How to build a 'super-hero' reputation
Whether you are looking for leads or potential leads are looking for you, building trust is essential. Trust has to do with how you are ‘known’. It’s your reputation.
It’s quite remarkable to realise how much influence you have on building a strong reputation. We want to make sure that we come across in the right way, keeping in mind the standard etiquette of behavior for the VO industry. This goes for social media, as well as in our personal interactions.
"Reputation is everything"
In today’s world, the gatekeepers are human. Your prospects will look for your credentials; how your website looks, what your voice reels sound like and what your testimonials say about you. A strong reputation leads to many leads, which leads to an amazing voice-over career!
There is one truth that stands out in building a strong ‘super-hero’ reputation and that is that it is all about ‘THEM’!
So how do we go about this? Here are five points that I’ve found useful building my reputation which I would love to share with you.
1. It all starts with quality.
You need to understand who you are, what you are doing and what you can offer. You don’t need to know everything. No one does. However, make sure you always offer the best service you can provide. This needs to be shown in your demos, your website, the way you speak on the phone, your emails, your branding, your communications on social media as well as in personal interactions. It’s part of the voice-over etiquette.
2. Know your target group.
Who do you want to build a good reputation with? What are their needs? If you know this, you can target your communication specifically to your audience. For example: a versatile voice-over would be able to deliver different types of reads. Maybe you have a demo for children's toys commercials and another one for explainer videos. The key is to make your potential leads understand you. This builds confidence that working with you is the best decision they can make, thereby building your reputation.
3. What do you want to be known for?
What is your role in the voice-over industry. What’s your expertise and unique selling point (USP)? What is the target group looking for? Would they like to work with a chirpy, enthusiastic individual who has a great creative buzz, or are they the type of people who like to work with someone who smoothly gets the job done without too much fuss making their day an easy sail. This can vary from one client to another.
4. Show the world what you can do!
Once you have identified what reputation you want to build, it is then time to act accordingly. Everything you now say, publish or showcase, needs to link back to your reputation, your brand, social media interaction, your profile picture, the way you speak at network meetings, your blog etc. Show yourself to be someone who advises, someone who helps and guides. Most importantly; amaze your clients! Our role as a voice-over artist is to help them build their reputation too.
Show yourself to be someone who
Advices, helps and guides
5. Let others say what they think of you.
You probably have some testimonials on your website. This is a fabulous way to communicate who you are. It tells other people what you can provide and whether you are the right person to work with. You can even share testimonials on social media. Another idea is to write about others on social media. Everyone likes it when they get mentioned in a positive way. This is a very powerful way of building a sterling reputation and helping each other in the process.
It will take time to build a ‘super-hero’ reputation, but the rewards are enormous! It will help you to become even more confident in your ability to deliver an outstanding service which in turn will build your clients’ reputation, who will love to work with super-heroes who save their day and make them look good!