Last Updated on April 13, 2022
The script is ready for your next commercial video and the next step is to choose that perfect video voice over that will bear the exact results that you have hoped for. Making this choice may sound easy, but the chore needs immaculate and skilful steps to be taken because voice over for video can make or break the appeal of the brand. Selling a product to every individual head is a hard job to accomplish. One cannot impress everybody. So, here we lay certain criteria on choosing the perfect video voice over.
When you are making a video, there are two main areas of focus; one is the audio and other is visual. Believe it or not, getting the visuals done is easier than designing the sound. From background music to the right voice, the work is too much.
Ask the right questions of consideration to add voiceover to video
- What information do you want to convey? Is your commercial directly pitched towards sales or does it involve a bit of storytelling? In both the cases, the approaches have to be different.
- What kind of voice would the audience click to? Young? Exciting? Trustworthy? Eccentric? Joyful? Each and every audience cannot have the same personality, so you have to think of what your product must convey in what voice. A commercial for chocolates will not have the same throw of voice or background score for a commercial of perfume.
- What is the speed of your video? If the things in the frame are moving fast, it is evident that the sound elements too have to be on their toes to catch up with the visuals. A fast commercial does not mean that the conveyed information has to have a hasty video voice over that will lose the message. Making a video with the most relevant pace of audio is the need.
- What is the sound of your brand? Does the brand have a signature tune that can connect to the audience at any stage? If yes, then the next responsibility is to find the voice that sits perfectly with the tune.
Exploring the types: how to make a voiceover work for your product?
Each voice has its character; the selection has to be made with the purpose of the product that is being advertised for. Also, not every voice artist can be comfortable in speaking every voice. Here are the styles of voiceover that are generally worked upon for corporate video creation:
- Announcement: It requires a classic sound of voiceover as generally heard in radio messages. This type of voiceover is ideal for any kind of advertisement or trailer.
- The ‘average’ person next door: The tone is somewhat friendly with this style and ideal for the audience who strike mostly with soft selling approach for any product.
- Narration: A fairly neutral narration establishes an authoritative approach of the brand and usually is highly listenable without going over the top.
- Actor: Just the opposite of narrator, the actor can give voice to any type of modulations and can turn every word into a story. Subtlety is not a part of it and therefore, these voiceovers can connect to the majority of audience easily.
Before starting with your next voice over recording, here are the criteria to choose video voice over:
1. Suitable for the long-run
The purpose of a professional branding video serves its purpose best when its appeal will get the quality of long-term sustainability. We all have videos that make us nostalgic; even the classic movies that get aired can make us stop our work and watch them. In this case of making a video, the right voiceover artist’s personality and the clicked connection it will establish with the brand will create a long-term impression with the audience. A reservoir of trust and respect will be formed.
2. Determining the target audience
Found a killer voice artist? He or she can easily connect to the youth? So, what about your audience belonging to the age-group of 35 years to 55 years? Every branding video is based on the criterion of appealing to the target audience, and if yours is targeted to all, then the voice over has to be decent, quirky, fun and attractive.
3. Voice quality and adeptness of the voice over artist
Making a professional brand video comes with the mandate of recruiting the best voice-over artist. Google will provide the names of locally based voice over services for your job, or you can also get references from your peers. In the majority of scenarios, video creators use voice over recording software to modify or mould the tone of the artist as per the video need. In both the cases, the tone or the voice quality of the artists or the software plays a crucial role.
4. The pace of the voice
The industry standard for 60 seconds of animated video is 130-140 words of voice-over text.
Would it be okay if the video voice over is faster than the visuals? This anomaly is not always technical as it depends on:
- The type of audience
- The message to be reflected
- The speed of the artist’s voice
It is very important to strike the perfect balance between these 3 to produce the perfect video for branding.
5. The accent of the voiceover
Accents have a great effect on the target audience. They establish confidence and trust for the brand within the consumers based on local parameters. But what if your targets are based outside your country? In that case, it is ideal to hire professionals who are dexterous and talented to pick up foreign accents with little practice. In case, you fail to find one, the last and the most reliable option is to seek automated voices by using the voice-over recording equipment and software.
6. Gender-based video marketing
What is the gender of your target audience? Sounds uncanny? It would not if the product aims at serving the male or female audience exclusively. In the history of branding and advertisement, we have come across many videos and also audios (in case of radio) that are targeted towards one gender. The voice over in those advertisements is hence, as easily guessable, given by men and women exclusively for respective cases.
One large-scale survey by Adweek Media revealed that 48% of respondents found a male voice more forceful. A further 28% suggested that a male voice was “more likely to sell me a car.” While 46% of respondents reported finding female voices more soothing. – Source
7. Seeking professional service
Out of any kind of expertise? You have the professional video creating agencies by your side. The creative heads and artists of the professional agencies work in perfection to deliver excellence in their every project. From designing each and every frame to selecting the perfect voiceover, these agencies produce the best video for every project requisites.
End slide…
The responsibility of choosing the right voice might exactly feel like walking over a minefield. Even if you have chosen a professional, chances are he or she might not be able to deliver the performance you have hoped for or, the chosen voice has a different appeal to different people.
At the end of the day, it is the product that you are selling, the audience you are targeting and other crucial factors that determine the success of your marketing video.
