Guest Post and a lesson in business relationship building!

Kenny Dunkwu is a voice actor in the UK who has been a long-time follower of my blog posts. I enjoyed hearing from him throughout the years. He is one of the few talent who have continued to check in with me and I admire his tenacity with relationship building. When I did a recent call for voice over blog post writers, he responded with something that I think is a tremendous example of creative marketing… something we, as freelancers, need to be good at to shine amongst so much competition. Check out how he transformed a lead, into a client, and then into a source for ongoing clients!

Freelance and Marketing as a Voice Actor by Kenny Dunkwu

One of the very first aspects of being a freelance voice actor, is acknowledging that you’re a running a small business. Like any other entrepreneurial endeavor, it takes hard work, persistence, determination, and a bit of good old-fashioned luck. In today’s global market, freelance voice actors must also adapt to change. The pandemic for example, meant that more voice actors have had to shift from in-person sessions in a studio setting to remote working in home studios. This transition brings with it both actors having to familiarize themselves with the technological aspects of running a business, whilst ensuring that we all meet the audio quality required by clients. Marketing your services as a freelance voice actor now means that you have now have to consider balancing your marketing efforts between getting an agent, promoting yourself on the various online casting sites and email marketing with having a greater social media presence online.

Collaborating online with existing clients is a marketing strategy that I have recently adopted. One such example involved developing a short 30 second demo of who I am and what I do. My client who is a videographer, created a section on his website of collaborative partners that he draws on for various projects. This is yet another way that many other voice actors could market their services. Why this approach was so effective related to the fact that I had focused on building and nurturing a strong working relationship, whilst ‘checking-in’ to see how I could add value to his business. This then resulted in voicing numerous projects.

Being a Freelance Voice Actor requires a diverse range of skills, but marketing is a key component of being a voice actor. How you go about it, requires a strategy that takes into consideration an approach that not only uses the traditional methods, but also takes a desire to take calculated risks, that reflect your own ethos, values, and principles.

Create Relationships: Build, Nurture, Strengthen

Creating strong relationships with current, past, and potential clients is paramount to running a long-term, profitable voice-over business. Finding creative ways to stay top of mind and to stand out from the crowd is no easy task! As any real estate agent! If you are a freelancer of any kind, remember to continue to nurture your relationships with authenticity and a “service” mindset. It has certainly served me well.

Thank you, Kenny, for sharing your story and maintaining our relationship for what seems like might be a decade now!