Did you know that voice over is booming because of the growth of online corporate videos?

And with this new trend, it’s important for voice actors to position themselves to take advantage of this increasing area of work.

Corporate video has been a great source of work for voice over actors since the early 80’s.  Traditionally companies have created audio visual product for conferences, seminars, new product launches, staff training and how-to’s.

Changes over the past decade in the way business uses the internet has meant that savvy business owners are increasingly using video in their content marketing to build their profile, brand or product.

And, the statistics are in!

Corporate video is now the fastest way for business to communicate with their customers.

Because of these changes, the Corporate voice over area, also called Business or Industrial, is booming – and is set to continue to grow!

For many CEO’s or Company owners, video is an opportunity to put themselves forward as the face of their business. But not everyone wants to (or indeed should) step in front of the camera.

Many businesses are creating videos that get their message out there, by producing clips that use edited footage, still shots, graphics or simple animation. And they’re using a voice actor to convey the message.

This means that all businesses from the smallest, to nationals and multi-nationals may be, at any time, looking for quality voices to use in their visual content.

You’ve probably noticed this trend as you’ve been browsing online.

Next time you’re looking at a website that’s using video, have a look at what they’re doing:

• What’s the purpose of the video?
• Who are they talking to?
• What are they asking the viewer to do?

Let’s talk about some types of video you might see:

• Explainer Videos

These are company profile videos that talk about the business and what it does.

They often begin by asking a question of the viewer. It could reflect a problem that needs solving or addresses what the viewer’s looking for – then they explain how the company can help.

Running time is usually 1-3 minutes.

• Branding Videos

Think TV advertising: Lots of visuals, concepts, effects, graphics and a great music bed, very often supported by a read from a quality voice actor, and generally running under 1 minute.

Branding videos are made by online businesses that have a strong brand style and a stand-out message to deliver.

• Sales Videos

Videos made expressly to launch or demonstrate a product or products, these videos are similar to retail TV ads, but often run longer, averaging around 2-4 minutes.

These videos almost always use a professional voice actor.

• E-Learning & Training Videos

Training videos have been around since the 1980’s.

This is the area that’s traditionally used voice actors to narrate for them.

Companies are sill creating training videos specifically for their staff.

However, many online businesses are building training videos as products to sell online.  And for many, it’s big business!

• How-to videos

Often ‘how-to’ videos are created simply and cheaply – Google anything technical or crafty and you’ll come up with any number of  videos that’ll give you the info you need.

While they may offer great techniques and tips, often their main purpose is to build the creator a profile or reputation as an expert.

However, savvy companies who see the value in creating meaningful video content, are spending money on well-produced ‘how-to’s’ and reaping the rewards by a lift in their Google ranking.

• Company story

Often large companies will opt for a video that tells the story or history of the company, projects they’re working on or the good work they’re doing.

Often the video will be documentary style, with a narrator linking interviews or footage.

• Recruitment video

This is becoming a popular style of video for companies who want to invest in video because they realize that many of the visitors to their site, are people who want to work for them.

Of course, companies also still make videos for other purposes than online.

They’re still made for Seminars, Conferences and Conventions, for In-Store, and In-Flight and any number of other ways a company can find to connect with its staff, clients or potential customers.

This is the fastest growing area of my voice over business!

Here’s a link to my voice demo with samples of Explainer Videos and Company Videos.

So, if you have the voice and the skills for this kind of work, you need to create a demo that contains a range of samples that reflect that kind of work.

The demo need only be 1.5-2 minutes in length. You only really need 3 examples of some of the different styles I mentioned above, and each sample need only be 30-40 seconds in length.

Make sure the styles are very different from each other in energy, pace and mood.

Because of the demand for voices in this area, I’ve created a one day studio session called ‘Voice Over Pro – Corporate’ to help experienced voice actors who have the skills for this kind of work, and aren’t getting the jobs simply because they don’t’ have a demo with the right samples.

I can also do Skype sessions to work with those who want to learn more about the skills for reading long form material, Industrials, Corporate Narration or Documentary.

Changing times will always create work for voice actors.

Being prepared to take advantage of new opportunities just makes good marketing sense.

Happy Voiceovering!