Vietnamese voice over is necessary when it comes to Vietnamese market or at least you target Vietnamese customers worldwide. So! You’re ready to create your marketing video. You’ve got a great script, top quality equipment, and a good location. You’re all set, right?
Wrong. (Sorry.) Unless you’ve put serious thought into how that script will be read, your video is not ready to be shot. Quality Vietnamese voice overs can make or break a marketing video.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: humans are emotional creatures. We tend to make judgments on an emotional basis and then justify them rationally after the fact.
That means the wrong tone of voice will turn an audience against your message, and the right tone makes them want to believe you. Here are some ways to present your customers with a trustworthy, engaging voice.
Get Quality Vietnamese Voice Actors
This is a simple step, but a necessary one. Too often companies put the nearest person available behind a microphone without taking the time to really consider whether that person’s voice is suited to the task.
If you can find employees that are great speakers and get them behind the microphone, great. Otherwise, hire professional Vietnamese actors.
Hiring voice talent can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Don’t worry though; there are ways to make it simple and straightforward. Submit a project with VNVO and you can specify the type of voice actor you need, make special requests, and hear auditions from quality Vietnamese voice actors in just 24 hours.
Know Your Purpose
A video without a well-defined purpose helps no one. (And “driving sales” is not a purpose.) Are you announcing a new product? Highlighting the qualities of an existing product?
If you don’t understand the purpose of your video, it creates ambiguity at every step of the process. For the Vietnamese voice actors, ambiguity can mean conflicting tones and moods that wind up coming through in the performance.
Beyond the general purpose, it helps to be able to tell your voice actors details such as the target market you want to reach and the medium through which their voice will be heard. This will ensure their tonality is on point.
Stick To Your Brand
Your company’s brand should inform every detail of your project. Every word of the script and every image on the screen should reinforce the brand identity that you’ve established.
The Vietnamese voiceover can go a long ways towards expressing your brand as well. Do you want to project a youthful image for your company? You probably don’t want to hire someone in their 70’s to do the voiceover. Are you a regional brand? Someone with an accent from that same region would reinforce your connection to the area.
Make sure whoever does your voiceover knows what brand image you’re trying to project. You’ll want a very different tone if you’re going for a very professional image than if your brand was focused on being laid back.
Give Direction
Whatever you do, don’t just send someone a script and expect to get back a voiceover that sounds exactly the way you want. Even the best Vietnamese voice actors are going to need some direction.
Voice actors are part of the creative process, so include them in it. Share any illustrations, filming, or other directions that you might have, even if you don’t think they’re necessary. Get the voice actor to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you’re worried about confidentiality.
Also consider sending clips of voices you like, specific pronunciation directions for complicated words, and any special requests you might have. The more information your actor has, the better off everyone will be.
Put It All Together
A good Vietnamese voiceover only does so much. If the rest of the video is poorly shot, the voiceover will likely fall on deaf ears. Even worse, if the video and the voice over are out of synch, it looks unprofessional and awkward.
If at all possible, record the voice over first. It’s much easier then to create a video that synchs with the timing of the voice.
If you have already created the video, send timestamps on the script to the performer so they know when to read each sentence. The timestamps should specify when each sentence should begin and end.
If you did record the voiceover first, keep it mind while creating the video. If you ended up doing something different with the voiceover than you intended, that might change the video production as well. For instance, a more upbeat tone in the voiceover might translate into a brighter color palette for the video.
If you’ve done steps 1-4 well, this step should be easy. A quality voice actor who understands your purpose and brand can give you a voiceover that fits your needs and engages your audience.