Although many credit Disney animation for starting voiceovers in animated films, this audio technique was invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1900. He reported on the weather.
Voice-over work has been a dominant part of the film industry since then. This is due to the obvious need for talent in the entertainment sector. Voice work is also becoming a popular method for marketing and advertising in a variety of industries. This allows content creators and marketers to communicate their message to consumers using voiceovers instead of relying on visuals.
Many people who work in voice-over are freelancers. They offer their expertise and skills on a per-project or hourly basis. Hiring professional freelancers is a great way for businesses to try new media and explore unique opportunities offered by audio media.
Ten Statistics That Prove Voice-Over Demand is Rising
Voice talent is in high demand, whether it’s for audiobooks, radio ads, games, or TV commercials. These 10 statistics will show it.
1. 33% of all business advertising is animated videos
Wyzowl’s 2022 report shows that 86% of businesses use video marketing tools. Another 33% use animated videos.
You may be able to connect with your audience for many years if you have the budget to create an animated brand character like the Geico Lizard. Although the Geico mascot is a reminder of car insurance, it’s not limited to radio or TV ads. These animated characters can be used to represent Geico on social media, TikTok, and brand websites.
For a moment, think back to your childhood. Do you remember a certain character or voice from your childhood? Tony the Tiger, frosted flake fame What about the Trix rabbit Because cereals are often targeted at children, the characters that they represent must be bigger than life to be memorable. Those memories will last well into adulthood.
2. Radio revenues in the country are expected to increase by 6% to8%
Radio’s benefits may be overlooked with all the high-tech streaming. Mark Gray, CEO of Katz Media Group, stated that every quarter of radio’s revenue has increased since the pandemic in early 2020. Gray predicted that political radio would generate $300 million in revenues if Gray was asked about radio’s growth.
Gray’s predictions are not the only ones. MAGNA predicts that radio ad spending will rise 6% and Chief Economist Mark Fratrik believes AM/FM ad revenues will grow 8%. Radio ad revenues are up 4.7% in real-time compared to last year in Australia.
3. Around 31 billion IoT devices are in homes all over the globe
One person may have multiple digital smart devices. There were up to 10 devices per household in 2020!
What does all this mean?
Multi-channel advertising can be a great way for businesses to promote their brand. The same voice-over content can be used to create ads for different media platforms, such as TV, radio, and mobile. This allows you to communicate your brand message to customers on multiple platforms and across all devices.
4. In 2027, audiobooks will reach $19.4 trillion
What about audiobooks? Since the invention of the iPod, audiobooks have seen a dramatic increase in demand.
Statista recently reported that US audiobook sales reached $1.3 billion in 2020. Additionally, 138 million audiobooks were borrowed worldwide from libraries and schools between 2017-2021. Some voice actors are specialized in audiobooks because the industry is so hot.
There is plenty of talent available for voiceovers, with a projected $19.39 billion in audiobook revenue. There are only so many people who can read audiobooks.
5. In 2022, voice assistant sales will surpass $3.42 trillion
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making a steady impact in the voice industry. Voice-based AI assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are becoming the standard for making contactless orders. Los Angeles digital marketers are turning to digital voiceovers to present their products and services in a more humanistic way.
The industry is expected to reach $10 billion by 2026. Although people might expect an AI voice to sound robotic and artificial intelligence to be able to speak, there are still opportunities for human talent in this industry. Humans don’t want to interact with synthetic voices. Voice talent and human voices will be used by SMART assistants to make people feel more at ease.
Miami Digital Marketers should pay attention now to digital voiceovers. They are more than a trend; they are an integral part of any business plan.
6. In 2022, audio advertising is predicted to grow by 6.4%
In the United States 90% of the population listens to radio every day, while nearly one third listens to podcasts. This is a huge audience listening to audio content and it means that audio ads have plenty of potentials.
Audio ads saw a huge uptake in 2021 and the trend is expected to continue into 2022. Due to podcasts and digital audio, the United States saw an increase of 25% in revenue to $16 billion between 2021-2021.
Businesses have many options to reach listeners via audio ads. This is especially true as more people use podcasts and other digital music platforms. It’s an additional opportunity for your brand to promote its message, with 81% listening to audio ads on a podcast.
7. In 2022, podcasts will be listened to by 424.2 million people
Insider Intelligence predicts that the podcast industry will be worth $94.88 billion in 2028.
Although podcasting was slow to gain popularity, it has seen a rapid rise in popularity over the past few years. There are now over 1.75 million podcasts available in more than 100 languages.
Audio advertising has seen a steady increase in quality and content. Listeners are not only young but also educated and wealthy. Podcast listeners are 45% more likely than others to earn more than $250,000 annually.
Podcast listeners spend an average of 82.4% listening to podcasts for more than seven hours per week. This is impressive enough, but it’s even more impressive when you consider that 28.2 million podcast listeners use Spotify and 28.3 million others use Apple Podcasts. This is a lot of potential and income that’s still untapped.
Some companies create original content to promote their message, aside from advertising on a podcast. You can get your share of podcast revenue. You have a wide range of voices available to help you in this rapidly growing market.
8. 75% of remote workers listen to the radio while they work
Remote workers listen to the radio at least once a week. Neilsen estimates that 40% of those listening every day are remote workers. This is an incredible number of listeners who are only interested in one media platform.
Many companies discovered that remote work increased productivity after the global pandemic. They plan to continue this trend. Many companies have committed to adopting remote work, or at least hybrid work options, through 2022 and beyond. This means that radio ads can reach millions of people worldwide.
9. Explainer videos can increase your revenue by up to 80%
Explainer videos are easy to create for business models that combine valuable content and imagery. This is the most popular type of video and serves as a way to educate customers about a product or service. To establish authority and trustworthiness within your industry, explainer videos combine creativity with brand authenticity.
These videos are not just a set of instructions on a website. They combine graphics with an informative voice to explain complicated topics. These videos leave viewers with at least 65% of their message.
However, in text ads only 10% of information is retained by these customers. Engaging videos can only be made if your company and brand voice shines through. A strong brand voice is the best way to do this.
10. Employment growth for voice actors is expected to increase up to 15%
Ever listened to an audio clip only to find that the voice wasn’t right for the content? Have you ever heard the same voice in ads for completely different products on back-to-back audio clips?
Perhaps the advertiser didn’t have enough choices or the right voice actor. The ad didn’t reach the intended audience, so it could have been a mistake. This problem is also present when using artificial intelligence or synthetic voices. Since these voices are based on human voices and draw from the same data pools, they can often sound very similar to each other and lack diversity. There is a solution: More talent and more variety.
42% of US small businesses and 33% of Fortune 500 companies already turn to freelance marketplaces for voice-over work. Voices witnessed a 245% increase in talent sign-ups in 2021. This means that the demand is increasing and the supply is growing. This means there are more voices to choose from and a better chance to find the voice that is authentic to your brand.
Voices.com’s same study found that 31% of brands will hire freelancers in 2022, at least once per week. This is an increase of 13% compared to 2021 and means that voice actor jobs are on the rise.
Why Voice-Over Matters:
The data is clear. The popularity of audio-based content is increasing exponentially. Now is the right time to invest in this dynamic method of marketing and production. To complete your 2022 marketing strategy, it’s time for consumers to feel and sound authentic. This can be done by using a custom-curated brand voice.
