Audio Branding can get your marketing to greater heights. More often than not, we don’t usually pay attention to the audio side of our marketing material. It is that one part that we tend to put at the back of the list. But what we don’t know is that the sounds you use is so important and that it enhances your marketing strategy by targeting the emotions of your audience therefore making a strong connection to them.
Jodi’s website: www.voiceoversandvocals.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pieceofcakevo/
Katie Brinkley 0:02
Hey there. This is Katie Brinkley and you’re listening to Rocky Mountain marketing. This podcast is all about helping Colorado based small business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals discover the strategies and systems that take their marketing to all new heights. Let’s dive into today’s episode. Welcome back to Rocky Mountain marketing. My guest today is Jodi Crangle. Jodi has been a voice actor since 2007. And has worked with clients from major brands all over the world, including Dell BBVA, and Kraft. She’s also a singer, and in 2015, she put out her own album of jazz, blues and traditional tunes. Over the years in doing what she does, she’s learned a lot about sound and how it influences people. Her podcast on the subject is called Audio branding, the hidden gem of marketing. Jody, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Jodi Krangle 0:54
Thanks so much for having me. I’m really happy to be here. talking for a living? Yeah.
Katie Brinkley 1:02
Well, and you know, the thing is, is one of the things that people sometimes forget about is that how important it is to have a sound that’s associated with your brand. And today’s episode is going to be a little bit different than what’s normally going on, on on Rocky Mountain marketing, because this is something that’s so important that often gets overlooked. And so I’m really excited to have you on and sharing your knowledge on audio.
Jodi Krangle 1:26
Thanks. I’m glad to share. Yeah,
Katie Brinkley 1:29
yeah. Well, that’s let’s start back at the beginning. Tell us a little bit about yourself what your life was like growing up and where you’re from? Oh,
Jodi Krangle 1:36
well. I grew up in Toronto, Canada. So I am living just north of that right now. And my background has really always been musical. My parents were both musical my sister’s musical. And I’ve just been immersed in it pretty much all my life. So when it came time to deciding what really spoke to me as a profession, voice acting was kind of I didn’t really know what it was until about 9596. I volunteered my time at the cniv which is the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. And I was reading books on to tape which really kind of translated to reading articles from magazines on to reel to reel tape, because that’s what it was at the time. And it fascinated me and I that was really kind of the first time that I ever discovered voice acting was a thing. I didn’t really know how it operated or what you did to be in it before that moment. And it kind of percolated for a while I was one of the early adopters of the internet. So I had a website, a songwriting resource called the music Muse that was on the web, from 1995. And it ended in 2016. So long, long, long time, and I had a newsletter and a really intro before podcasts were podcasts in 2002, we had a show and internet show that will lasted about a year with real audio, if you remember that message board and all sorts of information and resources and columnist and articles and all that kind of stuff. And it’s still on the web now. But it’s in a static form. It’s just kind of sitting there with the resources. But let me understand how to promote a website on a budget because I had no money. And from 1995 until around 2007, I made my living doing internet marketing and SEO for other people because I’d learned how to do it on my own site on a budget of nothing. So computers have always been a love of mine. And I took it to the level of making a living from it. Love and yeah, and after that, I just kind of had enough in 2007 because that was kind of when Google was the only game in town. And it had been a lot more interesting and dynamic before Google came in gobbled everything up all sorts of other search engines and lots of other things going on and and it all kind of boiled down to Google. And I got bored I just got bored so I was already self employed. I decided focus switch the voice acting had always been in the back of my mind since 95 Since volunteering my time and I was like yeah, sure time to try. Why not? So I went online as I do for just about anything and have since I’ve been on the internet since 95. And I researched it and I found a message board and I met some people who took me under their wings very graciously and taught me the ropes and yeah, it’s a really inclusive and wonderfully friendly community and I’m really lucky to be part of it and I’ve loved it really since pretty much day one
Katie Brinkley 4:55
I love it I you know I could just let you what read the entire like podcast here because I’m loving, just listening to you talk. So, and that’s the thing that’s exactly right there is when you have a nice voice that you can associate with the brand. It changes everything, it makes such a difference that to have you hear something, and you instantly know what it’s associated with. And it’s something that I feel is something people kind of gets shoved on the backburner. There’s so much importance and focus after visuals and video and nice graphics and getting branding photography. But then you have all that you need to have something, the sound to accompany it. Talk to us a little bit about that.
Jodi Krangle 5:37
Well, the reason that sound is such an important component is that it really reaches our hearts super fast. It’s one of our most powerful senses that and the sense of smell actually have been proven to be our most powerful senses. And it’s because it reaches us really deeply ended induces memory in a way that really just is so incredibly powerful and deep. And I know, for instance, for me, and for a lot of people, if I hear a particular sound, that reminds me of something in my childhood, I’m not just experiencing what I felt like at that moment, I’m there, like, it’s actually, I’m re experiencing that moment. Like if you hear a song you particularly love while you’re driving in the car, you remember the first time you heard that song and why it really impressed itself on you. And you remember that moment that you experienced it for the first time and you’re back there, it’s not just a you know, momentary thought, it’s like you’re actually experiencing that moment over again. So I think that part of what a lot of marketers are missing out on when it comes to this is they focus so much on the visual part of things, and especially now, and especially on social media, we’re inundated with a visual, you can’t get away from it, and it’s so much noise. And ironically, the actual audio is overlooked in that whole ecosystem, a lot of the times, and that’s how you can really cut through that noise.
Katie Brinkley 7:14
Absolutely. And you can make it makes such a difference when if you have a great sound or great audio to accompany this, this video that you’ve put so much time and effort on not just having any voice to go with a brand, it has to be the right voice. How do you advise people and really finding out what voice is right for their brand?
Jodi Krangle 7:37
Well, I like to liken voice as and I’m putting quotation marks here people can’t see me. I like to liken that to your brand sound. So it’s the overall arch of your brand sound. So your the voice, the way that you’re reaching out to your clients, the way you’re speaking to them, a lot of it has to do with who you are, both as a person and as a company. So companies have a persona, let’s say everyone has a brand. And what they say about brand is it’s what they say about you when you’re not in the room, right. So your brand voice should have a relation to what you look like your brand colors, and your logo and all of that stuff. And then also the way that you connect with your clients, your customers, anyone that you’re working with, even a podcast can have this as well. So I have a bunch of tips that I give to people who want to have a more intentional audio branding strategy. And the very first thing that I ask people to do is decide who they want to reach. So you got to know who your ideal client is. Now, this is all marketing 101 I’m sure anyone who does marketing has been through the whole who, what, why, where when kind of deal, right, relate that to audio, and it goes a little bit deeper. So if you know who your ideal client is, how old they are, what they value where they hang out, then you know, you can figure out what media they consume. So you know, if they’re listening to TV, radio, podcasts, online videos, all sorts of social media channels. There’s a difference between reaching out to someone on Facebook and reaching out to someone on Tik Tok, or a difference between LinkedIn and broadcast TV, right? So there’s a different voice for each one of those things. And once you know who your client is, and you understand kind of where they might be, you can tailor your message to reach those particular people. That’s the first tip. I have Yeah.
Katie Brinkley 9:52
This is this is great. And I know that you also mentioned that when we were talking a little bit before I hit record here that Having the right type of it doesn’t just need to be on social media, you can have that voice that transcends on all of your media that you’re putting out it, whether it’s an explainer video that you’re, you know, or a welcome video that to your newsletter. Talk to us a little bit about all the different ways that you can optimize voice and audio on social media and in your digital marketing for your business.
Jodi Krangle 10:29
Sure, I think the best thing is consistency. So if you’re going to have a sound, make a consistent across all your media channels, and across all of the places that you’re going to touch your client and or you know, your listener in the case of a podcast. So use the same intro music in videos, as you would maybe in the intro of your podcast, be consistent with the on hold music that you’re using, when people are waiting to talk to you, I use this example quite a lot. But if you’re a high end jewelry store, having 80s hair band music on your on hold is really not a good look. It’s just it’s not consistent. It’s not promoting your brand as you want it to be heard. And that consistency across everything is really going to help people understand who you are. And that will both attract people and repel people. So it’ll attract the people who like what you are and what you have to offer, it will repel the people who don’t get you. And if those people don’t get you, they’re not your clients anyway. So it filters out who is going to be the most likely to use what you have to offer. And I think that’s very important, too. We can’t be all things to all people.
Katie Brinkley 11:44
Yeah, that’s, that’s a, it’s so true. And I’m looking at some of the notes that I took care of from our conversation. And one of the things that you you said was, what do the colors in your logo sound like? That is something that I’ve never even thought about? What does your logo sound like? Talk to us a little bit about that statement. Cuz I think that it’s something that is so powerful and so overlooked.
Jodi Krangle 12:09
Mm hmm. Yeah, it’s all about emotion. So if you know what emotions, your colors your logo are supposed to evoke, and the people that are seeing it, you can evoke those same emotions with audio. And in fact, that’s a lot of musics point. It’s supposed to bring you to an emotional state, whether that’s cathartic wallowing, and sorrow or being happy and picking up your pace in during exercise or something like that, like music helps us get to that place. And if you can be consistent with the visuals that you have, and follow that through into the audio, then it becomes a comprehensive, all sensory experience for people to really get to know your company, your product, your service, your podcast, and it’s pretty important, and it will reach our hearts really fast. Again, that’s the ultimate goal. You want to be the person they know like and trust. Ultimately, that’s why people are going to experience what you have to offer because they know like and trust you the best way to do that is to be consistent with all of your various marketing aspects. And audio was a part of that.
Katie Brinkley 13:21
Absolutely. Now, we talked a little bit about this with your when I asked you where you’re from, and tell us a little bit about your background. And as a business owner, what have you found to really work for your voiceover business and for your back when you were doing that the SEO side of things. What have you found to really work for building your brand and your business?
Jodi Krangle 13:43
Well, I mean, number one for me right now is outsourcing. Oh, my goodness. And I did a lot less of that when I was doing SEO because before SEO and internet marketing, it was really all about me using my hours in the day to do what I did best. And it was a pretty complicated process. And I took care of it. And there really wasn’t anything anyone could do for me. But I wasn’t really podcasting at the time. I was running the songwriting website, but I was outsourcing article writing and colonists and stuff like that. So that in a way kind of was a part and parcel of outsourcing. I really didn’t get into the whole outsourcing thing until getting into voiceover because VoiceOver is more of a licensing kind of deal. So it’s not me voicing something for hours in a day. And that’s what I get paid for. It’s me providing a voice for a project that may make a client millions of dollars. And so I’m being paid usage fees on that not by the hour, if that makes any sense. It’s a lot like music licensing in that way. Yeah, for advertising. So in that sense for me, it made a lot more sense for me to be doing the work that I do and almost only exclusive simply doing the work that I can only do so the only thing that I’m I mean, I’m outsourcing some podcast production definitely. I’m outsourcing graphic design. I didn’t do my own website I did in the beginning. But I now pay professionals. The audio editing, like I was saying, and making notes from the podcast and stuff like that outsourcing the posting of it on various social media outsourcing some of my social media, and then my commenting if people comment, so I’m paying attention to what’s happening on the social media, but the initial outreach, the initial putting out there is programmed in, so it just makes things a lot easier. And that way, yeah, they’re focusing on what they do best. And I’m focusing on what I do best. So I can pay, though.
Katie Brinkley 15:49
Exactly. Well, and that is something that I think a lot of small businesses struggle with is that they try to do it all. And then when you are doing it all, then you are not focusing in on what you’re most passionate about. I mean, why you decided to start this small business is because you obviously were passionate about one aspect of it, you weren’t maybe you were drawn to the accounting side of it, but I hope that you’re an accountant, then, you know, I mean, like, maybe you were drawn to the copywriting side, like, again, I hope that you’re a copywriter, then and so there’s there’s certain reasons why small businesses open and trying to stay focused on that reason. And doing what you do best is so important. And it makes such a difference, because then you’re able to grow. Yeah, and find new clients and just keep doing what makes you happiest?
Jodi Krangle 16:36
I think it’ll play to your strengths. Yes,
Katie Brinkley 16:39
exactly, exactly. And I know that that is one thing that so many small business owners and entrepreneurs do, that’s why they start a small business is because they want to build a business around what they’re most passionate about, and around their lifestyle, how has that played out in your story and your approach to the way that you run your business? Well, I
Jodi Krangle 16:57
am someone who always loved to have freedom of time and freedom of place. So what I do right now, really I could do from anywhere, all I need is the equipment. And I can set that up pretty much anywhere, I am currently talking to you in a five by four sound treated booth, which I love. And I’ve probably had since I want to say 2011, something like that. But yeah, I love it. But if I was to move, I could take this thing apart and bring it with me, it wouldn’t be ideal for like being on the road or in a camper or something like that, but But you know, pretty much anywhere with a Wi Fi signal and you know, decent internet and the ability to set up some kind of a booth and I’m fine. But I also like having freedom of time. And that’s again, why outsourcing was so important. For me, I am very much an introvert. And so I need my piece time. And what that means is I need to sit back and just chill for a bit and just do nothing or watch Netflix or do whatever I want to do. Because that powers me up for the next phase of what I need to get done. And I need those pockets of peace in my day. So for me working nine to five at an office job would kind of slowly kill me. And I think that I haven’t had a job like that since probably 1997. So I, you know, like because I started telecommuting in 1997. And I was out on my own by 2001. I think so I’ve been self employed a long time. And I’ve gotten used to what my needs are. And everyone’s needs are different.
Katie Brinkley 18:45
Exactly. Everyone’s needs are different. But I think that it’s so important that you know what your needs are, whether it’s, you know, sitting back and taking just some quiet meditation space, or if it’s going for a run or if it I mean me, I am super social. So I love going out of my office and going out to grab a cup of coffee and seeing who else from you know, the other businesses here are out there that I can just go and say hi to so I mean, like, everybody has a different way of kind of recharging and the fact that you realize that and are able to have a business where you can build that time in is so important. I think that it what is some of the best piece of advice that you’ve received and how has that impacted your business journey or Your Life?
Jodi Krangle 19:25
Well, one of them is to give myself some grace, I’m not going to be perfect. No one is perfect. And you just do the best you can when you can do it. And don’t be too hard on yourself because I know as a creative of any kind. We are the worst to ourselves. There are some things I say to myself that I would never say to anyone else. And I think anyone with a lot of empathy, they tend to be really hard on themselves when They don’t feel like they’re performing up to the standards they hold. I, you know, admittedly, my own standards are pretty high. So I do my best. But yeah, I’m
Katie Brinkley 20:12
right there with you. I’m my own worst critic. It’s, and it’s hard, it’s hard. Sometimes I have to just kind of take a step back and refocus in on my task and what keeps me why I’m doing what I’m doing. And that’s it’s so important, because I think that because we are self employed, we are small business owners, and we want to succeed, because this is our business. And it’s hard to not hold yourself to a whole nother level that nobody else around you really ever would.
Jodi Krangle 20:41
Yeah, and along those lines of grace, I also have come to the conclusion that I do not have to be productive every second of the day. So I know that there’s a lot of marketing wisdom out there that says, Go Go Go get it, you know, like, and I’m like that, that kind of stuff, I rebel against it. Because I am much more productive, when I’m able to gather myself when I am able to not be productive for a certain amount of time. And then the creativity starts working in my brain, and it percolates, and then it can all come out. So, again, everyone works differently. And I know that not every way of doing things is right for everybody. But I just find that if I can take a step back, relax a little, take a few deep breaths, let myself recover from the frenetic activity I was just involved in and then go back. But it’s I’m much more productive. I’m much more able to accomplish what I want to accomplish
Katie Brinkley 21:49
on especially for what you do if you’re if you’re feeling frazzled, it’s going to come out in your voice. I mean, like to you have to be in that right spot of Yeah, okay, it’s time to come and speak. Because if there’s anything else going on in your in your life, it will probably come out in your voice.
Jodi Krangle 22:07
It’s quite possible. That’s where acting comes in. Exactly,
Katie Brinkley 22:11
exactly. Now, and I think that you also brought up so many good points about the importance of outsourcing. Because it also with what you do it having a voice or having a sound that goes with your business is so important. And your uncle might be able to read a script. But is that the right sound for your brand and having the right voice to go? Because, yeah, someone might go to read a script, but is it the right person to do it? How do you advise people to find that voice? Where do you encourage them to go to even start the whole process of finding the right voice for their brand?
Jodi Krangle 22:46
That’s a really good question. There is a particular website that is put together by the world voices Association. And all of these people are vetted professionals. So they’ve been in the business at least five years, they know what they’re doing. They have sound treated environments. They have good microphones. It’s called Voiceover dot biz. And it’s a website where people can listen to samples from various different voice people. And they can find a voice that they feel appeals to them and their brand. And it really does depend on a lot of different factors. So one of the most important things that I would ask people to think about when they’re choosing a voice is how formal or informal do they want to be? And you know that that has a lot of place in the scripts that they’re going to give this person. So does it have contractions? Does it not have contractions? How much actual improvisation Do you want? How much actually talking to your audience? Do you want to have how many like interjecting words do you want to have in those scripts? It depends on who your audience is, right? So you’re either you’re either speaking to them, or you’re hoping to be someone they aspire to be? So those two things you need to consider and the voice that you choose should fit that persona.
Katie Brinkley 24:05
Exactly, exactly. And I think that that is such valuable information right there. Because, again, going back to some of those car commercials, the instant someone starts talking, you instantly know even if you’re upstairs in the kitchen. Oh, I’m listening to Alexis commercial. Oh, I’m listening to the Home Depot commercial, you instantly know, even if you’re not there, even if you’re in another room, what commercial is happening? Because you’ve associated that sound with that brand. And it’s so important. It’s so valuable and is becoming overlooked in the world of visuals and social media for sure. Yeah. Now, before we finish up, is there anything that I didn’t ask you about during today’s discussion that you think is important to share?
Jodi Krangle 24:44
Ah, hmm. That is a very good question. I think a lot of what people overlook is, well, I mean, the power of social media first of all, because it is huge, but I think you need to know why. You’re doing what you do before you can choose what that brand sound is going to be. Because all of this ties into emotion. It’s all about emotion. And it’s all about reaching people through sound, to get to their emotions to make them feel. And if you can make them feel, then you’ve made that connection with your potential audience. And it’s really powerful. So I think that audio in a way, gets through the noise to get into our emotional selves. And that’s super important with marketing. You don’t want to waste your time.
Katie Brinkley 25:36
So true. Well, Jodi, I could listen to you just talk all day, you have such a pleasant voice, it is so enjoyable, so enjoyable to listen to. I know you have some great tips that people can get on your website. Where can we find out more about you and your business online?
Jodi Krangle 25:54
Well, my website is at voiceovers and vocals.com. And I do have a audio branding strategy document that people can look up to help them discover their own intentional strategy. And that’s at voiceovers and vocals.com/audio-branding-strategy. And it does sign you up for weekly newsletter to let you know when my new podcasts come out, because I do an audio branding podcast. But
Katie Brinkley 26:22
yeah, what is your what is your audio branding podcast? Call it so people can listen to more of your your pleasant voice. Let’s
Jodi Krangle 26:28
watch Sure. It’s just at audio branding podcast.com. So they can have a look at that, or it’s on my regular website under podcast, so they can just find it there. But if they don’t want to be signed up to a newsletter by downloading the PDF, they can just email me through the website and I’ll send it to them. I don’t want anyone to have to subscribe if they really don’t want to be on a newsletter list.
Katie Brinkley 26:51
Well, this is awesome. Thank you again so much for coming on the show today. This has been a great discussion.
Jodi Krangle 26:56
Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure.
Katie Brinkley 26:58
And if you’re ready to take your social media to the next level for your small business, head over to my website and check out my free video training the three biggest mistakes small businesses make with social media and how to avoid them. Discover how to make your social media marketing stand out from the crowd online. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Rocky Mountain marketing. As always, I’d love to hear from you. You can visit my website at www.nextstepsocialcommunications.com or connect with me on LinkedIn and Instagram. Just look for Katie Brinkley. Let’s keep taking your marketing to new heights.