I recently had a number of dominos fall - and that's always bound to happen if you aren't using any platform(s) to help with automation. It can even happen when using some! Some of the platforms I have used, or am putting in place, can help with a number of routine tasks that need to be done. It can take quite a bit of time to set some of these up initially, and some maintenance along the way, it's commonplace to free up quite a bit of time long term.

Here are a few options below:

MailerLite https://www.mailerlite.com/ is an email management platform that allows 1 - 1,000 subscribers and send out 12,000 emails per month for free - and the paid options slowly increase as the audience increases. You can set up forms to collect email addresses and landing pages for websites as well. I've set up and tested a few forms already and expect to use the platform much more going forward.

Calendly https://calendly.com is one of many appointment scheduling platforms. It has helped me to be more accessible to clients, and I've used it for scheduling almost every guest on this podcast as well. I've finally hit the point where I need a paid account - but you may be able to operate for quite some time on the free account - which I used for nearly a year before upgrading to a paid version. calendly.com

While I formerly recommended, and enjoyed, using Hootsuite's platform - many changes have been made in the past few years that limited my access as a legacy 'Pro' user and they recently announced a cost increase that won't allow me to continue using their platform. I'll be looking for a new social media management and scheduling platform and expect to share what I find. Currently I'm exploring the options below:

Every Post https://everypost.me/pricing/

What's your favorite automation tool? Let me know at AnyVoices.com - or one one of our social media accounts!

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Jef really seems to do it all - Voice Actor, Audio Engineer, Producer & Musician. That might be why this turned into a rather long episode - we had so much to talk about!

A couple of the projects Jef mentions in this episode:

Fallout Miami: https://www.falloutmiami.com/

Find Jef online:

WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Donna Frank is a voice talent who can be heard all over - most notably as the Imaging Voice on Howard #Stern, #SiriusXM, and many radio stations. She's a #Halloween lover who also loves to cook for the many varied diets in her home! 

Find Donna Frank online: 

Donna's website http://www.donnafrankvoicetalent.com/

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Fadra Nally is the type of person who does it all - and she will tell you about it all at her site AllThingsFadra.com  

Fadra mainly focuses on Lifestyle, Cars, Travel, Entertainment, Family, Opinion and Really Cool Stuff - and then there's the 'Everything Else' section.   

Find Fadra online: 

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/allthingsfadra

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Upgrades are important, but are you focusing on the right ones?

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Dallis is a working voice actor and talent from Toronto, Canada. Her recent video was brought to my attention on Twitter, where she compared and contrasted two microphones - the Neumann TLM 103 vs the Austrian Audio OC 18 - click this link to view it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNJ0ifMr8QQ 

I certainly hope we see more videos like this from Dallis. If you have specific requests for gear reviews that you'd love to hear Dallis give some input on - get in touch! 

Find Dallis online:

Website - https://dallismackenzie.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/dallisaur

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dallismackenzie

YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLlxzZBsnkVInNCNPu5Cqpw

Find AnyVoices online...

WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Jim Cooper is one of many who started in broadcasting and migrated into voice over. Jim does a variety of voice over work - eLearning, Explainer Videos, Commercials, Business Narrations and Audio Books. Find out more at https://jimcoopervo.com/

Also, be sure to check out his podcast The Hydrant, shared via Jim's Social Media Channels:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JimCooperVO

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

I could write a short bio about Andrew - but I'll let him tell his own story with a message he sent me:

"Unlike most in the industry, I started without any acting experience. Instead of the stage, I was pushed by my parents to be behind the podium. Getting accustomed to public speaking at an early age lead me to a career in marketing where I was able to speak to and on behalf of companies -- including my own short-lived digital marketing consultancy, LocalLander. All of this experience combined with discovering voice over on a random blog catapulted me into a passion that has lead to six agencies and making a profit on my investment after only the first year. The kicker, is that 2021 will be year number...2! I'd love to be able to share my unique experience with your audience as someone who can prove that it's not all theater and radio folks out there who can succeed in VO...

Find Andrew Lander:

https://andrewlandervo.com

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WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Today's episode was sparked after speaking with a friend who felt like they were starting over after EVERY project (Oh no!).

Find us online...

WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com

Laura Handke, Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher joined AnyVoices to talk about some shared loves about working with our voices, the challenges, and even some styles of voice we would love to cure the world of (vocal fry!).

Find Laura's website with information, classes and other updates at https://laurahandke.com 

Laura can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-handke-47267b8/

Laura recently posted a video mentioning AnyVoices and TheRealVoice on her own channel - watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2QzTTn4FC4

WEBSITE: https://anyvoices.com

The Real Voice - Mel Allen is your host. Find out more about me at https://therealvoice.com