The 12 Sounds Of Christmas

Christmas is a truly sensual time of the year. From the smell of roasted chestnuts to the sight of a glimmering tree, our senses go into overdrive over the holiday period. One of the most important festive senses is what we hear, and so here at Voice Takeaway we've compiled a short list of our '12 Sounds of Christmas'.

1. Carol Signers
Nothing says Christmas like the sound of your local carollers approaching your front door. There are so many classic carols - here's what happens when carollers are let loose in a shopping mall...

2. Corks Popping
It wouldn't be the festive period if there wasn't an opportunity to get merry! Whether it's Champagne, Mulled Wine or Eggnog that's your tipple - the chances are you'll hear more than a few corks popping over Christmas...


3. Sleigh Bells
It often seems that you can make anything sound festive just by adding a the sound of a few sleigh bells - here's a case in point...

4. Smashing Baubles
No matter how delicately you place them on the tree - or how carefully you tip-toe around it, why is it that every year at least one bauble or decoration falls off and smashes on the floor! And isn't it annoying how it's never that hideous thing you bought at a charity sale for the blind...

5. That Annoying Dancing Santa
At first glance those novelty toys which sing and dance are great fun - but soon they can drive you up the wall! Either way...they're a distinctive sound of Christmas!

6. Relatives Arguing
You know it's been a very successful Christmas if it can pass without a single inter-family argument. When things kick off over who gets the last mince pie, even your new sound-proof ear-muffs won't help!

7. The Great Escape Theme Tune
Here's one for our British customers! The classic 1963 movie has been a fixture on British television over the festive period. Indeed, hardly a year goes by without the family settling down to watch Steve McQueen clamber upon his motorbike...

8. The Office Photocopier
It's not big, it's not funny and it's most certainly not clever - you know what we're talking about. Just because you've had one too many at the office party does not mean it's acceptable to photocopy your derrière, not that that stops some people... 


9. Christmas Songs On The Radio
They may be cheesy, there may only be a handful of good ones, but that doesn't stop us "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" to the sound of Brenda Lee or drunkenly singing along to Shakin' Stevens. Here's a true Christmas classic...

10. Post-Lunch Snoring
It happens every year - you've stuffed your face with Turkey, somehow found room for Christmas pudding and then washed it all down with an unhealthy amount of wine. By the time you've all sat down on the sofa you can rest assured at least half of the room will be snoring louder than your nephew's new robot toy...

11. The Sound Of The Kids Up At The Crack Of Dawn
You hear a rustling downstairs, a few excited strains - what could it be? You turn to your alarm clock at see it's 4.57am and think nothing of it - until you realise its Christmas Day and the kids are up already and tearing into their presents!

12. Santa's 'Ho Ho Ho'
What more is there to say other than let's hear it from the man himself...

How To Use Business Audio At Christmas

As Christmas draws in, it's important that your business is fully prepared for the holiday season. That doesn't just mean throwing up a bit of tinsel in the office or wishing your customers a 'Merry Christmas' as they leave the store, it also means making your entire brand and marketing ready for the festive period. Here are some 5 key tips for using business audio at Christmas.

1 - Make Sure Your Customers Know When You're Open

One of the biggest challenges for businesses over Christmas is making their customers aware when they are open or not. It's important that you make this information clear and accessible because otherwise it could cost you those all-important holiday sales! One of the best ways to communicate this information is through the use of audio. For example, update your call greeting with information about your opening times over the festive period. For examples of call greetings, follow the link: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Call-Greetings-s/2001.htm

2 - Make A Christmas Radio Advert

We'll all have heard the sheer number of Christmas ads on TV and radio at this time of year. They work because they twin association between an emotive and joyous time of the year with a product or service. The same can apply to your business, however small. Make a Christmas-themed radio ad, perhaps including some humour if appropriate, or alternatively post a Christmas video on YouTube. It'll really help build brand personality.

3 - Update Your On-Hold Messaging

One of the great challenges of good on-hold messaging is keeping it personal. One of the best ways to do this is to update it for the holidays. This can involve letting customers know of any holiday promotions, offers or sales, or simply wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

4 - Use Festive Web Audio

Your website is a great tool for using business audio. During the holiday season especially, it's a great idea to update your web audio to make it relevant to the time of year. It displays brand personality and is more likely to keep the web visitor engaged with your site. For examples of web audio, follow the link: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/category-s/1900.htm

5 - Don't Exclude Other Faiths

Don't forget that it isn't only Christians who'll be needing your services over the festive period. Whilst there's nothing wrong with your business celebrating Christmas, make sure your don't turn away those of other faiths. As a suggestion - you could choose to use the phrase 'happy holidays' or 'season's greetings' in your messaging rather than simply 'happy Christmas'. Alternatively, take the time to mention other religious celebrations. For instance, wish your Jewish customers a happy Hanukkah.

Those are just some basic tips for using business audio at Christmas. For more information and ideas, visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com

Why On-Hold Marketing Matters

We've all been there - a cheesy tune blasting down the phone, a feeling of being ignored by the operator at the other end of the line - it's safe to say, that being on-hold can be a mind-numbingly tedious experience. But it doesn't have to be - and this blog will tell you why. Instead of merely playing music to your callers, use it as a means of marketing your business. For a start, if they're already calling you, there's a good chance that they're interested in finding out more about what you offer. Secondly, using audio and voiceover to tell your customers relevant information about your business can be a lot more interesting than hearing 'Careless Whisper' for a third time in a row! Here's a list of reasons why on-hold marketing matters:

Maximises Time With The Customer
There aren't many instances in business when you have the attention of your customer, but when they're on-hold and waiting to speak to you in person, you have a unique opportunity to connect with them and share information. Make sure you use it!

Allows You To Inform Your Customer
Use on-hold marketing to tell your customer or potential customer about your business' values and guarantees. In addition, why not try telling the caller about your latest deals, discounts and promotions? You could even use a powerful audio testimonial from satisfied customers to underline the quality of your service, or perhaps let them know if your business has won any consumer or industry awards recently? There's no end of useful and relevant information that you can pass onto your callers - so be creative and make the most of the limited time they spend on hold.

Gives A Good First Impression To New Customers
First-time callers or potential customers may be unfamiliar with your business. If they hear a professional and relevant informational package that makes them more familiar with your brand, they are more likely to feel reassured that yours is a business they can trust, plus it also helps distinguish you from competitors who might only play music on-hold.

Reassures Customers
One of the worst aspects of using music for on-hold systems is that it can make the customer feel unimportant and forgotten about. Especially if you're switchboard is often busy and there's a high chance that customers will be made to wait for more than a minute or two, it's important to use on-hold marketing to ensure they feel valued.

Keeps Callers Entertained
Waiting on-hold is never the most exciting experience, so use on-hold marketing to make the wait more entertaining. Use audio and voiceover to get across your brand's personality and don't be afraid to use humour if it's appropriate for your line of business.

Those are just a few reasons why on-hold marketing matters. For more information visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com

Using Audio For Thanksgiving And Christmas

This piece is a guest blog from one of Voice Takeaway's favourite US bloggers, our good friend in Minnesota, Cory Funk. 

We have crested the spooky, candy-laced occurrence of Halloween and are now careering towards what is known here in the United States (especially in retail circles and office enclaves) as the one-two punch of Thanksgiving and Christmas, or The Holiday Season for short.

This 1/6th of the year is fraught with chaos. There are pitfalls and opportunities to be found lurking around every can of cranberry sauce and dish of stuffing. Tasks such as making sure you thaw out the turkey for Thanksgiving in time (hint: it takes longer than you think), bringing promised appetizer or desert to the office party (and not just a bag of crisps), making sure you get little Timmy the absolutely correct plastic figure of some crazy thing on TV you have never heard of before, and sending the Christmas Cards out in time (another hint: the Post Office is closed on Christmas proper), just to name some of the big ones, can provide points of glorious failure.

Yet there are chances to be the hero in these times of sturn und drang as well. If you are an office manager you can ensure that in the shifting timelines of this season that customers know not only the hours you are open but if you are closed altogether for one of the aforementioned parties. You can, in a retail setting, have a cheery and confident voice great customers on the phone to soothe the savaged nerves of Black Friday shoppers. If, while cleaning up the pumpkin smeared plates of your multitudinous relatives, your great Aunt shows off her new tablet computer, you might get the idea to do an audio Christmas card of slideshow this year that you can email to folks and thereby be assured that you will delight and surprise your friends and family with something dynamic.

So, before you end up in a turkey coma slipping in and out of consciousness on your uncle Ed's basement couch watching a sport you don't care about and wondering how you can avoid getting up at 5am the next morning to shop for a pair of jeans, remember that the devil is in the details and that the details of professionalism, preparation, and thoughtfulness go a long way and if you can't muster those things, you can hire a professional to cover the bases for you.

To read more of Cory's blog pieces, visit http://funkomatic.wordpress.com

How Can Audio Be Used To Sell A Home?

When I was asked to write this post I deliberated over the question, could audio really be used to sell a home?  Buying a home is all about the senses; it’s the emotional feeling you get when you walk through the door, the visual display that awaits you.  But what if those sense were taken away, what would we rely on then?  

Voices have such a dramatic effect, the seductive tones of Sean Connery to the powerful bellows of Brian Blessed.  Actors use their voices to whisk us off to a land of make believe.  Like the words jumping off a page, their melodic descriptions allow is to create a scene in our minds even if we can’t see the picture in front of us.

Selling a home isn’t just selling bricks and mortar; it’s about selling a lifestyle.

So is audio a missed opportunity when selling your home?  Imagine arriving at the viewing and being presented with some headphones.  As you walk up the garden path, the design around you is setting the scene ready for when you open the door.  As you walk through the house you are entertained with a descriptive audio not only describing each room but the helpful information you may forget to ask.  

In addition to this walk through, you are also able to download a number of helpful podcasts regarding the property.  Selling the lifestyle of a home is a growing tool with many estate agents, but why not put these on audio rather than text.  The owners telling the story about why they choose this house, the happy memories they have had there, their favourite part of the home.  Telling in their own words why it is time to move on and how they feel this home would be perfect for you.  Being able to download a Podcast on the locality, local people talking about the area, the schools and their favourite things to do.  Having a Podcast from the estate agent discussing the important sales information, the local market and advice on putting in an offer.  How powerful would these resources be?  How innovative would you think your agent was if they were completely thinking outside the box and trying something new?

We may not all be able to have Sean Connery describing our home – instant sale!  But we should never forget how powerful audio can be.  So why not try something different and try and add a touch of audio to sell your home.

Andrea Morgan has always had a passion for property and interiors.  Her acclaimed twitter account @RightmoveAddict features her successful and award nominated blog www.tryingtobalancethemadness.com.  Andrea recently launched her new venture Citrus Content, a content writing service which provides refreshing content for property and interior businesses. She is a Certified Blog Contributor for Rightmove, has been featured in Show Home magazine, and presented on the interiors stage at Grand Designs Live.

Top 5 Audio Marketing Secrets

The days of marketing simply by having an ad in the local paper or having a flyer in the local shop have long gone. Nowadays, internet marketing has helped make the means by which you can reach your target audience broader than ever. One of the most up and coming marketing channels is the proper use of audio.

Audio marketing is a truly multi-platform marketing tool. From on-hold messaging to events and presentations, the options are almost limitless. Check out our list below for our top 5 audio marketing secrets.

1. Have An Audio Logo
Brand imaging shouldn't just stop at a visual logo - audio logos are often more useful because they can be used online, in radio commercials and for call greetings and on-hold switchboards. What is an audio logo? It's a short sound of music and/or voiceover that captures your business' brand. Just think of the Intel jingle or McDonald's whistle! Want to hear some examples, follow the link: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Audio-Logos-s/1853.htm

2. Use Call Greetings
You should never miss a chance to market your business - even if you are out of the office or unable to reach the phone! Using high-quality audio for a call greeting helps convey a sense of professionalism and could help convince potential customers that they can rely on your business. For ideas - have a listen to these: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Call-Greetings-s/2001.htm

3. Try On-Hold Marketing
When your clients are on hold, what's the point in just playing them a cheesy old song that'll probably send them round the bend and could make them feel undervalued as a customer. Instead, why not use on-hold messaging to tell them more about your business' values, services, offers and promotions. It's a great way to get your message out there. Tip: Choose a voice type for messaging that fits with your desired brand: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Voice-Takeaway-Voice-Types-s/1850.htm

4. Use Audio Testimonials
Hearing somebody vouch for your business can often be so much more effective than simply a written recommendation. Audio testimonials at their best convey a sense of passion and emotion than is almost impossible to convey in written words alone, hence they are more likely to be trusted by your customer.

5. Incorporate Audio Into Presentations
If you're pitching to a big client or potential customer or partner, think about the way audio can enhance your presentation. There's nothing worse than a dry and tedious presentation, so why not try using audio to help make your pitch stand out and become more engaging? Want some ideas, listen to the following: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Presentation-s/1832.htm

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Those are just a few audio marketing secrets. For find out more ways to market your business via audio - visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com

Hear our CEO Emma Clarke on Heart Breakfast

Voice Takeaway's CEO Emma Clarke was on Heart Breakfast recently. Listen to the clip below to hear Emma talk voiceovers, the London underground and awards.

5 Ways To Use Audio For Charitable Events

If you think audio marketing is only relevant for businesses looking to bolster their profitability - think again. Like all marketing, it can also be used for the promotion of charities, non-profit organisations or fundraisers. This blog offers a few basic tips to help use audio to promote your charitable event.

1 - Create an audio logo for your event
Audio Logos are short sound images that capture the essence of your event through music and/or voiceover. Just think of the way they’re used in commercial business (e.g. the Intel jingle or the McDonald’s whistle) and imagine how the same slick sound can benefit your event. Oftentimes, audio can be both the most effective and the simplest means of conveying the purpose, mood and style of an event. For more information about audio logos, have a listen to some examples: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/Audio-Logos-s/1853.htm

2 - Use audio to advertise your event
Conventional advertising can play a key role in the successful promotion of an event. Make sure your audio is of a high quality and reflects the ethos of your chosen charity in order to sound well organised and trustworthy.

3 - Use voices that best represent your charity and its values
Voiceovers are often a central part of any promotional campaign. For charitable events, fundraisers or campaigns it is especially important to choose a voice that captures the values of your charity. Think about whether you want a trustworthy, re-assuring voice to convey the seriousness of your cause, or perhaps record a message using someone your charity has been able to help to add an emotional effect.

4 - Use tailored on-hold messaging

If your charitable event involves a ticket hotline or an information service, consider the opportunities that on-hold messaging presents. Rather than simply playing music down the phone, how about telling your callers more information about how they can get involved, donate or attend future events. For more information about on-hold messaging, have a look at these examples: http://www.voicetakeaway.com/On-hold-s/1827.htm

5 - Consider how audio can help your individual cause
Each charitable event will have a different focus, and it could be that audio can have a significant role to play in helping those for whom you are raising money. For instance, audio-guides could be ideal if you’re charity event is raising money for the blind or visually impaired. By the same token, make sure your audio content comes in a range of languages if you are helping an overseas charity. 

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Those are just a few simple suggestions for using audio to promote your charitable event. For more ideas and information, visit http://www.voicetakeaway.com

Voice Takeaway crowned 'Start-up of the Year'

Voice Takeaway was last night named 'Start-up of the Year' at the Altrincham Chamber Business Awards! http://www.altrinchamchamber.co.uk/news

Meanwhile, our good friends at Altrincham HQ won the 'Small Business of the Year' award! http://altrinchamhq.co.uk/

The prestigious award was presented by TV legend Gordon Burns and the night was a glittering black tie event. Guests included business leaders, our local MP, council bigwigs and the mayor.

CEO Emma Clarke said, "it's such an honour for Voice Takeaway to be recognised in this way - I'm absolutely delighted! It's such a confidence boost and it's great to know that local business leaders reckon we're doing a good job. I'm chuffed to bits."

Q&A with Alex McCann of Altrincham HQ

Altrincham HQ are a community focused social media management and training business based in the North West of England. From building a brand to finding an audience, they specialise in helping business make the most out of social media. 

We caught up with Altrincham HQ's Alex McCann to talk advertising, audio and Altrincham... 

Q: Alex, how does Altrincham HQ help businesses use social media?
A: We have two sides to what we do; we either have a done-for service (i.e. we do all the social media for them) or we actually do a training service where we spend a half-day working out their social media strategy, because for businesses the important thing is working out what to say, how to say it and when to say it.

Q: What's your top-tip for social media engagement?
A: Act exactly the same as your would face-to-face with someone. People might think that social media is very different from face-to-face interaction, but in fact it's very much about being honest, up-front and actually just talking to people and engaging with them.


Q: What is 'tradvertising'?
A: 'Tradvertising' is basically traditional advertising, so all the things businesses used to do in the old day. From the Yellow Pages, to local newspaper advertisements, to mass mailings - it's everything that used to work, but it's definitely the traditional as opposed to the digital.

Q: Can social media bridge the gap between 'tradvertising' and digital marketing?
A: Yes, definitely. Particularly in a niche respect, for instance we just did a restaurant poster campaign which involved about 15 restaurants in each town so it wasn't a mass mail-out, so that can work. In terms of actually doing it for clients, if you're in a physical environment like a restaurant or a retail outlet, you should always have some form of physical advertising like posters, mentions on your receipts or flyers to give away. That way you can bridge what happens in your physical environment with what happens online.

Q: How can audio help businesses connect with their fans, followers and customers?
A: Audio is quite interesting. I've got a background in music, so things like Audioboo and how to use your YouTube can be really important. People take in things differently, so maybe having a piece of audio on your site alongside your blog I think is the future. I know there are a lot of people who would much prefer to go on a blog and have the audio read out for them. The key is to keep your audio together with the written stuff.

Q: What's the biggest social media no-no?
A: There are so many! Probably just broadcasting and never talking to people. A lot of people who have been used to 'tradvertising' can see social media the same way and so only use their twitter account to publish what would have gone on the business card or in the newspaper advert. That's a big no-no.


Q: You're called Altrincham HQ, what's so great about your town?
A: Well it's the town I've always lived in, but what's great about Altrincham is probably the restaurants. There are millions of places to eat - you can pick any cuisine in the world and we've got it in Altrincham, there's loads of beer bars as well, which is great considering we're only 25 minutes outside Manchester.

Q: If you had to live anywhere else in the world (apart from Altrincham), where would it be and why?
A: Hmm...I've always loved France and Paris! It's got art and culture - it's just a happening place.

Q: What's your chosen rocket-fuel?
A: Vodka Diet-Coke!

Q: How do you like to un-wind after a hard day's work? Your Instagram suggests you love eating out?
A: Yes, I love eating out and trying new places. There always seems to be somewhere new to eat and I love music and reading, as well.

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For more information about Altrincham HQ, visit http://altrinchamhq.co.uk of follow @altrinchamhq on Twitter.

Vote for Voice Takeaway in the 'Talk of Manchester' Business Awards

We are delighted to announce that we've been nominated in the category of 'Best Newcomer' for the 'Talk of Manchester' business awards. It goes without saying that we are honoured at such recognition, and will use it as extra motivation as we go forward providing high-quality audio for business. 

If you would like to see Voice Takeaway win the award for 'Best Newcomer', we'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to vote for us by following this link: http://www.thetalkofmanchester.co.uk/event-registration/?ee=63.

We're already dusting down our glad-rags for the big night in November - in the mean time, we hope to keep moving onwards and upwards!

How Business Can Use Audio For Marketing

We're in a digital boom time and one of the fastest growing marketing tools is audio. Here at Voice Takeaway we specialize in helping businesses large and small use audio as part of their marketing strategy. From our experience, we’ve found the following are all super-effective ways of utilizing audio.

Online
So you've got people visiting your website and you want to boost your rankings - how can you keep them there longer? Think about how audio can be used to make the online user-experience more dynamic and memorable. Let audio help you tell your story. That doesn’t have to mean having audio blaring out at you from the moment to visit your homepage, but you could consider using audio with web videos, promo films, Prezi presentations, product demos and slide shows. There are lots of social media platforms available to you to publicise your content: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Slideshare, Instagram, Soundcloud, Pinterest and so on. Tip: Media clips that feature great audio are easy to share via social media - they’re a brilliant way of showing your brand's personality and can attract re-tweets and interaction.

Audio Logos
First of all - what is an audio logo? It's a way to use audio as a 'sonic trigger' that helps your fans, followers and customers remember your brand. An audio logo is a short sound image that captures the essence of your brand and can be used across several platforms. Just think of Intel or McDonald’s - both use audio logos in a really effective way. Audio logos give you 'stand out' in a crowded market place. Tip: Consider having a bespoke Audio Logo created for your brand - make it unique and truly yours.

Customer Communication
Audio needn’t just be used to attract new customers, it can also play a role in making sure that your current customers keep coming back. A call greeting and on-hold messaging reinforces your brand and can tell customers about promotions, products, services and discounts they might not otherwise know anything about. Use audio to share customer testimonials, mission statements, staff biogs and news across all your communication platforms, newsletters and social media. Tip: Add a link to an audio clip in your next mailout telling customers about your best-selling product.

Education & Training
If your business involves training or education make the most of audio in this field too. Slideshows can be transformed by the addition of voice-overs or music, whilst e-learning courses or educational films will benefit from top-quality sound as well. Producing good quality media-rich educational material can help you maximize your training budget. Tip: Use Audioboo to make the most of your educational content - why not release short audio clips to promote your sales tips via social media?

Advertising
Advertising is often at the fore-front of a business’ marketing effort. Be it on a small or a big scale, make sure that audio plays a role. Research shows that viewers will tolerate poor visuals but if the audio's bad, they just bail out (http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-bad-audio/). High-quality, professional audio enhances commercials on TV, radio and online. Don’t just settle for a poorly produce in-house version - trying to do it on the cheap never pays off in the long-run. Tip: Try out some in-store messages to help you sell seasonal products. Tie this in with well positioned point-of-sale marketing and then measure how much extra stuff you've sold.

Music
Music plays a key role in effectively conveying your business’ image. Using royalty-free or bespoke music can provide a huge lift to your marketing effort and is another powerful tool for conveying what you want to get across about your brand. Tip: Read this blog by our music partners about choosing the right music for your brand (http://voicetakeaway.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/using-royalty-free-music-correctly.html).

Casting Celeb Voices
Casting a celebrity voice-over artist is a great way to add a slick, professional edge to your brand whilst also making it instantly feel more familiar and memorable. Celebrities can give you a great PR story as well - but do make sure you have the budget before you start writing a celeb wish list! Chose a celebrity whose image matches your desired brand and approach them to provide voice-overs for your radio, TV or online advertisements. Tip: Brainstorm a list of celebs you'd love to have record the voiceover for your audio. Your choices will tell you a lot about how you perceive your own brand!

Ways To Reach Consumers
Good marketing sometimes requires thinking outside the box a little. These days almost everyone with access to the internet uses a mobile device. Why not use audio for text alerts, ring-tones or even wake up alarms? There are no limits to how audio can be used to increase your business’ marketing potential. Tip: Think about how you could promote a quirky ringtone to help reach your customers and create virality.

The above are just a few ways you can use audio to help your business’ marketing. For more information or for any queries, visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com

5 Common Audio Marketing Mistakes

Audio marketing is one of the fastest growing areas of marketing in business today. From voice-overs to on-hold messaging, the emotional pull of high-quality audio can help your business grow. But be careful - because many businesses are just discovering audio marketing - there are many common mistakes. Here are the 5 most common:

1 - Using the wrong audio for your target market

Audio needs to be targeted at your chosen market. For example, voice-overs can be used in a range of ways to inform your customers or clients about the services you provide. From on-hold messaging to web narration, voice-overs are one of the most effective ways to use audio in your marketing. But make sure you choose the right voice! An urban, contemporary, ‘fresh’ voice works great for brands appealing to a younger audience, but is unlikely to work so well for a corporate brand. Similarly, a professional sounding, rich voice is unlikely to be appropriate for a brand targeted at teenagers. The same considerations must be given to music and audio logos.

2 - Using audio in the wrong places

Like all things in life, there is a right and a wrong place for audio marketing. Be careful when using audio in an unexpected place - like the moment you click on a web page. Having audio blare out at one of your web page visitors without them realizing it is likely to startle and possibly annoy them - undermining whatever message you were trying to convey.

3 - Bad audio quality

There is nothing that reflects worse on your brand than bad audio quality. It smacks of unprofessionalism and will undermine the potentially strong message that you’re trying to send out. Very often, bad audio quality is a result of botched in-house productions in an attempt to save money. Whilst there is nothing wrong with producing your own audio, unless you have professional equipment, a trained voice-over artist or top-class editing skills, it is unlikely that you’ll produce a great piece of audio. Outsourcing your audio professionally needn’t cost the earth and will save money in the long-run by lending your brand that extra slick edge.

4 - Missing key marketing opportunities

A lot of businesses don’t realize the sheer array of audio marketing opportunities that are out there. Why not try using on-hold messaging to promote your latest products, discounts or offers? Why not use your company’s call greeting to reflect your desired brand? Or what about using professional audio for awards events, AGMs or conferences? There are endless possibilities when it comes to audio marketing - make sure you’re not missing out! 

5 - Make your audio marketing consistent

When using audio marketing - try to avoid a spray-gun approach of lots of different messages and themes. If you use music, try to use the same piece throughout all your audio marketing to develop brand recognition. Similarly, use one simple strap-line that you can repeat as part of your on-hold messaging, call greetings, web narrations etc and avoid using lots of different voice-over artists without considering the consequences for the consistency of your brand.

The above are just the most common mistakes - for more information on how to use audio correctly, or how to purchase Voice Takeaway audio - visit http://www.voicetakeaway.com

5 Ways Your Business Can Rock YouTube's New Offline Feature

This November, YouTube are set to roll out a new feature, which enables users to download video clips so that they can be watched offline. The free feature won’t require an internet connection and is similar to Spotify’s Offline Mode except focusing on video content, rather than music. YouTube says the new feature is a great tool for businesses, so here at Voice Takeaway we’ve compiled this 5-step guide for making the most out of this new development.

1 - Target Commuters

Chances are, at some stage of the working day, your target customer will be sat without WiFi on the tube, irritated by a slow connection on the bus, or trapped in similar offline peril! YouTube’s newest feature is perfect for those on the move who cannot rely on a constant internet connection. Make sure your content is well targeted at these kinds of commuters. Don’t make your videos too long, think about their tastes and lifestyles and create content around them.

2 - Make Content Short And Sweet
Most users of this new feature will be going about their daily routines and probably won’t be wanting the longer content more likely to be watched at leisure in the evenings when they’ll be able to access online videos. Therefore, keeping your content short and sweet is a great way to be as engaging and user-friendly as possible!

3 - Use Great Audio
This new feature is perfect for smartphones and tablets, but with that comes a reduced screen size and possibly picture quality too. Make sure your audio, therefore, is of the highest quality to give your brand that extra edge. Think about using narration, music, an audio logo or even sound effects to differentiate yourself!

4 - Make Your Best Content Available
Whilst there is no limit to the amount of content you can make accessible via the new feature, it is paramount that you make your channel’s best content available. Offline videos are likely to be shared in person with a potential client, colleague or acquaintance and so make sure that you’re publishing your best content.

5 - Make Offline-Only Content
In the modern business environment, making any customer or web user feel unique is becoming harder. Creating offline-only content is a great way to connect directly with potential clients and is perfect for creating a personal feel and making them feel special, as if they’re getting something unique.

Those are just a few basic tips - we hope you found them helpful! For more information about how we can help your business’ marketing, visit: http://www.voicetakeaway.com

'Sounding Out' The Competition

By Julia Russell

When you’re setting up a business, no matter how small, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is the brand image.  The look and branding is so important when you’re trying to get across the essence of your company and encouraging potential customers to engage with you.  We had very personal reasons for choosing the name Tiggy, and running with our hedgehog logo, so that part was easy.  We wanted to integrate the origins of the American brownie with our UK company and our very British little hedgehog with her stars and stripes bow and apron did the job nicely.  Our choice of brown packaging and stationery fitted in well with our image too and our brand began to take shape.  After being carried forward by our concept there was a moment  just after the launch, when we had a intense surge of crushing doubt – a British hedgehog selling American brownies, what were we thinking of, would anyone else ‘get’ it.  Luckily they did!

Our concept was all well and good but we didn’t want it to be too ‘Countryfile’ and ‘farmhouse kitchen’ - we are, after all, in a technology led, media charged world.  Social media rules and if you want to get ahead you need to get a handle on cyber interaction very early in the game.  It has to be said, ‘Tiggy’ is a technology tart – she thoroughly enjoys the social banter, the latest techie toy or an innovative site with a new idea and a fresh and different image. 

When we first visited the Voice Takeaway site it ticked all the boxes.  The site immediately draws you in with its menu led theme and diner style graphics.  More importantly Voice Takeaway deliver a professional and polished product which offers a company something very important.  An audio greeting whether it’s an audio logo for a website or presentation or a call greeting for your phone line can set you apart from your competitors.  We feel our custom answerphone  message gives us an edge and creates a fabulous first impression of our company.  If we’re busy baking and we can’t get to the phone we can feel confident our audio clip will present our customers with an impressive personalised greeting that audibly demonstrates their custom is important to us and offers clear information about how to order, where to find our web site and how to leave a message.  It’s the next best thing to being able to answer the call ourselves and personifies the upbeat, friendly image we want to portray to our customers where customer service is key and satisfaction is paramount.

Julia Russell is the owner of 'Tiggy's Brownie Co'. For more information visit http://tiggysbrownieco.co.uk

The Power of Nothing

By Rob Bee

As a musician and a professional sound engineer sound is something that is very important to me. It is not only a medium of information exchange and communication, it can also be a thing of beauty, balance and comfort. I love the sound of an E major being struck on an electric guitar through a cranked-up valve amp. I love the sound of a robin in full song in the middle of the night because it’s found a street light and it thinks dawn is about to break. I love the glugging sound made when you pour that first glass of wine out of the bottle. I love the silly noises my parents always seem to make between picking up the phone and saying, ‘Hello.’ But there is another sound that I think is very special. It’s the sound of silence.

Very often when I get home from a busy day at work in the recording studio I’ll just sit on the sofa: no TV, no radio, no hi-fi, no wife. I will sit and enjoy the quiet. It’s about more than just resting my ears, I enjoy the stillness of the empty house and the moments of calm.

Take a walk in the countryside and you will hear a great variety of sounds – whether you’re hearing the crashing of waves on the beach, the wind rustling through the leaves in the woods or the babbling brooks in the valleys there are myriad sounds to be heard that calm the soul. But at other times we hear the sound of silence. It’s the sound the snow makes as you stand by yourself and listen to it fall; the world holding its breath as it awaits its transformation. It’s a powerful thing. It compels you to listen to it as it screams at you about its depth and richness. I find it sometimes at Morecambe Bay when conditions are perfect. It is a silence so complete that the occasional cry of a curlew or oystercatcher doesn’t puncture it; it enforces it and makes it stronger. It demands respect; and you obey lest you break the magic. It’s not that something’s missing – like a TV on mute – it’s that something is very definitely there and choosing to be noiseless.

A famous musician once said (I don't mind if you want to attribute this to Claude Debussy, Miles Davis or any of the other contenders – it wasn't me), “Music is the space between the notes. It’s not the notes you play; it’s the notes you don’t play.” Gaps and silence can be powerful things, and especially true in advertising. There is a tendency to cram as much copy into a 30” ad as possible in order to impress information upon the listener and 'get your money's worth' out of the time you're paying for, but here as much as anywhere else less if often more. Whereas it sounds like it should be a good idea to use all the available space to tell those who are listening as much about your company as possible it's often counter productive as the speed the read needs to be to fit to time prevents any space or pauses in the ad, and these should be there to provide punctuation and make the information easier to take in (I am assuming here that people know the purpose of punctuation in writing – I think I'm assuming a lot given the quality of a lot of copy I read, but that’s another topic) and sometimes can even make your ad unintelligible . By far the better idea is to write a script that is short enough so the voiceover can comfortably read it and give it the space it needs to breathe. This way your message will be clear to the listeners and - given the way radio advertising particularly seems to be heading - it will stand out from the other ads played around it. Cut down on the copy and you will give people more information.

Do you want people to come into your showroom? Then don't put your phone number in the ad. Want people to check out your website? Then why inform people that you’re based around the corner from the multi-story car park? Are you having a laminate flooring sale? Then don't tell people the prices of your ceiling lights. Find the one thing you want to promote and only give that information. Use the space wisely.

And here's one last thought. Surely it's more valuable to make personal contact with your potential customers than for them simply to hear about you on the radio or TV? So cut the copy and only give them half the info they need. That way they'll have to ring or visit to find out more and you’ll have that contact which is more valuable to you than any amount of airtime.

Rob Bee is a sound engineer, musician and owner of 'Bee Productive', who offer audio production, live sound and consultancy. For more information visit http://beeproductive.co.uk