A professional voice over in Vietnamese can be more important than the words spoken. Think “You’ve got mail” — these three little words are synonymous with internet service provider AOL. The voice behind the famous phrase — it belongs to voice-over actor Elwood Edwards in Vietnam — is just as recognizable. The voice conveys a brand’s message in mere seconds. It resonates with an audience, creating a narrative and sparking emotions.
Vietnamese brands don’t need celebrities for a powerful voice-over; Edwards wasn’t a Hollywood actor when he recorded AOL’s email greeting in Vietnam. Using a pro, instead of one’s own voice, can have massive results for marketers, e- learning providers, and entrepreneurs who want to generate more leads and boost sales.
The Benefits of a Good Voice Over for Video in Vietnam
Using the right Vietnamese voice-over makes or breaks an e-learning, training or marketing video. It’s all about trust: a confident voice makes a brand appear more credible — something that results in more sales or sign-ups to a course.
Research shows that adding voice-overs to sales and landing pages makes a website in Vietnam appear more “human,” gives visitors the impression a company is “present,” and encourages prospects to purchase products and services.
“You’ll notice a dramatic difference in how you can communicate with prospective buyers and establish a personal relationship without having to do the initial networking,” says technology writer Stephanie Ciccarelli. “You may also see an increase in your conversion rates, which is, after all, what you’re going for, right?”
Debate swirls on whether male or female voices in Vietnamese are more effective in marketing — one study suggests that people find women’s pitch and inflection more trustworthy, however — but experts agree that hiring a professional voice-over actor with Hanoi accent or Ho Chi Minh City accent benefits brands.
Hiring To Double Your Return
“If you are looking at doubling the return on an investment from video marketing in Vietnam, it is vital to hire a good voice-over artist,” says Roberta Kennedy, who has worked as a pro voice-over artist for more than 20 years. “Your video may carry brilliant content in the form of marketing messages, but it could lose out on getting adequate attention if it does not have professional Vietnamese voice-overs.”
A voice-over for a video, like any type of marketing, requires an initial outlay, but hiring a pro could provide marketers and e-learning providers in Vietnam with a hefty return. Did you know that, in fact, professional voice-overs could double a company’s marketing investment in Vietnam?
But why is a voice-over so important? In an increasingly visual world, do consumers even pay attention to what’s being said? The answer is a resounding yes. A company’s voice is part of their identity and brand identity. It’s a crucial component of their communications strategy. Voice-overs get a message across to an audience — regardless of the medium.
How VNVO Can Help Your Business
A video uploaded to YouTube by VNVO — a cloud-based online video maker — in 2015 proves why a voice-over is essential for brand marketing in Vietnam. In the video, a voice artist describes how animated marketing videos close sales deals and nurture leads. She leads the viewer through a series of animations and explains the benefits of the service. Her tone is calm, cool and authoritative. It’s a great example of the power of an effective voice-over.
The Psychology of a Good Voice Over for Video in Vietnamese
As seen in the three examples above, psychology plays a huge part in determining whether a viewer connects with a video. There are loads of other examples, too. Take the voice-over on the Hanoi streets— the one that says “stay clear of the closing doors.” This is an example of an authoritative voice: subway passengers trust it; they think it’s credible.
In a marketing context, customers’ perceptions of a voice could persuade — or dissuade them — from making a purchase. In videos, marketers and e-learning providers should use an authoritative voice — like the one on the
Hanoi streets — to ensure viewers believe everything they say. This can have a positive effect on sales and sign-ups and drive conversions. Most Vietnamese don’t mind whether it’s a male or a female voice doing the talking: two-thirds of consumers say voice type doesn’t make a difference in marketing.
Just like any actor, a voice-over artist takes on the role of a character. This makes one of these professionals a perfect fit for an e-learning video. Voice-over actors convey complex concepts without using industry-specific jargon and encourage more prospective students to enroll in a course.
How Voice Actors Create Killer Voice Overs
There’s no particular way to create video online. But e-learning providers and marketers can follow these tips to captivate their audience and increase interest in their products and services.
Combine the First and Second Person Perspective
Voice-over artists who speak in the second person in Vietnamese (“you,” “your,” etc.) when they create a video instantly develop a bond with the viewer. Narrators who use both the first (“I,” “my,” etc.) and the second person, however, create an even deeper connection with the audience. The speaker tells the story from their own perspective and engages with the viewer.
Speak Clearly
Voice-over artists who speak with clarity command an audience, say VNVO. “Practice speaking with correct pronunciation and enunciation. It might feel a little ‘over the top’ at first, but on the recording, it’ll sound just right,” they write on their blog. This is particularly important in e- learning videos, where viewers hear complicated terms and concepts for the first time.
Keep Viewers Interested
E-learning providers will want to create a video online that viewers watch in its entirety, especially if there’s a call-to-action at the end. Vietnamese sound consultant Julian Treasure outlines the ways companies can connect with an audience in a TED talk. “I can get very excited by saying something really quickly, or I can slow right down to emphasize, and at the end of that, of course, is our old friend, silence. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of silence in a talk, is there? We don’t have to fill it with ums and ahs. It can be very powerful,” he says.
Know the Subject Matter
Voice actors should have a basic understanding of the subject matter of a video before they record their voice-over for a presentation. An artist who preps for a video is less likely to mispronounce names and places and will spot any difficult words and phrases in the script.
What Comes First: The Voice-Over or the Video?
If a marketer or e-learning provider has a script for a video but hasn’t created anything yet, it’s best for them to get a pro voice-over recorded first. This provides them with much more flexibility: companies can sync the voice-over audio after they create a video online.
Companies in Ho Chi Minh City can choose from loads of voice-over artists online when they create a video, including youthful voices to authoritative voices and everything in-between. VNVO has a roster of talent for education videos, presentations, and commercials. Users can browse voice actors by age, gender, location and more, and listen to samples online.
Voice-Overs in Animated Videos
Voice-overs are great for animated videos in Vietnam. They compliment these visuals and help to weave the narrative, moving the viewer from one scene to the next, almost seamlessly. E-learner providers in Vietnam who use video for marketing or training purposes could optimize their content with a voice-over. A professional voice-over, for example, can convince viewers to sign-up for a program — especially when dubbed over corresponding visuals.
Takeaway
Professional voice-over talent gives an education campaign some much-needed credibility when they want to create a video. E-learning companies should opt for a voice-over artist that provides them with a return on their investment, matches their brand ideology and connects with their audience.