How to Get Started with Google Places for Business

If you attended our VAClassroom event last week, you’ll know that there’s a ton of buzz going on around Google Places for Business. This tool is positioned to be a Game Changer when it comes to location-based social networks and directories. Why thumb through the Yellow Pages when with the click of a mouse you can uncover even more detailed information about local brick and mortar businesses?

Now, an interesting question popped up during our event—whether or not an Internet-based business with no fixed address or a Virtual Assistant’s business with a private home address could use Google Places. It appears they can too, and here’s a video that explains how Service Areas can be used to refine a listing:

But as a Virtual Assistant or online business owner, the best way to leverage Google Places is to partner with local brick and mortar business owners because they’re the ones who will most benefit from this service. But before you get started with Google Places, you’ll want to ask the following questions:
•    How do I create a well-optimized Google Places page for my local clients?

•    What strategies do I utilize to ensure the best chance of getting top listings in Google Places (1st page of Google)?

•    What are the best types of clients to target initially?

•    How can I build up online reviews for a client?

•    How do I structure the service and set my rates?

•    What other specific services (social media) can be bundled here?

Google Places and Local Search have the potential of being a very profitable service niche in 2011 for Virtual Assistant businesses, as it will have mass appeal across all types of industries and has excellent potential to boost income that is not based on billable hourly work (flat rates and maintenance packages). That’s why we are also going to be offering a Google Places Mastery clinic that will take place on January 26th to unpack the important strategies needed to effectively leverage Google Places for local brick and mortar business owners. For more information on this exciting new training opportunity, check it out at the link below:

http://www.vaclassroom.com/local-search-clinic/

One final thought—Google recently announced the unveiling of a Google Places with Hotpot iPhone app, adding to their growing arsenal of Google Places apps for mobile users. Here’s what the official Google Mobile Blog says about it:

It can be pretty rewarding to discover a new place you love, but we also realize that there are some experiences you just can’t wait to share. So Places makes it super simple to rate a place with your iPhone while you’re there. Just fire up the app and hit “Rate now.” It will use your location to guess your current place and let you post a Hotpot review right from your phone. But it’s not just about getting to say what you think—the more you rate places, the more you’re sharing about your tastes and the more we can give you personally tailored recommendations.

So imagine the possibilities when Google Places and other local directories are paired up with not only a location-based recommendation engine like Hotpot, but also other social platforms like a Facebook Page, Facebook Places, YouTube channel and other location-based social networks—you have the makings of a local marketing masterpiece!

Do you know any brick and mortar businesses in your area that could benefit from a Google Places listing? Do you have any ideas for how you could integrate Google Places into your current Virtual Assistant service offerings? Please share your comments below!

Google Places + Local Business = A Match Made in Marketing Heaven

Have you done a local search lately in Google? If you haven’t, you should give it a try because it yields some fantastic results! For example, I was recently in Spokane, Washington, over the holidays, and the family was craving a good “Chinese Buffet”. So, I decided to go to the Yellow Pages – NOT! I googled it, naturally, and at the top of the first page was the Google Places listing for a couple of the local buffets, complete with menu and customer reviews. Plus, to the right of the search listings, there was a nice big map featuring these two locations.

Google’s new layout (just a couple months old) is providing the most amazing opportunity for local businesses to grab the much-coveted top listings on page 1 through a fully optimized Google Places account. For another real-life example, check out this video case study showing how Google Places helped one business increase its traffic by 25%:

Not only is this a phenomenal opportunity for the local business, but also for Virtual Assistants seeking to branch out into a new niche and serve the needs of their local brick and mortar businesses! That is why we will be holding a FREE VAClassroom event on Thursday, January 13, titled “Leveraging New Google Places for Your Local Business Clients”!

Do you think Google Places will impact how and where local businesses advertise? As a Virtual Assistant or online business owner, are you interested in branching out into this new niche and partnering with local businesses? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share your comments below!

It’s Here – VAClassroom’s Facebook Technology Readiness Clinic!

We’d like to share a few exciting details about our upcoming VAClassroom Facebook Tech Skills and Tactics Clinic. In today’s web world, Facebook has quickly become one of the most prolific brand building and marketing channels for virtually any type of business online today. As Facebook membership continues to grow and reach well beyond the 600 million mark, business owners are enthusiastic about the potential this social network has for growing the visibility and presence of their company online.

However, keeping up with Facebook’s continuously evolving changes and advancements in technology proves to be a challenge for a lot of Virtual Assistants and online business owners seeking to leverage this powerful social network. As we discussed in a previous blog post, there have been a few key changes and announcements from Facebook that have had a huge effect on Facebook Pages. Well, we here at VAClassroom have a reputation for being “Trend Spotters”, and so we made sure we created a course that will equip you with the technical knowledge, skills and tools to successfully navigate these changes and build a compelling Facebook presence for you and your clients.

Check out the below video, where we introduce our groundbreaking Facebook Tech Skills and Tactics Clinic:

Again, here are the topics we will cover in this highly relevant one-time training opportunity:

Skill #1: Strategies for selecting and implementing the right Facebook Social Plugins for your blog or website

Skill #2: Preparation tactics for the NEW Facebook Changes

Skill #3: Integrating Facebook Connect to a blog or website

Skill #4: Understanding IFrames

Skill #5: Setting up Facebook Insights for your website

Join us for this live, interactive half-day clinic coming up on Wednesday, October 13 from 12pm – 3pm PDT (3pm – 6pm EDT). The technological shifts and advancements at Facebook have created a unique and profitable opportunity for you to be your clients’ Facebook Technology Advisor. They will need you to help them properly address the new changes that will be coming at the beginning of 2011, and we will make sure you have all the skills you need to do that!

Bananas and Branding in a Social Media World.

“I’m Chiquita Banana and I’ve come to say, Bananas have to ripen in a certain way…”

(lyrics from the original Chiquita Banana theme song)

Does your food talk to you?

Probably not.

Does it ask you to talk to it?

Maybe.

In this new social media driven world, even food has become interactive online, as you may have seen last week in a recent post on our VAClassroom Facebook Page. When Craig grabbed a banana as a quick snack, little did he know it would have a sticker on it that read “Chiquita – find us on Facebook to vote!” As he said, “This is a web 2.0 banana I am eating – banana branding at its best!”

So we checked out the Chiquita Banana Facebook Page, and this is what we found:

•    Facebook Page summary – “This is a page for all things banana. Pay a visit to our site and see just how bananas our bananas can get. Eatachiquita.com. Or follow us on Twitter @ChiquitaChatter.” (Chiquita Bananas are also on Twitter!)

•    Info tab – containing a link to the Chiquita Banana website, as well as a Company Overview and a list of Products.

•    “Organics” tab – promoting organic bananas and inviting people to vote. Chiquita will donate 10% of organic banana sales sold in September to the environmental non-profit organization with the most votes.

•    Photos tab – with photos from Chiquita as well as from fans. (Wow, a lot of people really like Chiquita Bananas!)

•    Page Terms tab – explaining the Chiquita Banana Community Guidelines. (This is a great idea!)

•    Several other tabs and an active Wall – with posts from both fans and Chiquita Banana itself.

Chiquita adds posts regularly to the wall and is great about interacting with fans by replying to any questions or comments.

Here are some examples of Chiquita’s wall posts:

•    Contests – e.g. “Chiquita Banana Sticker Design Contest” and “Chiquita Champion” (nominating an athlete or an athletic team who has accomplished something amazing)

•    Product Advertisements – e.g. “Exotic” varieties like red bananas and Manzano bananas

•    Fun Facts – e.g. September 21 is National Banana Day.

And if the response is any indication, people are “eating up” this Facebook Page! At this time, Chiquita Banana is “liked” by more than 20,000 people!

Moreover, the contests attract people to the Chiquita websites themselves as they are mostly held off of the Facebook Page. For example, in honor of National Organics Month, Chiquita is hosting an organic smoothie recipe contest on their blog. This is a great way of directing people to read the blog posts!

So what do you think of this banana branding and use of Social Media? Many of us had parents who told us, “Don’t play with your food,” and now here we are, entering Chiquita Banana contests and “talking to our food” on Facebook.

The great thing about this Web 2.0 world is that it can foster a sense of collaboration and trust between businesses and consumers. As companies use Social Media as a way of branding their products, consumers can interact, voicing their opinions and concerns.

A quote from the blog post “Social Media Case Study: Cindy Cieluch, Photographer Building a Brand” sums it up perfectly:

“… Whether you’re a small, medium, or large business there are small and simple things you can be doing with social media that will help with your brand building efforts while at the same time building those relationships and getting people what they truly want which is a relationship with the company before they make business and do business with them.”

So, as a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Owner, how would you use a Facebook Page or other Social Networks to build your brand in this New Media World? The possibilities are endless, so we’d love to hear your ideas!

Five Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Online Newsletters

Do you subscribe to any Online Newsletters? As Virtual Assistants and online business owners, we often talk about Email Marketing from our perspective, but often it’s helpful to turn the tables and look at it from a subscriber’s perspective.

In an earlier blog post, “Mastering the Art of Email List Building,” we discussed the new Email Marketing 2.0 system and how it’s about adding value and building relationships, loyalty and trust with a niche group of subscribers rather than direct selling and building a huge generalized list of subscribers.

Infusionsoft CEO and Co-founder, Clate Mask, gives a terrific definition of this innovative marketing system:

This way of approaching Email Marketing has implications for the communications we send out to our email list and certain expectations that can turn people away or attract them to our business. So, given that definition, what would make you unsubscribe from an Online Newsletter?

The blog posts “5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter” and “Email Newsletter Do’s and Don’t” have some great advice.

We did some thinking too, and here are the five common mistakes that might make us unsubscribe from an Online Newsletter:

1.    Boring, irrelevant content – There’s nothing worse than wasting time reading a newsletter that has no value or practical application to your business. Life is too busy for that, so be sure to provide your subscribers with valuable high-quality content that means something to them.

2.    Too many graphics – If there are too many large graphics, the images may be blocked by an email server or may be too difficult to load for people with slower Internet connections. Next stop – the Unsubscribe link!

3.   Inconsistent communication – Be sure to set a consistent schedule for your newsletter. If you call it a “monthly newsletter” but miss a few months here or there, people will begin to wonder if you’re serious or may even just forget about you.

4.    Too many ads or promotions – Even if you have a great product that you’re eager to sell, don’t be too heavy-handed with your promotions. Also, be sure to promote products that are appropriate for your target audience and that will be useful to them and their business.

5.    No options to provide feedback – As a way of building trust, it’s important to always encourage feedback and interaction somewhere in your newsletter. It’s frustrating to receive an old-style Email 1.0 newsletter that sounds like it was sent by a used car salesman who has no interest in anyone’s opinions or concerns.

So the next time you’re writing an Online Newsletter, step out of the Virtual Assistant shoes for a moment and take a look at your Email Marketing from the subscribers’ perspective. If you wouldn’t subscribe to your newsletter, chances are they wouldn’t either.

Now tell us your opinion! What mistakes do you notice in some Online Newsletters, and how do you think they affect a business’s relationship with its subscribers?

Social Media Outsourcing: A Wise Choice

They say that timing is everything, and often success comes from recognizing the right opportunity at the right time. This is especially true in the ever changing Internet landscape. A recent Industry Report released by Michael A. Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com, reveals some untapped potential that bodes well for those with Social Media Marketing skills. We’d highly recommend downloading and reading the full report from the website, but for now check out this quick video summary:

When we read the report, we were struck by the following statistic:

“Social media outsourcing underemployed: Only 14% of businesses are outsourcing any aspect of their social media marketing.”

This was fascinating because on the other hand, it’s clear that an increase in benefits is directly proportional to the amount of time spent on Social Media Marketing. Here are some of the benefits that were reported:

•    Helped close business
•    Generated exposure for business
•    Resulted in new business partnerships
•    Generated qualified leads
•    Reduced overall marketing expenses
•    Helped business rise in the search rankings
•    Increased traffic/subscribers/opt-in list

However, since the concept of Social Media outsourcing is still relatively new, and many marketers are still new to Social Media Marketing itself, the report predicts it may be another year before businesses embrace the idea of seeking outside assistance.

But with at least 67% of marketers planning to increase their use of blogs, Facebook, video/YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn, the tide is definitely going to turn. How else will business owners juggle everything they need to do and still devote enough time to Social Media Marketing?

So what kinds of things will businesses need help with as they ramp up their Social Media activities?

Here are some of the important roles an outsourced Social Marketing Specialist can fill:

•    Social Media Coach (very important)
•    Social Media Community Manager (set up and optimize system)
•    Company Representative (manage customer relations)
•    Social Media Eyes & Ears for Your Clients (SM Monitoring)

Most importantly, businesses need a proper Social Media Strategy, and there will be amazing client opportunities coming available for Virtual Assistants who can perform the following tasks:

•    Create a clear and measurable social media strategy (#1 priority)
•    Research & identify the right social networks
•    Build social networking presence
•    Manage & optimize social networking presence
•    Measure results of social networking activities

So if you have Social Media Marketing skills like these, get ready to catch the next wave in this very popular and profitable niche! Keep your skills current and up to date, and you’ll be in the ideal position when more and more businesses quickly realize they need to outsource their Social Media activities! In our newly updated Social Marketing 2010 course, we provide cutting-edge training to equip Virtual Assistants to deliver the key services clients desperately need and will be asking for in the near future.

6 Attributes of a Great Affiliate Manager

Have you included Affiliate Marketing in the overall strategy for your business or your clients’? If so, you are leveraging one powerful channel for widening your exposure and generating sales. However, this strategy is destined to fail without a great Affiliate Manager at the helm. If your Affiliate program isn’t being managed effectively, it’ll sink like the Titanic!

But what attributes should you be looking for in an Affiliate Manager? Below are some of the important skills and qualities this key team member should possess:

1.    Good Interpersonal Skills – An Affiliate Manager should be a “people person,” willing and able to provide assistance when needed and to interact with affiliates to keep them informed and encouraged. According to the blog post Characteristics of the Proper Affiliate Marketing Manager, “affiliate managers are the face of any company when they go to different conferences and anywhere else where there is contact with their potential affiliates.”

2.    Knowledge of the Business – A great Affiliate Manager has a good grasp of the product being sold and the ultimate goals of the company. This is essential when networking with potential affiliates and also in targeting affiliates who are the right fit for the company.

3.    Knowledge of HTML – It is essential that an Affiliate Manager know HTML so that they can assist affiliates with links and code. The blog post Common mistakes with hiring an in house Affiliate Manager puts it this way: “If your Manager cannot guide them through placing html or altering it, even basic html, then guess what, they are useless to that Affiliate and that Affiliate will move on to your competitor who can create and place their links with and for them.”

4.    Consistent Communication – It is essential to keep affiliates motivated and engaged, and a great Affiliate Manager will have the creativity and consistency to produce monthly newsletters, special incentives and contests, special product discounts, new banners, updated marketing materials and periodic web events to teach affiliates how to improve their sales.

5.    Ability to create Affiliate Broadcasts that are simple and that include tweets, Facebook updates, blog posts, etc. for communication – Your Affiliate marketing campaign will be much more successful if your affiliates are provided with a good variety of targeted content to promote your brand and products. A great Affiliate Manager will be able to create Affiliate Broadcasts that are concise and include all the important elements needed for the affiliate’s communications.

6.    Ability to teach Affiliates how to use Social Media to promote their Affiliate link – There’s no doubt that Social Media has become one of the most effective advertising channels around, so it’s imperative that an Affiliate Manager is well-versed and active in Social Media and can guide affiliates through this complicated landscape so that they can promote their Affiliate link. Recruiting an Affiliate Manager with Social Media Marketing skills is a wise move for any business!

These are just a few of the attributes that make a great Affiliate Manager, and the list could go on and on. Because building a thriving Affiliate Program is key to the success of any online business, we devote more time to this topic in our newly updated Internet Marketing 2010 course.

What attributes do you look for in an Affiliate Manager? Please share your comments below.

Choosing the Right Venue for Your Virtual Events.

Often times we’ve discussed the growing importance of Virtual Events and the undeniable fact that they’re quickly replacing offline meetings as a more economical and environmentally friendly option. But how do you choose the right Virtual Venue for your big event?

Just as you would investigate conference rooms, hotels or restaurants before booking an offline meeting, it’s important to investigate different types of Virtual Venues so that you can choose the one that’s most appropriate for the type of event you’re hosting.

One of our VAClassroom graduates, Carlana Charles, recently published a blog post entitled “Virtual Events – Why They are Hit” and featured a video that explains the different options that are available:

Let’s look more closely at the four options discussed here and see which types of events are best suited to them:

•    Webinars –Since these are typically one-way, from the speaker to the audience with little audience interaction, they work best for online teaching sessions or workshops. We’ve used Yugma or GoToWebinar in the past, which also offer the option of connecting participants via a phone line, VoIP or an online chat box.

•    Internet Live TV – This venue works great for presenting dynamic talk shows, presentations or interviews, the types of shows you would normally broadcast on television. In this case, Ustream or Livestream is used, and the presenter has a webcam on themselves and a camera on other presenters.

•   Internet Live Radio – This is a good option for events that require or invite audience participation, as people can call in live and interact with the presenter via a tool like Blog Talk Radio. Another advantage is that they are syndicated and can be listened to and subscribed to long after the event has taken place.

•    Teleseminars – Since these involve mainly audio, they work best for conference calls or group coaching sessions. Usually there is a certain period of time devoted to a presentation, followed by a question and answer session. Often online handouts will be given out for participants to refer to during the presentation. In this case, tools like GoToMeeting or Skype can be used to facilitate the event.

So there you have it – four popular Virtual Event venues to choose from! There are many factors to consider, but as the tools become more streamlined, the choices are becoming easier to make, and the emergence of Virtual Event Specialists has provided business owners with a valuable resource to draw on when planning their big events.

What Virtual Venues have worked for you or your clients in the past? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

Six Keys to Building a Thriving Virtual Assistant Practice in 2009

Happy New Year! I definitely took a long hiatus from my blog, but have re-charged my creative batteries and am officially ready to go!

I have had the privilege of working with a whole variety of Virtual Assistants over a number of years and have been able to assess the particular traits or characteristics that make some of them  very successful. As we head into a New Year full of much promise here are six keys to building a thriving Virtual Assistant Practice in 2009:

KEY #1 – Be Active in Social Networking – I continue to hear great testimonies of some of our VAClassroom students finding new ideal clients through such popular Social Networks as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. They are building their network with a target audience and are finding opportunities emerge through these connections! So, one of the keys to sustaining a Thriving Virtual Assistance practice in 2009 is to become a “Master Networker” in the key social networks, forums, groups and online communities!

KEY #2 – Build a Compelling Web Presence - I have also had the opportunity to review many different VA websites and I noticed that some of them still do not market themselves super well. The page sometimes is super text heavy, with no multimedia or compelling images. As an Internet Business Owner (who currently works with 4 VAs), I love coming to site that has a YouTube Video, compelling graphics, an optin box to a free PDF guide, Twitter & Facebook Badges and possibly a blog. This shows me that this business is cutting edge and savvy! So, here’s a test….

Go to your website right now and ask yourself: “If I was a prospective client, would I be drawn to my website?” Now is the best time of year to make changes!

KEY #3 – Participate in Blogging and Social Media Content Sharing - Many of you who are blogging right now know the value of being of thought leader in the VA industry and building credibility with your prospective client base – not to mention the great SEO value of regularly updating your blog! The key with your blog is to create content that would be relevant to your target client audience. For example; I saw a PDF guide that a VA was offering called “101 Reasons to Use a Virtual Assistant in 2009″ – this was great and relevant content for small busineses, which certainly could pave the way to new client opportunities!

It is imperative to build your traffic and web presence through sharing content in such sites as HubPages, Squidoo and EzineArticles. This again positions you as a thought leader and drives traffic and Search Engine results back to your website!

KEY #4 – Establish a Clear Business Niche - As you know, the Virtual Assistant role is constantly in flux and means many different things to different people. Many VAs are bloggers, web-designers, social media marketers, bookkeepers, event planners, PR specialists and so much more! The most successful VAs have been able to establish the right niche at the right time to create the best opportunities for their business. For example; businesses are screaming for VAs with Social Media Marketing expertise, which is why we recently launched our Social Media Marketing Specialist Training Program.

Also, it is important to identify the niche audience you are targeting. Is your ideal client audience, Real-Estate Agents, Business Coaches, Women Entrepreneurs, Internet Marketer, Ecommerce Sites etc..?

KEY #5 – Proactive Marketing Strategies – I always love the saying “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”! Translation: A Pro-active Virtual Assistant will create the best opportunities for their business! As you know, the clients may find you on Social Networks or via your website, which is great, but for the most part, you will need to go out there and connect with your ideal client audience in creative ways. For example; One of our VAClassroom Students mentioned that she was putting on workshops for small business associations in her local area on “The Power of Social Media Marketing”. Well, this served as an excellent avenue for her to position herself as an authority and build some new client opportunities.

KEY #6 – Highly Committed to Continual Learning – Of all the industries I have be apart of in my career, none has moved faster than the Internet Business. New technology and web trends are evolving at a rapid pace and 6 months is like 5-10 years in another industry! It is paramount that you are actively pursuing learning and training opportunities in your niche to ensure that you remain on the cutting edge and at the top of your game in 2009.

So, there you have it…. Six keys to building a thriving Virtual Assistant business in the New Year!

I am sure there are other “Keys” and would love to hear yours!

6 Reasons Your Clients Should Invest More In Internet Marketing During a Recession

I probably shouldn’t be using the “R” word in my title as it tends to get people a little jumpy, but inevitably that is the obvious direction we are going in light of the current economic crisis.

Typically during recessions or financially difficult times, businesses cut advertising and marketing dollars and wait out the storm until they can resume business as normal. But interestingly enough, it is being forecasted that businesses will be investing more time and money into Internet Marketing during a potential recession as it is more cost-effective and measurable than traditional ad channels. Typically Internet Marketing efforts require more of your time and less of your money over other types of advertising.

I have been loving the blog, HubSpot as of late and just read a great post pertaining to this issue:

Six Reasons to Invest In Internet Marketing During the Recession

In the blog post, they cite a study by emarketer that reveals the shift in spending to Internet Marketing over traditional channels.

Many of you are working with “Brick and Mortar” clients that likely do some offline advertising. This is the perfect opportunity for you to enlighten them as to the power and cost-effectiveness of Internet Marketing activities over offline ad channels. Further to that, this might also be the perfect opportunity for you to look at our Internet Marketing VA Training Course at VAClassroom in order to sharpen your Internet Marketing know-how during a time when Internet Marketing investment is only continuing to grow……Even during a “R_____N” (Didn’t want to say the word again:)

Is Your Virtual Assistant Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Now, I am not looking to start a “Fire Storm” in the VA industry, but more to stimulate some productive discussion – there is my disclaimer:)

I recently reviewed a Press Release from a Virtual Assistant Association (I will not mention names) that was promoting a 2008 survey for the Virtual Assistant Industry. Here is an excerpt from the first part of the Press Release:

“Virtual Assistants are fed up. They’ve had it with inaccurate media portrayals and reporters who don’t get the facts right. They’re sick of exploitive industry outsiders who don’t understand the Virtual Assistance business misinforming their marketplace. They’re tired of constantly having to explain the difference between an employee and an independent service provider. And they’re having their say about it all by participating in this year’s third annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey.”

Since many of you are Professional Virtual Assistants, I would be interested to hear if you share the above sentiment as this particular industry leader. Please send me all your comments and feedback!

Let me give you my own 2 cents for what it is worth:)

While I can appreciate the frustrations that some VAs may feel at the media’s misrepresentation or misunderstanding of the VA industry, I am not sure if this kind of negative undertone is the most productive way of positively educating media reps and the business world. While the survey is very well done, I think the promotion of the survey through this Press Release presents a somewhat hostile perspective, which I don’t believe is necessary.

Yes, the media needs to be more educated on the varied roles and responsibilties of today’s Virtual Assistants, but I believe the growing publicity of the Virtual Assistant industry is a great thing! Sometimes even less than accurate publicity can bode well for an relatively new industry as it will bring further awareness and expand the dialogue and interest.

I know some VAs have felt cheapened by Tim Ferriss’ portrayal of the VA in The Four Hour Work Week, but let me tell you…. this book has been HUGE in bringing further light and attention to the VA industry. It has awakened many island enterpreneurs who now realize their business and life could be that much more successful if they were to hire VAs…

The bottom line is that the concept of a Virtual Assistant is still a new thing to a lot of people and it is our job to properly educate them on indisputable benefits of hiring specialist VAs to perform a whole variety of pertinent tasks.

On a personal level, when I decided to leave my corporate job and jump into the Internet realm many moons ago, I received a lot of “interesting looks” and misunderstanding about what I would be doing working on the Internet:) You might laugh at this now but it shows how far we have come in 6-7 years. During the early years, I constantly found myself having to explain and educate people on what I do!

Anyways, I am absolutely convinced there has never been a better time to be a Professional Virtual Assistant then right now as more businesses are outsourcing, more people are becoming familiarized with the VA industry and the Internet Biz continues to grow at a rapid pace. These are great days, so I think we need to keep a positive perspective even when misunderstandings or misrepresentations come our way!

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments – agree with me, disagree? Please share.

Going For Gold in your Virtual Assistant Business

I don’t know about you, but I have been engrossed in the Olympics over the past few days and have just been awestruck by the amazing displays of athleticism, perseverance and drive!

Now, since I am likely not going to be training for a Olympic Triathalon or the 200 Butterfly any time soon, I started thinking about what I can learn from these amazing athletes that translates to my Internet Business. Well, a lot actually…..

In listening to many interviews with the Gold Medal Olympians, there were four common reasons they cited that they believed helped them to achieve their Olympic Dreams. Here are four essential elements you will need to consistently “Win Gold” in your Virtual Assistant Business:

1. Set Clear and Measurable Goals for Your Virtual Business

These Gold Medalists were CERTAIN about their goals – they knew what specific time they would need to achieve in order to break a record and ultimately secure themselves at the top of the podium!

How clear and measurable are your goals for your Virtual Assistant Business right now? Are they realistic? Do they help you to stay focussed on the priorities and tasks you need to accomplish on a day to day basis. Are they measurable? This last one is key. One of your goals might be to “Increase Your Client Base This Year”. This is a great goal, but it is not specific or measurable. A specific goal might look like this:

“Increase My Client Base to 10 new clients and $25000 more billable hours in 2008″

That is a measurable goal! I know for myself that I have four specific goals for my business that shape and define my priorities and tasks each and every day. Without those goals, I would be like a “Ship without a Rudder”, with no clear sense of where I am going.

A “Gold Medal” Virtual Assistants sets clear, specific and measurable goals!

2. Establish Consistent Training Patterns.

The Gold Medalists interviewed all spoke to the rigourous training regimes they endured over the past four years to help prepare them for this Olympic Event. You think of a swimmer like Michael Phelps. Sure, he is sheer Genetic Perfection for swimming with his Long Torso, flexible body, huge flipper-like feet and 6’7 wing span – But, that is not the sole reason he consistently finishes first. It is direct result of a systematic and consistent training program over the last four years that has prepared him for greatness!

Similarly with your business, it is imperative to build in regular training/learning times in your daily, weekly and monthly schedules. One of the traps of running your own Virtual Business is that you get so consumed with the day to day tasks of the biz, that you fail to spend any quality time on learning new skills and technology, investing in professional development and trying to stay current in your industry. If you don’t discipline yourself to learning new things, you will be left behind!

In order to ensure that you remain as current and equipped as possible, you need to create a block of time possibly each week where you shut off all your work and you simply read ebooks, articles or blog posts, listen to webinars and take online courses. As a Virtual Assistant, I would recommend taking a look at our training programs at VAClassroom as this will keep you that much more current and competitive in a fast-growing Virtual Assistance Industry!

I normally will take a 3 hour block each week to catch up on my reading, learning new skills and listening to podcasts and webinars. I try to do whatever it takes to ensure that I am using the most current tools to build my business to the next level!

A Gold Medal Virtual Assistant is a relentless and consistent learner!

3. Persevere, Persevere and then Persevere some more!

The successful Olympians adopt a “No Quit” attitude and persevere through the good times and trials of their Olympic career. All successful Olympians at one point in their career had to overcome some obstacles that blocked their way to Olympic stardom.

Now I have discussed this topic before, but I cannot stress enough the important role that perseverence and endurance play in building a successful business. Many of you have been through those times where there are virtually no clients and little revenues coming through the door and it is so easy to just pack in the business. It is during these times when you need to take stock of why your started this business in the first place and what are those goals you are trying to accomplish. This will motivate you and help you to exhaust all avenues to building your client base and income opportunities.

It is important to recognize that obstacles, challenges and adversity are a natural part of the journey towards Gold Medal Winning Performances! Don’t give up! Be sure to not miss the “little successes” that are happening in your business during those difficult days. Today, you might have met two new prospective clients in a Facebook group – that is a small victory as this could ultimately lead to two new clients!

A Gold Medal Virtual Assistant has an extraordinary level of sticktuitiveness!

4. Find a Mentor, Coach or Friend that will Support You In Your Business Endeavors.

In all the interviews I watch with these Gold Medal Winning Athletes, the common thread was having a supportive family, coach, friend or mentor that was “in their corner” and encouraging them to achieve their dreams at against all odds! I listened to the Gold Medal Winning Gymnast from the United States today talk about the pivotal role her Dad and coach played in helping her to achieve her Olympic dreams!

We ALL need find someone that will be a consistent source of encouragement and wisdom for our businesses. It can be a lonely place working in a Virtual Business to start with, but not having any mentor or major supporter can make it that much more difficult!

So, there you have it, four elements to achieving Gold Medal Success in your business!

Where do I find Virtual Assistant Clients?

A couple days ago, I ran a seminar at VANetworking on how Virtual Assistants can create a powerful new niche as a Social Marketing VA. One of the questions that was posed by a participant was “How do I find the businesses that will be interested in these Social Marketing Services?” Good Question….

Well, one of my comments was that you need to go to where your most ideal clients hang out on the web – that is a good starting point. The follow-up question is: “Where do they hangout?” Well, I am going to get into all this in a post series I am starting this week, but I found a great place to start….

BMighty came out with the “Best Blogs for Smaller Businesses” – they list 10 popular, high volume blogs that cover topics for SMBs (small/medium businesses) such as business tools, productivity, business management, technology etc…

Let me tell you…. The small biz audience that are reading these blogs are EXACTLY the type of clients hiring Virtual Assistants like crazy right now. I would highly recommend adding these blogs to your RSS reader and join the conversation on topics that matter to your prospective clients. This is a great opportunity to share relevant information and potentially talk about Virtual Assistance in a natural way. These blogs have covered Virtual Assistant-related topics and given the VA buzz we are seeing right now, they will likely continue to discuss the value of outsourcing and delegating small biz tasks to VAs like yourself.

Look for more on the all important topic of finding ideal Virtual Assistant clients this week!

A Social Media Widget to add to your Virtual Assistant Toolbox.

As I have discussed in previous posts, Social Media Marketing is a rapidly growing niche for Virtual Assistants to tap into. Some Virtual Assistants are positioning themselves as Social Network Specialists for busy clients who want to leverage the power of Social Media, but simply do not have the time.

I came across this cool social media widget on Internet Girl Fridays’ Virtual Assistant website. This particular Social Media Widget enables you to present all your social network profiles in own location on your website or blog.

While this widget is great for showcasing your many Social Network Profiles, I do think it would be ideal for those of you who are seeking to add Social Network Profile Set-Up and Management services to your VA portfolio. It could serve as a nice marketing tool to prospective clients interested in expanding their exposure and business presence through the Social Networks. You would be able to showcase the quality profiles you have set-up for your own business and in turn give them a taste of what they could expect if they were to hire you to set-up and manage their online Social Profiles.

Again, most businesses simply do not have the time to effectively manage and update their Social Network Profiles, so a most excellent “in-demand” service for a Virtual Assistant!

Are You Managing Your Client’s Online Reputation?

A few weeks ago, during the pre-launch of VAClassroom.com, I received a Google Alert regarding a forum post pertaining to our new training center. I followed the forum thread closely and while the comments were not negative or critical, they were based on assumptions and misinformation. Fortunately, one of the Virtual Assistants I work with was apart of the forum and was able to provide some accurate information about VAClassroom.

This is a good example of Online Reputation Management. The beauty of the Internet and Social Networking is that we can easily find out what users are saying are about our products and services. Prior to the Internet and the information age, companies were more “in the darK” on consumer feedback. Now, I can set-up my Google Alerts to track any web posts pertaining to my domains or related topics and can quickly respond and dialogue with users talking about our products and services.

Online Reputation Management is an “in-demand” tasks for Virtual Assistants today. I have a industry friend who runs a high-volume ecommerce site and recently contacted me to see if I had a Virtual Assistant that could handle their Online Reputation Management tasks (20 hours per week) – I actually just posted that position in our VAClassroom Members Site. This particular client does 1000s of sales on a monthly basis and needs to regularly dialogue with prospective consumers to ensure that they have accurate information about their products and services. The last thing any web company wants is a false rumor or misinformation being spread about that adversely affects consumer perception.

So, this might be an “in-demand” task to consider adding to your VA service offerings. The tasks basically involve tracking online reputation via Google Alerts as well as through applicable Social Shopping and Ecommerce sites and providing accurate information about your client’s products and services.

Facebook Payday – A Great Resource for Facebook Marketing Virtual Assistants

As many of you know, we did a teleseminar last week titled, “How Virtual Assistants Can Profit from the Social Media Explosion in 2008″. This teleseminar event was very well attended and we are still receiving great feedback and questions which is cool! You can access a recording of the event through our VAClassroom Membership Site.

One of the topics I discussed in this teleseminar was the rapidly growing opportunities for Web Savvy Virtual Assistants to position themselves as Facebook Marketing VAs. We discussed the different services you might offer clients seeking to leverage this channel such as:

• Setting up and managing Facebook profiles.
• Coordinating Facebook Events.
• Moderating and participating in targeted Facebook groups.
• Inviting and adding new business friends for your clients.
• Creating and managing Facebook business pages for your clients.

The list goes on…..

One of the advanced services we discussed involved implementing and managing Facebook Pay Per Click Ad campaigns which are becoming increasingly popular. A handful of Internet business owners are generating some excellent profits through this channel.

A Business Collegue of mine, Peter Koning, has just launched an ebook and membership site called Facebook Payday. I have had a chance to review some of this resource and it is very impressive. The ebook will provide you with some of the skills and knowledge required to set-up and manage successful PPC ad campaign through Facebook.

If you are seeking to grow a Facebook Marketing niche for your business then Facebook Payday is definitely worth checking out!

A Virtual Assistant Case Study

I want to share a case study with you that clearly shows the huge value that Virtual Assistants can play in any Internet Business. This particular case study details a woman I hired while working with a mid-sized Internet company a few years ago. She had developed some niche skills in a number of areas such as Affiliate Marketing, Ad Campaign Management as well as Web Analytics Reporting. The company I worked for eventually experienced some significant down-sizing; however, this particular Virtual Assistant’s contract was retained primarily due to her versatility and understanding in these niche areas. Check out the YouTube Video below.

The Niche Opportunities for Virtual Assistants in the Fast Growing Social Media Landscape

Over the last 18 months, I have become an incurable learner on the exploding Social Media Movement and the profound impact it can have for Internet Business Owners like myself. I have digested blog posts, articles, webinars and even wrote a couple of my own articles pertaining to Social Media. (Check out my SiteProNews Article, “Is Social Media Marketing really worth your time and effort?”).  My overwhelming conclusion is that Social Media Marketing is a MUST for all business owners in order to realize their full potential in 2008 and beyond!

We are currently seeing a major shift in thinking among Internet Businesses pertaining to Social Media. In 2007, businesses were asking the question (with skepticism): “Can Social Media Marketing really do anything for my business? Is there any value in hanging out in Facebook groups, commenting on blogs, networking in Linked.com and sharing my videos in YouTube? I think that question has been effectively answered by many of the Industry experts who have openly endorsed Social Media Marketing as a powerful business building channel.

The real question Internet Businesses are asking now is: “Okay, we see that Social Media Marketing is a GOOD thing, but how the heck do we find the time to actually carry out all these important Social Media Marketing activities????

The answer……Virtual Assistants who have tapped in to this exploding Social Media Niche. There are Virtual Assistants who are becoming specialists in editing, producing and syndicating videos to all the major video-sharing sites. There are others who are Facebook experts who know the “ins and outs” on building industry-specific groups, business facebook pages and even setting up and managing Pay Per Click Facebook campaigns.

There is even the whole emerging trend of “Presence Managers” where businesses hire a Virtual Assistant to represent or even be them in the various social networks they are targeting. Now, there are some ethical issues with that one, but a growing area for sure!

Given that Social Media is continuing to experience explosive growth, there are no shortage of opportunities for Virtual Assistants to tap into this niche.

So, with my collective passion for Social Media and Virtual Assistants, I have decided to run a teleseminar that might interest you, titled:

“How Virtual Assistants can profit from the Social Media Explosion in 2008″. 

This will essentially be a “mini-lesson” taken in part from the upcoming release of the Internet Marketing VA Training Program at VAClassroom.com.  Also on the call, we will be making an important announcement and special offer regarding the launch of VAClassroom.com, so certainly worth checking out

Please stay tuned to this blog over the next day or so as I will provide some more concrete details on how you can get signed up for this important teleseminar!