In the age of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, it’s safe to say that no voice actor is without any social media account. But while social media is already an ubiquitous thing, it is by no means a magic pill. Too often, any voice artist can fall prey to social media voiceover mistakes and run the risk of hurting their voiceover careers.
Here are four of the most common pitfalls:
- Networking only with other voice actors.
Without a doubt, social media is a great way for you to meet, follow, and interact with personalities in the voiceover industry. But more than just networking with voiceover artists, you should also network with companies, academic institutions, audiobook producers, and the likes. Not only will you be learning the tools of the trade along the way, you will also be opening yourself up to a myriad of opportunities across industries.
- In-your-face social media promotion.
Of course, social media makes it possible for anyone to tag people or add them as contacts in a jiffy. Everything, after all, is just a mere click away. If, as a voice actor, you are in the habit of indiscriminately tagging people just because you want to promote your work, then you could be facing a huge marketing pitfall. Spamming, no matter how subtly done subtly, is still spamming. It is a social media voiceover mistake you should avoid altogether.
- Recycling content.
Posting the same content or simply rehashing them with several hackneyed phrases spell one thing very clearly: laziness. If prospective clients have this impression of you, then why would they hire you for their project? Posting relevant, and well-written content means you are serious about your work.
- Assuming social media for voiceover success is an overnight thing.
Finally, voice actors should understand that, like the stock market, social media marketing is a long-term investment. A few days or weeks of effort will not guarantee optimum results. Like any worthwhile thing, consistency and constancy is key.
While social media has brought voice artists and clients efficiently together, it can also spell disaster to many voice actors within a highly-saturated market. Any voice actor should strive to avoid these social media voiceover mistakes and remember that social media, when done right, could spell more benefits than disadvantages specifically for the long term.