Have you been thinking about adding audio to your website? Here are a few things to consider before you do.
First, a word of warning...
There are several inexpensive programs making the rounds that allow you to record your audio, add background music, even redirect your listener to a different page at the end of the recording. Do they work as promised? Yes, and no. Yes, you can easily produce a very acceptable audio. Getting it to work on your web site is an entirely different matter. You had better be familiar with FTPing and have at least a basic knowledge of HTML, or you can end up wasting days, even weeks, before you are through. For example, what works on Mozilla Firefox doesn't always work on Internet Explorer and visa versa.
Do you really have something to say? Adding audio to your website, just because you can, is like adding extra salt to the soup, just because you have a lot of salt. It may be too much of a good thing. Don't just read the content on your web page. Use your audio as an introduction to your web site. Use it to emphasize the main points on your so your visitor will have a reason to read the content. Of course, you can do it the other way. Have your audio be the content. This can be very effective on a short squeeze page. Good graphics, a great audio and very little text can FORCE your visitor to listen to you, but you better get it right, or CLICK! They are outta there.
Will an audio message add to your website, or be a distraction? Personally, I like audio-websites, but sometimes they are downright annoying. When some guy is yapping away at me, competing with his own background music, while I am trying to concentrate on the content of his sales letter, CLICK! I'm outta there.
Should you "do it yourself", or should you use a "professional" voice? I want to sound like Hugh Grant. I want to sound as if I never lose my cool, never sweat. Unfortunately, I am a mid-westerner. I have that flat, nasal twang that is common where I come from. When I hear a playback of my voice it reminds me of a gaggle of geese crossing a highway. Is it really that important? Let's just say that I would never hire me to record an audio message. On the other hand, most people don't like the sound of their own voice and while a professional narrator will sound cool, he, or she, will never sound as authentic and personal as you will. When I hear something too slick, CLICK! I'm outta there.
So, what should you do?
Use a decent microphone. Used correctly, the mike on your web cam may be good enough. If not, beg, borrow, or buy one. A unidirectional microphone is your best bet. A headset mike, even an inexpensive one, is probably the best choice because, once you get the sound level right, the mike will always be the same distance from your mouth. This will produce a very consistent sound level. Get the sound level right. Tweak it until it is right. Don't have the volume so high that the listener goes into cardiac arrest, or has to crank the volume up, just to hear you. After you upload your audio, go to your web site and listen to it there. That is where it has to sound right. Don't have the dog barking, or the baby crying in the background. Don't bump the mike while you are recording. Don't cough into the mike. Don't rattle paper while you are recording. Pay attention to all the little details. They are important. Use appropriate background music, or none at all. Your visitor wants to hear your message, not your favorite song. Your message is ALL important. Unless you are accustomed to doing so, don't try to ad-lib. Follow a script, but if your audio sounds too much like you are reading it, try using just an outline and ad-lib the content. Don't try to do it in one take. Do it over and over until you have it right. Got it? CLICK! I'm outta here.
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