How to Make Up for the Holiday Slowdown

The holidays, in this case, meaning the Christmas season, New Year’s, and arguably the first couple of weeks of the new year, can be nightmarish for the worker. If you’re in retail, you may be working weeks straight without a day off. However, the gig worker usually has the opposite problem. Work slows to a crawl. If you’re a voice actor, you may be landing fewer gigs, or a long-term gig you’re working on may be on pause for the holiday season.

Don’t you wish that your rent, utility, grocery, and internet bills could also be on pause? Sadly, that’s not the case. And by the new year, you’re getting a little stressed. So, how can you deal with the slowdown? Here are a few ways.

Spend A Little Extra Time Networking

With a new year, now is the time to maintain your networking. Let’s look at some ways you can do this.

Reach Out to Past Clients

Reach out to your past clients with a New Year’s greeting. Ask if they’re doing well and if they have any work available or if they know anyone who does. It can feel a little desperate to reach out to clients like this, but sometimes, they may have more work available. And if not, that little message may put you on top of the list.

Engage With Other Voice Actors

Now is the time to look for fellow talents who can help you build connections. Follow a few actors on Twitter or subscribe to their YouTube channel. Remember, they are not your competitors but partners you can collaborate with. They may be able to help you when you’re starving for work during the holiday season, and you can help them back!

See If There Are Any Industry Events

Industry events may be happening in your area, either in person or online. See if there are any and possibly attend. Of course, you may be financially strapped, so see if you can apply as a guest or save for a future event.

Update Your Sites

Now is the time to do a little spring cleaning on your social media, professional profile, or website. You may update your rate, add new samples to your portfolio, or update its design to reflect current trends. These sites can be like our rooms, where we have such little drive to keep them updated. However, you must do so.

Have an Ad Campaign

Now may be the time to create or renew your ad campaign. To get ahead of other actors, invest a little money in an ad campaign or get a premium membership to a site that can boost your presence on it.

Expand Your Services

In some cases, you may want to have an extra service or two that’s more evergreen. Some people may take on a regular job at this time, but other VAs who are so used to working from home may not want that. So, instead, take on other gigs that are relevant to your skills. If you made your website yourself, you may lend your talents to folks who want to build their own site. If you’re decent at writing, lend your skills there. Sometimes, the talents may be related to your voice talents. For instance, you may land a gig where you give product reviews. These product review gigs can be big around the holidays. Use sites like Fiverr or Upwork to advertise your talents.

Look to Niche Markets, Too

If you want to focus on voice acting, look at niche markets that are active during the holiday times. For instance, you may voice a radio commercial wishing people a Happy New Year or voice a Christmas commercial.

Another consideration is to look locally. At the beginning of the year, many businesses are looking to expand their advertising strategy, and they may need your talent.

Financially Planning for this Time

Again, money can be tight during this time, and it’s the time when people expect you to spend a lot. Isn’t our society weird like that? Regardless, it’s important that you plan financially during this season. Right now, it may be too late, but here are some ways to prepare for the next season.

Budget

Have a budget for the holiday season. If needed, talk to a financial advisor. This may be the season where you cut back on some expenses. Cancel a few streaming services, eat out less, and save some space on your credit card. These changes can add up.

Buy Your Gifts Ahead of Time

One thing you should do is buy presents for your family and friends throughout the year, not just spend it all at once. Especially since, let’s be honest, Black Friday deals aren’t so great. Deals are happening all throughout the year, so take advantage of one regardless of whether it’s in the summer or not.

Have a Little Emergency Fund

Save a couple of bucks every time you get paid and build yourself an emergency fund that you can draw on if times get too bad. We mentioned using a credit card earlier, but that should only be used as a last resort.

Grow Your Craft

Finally, the holiday slowdown can be a drag, no matter what you do. But you can use this as a way to grow your craft. Learn a new range of voices. Go outside of the box and your comfort zone. Think of it like training to run a marathon when it’s not marathon season. Now is the time to learn something new. When you do, you may have a broader market to choose from when the holiday slowdown happens.

So if the holiday slowdown is kicking your butt, don’t kick yourself too much over it. There’s always the next holiday season for you to prepare for and thrive. If you feel like you made mistakes last year, now is the year to correct the course.