Everyday VOpreneur® with Marc Scott

Episode: This is Why Your Marketing Isn't Working
Date: August 22, 2024
Host: Marc Scott

Episode Overview

In this engaging solo episode, Marc Scott tackles a critical—and often neglected—aspect of growing a successful voiceover business: follow-up. Drawing on his experience coaching thousands of voice actors and inspired by recent interviews with multimillion-dollar CEOs, Marc unpacks why so many VOpreneurs fail to capitalize on their marketing efforts. The core message is simple: without a consistent follow-up strategy, you’re leaving money—and clients—on the table.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Most Overlooked Element: Follow-Up

• Marc emphasizes that while many voice actors invest in demos, websites, and initial outreach, they frequently neglect systematic follow-up, which is often the decisive factor for booking work.
• This trend is “one of the most underlooked aspects of marketing your voiceover business” despite being “one of the most important” (01:08).

Lessons from Top CEOs and Podcasts

• Marc references episodes from:
  • Lewis Howes (School of Greatness)
  • Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO)
• Both featured high-level entrepreneurs who echoed two key points:
  1. Personalization is King
     • “When you send me a generic message that looks like it could literally be sent to any other person on earth, I'm going to ignore that message.” (03:30)
     • Personal messages stand out, generic pitches do not.
  2. Persistent Follow-Up Signals Commitment
     • One CEO uses lack of follow-up as a “test” to see how interested and committed a service provider really is (06:35).
     • “If you email me two or three times, that speaks to your commitment, that speaks to your professionalism.” (06:53)

Mindset Myths & Reframing Narratives

• The most common reason voice actors avoid follow-up: fear of being “annoying.”
  • “I don't know the origin story of this narrative. But...by and large the industry has adopted this as truth based on no factual evidence that I have been able to find.” (07:49)
• Marc suggests reframing this belief:
  • Alternative narrative: Following up demonstrates professionalism, organization, and authentic interest.
  • “What if you used that narrative instead and let that narrative be a motivating factor for you to actually send the follow ups?” (08:37)

Why Clients Really Don’t Respond

• Lack of response doesn’t necessarily mean lack of interest. More often, prospects are just busy or overlook your message.
• “I've got a lot going on. And so sometimes that gentle follow up just to remind me that you messaged me, you'd be surprised how many times that message gets the response.” (09:39)

Practical Tips to Improve Your Follow-Up

• Use a Simple CRM:

  • “A simple CRM that you can put your leads, your prospects and your clients in. And you can set automated reminders at different cycles that will pop up and say it's time to get in touch with so-and-so again.” (11:47)

• Follow-Up Frequency:

  • No matter your system, ensure you’re reaching out to each new lead at least a couple of times and maintaining touch with your existing database.

• Don’t Let Clients Forget You:

  • If a client hasn’t heard from you in six months, you risk losing them when they next need a VO. “Chances are they forgot about you or they went and hired somebody else because that person was there or present or who they were thinking of.” (12:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you are sending generic messages, you send them out to enough people, then the hope is that the law of averages says, you know, if you throw enough spaghetti at the wall, some will stick. And what these CEOs were saying was, you're not getting into my inbox.” — Marc Scott (03:53)

• “Success is in the follow up. If you do not have a follow up strategy for your voiceover business, you are going to struggle.” — Marc Scott (07:13)

• “What you're doing by following up is showing that you care. What you're doing by following up is showing that you're committed. What you're doing by following up is showing that you are a professional. What you're doing by following up is showing that you pay attention to the details.” — Marc Scott (11:19)

Actionable Takeaways

1. Personalize Every Message: Don’t send mass, generic pitches. Do a bit of homework and make sure your outreach references something specific to the target.
2. Adopt a Positive Follow-Up Mindset: Forget the myth that follow-up is annoying; instead, see it as essential professional behavior.
3. Leverage Simple CRM Tools: Even basic systems can keep you organized and ensure no client or lead falls through the cracks.
4. Be Consistent, Not Overbearing: Timing your follow-ups right and framing them as reminders—not pestering—sets you apart as a true professional.
5. Stay Top of Mind: Regular, value-driven communication with your contact list will mean you’re the first call when work arises.

Community Interaction Invitation

• Marc encourages listeners to:
  • Share this episode and their own follow-up success stories, ideally in video form on Instagram, and tag him (@marcscott).
  • “I would love to hear a follow up success story. So why don't you make a video sharing one of your follow up success stories? Let me know that it was inspired by this episode.” (14:13)

Key Segment Timestamps

• [01:08] - Main topic introduction: why follow-up matters
• [03:00] - Insights from entrepreneurial podcasts and CEO interviews
• [06:35] - CEO’s “commitment test” and the importance of multiple follow-ups
• [07:49] - Breaking the “I’m being annoying” narrative
• [09:39] - The reality behind non-responses
• [11:19] - What effective follow-up communicates about you
• [11:47] - How to practically implement a follow-up system
• [12:35] - Consequences of neglecting follow-up
• [14:13] - Community call to action

By shifting your mindset, personalizing outreach, and building a reliable follow-up system, you’ll convert more leads to clients and build longer-lasting partnerships in your voice over business. Marc’s advice—rooted in personal experience and echoed by industry leaders—is simple: if you’re not following up, you’re not truly marketing.