The importance of matching the voice to the message

The majority of businesses will be creating audio or visual content for a variety of reasons including: training, projects, marketing, branding and PR. The intended audiences can be within the company, prospective clients and customers, or current partners and contacts. Whatever the content is used for, a voiceover will almost certainly be necessary.

A voice over is used to provide information, but also for setting the tone of the content, and to communicate the overall message. Using the right voice, with the right tone for this kind of project is vital for success. It will ensure your message is communicated effectively so that it is not only heard, but also understood.

“We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us” Friedrich Nietzsche

Voice overs for internal and external use

Most companies will use voice overs for internal and external material. Internal voice over uses will likely be for training or instructional videos. While external voiceovers will be for marketing, advertising and PR material. In some instances, a company may simply provide useful content for customers just to boost their authority and brand reputation in a certain area.

When considering the right voice and tone, it is essential to understand the target audience. Communicating a major change within a company to employees, for instance, can result in people embracing the change or resisting it – all depending on the tone of voice in which the message is delivered. Tone is a very powerful way of communicating – but it is easy to get it wrong.

Voice and tone are especially important if the voiceover is available in multiple languages. Organisations need their internal messages to be consistent across languages and regions.

When it comes to external content, a voice over has the ability to deliver the message of the video in a powerful way. Imagery may make an instant impact, but words and tone will make a lasting impact. The tone, the clarity and the fundamental message should be conveyed by the voice artist just as strongly as the visuals convey the message. A picture might paint a thousand words but there are times when only words can communicate the full message.

If the video will be shown across the globe, the voice artists speaking in different languages will need to convey the same message, in the same tone, as the original.

Matching a voice to a message: let the professionals help

If your business is creating a piece of video content with a voice over, do speak to us about how we help organisations of all sizes create impactful videos. Using a professional voice over agency such as Matinée Multilingual will result in a more polished piece of content that truly correlates the visual message to the audio.

We take extra care in selecting the right voice over artist, and have access to thousands of voices in over 80 languages. You’ll be able to listen to a range of demos before settling on the perfect voice actor. Your chosen voice artist will be promoting your brand message, so it really is worth the extra time and effort to choose exactly the right fit. The final result will mean your video content will be more successful whether you use it internally or externally, locally or internationally.