Be part of the conversation
Social media 101 for voice actors means being part of the conversation. It matters a lot these days. It’s more important than having a website, and certainly (and unfortunately) more important than having an agent. It took me a long time to accept this. Five years ago I was doing great as an anonymous nobody making bundles of cash. My agent would send me out to auditions and bookings and the money rolled in. Eighty percent of my work came from that one source. The other 20 came from Voice123, when there were, like, me and nine other people on it. And then things changed.
It’s about your brand
As a voice actor these days, it’s all about your brand. Social media users respond well to someone who has a brand. In other words, an expertise and something to say about it that’s useful. A brand is simply what you want potential customers to perceive of you and it’s usually based on what you’re good at. Maybe you’re the king of promo, or audio books, or…you get the picture. The next step is talking about that skill or that type of work online. The people I like to follow have a personal take on things that relate to their brand. They have an opinion. That’s very important. You have to bring your perspective to the table or no one will care.
Choose a social media channel
An important part of social media 101 for voice actors is choosing the right social media channels, and there are many to choose from. Twitter and LinkedIn are the two that I use. Facebook is a waste of time for a business in my opinion, unless you are physical retail. Not for voice actors. Instagram and TikTok are good if you’re a star or work in a popular niche like video games. I have over 21,000 followers on TikTok because I’m the voice of Bandit in Rainbow Six Siege; an insanely popular video game. The point is to go where your potential customers go. Since we’re in the business of advertising and education, I think Twitter and LinkedIn are your best bets.
Don’t sell. Contribute.
If you sell and you don’t contribute, people won’t pay attention. It’s OK once in a while to brag about a cool gig you did, but say it as a thank you to the client. By tagging Keystone Light and saying, “Thanks for the opportunity to work with you!” you’re selling the savvy way. But you MUST contribute to the conversation. As voice actors, we all have our specialties. One of mine is Political Reads. Tell others what you know about your specialty. By sharing what you know, you position yourself as a helpful expert. People will welcome your tweets and posts with open eyes.