A corporate voice over added to any professional production piece puts the final signature on the brand. Whether it is an audio or video piece for external use to the public or an internal piece for employees, using the right voice over can make all the difference in attaining the goals you’ve set out.
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This post was updated in May 2021
Overview of Corporate Voice Over
Most companies make some sort of audio or visual pieces for clients, customers, and/or employees. Some of these may be solely used for advertising while others are explainer pieces for employees. Whatever the purpose of the piece, usually a voice over is somehow incorporated for narration purposes.
The particular voice over that is in the piece can set the desired tone and reinforce the brand if used successfully. Choosing the right voice is all-important here.
According to VOPlanet, A corporate voice over is the voice overused for a company’s public branding or internal training and instructional products. Corporate voice overs can tell a brand’s story and explain its policies, products, and services. A professional voice over can help present your brand in the best possible light.
While it may seem like an added expense to hire a professional voice actor when you have a number of employees or even yourself who could voice the piece, it will be well worth it to hire a professional. A professional voice actor from a reputable company can convey the exact tone you are looking for. This can exemplify your brand. Whether appealing to your employees or customers, the connection with the audience can dictate the success of the piece. In addition, the voice over is key to helping you do that.
When Does a Company use a Voice Over?
Companies primarily use voice overs in two main scenarios. The first being internal purposes and the second is external. Internal productions that use voice over consist of explainer videos, which can range from instructional videos to how-tos. The external pieces usually fall into advertising and branding categories.
Internal Corporate Voice Overs
These usually consist of videos that employees will view for instructional and informative purposes. Here are some examples of what things may be like:
- Corporate Imaging “Who We Are” – These can consist of onboarding videos for new employees and give overviews of the history of a company, the status of it, and its top concerns and goals.
- Training “How to do It” – These pieces will share how to perform certain procedures, from intake to working with new equipment or technology.
- Internal Communications “What You Need to Know” – These videos and voice overs will share internal structures, procedures, and protocols. Things like understanding 401k plans and benefits, avoiding harassment, and fire safety are all things that may be covered in this category.
It’s clear that the right corporate voice over can convey the tone and mood of each piece. All of these instructional/explainer videos are often clear and concise. Here, an authoritative but friendly voice will often be what is best.
External Corporate Voice Overs
These pieces consist of advertising and public service announcements. The tone in these voice overs is extremely important as it connects the company to the public. The right voice can showcase the brand that the company is portraying.
Some specific examples are things like:
- Advertising – sharing relevant and current information on your product or service. We’ve all heard ads on the radio where the voice over is the perfect rendition of the company’s brand. These are the successful ones.
- Communications on how to do things – these are the how-to’s that may be videos on websites open to the public. Some examples are things like “How we’ll be taking care of your child at The Very Best Preschool,” “Talking to teens about drugs and alcohol,” and “Pampering Options at our Day Spa”
Again, the right voice over can set the tone and make your ad a success.
The Importance of the Project and Using the Right Voice Over
When a company is producing a piece either for its employees or for use in advertising, it’s a big deal. For employees, it conveys how-tos and procedures that are vital to the company’s success. For the public, it shares the brand of the company and has the potential to bring in new customers.
Just as the piece itself is important with the production and the script, the voice over you choose is essential to the success of the piece. Each facet of the voice is important and that is where a professional voice actor comes into play. The right tone, the right pacing, even the age and the sex of the actor are all important components. Also, this is where it is important to know the audience and utilize a voice that has the ability to reach that audience.
When it comes to selecting voice talent, there are certain things to consider. This article shares some of these, including defining your goals early on and knowing what your audience will respond to. Some people know exactly what they want in voice talent, others will want to test different voices out before deciding on their final corporate voice over.
You are probably investing a lot of time and money into your production, finish it out with great voice talent. And not just great, but also appropriate for the job.
The Corporate Voice Over Must Match the Project
As previously mentioned, it is not enough to just have a talented voice actor work on your project. The actor also must fit the project. Consider who will be listening/watching the piece, the intentions of the piece, and how this can be best conveyed.
One thing to consider is how formal or informal you want the tone of your piece to be. For corporate videos and information, a friendly, casual voice may be best. New employees can connect when a voice actor with a conversational tone is helping them fill out onboarding paperwork,
When it comes to safety videos, a more authoritative voice might be more effective. After all, fires and active shooter information is nothing to take lightly, so a serious voice can set the mood.
Advertising with corporate voice overs can vary. Depending on your product or service, different voices will benefit more than others. As this article shares, knowing your audience is key to forming connections. Connections are what bring customers to you. The voice you are using for your voice overs can dictate so much of this.
Working with a Voice Over Company and Working with Voice Over Talent
When it comes to finding voice talent, turning to a voice over company can help you with your corporate needs. Voice over talent companies take the guesswork away from hiring voice talent and can match an actor to your corporate needs.
Corporate voice over work has its own special niche and you are probably looking for a specific sound. A company that specializes in this can help you find exactly who you are looking for. They can also handle all of the details, and you can be as involved or as uninvolved as you’d like.
Often corporations like to work directly with the talent, others prefer to let the voice over companies handle everything pertaining to voice. If you do decide to work with the actor in your corporate voice over, this article advises
As a voice director, you need to provide guidance to the actor while giving them enough room to explore. The process of directing voice actors starts way before the talent sits in the recording booth. To get the best results out of actors, voice directors need to face up to the task of delivering specific and clear instructions.
The takeaway here is to be as clear as you can with the actor. Make sure your script is complete with no ambiguities. Give clear directions that cover everything, including tone, pace, depth of voice, etc. Help the actor feel relaxed and provide positive feedback. All of these things will help your recording go smoothly. On the other hand, if you decide to go with a voice talent company, they will handle all of this for you.
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Characteristics of Good Corporate Voice Overs
When looking for an actor for your corporate video voice over project, remember the first thing is to think about your audience. Is it inhouse for new hires or seasoned employees, or is it directed towards advertising or customers?
If you are creating explainer videos for your employees, think about what voice they’ll connect to. Maybe an informative, conversational tone with some authority. The pace should be fairly quick to prevent boredom, but slow enough that things don’t get confusing.
With advertising and informative information on your website, you’ll want a voice that appeals to your customer base. Some experts report that a female voice is more appealing as it is softer and more compassionate, but if your product appeals much more to the male population, you may still want that deep male voice to connect.
Since this is a professional piece, a good corporate voice over should have good enunciation and an educated tone. It should convey professionalism and expertise.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, find that voice that will appeal to your audience. A clean, professional, informative tone can complete your corporate video and audio pieces and appeal to your employees and customers. A good script is important, and the actor is the one to make that script shine.
Turn towards a corporate voice over company if you’re not sure how to go about this, and let them handle this part. You can focus on where your expertise lies. The end result should be a smart, professional piece to appeal to the audience conveying a positive, informative message and clear information about your corporation.
