Every year, I get about a dozen or so brand new clients from various social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. So start by connecting with talent agents, producers, eLearning companies, video production businesses and anyone you feel is a potential VO buyer.
The key is to take a vested interest in your connections. Ask questions and make comments on their posts. Don't just drop a link to your website in a comment thread. That always has the appearance of being somewhat spammy or intrusive. Instead, be engaged and have conversations.
Trish Basanyi, one of our best voiceover coaches, said this; "You will rarely get work from someone just stumbling onto your social media profile. Think of it as more of a CRM than anything. If you're doing direct marketing, and you should be, you'll connect with the people you're reaching out to. They don't hire right away and it's just a matter of reminding them that you exist, and that's what connecting with them on social media will do. It helps to build that rapport and when the right project comes along, they will know who to call."
What Trish said has been incredibly effective for me on LinkedIn. I treat it like an industry party. When a producer, agent or eLearning creative director creates a post, I engage with either a question or comment. I never try to sell! The key is to engage enough where you're top-of-mind the next time this potential client needs a voice for a project. It works a lot like billboard advertising. They see you enough and eventually, they WILL reach out when they need you.
One of my favorite features on LinkedIn is how they automatically list our profession right next to our names. This is effective branding. For example, my profile says Terry Daniel-Voice Actor, Voiceover Coach and Demo Producer. Every time I comment or ask a question on a potential client's post, they not only see my name, but they also see what I do for a living. I love this about LinkedIn.
Remember; Be likable, interesting, funny and approachable. In my opinion, this works a heck of a lot better than LinkedIn's Inmail program. That has always felt a little spammy to me and you can always tell that it's an automated response. This approach isn't as practical as reaching out in a comment thread.