How To Leverage YouTube To Grow Your Business

How can you leverage online video for your business?

 

I recently had Madi from Madi to the max over. She's going to talk to you about how she was able to grow her business as a voiceover actor using YouTube, her great success story of how she was able to leverage YouTube and online video to help her grow her voiceover acting business.

Madi's Story in Madi's Words

I'm a voice-over actress. I have over 300 videos on my YouTube channel of me doing different voices and cartoon impressions. That is what my channel is about. I do different cartoons and impressions of those actors and it allows me to stretch that muscle, figure out a new range, figure out what I want to do with those voices so that when the casting calls come up I'm like “Oh I have that voice already in my repertoire.” I know what voice to give.

I've been on YouTube for almost six years now but I started doing impression videos about three years ago. When I first started I was doing my own original sketch comedy playing all the different characters and filming and editing it so that it looked like I was talking to myself, which was great fun. Unfortunately, it didn't take off the way I was wanting it to.

I did voice over just for the fun of it. There were a bunch of impressions that I could do but I ended up booking a feature film voice acting role with that. It was like this clearly works, let's pursue this. So I've been doing impression videos ever since and it really helped me hone and focus on my choices as a voice actor. It allows me to have this amazing resume of things that I can do.

People have specifically come to my channel and asked me to do voice acting because they have seen that I can do that. I've had directors look at my videos and go “Oh she has a range, I can see that right away”.

I've had so many animators reach out to me directly because they saw one of my videos.

How to leverage your YouTube Channel?

I met Madi at a networking event. The first thing I did after we met was that I went to her YouTube channel and saw how talented she was. I reached out to her, to be in a music video I knew that she could dress up I knew that she could play parts, so I had her play Cinderella in one of my videos.

That's how it works. You put yourself out there, you let people know what you do, it doesn't matter if you are a Lawyer, if you are an Actor, whatever business or service you have you should be making online videos, so that you gain more exposure and let people know what you do.

You want people to come to you instead of you constantly chasing people asking them to give you a chance. It's really important that when people go to your channel or your site or your social media because right off the bat it's very easy for them to see exactly what you do.

If you go to a YouTube channel of somebody you really admire. You right away get an impression of what they are and what they do and what they can do.

You need to make sure that your channel looks that way too or however way you're wanting to portray yourself.

What is the immediate thing that jumps into your head when you first look at your channel? You need to portray that.

Getting Started with Video?

If you're thinking of getting started with online video, have knowledge about your subject. Make simple helpful tips like the best five ways to make a shoe and top five mistakes people make when making a shoe. Simple things really off the bat because when you first start out it's not going to be as polished as the big guys that have 400 people in their crew. It's just you. But you can still make a really high-quality great video.

You got a good sound, you got good lighting, you can make a good video. Keep it short.

Related: What equipment do I need for video?

Are you an Artist?

But if you are an artist and not a niche expert then what?

I'm going to get more specific to Madi's journey from an artistic perspective. If you are an artist of any kind, trying to get your name out there trying to get people to give you a shot, make sure you read on. I talk more in detail about Madi's journey using online video and also where she's headed next, based on where YouTube is going and where the online world is going.

Are you an aspiring creative? Maybe you want to be an actor or a voice over actor? Well, you should be leveraging YouTube, check out these tips that I'm going to get from Madi, from Madi to the Max. She's been able to use her YouTube channel to get her feature film gigs and cartoon gigs. She was even the voice of Happy Frog in the hit game Five Nights at Freddy's coming up Alright.

Use YouTube as Your Resume

Madi leveraged online video, to book all sorts of awesome gigs as a voice over actor. So, let's hear her out. How long has she been on YouTube and what kind of roles did those end up leading to by putting herself out there? How did she do it?

Madi:  I've been on YouTube for almost six years now, and when I started doing impression videos, it actually helped me expand my career. It allowed me to show my range and what I could do so that casting directors can very easily see, Oh, this is what she can do.

So if somebody is an aspiring voice over actor or an actor, should they start a YouTube channel?

Madi: I think so for sure. If you got time, definitely do it. Because the thing about being an actor is that you as an actor can go “I can play anything” Any actor can play anything That's great. You're an actor, we know that, but what type do you actually fit is depends on what they want to see you as.

So if you're the tall, skinny blonde, you tend to go out for the ingenue rules. But man, you really want to play that hard-ass detective. So you're not getting cast like that. What can you do, is you can actually write your own script. You can write your own monologue or short scene that you can do just for yourself. It might seem overwhelming like I don't have a set, I don't have a crew. That's fine. Most of these things can be shot on a blank black background or white background and you can just set up your phone. If you got good sound and decent lighting, that's fine. You can totally do it.

Give yourself the Role

Madi: I actually have a friend of mine who did a monologue once a week challenge. Because of that, she had this huge repertoire of different characters that she can pull from so that if a casting director says, we really want to see you kind of playing this type of character, she's like, great. Here's this video. I can do that. Here's this specific thing. Try different things with those monologues. Try being crazy, outrageous, trending team and introverted.

You can really have a lot of fun with that because you have the to do as many takes as you want. They can be as bad as you want because you have another one due next week and that's part of the challenge. You suck at first and you get better as you go along. 

One of my clients, who is an actress was talking about how she wasn't being considered for certain types of roles. I said then just give them to yourself. That's the amazing thing about the world we live in today. You don't need those gatekeepers anymore or those casting agents because you can just put your video on YouTube. So if you want to show people you can play that part. Just put yourself in that part.

Network!!!

Network with other directors and other writers if you want to collaborate, Check out your local film colleges. They are always looking for actors to do stuff with them. Go there, go talk to the heads of their department, let them know, Hey, I'm an actor, I'm looking for this. Please, would you recommend me to your students?

And that's where you can get really good with that.

How long does it take?

How often do you get contacted? And how long did it take since you started your YouTube channel before you started getting approached for roles?

Madi: My very first impression video is what booked me my big feature films because a friend of mine sent it to their casting director and the director said, Wow, she has range, let's bring her in.

That booked me one of my very first roles. It was one of my first impression videos. That's not necessarily going to happen all the time, but it does happen. I've had Sony reach out to me because of one video that I did for one of their products. So it's not unheard of. You will definitely find other YouTubers that will be like, we should clap. I'm also an actor and I'm looking for so and so to fill this part of this thing I'm wanting to make, be willing to go out there and say, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna work with you.

It might be bad, but it might also be good. You'll have a good time with it. The best thing is you get to grow at the same time.  As you grow and get better, so will they.

Got to have Business Cards

Not everything has to completely immediately translate into money or a huge success. But yes, building up your networking,  can be hard too. Having a channel is a kind of currency. It's really important that you have business cards. They don't have to be the super expensive kind. You can go down to Office Depot and get some printed out for fairly cheap. But it's really important, especially with something like this, the number of times I've run to somebody and be like, Hey, I want your card. Or you sound interesting. And I'm like, Oh, I don't have a card, but here take a picture of my badge.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You have to have a card on you all the time. It's kinda like having a head shot nowadays, except I've used more business cards than I have my actual head shots. I recommend that actors and entertainers have their photograph on their business cards. People remember them better.

If your logo isn't something that I already super know, like Hasbro, I'm not going to remember who you are. But if it's, Oh, right, they had this really distinctive necklace that they're always wearing, that's their logo. That might work.

I know a guy who is wandering around, he has this Egyptian headdress on that he's always wearing in all of his videos and all of his things. That's his logo. But if it's just you as an actor, definitely have your head shot there.

Demo Reels

What is a demo reel?

When I want to send someone my link, if they go back to that channel the link is attached to, I want them to see everything else that I have done because I'm very proud of everything else I've done. I've built up my brand with that. I'm a demo reel.

For those of you that don't know it's a very, very tight reel that shows, here's what I can do very quickly. Ideally in five-second clips.

I have definitely seen a demo reels that are five minutes long. Don't do that. I don't care if it's this great monologue. Take the best five seconds because you maybe can get a casting director to watch 10 seconds of your demo reel. Don't put the best stuff in the end. Put it at the very beginning. That's really helpful. Yeah.

So if you wanna check out Madi's demo reel click here. I think that will help you. You can get an example of a really good demo reel that has helped Madi get more gigs.

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