VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[mstaji]

A while back I wrote an article about setting up the perfect pay to play voiceover site.

I got allot of negative feedback from voiceover artists about the overall business paradigm used for P2Ps (they hate being called that... they prefer voiceover marketplace).

I did pretty much everything I could to change some of the way those websites operated. I guess I felt that I owed them something since voices.com basically restarted me interest in doing voiceovers. I've been doing it for over a decade but at some point... probably when I moved back to Cairo... I just stopped trying to do voiceovers because of how terrible the agencies and studios here are.

But after a fluke gig came my way I decided to seek my fortunes in VO online and since then I haven't looked back.

So here is what I figured. That in the year I was a paid member at voices.com most of the business that came my way through them was through their directory.

So why can't I setup a directory for voiceover professionals that doesn't cost much to join. Is constantly getting improved and is run by a voiceover artists. Namely me.

I spoke to my readers about a Pavilion idea... where people have booths and sell their wares... but I neither had the programming talent or the financial backing to build a website like that.

So I bought the domain vopavilion.com and decided to keep things simple (I followed the KISS paradigm... keep it simple stupid) and I worked for couple months straight on setting it up with a developer so that it has the best traits of the different P2P directories but looks a little nicer and is easier to use.

The idea is to target advertising and casting professionals... actually the idea is to get voiceover artists to come and look through the directory themselves because I want voice coaches to come and get listed on the directory. I want home studio equipment resellers to list themselves on the directory... I want the directory not to be just for voiceover artists, but voiceover professionals. which means that anyone who has anything to do with voiceover work can list themselves... including translators.

The Website is up... its URL is http://www.vopavilion.com/

now the issue that I have to tackle is where to advertise it. I am already doing so using Google's Adwords system. I just emailed John Florian about advertising at voiceoverxtra.com and I've taken a look at the prices on voiceoveruniverse.com (maybe I can afford to advertise there in a couple of months).

The directory isnt free. I didn't want anyone who has a headphone mic to think that they can list themselves, but I didn't make the membership expensive. In fact the most expensive package (the prestige) is $52.49 and it's an annual fee.

So where to advertise? any suggestions?
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Mahmoud Taji
Personal website: http://www.mahmoudtaji.com
blog: http://www.voiceemporium.com
twitter: @mahmoudtaji