There is an art in the choice of voice

Too often, the audio component of a TV commercial or corporate video is treated as an afterthought. That’s risky. In fact it can often lead to totally undermining the impact of the work.

In most cases it will be the Voiceover that has missed the mark. There may be nothing amiss with the quality of the voice, however for some reason listeners will feel that it’s not quite right.

This is an all too common problem, but one that is easily rectified. Unfortunately the budget is often cited as the culprit. Not true. The price of the Voiceover will most likely be the norm for the industry. Payment will be “to scale” whether you elect to use this voice or that voice.

The real reason for the failure is simply the wrong voice has been chosen!

Learning to listen with a critical ear

Let us imagine you are creating a new corporate video. The scriptwriter has indicated the Voiceover should be a female with an authoritative delivery style.

Where do you begin looking for such a voice. You might generally associate a female Voiceover as warm and friendly or light hearted and bubbly.

While recognising the professional Voiceover artist is trained to adapt to the script, sometimes this just won’t happen. The quality of the voice might be too light to achieve the gravity required.

Despite the best attempts, the Voiceover will still end up sounding forced and unnatural.

We hear this in male voices everyday on local TV. Every station promo from the trailer for a murder mystery to the latest cook-off championship is delivered with an abundant degree of forced gravitas.

Even a web address will carry the longest ever “dot coorrm dot a uuuuuu”. The result is a sameness that undermines the message and ruins any credibility.

The world of voices is just a click away

Today the quest to find the right voice has been made more convenient by Media Group, the business audio specialists.

On the media Group website you can audition hundreds of Voiceover samples recorded by voice artists from around the globe. You’ll hear samples from all over Australia, New Zealand, the Asia Pacific, the UK, Europe and America.

To facilitate your search the sample recordings have been classified by gender, age, nationality and style of read e.g. Radio/TV, Corporate, Telephone Message.

When you have narrowed your search to a favourite or two you can ask for an online quote and make sure you’re on budget.

Then if you are planning to record a script or scripts of a minimum sixty seconds in length, you can request a free demo.

Media Group will arrange for your preferred Voiceover to read an extract from your script. When the recording is complete you will receive a link to go online and review the free demo.

Find the Voiceover you need at www.mediagroup.com.au

Unlock the power of today's business telephone

Modern commercial telephone systems have an amazing array of features. These facilities permit a company to provide excellent service to incoming calls from both new customers and prospective new clients.

VOIP systems (Voice Over Internet Protocol) are so efficient they add a new level of privacy for incoming calls and greatly reduce the workload on internal staff.

In the past even playing a simple Message Onhold required additional equipment. Today business phones have most functions built-in. They may be re-programmed or updated online.

Reducing incoming caller hang-ups

Correctly used, the features of a new VOIP system will greatly enhance your company image as a well-run, technology savvy organisation. More importantly such a system can help reduce the number of callers who might hang up and go elsewhere. This especially true when they call you after hours or during those extra busy times.

Calls can be greeted with a pre-recorded Welcome Message. This message if well-written and read by a professional voice artist can set the right mood and create a great first impression. As we all know, in business first impressions count.

If you have a number of departments you may install an Auto Attendant message to direct callers to the person or extension they require. For Sales press 1, etc.

However it is the Message Onhold feature that is most effective in keeping a caller on the line.

Placing a caller Onhold is no longer a death sentence

There was a time, not too far back, when asking a caller to “hold the line” was a sure way to chase them off to your competitor.

As time progressed callers became used to the idea and even tolerated the inane computer chimes the systems played. But they continued to hang-up and vanish.

The systems upgraded to classical selections. Then someone suggested adding messages as well. Companies went to the next step of recording a Message Onhold and installing machines to replay the message.

It was usually an apologetic statement about how much the call meant and a vague promise to get back to the caller ASAP.

Finally a better way emerged. At Media Group, the business audio specialists the Message Onhold has been perfected as part of a total package.

Now the caller is informed and entertained with a series of messages containing interesting information about the company and its products or services.

Now callers hold to hear your customised messages

Media Group will provide the most comprehensive package of messages to help keep callers from hanging up. Plus you’ll see lots of ways to exploit the full potential of your telephone system.

Start by discussing your system’s capabilities. See how you can take advantage of expertly written and recorded messages featuring your choice of professional male and female voices.

Discover the power at www.mediagroup.com.au

A voice to call your own

In the world of communications the voice you elect to use takes on a far greater role than you might at first realise. That voice can become a great influence on the way people perceive your products and services.

Today the choice of Voice Artists is considerably greater than in previous times. This is a natural evolution and part of the growing proliferation of media platforms. The digital era and the advent of social media is responsible for creating more and more opportunities for work in advertising, broadcasting and the new kid on the block, “narrowcasting”.

More chance for voices to rise above the pack

Not too many years back people identifying themselves as Voice Artists were a little out of the ordinary. They were mainly drawn from the theatre, film making, radio and television. Some may have come from a sports commentary background. Others emerged from the political arena or had developed a reputation hosting events as a Master of Ceremony or Emcee.

In the modern era everyman and his dog has the chance to get heard. Facebook and You Tube have launched instant “careers all over the world. These overnight success stories are today international bloggers and podcasters with followers numbering from a few handfuls to a few million.

The temptation is to leap on the bandwagon of their popularity and sign them up as a spokesperson for the brand.

Choosing a voice is like getting married

The fact that some Voice Artists have achieved recognition through exposure on a screen or a stream does not mean they are automatically qualified as suitable candidates for your next publicity push.

A great many of these personalities will be loaded down with unwanted baggage. They may be aligned with extreme political views and be far from the norm in acceptable behaviour. They may have exhibited poor judgement in expressing personal opinions on race, culture or religion.

The risk also applies in the future. Once an identity has been publicly associated with your brand the damage they might do can far outweigh any benefit.

Scandal is not brand friendly

Pepsi may forever regret hiring king of pop Michael “Whacko” Jackson. Mel Gibson isn’t likely to be endorsing Nokia. Even as far back as the Roaring Twenties murder allegations against Fatty Arbuckle brought Hollywood under siege. However that didn’t stop Warner Bros. offering him a contract.

There’s an endless list of “A-listers” who blotted their copy books. George Michael “Zip me up before you go-go”. Trust British Paints? Not with Rolf Harris. Nike made the mistake of running with Oscar Pistorius and went down swinging with Tiger Woods.

Choose a voice professional not a part timer doing a voice

You can avoid all the celebrity endorsement pitfalls and popular podcaster problems by selecting your Voice Artists from Media Group, the business audio specialist.

Media Group offer the most comprehensive range of professional male and female voice over talent. All ages, all styles in English and most modern languages.

Plus before you invest a single cent you can audition samples of their work online from the comfort of the office. It’s the most risk free way to find the best voice for your next project.

Go to www.mediagroup.com.au

DIY phone messaging can be a disaster.

We are all so busy these days. You’ll often hear a complaint like “The office is so flat out I haven’t got time to scratch myself”. We’ve all experienced the problem.

The result is more and more businesses are relying heavily on pre-recorded telephone messages and they are a great solution in most cases. For the business they save extra labour costs. For callers they feel the benefit of being attended to promptly and are not left hanging in telephone limbo.

However the temptation to go DIY on recorded telephone messages can open a whole new can of worms!

For a company trying to project a quality image some of the recorded voices and even the scripts they are reading do not make the grade. Play it safe with your company image and always insist on professional answer phone messages.

A quality message gives callers the right impression

Your callers, both existing clients and new business, are accustomed to hearing recorded messages on the telephone. They appreciate the speed and convenience of IVR recordings that steer them directly and confidentially to the person or department to whom they wish to speak.

You are probably familiar with Auto Attendant or IVR formats saying something like “Press 1 for sales, Press 2 for accounts receivable etc etc”.

When a company has closed for the day callers should hear an After Hours’ Message. It should detail the firm’s normal operating times and invite them to leave a number for a call back. In too many cases a poorly written and voiced After Hours’ message can sound more like an after-thought.

There’s every chance a person calling outside normal trading hours will be a potential new customer. You need to be using professional answer phone messages so the caller will feel you are interested in winning their business

Make sure you are sending out the right signals

Don’t pussy-foot around with crappy messages on the company phone system. Enjoy the benefits of working with the best people. Contact Media Group, the business audio specialists at www.mediagroup.com.au

Media Group create telephone messages using experienced writers, production engineers and professional male and female voice over artists. In fact they will even create an original on hold message for you free of charge. Now there’s an offer that sends the right signal.

Beware of choosing the voice talent based on gender

In times past and prior to the rise of the “me too” movement, women were often classed as the weaker sex! How things have changed, and rightly so.

One area of male domination that has slipped quickly into equality is the business of voice acting. Today the Female Voice Over Artist commands equal or better pay than her male counterpart. She is more successful in the audition process and is often first in line for a call back.

However it might be controversial to assume this rise to the top is purely based on gender and not on feminine ability to outperform men in front of the microphone.

Women’s share of voice is outstripping the boys in many fields

Television ratings don’t lie. A quick glance at the figures will reveal some major changes. Viewers are tuning in by the thousands to watch netball, and the women’s cricket, both in limited over form and Test matches.

Also on the rise, and at the expense of the men’s games are the numbers flocking to watch women play Aussie rules and soccer (football).

Even in the hallowed halls of the Wimbledon Tennis finals the winners cheques are interchangeable!

Time to embrace the new paradigm

Rather than hiding under a rock or rejecting the new order, we all need to move with the times. This applies especially in the traditional “jobs for the boys” domains of the media and marketing disciplines.

One company that is providing more equal opportunities for the Female Voice Over Artist is Media Group, the business audio specialists.

From their headquarters and studio complex located on Australia’s Gold Coast, Media Group provide voice over and audio production services to radio/TV stations and production companies in Australia, New Zealand, the Asia Pacific and beyond.

Finding the right voice artists has never been easier

Next time you require a voice to suit your new TV or radio campaign. Or a special voice over for a corporate video, eLearning presentation or telephone program, go to the Media Group website and click away.

Without getting up from your chair you’ll be able to audition hundreds of samples by male and female voice over artists. You can refine your search by style, age group and language. And when you have narrowed your choice to one or two click again to get an online quote. Too easy. Go to www.mediagroup.com.au