The internet offers you the opportunity to seek out jingle companies and listen to their jingle samples online. Your success depends upon a thorough evaluation of as many companies as possible. You don't need to be a musician to know what you like.

There are things to look for in a top jingle company and a few red flags that can help to weed out the bottom feeders.

When listening to jingle samples online, here are a few things to look for:

1) Look for: Overall quality of the all the samples on the site as a whole. (Red Flag: If one or two samples sound boring, bland or poorly done, why are they being showcased on the site?)

2) Look for: Diversity of voices. (Red Flag: If there is just one male and one female voice singing all jingles on the site)

3) Look for: Diversity in styles of music, production, instrumentation & vocal arrangements. (Red Flag: If it all starts to sound the same to you)

4) Look for: Overall quality of the writing. Each sample should demonstrate creativity & imagination, lyrically and musically. (You'll know it when you hear it)

Just as a casting director chooses talent, a great jingle company will find the ideal personality, voice, musician for your project to capture your company image and marketing message most accurately and effectively.

You have every right to expect the company that you hire to create something spectacular/exciting/compelling... Don't settle for less.

Barry Volk is a former Staff Songwriter/Producer with ABC and Screen Ems/EMI Music Publishing, Musical Director of the West Coast Theater Company and National Director of Marketing for Metro Networks (Westwood One). Barry is the owner of Sound Advantage (A Musical Identity Company Since 1993) - http://www.soundad.com