One of the hardest parts of starting a creative industry business is marketing. We all think that we will get to do creative things all day for the best clients in the world. But how do they go about finding you. How do they even know you exist? I can promise you that in most cases they aren’t typing Craig Williams, Voice Over Actor into Google in the hopes of finding the most amazing website and then immediately press my “book me now” button!
As a Freelancer, I have to find new and interesting ways to find new clients that may be in the market for a voice like mine. This seemed a daunting task when I first started. I knew very little about marketing. I just opened the doors to my business and thought the people would come. How naive. The amazing thing was, when I started to learn about marketing, I began to become passionate about it.
I am constantly reading books on how to market better. My current favorite is building a story brand by Donald Miller. Books like this helped me understand more about my clients needs and what I can do to help them get what they want. Instead of seeing it as selling my services, I now see it as finding a solution for a problem that my client has.
This paradigm shift has been inspirational for me. Not only has shifted my marketing focus but it has also changed my mindset. I am no longer desperately trying to get customers because I need to make a living. I am building relationships that matter to me in the hope that I can be a guide to help my clients get what they need to succeed. A prime example of this is referring many of my fellow voice over friends for jobs that I know I am not the right fit for. It just makes sense to me.
So, stop thinking that your marketing should revolve around you and what a great creative person you are. If you are truly good at what you do and if you have built the relationship with the client, the opportunity will come your way when it is right.
Craig Williams is a professional British Voice Over Actor who works with clients like Amazon, Barclay’s, Rolls Royce and more.