Voice broadcast is an impressive tool that facilitates mass communication and gives businesses of all sizes the opportunity to connect and engage with customers. 

While voice broadcast is highly effective, it is not completely foolproof, and it's possible to make costly mistakes. To get the most out of your campaigns, we've outlined the common mistakes to avoid below so you can set yourself up for success before starting your new voice broadcast campaign.   

1. Incorrect or missing targeting

It doesn’t matter how professional or compelling your voice broadcast message is, if it isn’t targeted to the right audience, it will fall flat. Personalized and targeted messages evoke emotion and connection which will increase your conversions. 

Before you create messages, get clear on exactly who you are marketing to. Research general demographic characteristics of your target audience like gender, location, education and marital status as well as deeper traits like pain points, interests, and problems. Target your message, tone and campaign to the particular audience you are trying to reach.  

2. Too long

Keep your messages under 30 seconds, so your recipients do not hang up. A 15-20 second message may be the sweet spot but test different message lengths to find out what your customers prefer.

3. Strategic messaging

To prevent hangups, add the best content to the first 5-8 seconds of your message. First, introduce who you are so the recipient does not think your voice broadcast message is spam. Then, state the major benefit recipients will receive if they keep listening. Also, if you are sending promotional messages, avoid a full-on sales pitch. State your promotion but make the message captivating so your customers feel connected to your brand instead of turned off.

4. Too boring and impersonal

Keep your messages professional but avoid speaking with a boring tone. Avoid long pauses or irrelevant details. Also, be friendly and think deeply about your target audience when creating your voice broadcast messages. For example, if your audience is work-at-home mothers, your tone will be different than if you were speaking to male bodybuilders who may be interested in a deal on fitness equipment. 

5. Too fast / Too slow

In an effort to keep messages short, it’s easy to speak abruptly, but speaking too fast will confuse people. Speak slowly so your contacts can understand exactly what you are saying. The key is to keep the speed slow enough, so your message allows people to hear and comprehend all details clearly, but not too slow that it drags on.

6. Failure to practice

Practice your script ahead of recording your message. Listen to your message before you send it to assess the cadence, tone and personality. Have a few other people listen as well and offer feedback.

7. Wrong timing

When are you sending your messages? Timing is key to a successful voice broadcast campaign. Consult your target audience research to identify the best times to call your contacts. For example, a career professional may not be home during the day to pick up your call, but a 5-7 pm call window may be an ideal call time for this target. However, your stay-at-home mother audience would prefer a daily phone call, preferably around a typical child’s naptime. 

8. Sending without testing

If you are new to voice broadcast or you are sending a campaign message for the first time, consider testing your message with a small subset of contacts. If the message performs well, send it to your entire targeted list. If it performs poorly, re-work the message until you create one that resonates. Note: Do not send repetitive messages to the same contacts. As you send new messages to test, exclude your original test group, so your messages are not misconstrued as spam.

Want to start a voice broadcast campaign? Getting started is only a sign up away. Sign up for free to use voice broadcast and start saving time and money while connecting and engaging with your customers.