Happy Thursday!! It's been a great week here at A Real Change International & I'm excited to share with you today's guest writer.
Many of you are very familiar with Tiffany Johnson as she has been the Head Manager of our Forever WP Division for almost three years now! She's also been a key assistant in our company anytime staff are on vacation or someone needs a little back up along the way. You might recognize Tiffany as she has a regular column in our Emerald Membership Newsletter. We are so grateful to have Tiffany as a part of our growing team!
Today she will shed some light on the role of a virtual assistant and how one might be of great benefit to your business. Pay close attention to this information if you have ever wanted to start or expand a career as a virtual assistant. In 2013 Tiffany will be leading a full time class, along with me, training a core group of people on how to become an A Real Change Certified Virtual Assistants! Make a note, registration will be in November of this year for that exclusive opportunity!
Enjoy today's article!
With love,
Sandi Krakowski
What Kind of Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer?
by Tiffany Johnson
I can remember getting an email from a prospective client. We’d been emailing back and forth and had set up a quick phone chat. The morning of our scheduled appointment, I got an email from him saying he’d discussed the project with his graphic designer and the plans had changed. His graphic designer said I was just a “virtual assistant” and that he needed a web developer. The prospective client told me he’d reach out to me at a later date when he needed a virtual assistant. I was dumbfounded to say the least. No one appreciates being called “just a” anything.
Virtual assistants offer a wide variety of services because we have such diverse professional backgrounds. This allows us to provide many different services to our clients.
There are virtual assistants who have computer programming and management backgrounds. Some have experience in direct sales, real estate, event planning, teaching, science, design, human resources and the list goes on. Virtual assisting is not the first profession most people get started in right out of college or high school. More than likely virtual assistants worked in other industries prior to becoming a virtual assistant. This is to your advantage because they are able to bring that experience to your project.
Virtual assisting has been around for a while. However, it’s still a new concept for many people who are getting started online as business owners, service providers, or freelancers. When I first heard the term in 2007, I didn’t fully understand it myself.
When it comes to outsourcing or contracting with a virtual assistant you may not know what projects to give to them or even what services they provide. Think of the tasks you must do each day for your business. Are there some things you wish another person could handle for you? Maybe it’s email, researching motivational quotes, writing article summaries, or scheduling posts for Hootsuite. All of which can be handed off to a professional virtual assistant.
When looking for a virtual assistant, consider the following service categories. This is an easy way to understand what all virtual assistants can provide for your business. Please note some virtual assistants offer services in all three categories – Administrative, Technical, and Creative.
An administrative virtual assistant may provide services such as customer support, responding to emails, answering phone calls, data entry, creating Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint slides. She may also offer editing and proofing services. Or if your business does contests and giveaways, you’ll need support to manage all of that for you. This is something that an administrative virtual assistant might provide.
A technical virtual assistant may provide provide services such as setting up your WordPress website, updating plugins, posting blog content or setting up your email newsletter. She may even do social media status updates, moderate online events and provide technical support. You’ll even find technical virtual assistants who offer search engine optimization services and keyword research.
A creative virtual assistant may focus on projects that include graphic design work, locating images to be used on social media or blog posts. They may also be able to provide insight when it comes to colors and designs for your website or banner ads.
Virtual assistants can also provide transcriptions services, invoice services, calendar management, and travel arrangements. If it’s a task that you’re currently doing or one that you are interested in having someone handle for you, more than likely there’s a virtual assistant that offers those services. You’d be surprised at what’s out there.
There are many more services virtual assistants can handle for you. As you’re doing your research or getting referrals keep in mind what type service you’re looking for. Is it more administrative, technical, or creative. The breakdown of services is a starter list to get your wheels turning in regards to what can be outsourced. There's nothing like writing out your blog post in Microsoft Word and emailing it to your virtual assistant to upload to WordPress and setup your newsletter. Or having someone create a spreadsheet with all of your blog posts along with shortened links to be scheduled to update on Facebook or Twitter.
If you're not a web researcher, there's no point in trying to force yourself to be one. I like to find people who enjoy the things that I don't so I can stay focused on what keeps me going regardless of challenges. At the beginning it may be fun to handle all the different things required in your business. However, as your business grows you’ll quickly realize the importance of outsourcing. Even virtual assistants outsource and everyone needs a team around them if it's nothing more than being available when you cannot.
As summer comes to a close, the holidays will be here before you know it. What happens to your online business then? Who handles the emails when you're on vacation with your family? Who prepares your newsletter or works with guest bloggers when you're out of the country? A virtual assistant is not meant to be a carbon copy of you, but adds additional arms so you can get multiple things done at one time. We all need a support team and that's what a virtual assistant can provide for your business.
Tiffany Johnson is the visionary and CEO behind Virtual Hired Hand. She helps busy business owners get started online with their websites, Teleclasses, and eNewsletters. Her specialty is WordPress and although she has a background in computer programming she works to make hard things simple for the average business owner and freelancer. She has been running her online business full-time since 2008. To get a copy of her free Special Report “Anyone Can Do A Teleclass, 10 Tips for Getting Started” go to www.virtualhiredhand.com.
