that we have created hundreds of voice messages in Arabic and English which transformed the business impact on customer service? Reach out to us to find out more.
Entertain The Callers That Are On Hold
As a business owner, you know the feeling of dread that comes with being put on hold. The music choice is usually awful, generic and sometimes too loud, and the occasional interruption to tell you that “your call is important to us” only makes it worse. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you have to put a customer on hold, make it a fun experience. Provide them with relaxing music, as well as useful information about your other products or services. This can leave a positive impression on your customer, and even lead to a new sale.
We recommend using an on-hold marketing track that’s at least two minutes long to prevent repetition. Check out our online audio library to find the right track for your business.
Make People Laugh!
For business owners, it’s important to remember that TikTok and Instagram users are always on the lookout for engaging content to share with their followers. According to Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies, 63% of people share news about funny videos the most. So, posting a humorous video with a voice-over that is somewhat related to your business can be a fantastic way to demonstrate that your brand has a playful side and is not always too serious.
Tell Them Something They Didn’t Know
If you’re not advertising on podcasts yet, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Podcasts are usually focused on specific topics, which makes them an ideal platform to reach an audience that’s already interested in your business’s niche.
There’s a podcast for almost every topic out there, and sponsoring a podcast that appeals to your target audience is a cost-effective way to advertise. While larger podcasts may have set ad packages, smaller niche podcasts can offer more flexibility and better value for your money.
To get started, research podcasts that your audience is likely to listen to and tailor your message accordingly. Make sure to have your commercial professionally narrated and produced to maximize your return on investment.
Create Promos
TV advertising has evolved significantly in recent years, thanks to faster internet speeds and the widespread availability of on-demand services like Netflix. Previously, only large companies could afford TV advertising, but with online competition from platforms like Facebook and YouTube, it has become more affordable and easier to target specific audiences in smaller regions like cities, states, or counties. Even if your business operates online, you can still benefit from targeting a micro-audience based on interests, age, or gender through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Quora, and others.
Creating short, simple ads of 6-15 seconds is a low-cost way to get started. Platforms like Facebook have built-in video makers, but if you want to get creative, there are many tools available like Adobe Spark that allow you to add your own audio. After creating the ad, post it on your preferred platform and boost it to your micro-audience all on the same day! If you can offer a solution that addresses the problems of your audience, you’ll build a loyal customer base.
Be an Inspiration For Actions
Achieving the desired outcome is all about taking action. If your product or service can help people achieve more, that’s the story you should be telling. For instance, if you sell a finance software product that simplifies invoicing and payments for customers, highlighting the benefits of the software is crucial. However, to inspire customers to take action, you must narrate a story that showcases how their life can be made better with your product. This is how you can influence their decision-making process.
You can create a comparison video, showing a business owner struggling with paperwork versus a happy business owner with ample time to pursue their dreams. This will immediately capture the attention of your target audience because it solves real problems, and people will want to use your solution for themselves.
Sell Ideas
When it comes to growing your business, selling your ideas to key staff, investors, or partners is crucial. While most business owners use PowerPoint slides to convey their story with key images or metrics, it can be a bit dull. As emotional beings, engaging the emotions of your audience can take your pitch to the next level and get them excited. And using a video opener can be a powerful way to achieve this.
The right music and voiceover can take your audience into your world, leaving them wanting more. A video opener is effective in almost any pitch setting, whether it’s a major conference to motivate your workforce or a private investor meeting. The pitch video should always focus on their needs and how your solution can help them.
Choosing the right voiceover for your investment pitch video could be worth millions, so choose wisely.
Educating Your Staff
When it comes to growing a business, educating your staff is often neglected, especially by smaller and medium-sized businesses. Although creating digital training assets takes time and requires regular updates, it’s a worthwhile investment. Consider how much time it takes to train a new staff member on your systems, compliance, processes, health & safety, and more. If you don’t know, you should find out. My guess is that it could take weeks or even months, not to mention the time it takes for a supervisor to oversee their progress. Onboarding and training new staff is one of the biggest challenges in any growing business.
To speed up the learning process, invest in eLearning courses and walkthrough videos. You can create eLearning courses by starting in PowerPoint and then importing your slide deck into authoring tools like Articulate to add multimedia and testing. You can also use tools like Adobe Captivate to capture software and processes, creating a reference for new starters. Adding a neutral-sounding eLearning narrator voice will make it easier for new employees to understand everything. And if you plan to expand into other countries, you can always localize your systems.
Explaining How Things Work
One of the most popular types of projects we receive here at Mello Studio is the explainer video with a voice-over. Explainers can take various forms, from expensive custom animations to affordable whiteboard animation products such as Sparkol’s VideoScribe, which provides a library of illustrations for a low monthly fee. Regardless of the type of explainer, the voice-over plays a critical role in conveying the message effectively. If your “how it works” video will be viewed by many potential customers, it’s essential to invest in a voice that aligns with your brand and communicates the messaging precisely.
Increase Content Accessibility
It’s important for businesses to consider accessibility when creating content, as 2.2 billion people globally have visual impairments or blindness. The majority of people with vision impairments are over the age of 50, so businesses targeting this demographic should take this into account.
However, accessibility is not just about accommodating the visually impaired. It’s about creating more ways to interact with your content, such as through different channels. One effective way to do this is by converting your written blogs into audio blogs.
To create an audio blog, you can hire a professional narrator to read and record the content, and then embed the audio into your blog post. This way, people can listen to your blog while driving or doing other activities where reading is not feasible. You can also turn your blogs into videos by combining a voice-over with images and posting them on your YouTube channel. For shorter content, consider breaking down your blog into several short video posts for platforms such as Instagram.
By repurposing your blog content into various channels, you can broaden your reach and attract a larger audience. This can help to grow your business and increase engagement with your brand. So, it’s worth considering accessibility and exploring different ways to present your content to reach a wider audience.
Turn Email Newsletters into Audio Or Video
As a business owner, you may be familiar with email newsletters as a way to keep in touch with new and returning customers. However, many newsletters tend to be dull and unengaging, with irrelevant text stories that don’t add value to the reader. To make your newsletter more effective, consider using a platform like MailChimp to create a visually appealing design. Additionally, you can take it up a notch by converting your newsletter into an audio story or by creating individual stories for each piece of news you want to share. By linking to engaging audio or video content that benefits your customers, you can increase their interest and interaction with your brand. This, in turn, will help you to build better relationships with your customers and grow your business.
Let Your Voice Be Heard
To effectively reach a global audience, it’s essential to consider translating your business content. With only 360 million native English speakers out of a population of 7.5 billion, the majority of the world’s population speaks English as a 2nd or 3rd language. It’s important to understand that translating your content isn’t just about targeting specific countries; it’s about connecting with people. For instance, did you know that Japanese is the second most used language in searches in New York? If your business is advertising in this area, localizing your ads and funnel, including landing pages and video content, to Japanese can make a significant impact. Remember, going global means speaking to everyone, including those in your neighborhood.
Start Today!
In conclusion, creating engaging content and utilizing voice over on different channels to reach your audience is crucial for any business looking to succeed in today’s digital landscape. By implementing some of the tips mentioned in this blog post, you can broaden your reach and connect with your target audience in more meaningful ways.
At Mello Studio, we specialize in providing professional voice-over services and can help you create high-quality audio content that resonates with your audience. Contact us today for a free consultation and let us help you take your business to the next level!
