Lessons from Barack Obama’s Social Media Strategy
Well, the long US election campaign culminated last night with Barack Obama winning the Presidency of the United States. This is now the time where streams of political analysts will weigh in on what the parties did right, the potential missteps the Republicans may have taken and so on and so forth. But politics aside, as a Social Media enthusiast myself, I have to stand back and applaud the Social Media Strategy that was brilliantly executed by the Obama campaign!
The social network gurus on his team implemented some innovative strategies, even going as far as creating their own Obama Social Network where people all over the US could connect, share Ideas and dialogue about the issues.
I read a great post today from an Aussie that summed up the social media brilliance displayed by Team Obama over the last few months. Take a read of this post titled: Lessons We Can Learn From Barack Obama’s Online Marketing Strategy. As you read this, reflect on your own Social Media efforts and take stock of how effective your current activities are - is there something to be learned from this Social Media President? I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
The timing of this post is great, especially as we get set to launch our new Social Marketing Specialist Training Program here at VAClassroom.com. Obama’s ability to successfully leverage Social Media will no doubt alert to action many of those businesses who may be dabbling with Social Media, but not employing any real concrete strategy.
The opportunities for Social Marketing Specialists will be plentiful in 2009!
Becoming an Online Business Manager Book Release
I am happy to be involved with Tina Forsyth’s Blog Tour for her timely book release, “Becoming an Online Business Manager”. I have had an opportunity to get to know Tina over the last while and have been super impressed with her experience and knowledge in the Virtual Business field!
Last week, we sat down for a 20 minute interview to discuss her new book launch, her motivation behind this project and the key distinctions between a Virtual Assistant and an Online Business Manager. I have had an opportunity to review the book and it is a very well thought out, relevant and timely read for any Virtual Assistant or Online Professional seeking to shift their skills and services into the Online Business Management space. After talking with Tina, I quickly realized that I need an “Online Business Manager” for my own business:). While I work with 3-4 different Virtual Assistants, I do not currently have someone that is functioning as the point person for my business activities.
Take a listen to the MP3 recording of this 20 minute interview.
Interview with Tina Forsyth, author of “Becoming an Online Business Manager”
I woud highly recommend adding this one to your upcoming holiday break reading list. You can grab your copy here:
Becoming an Online Business Manager
The Olympics and your Virtual Assistance Business
Okay, I have been glued to the Olympics over the last week and it is pouring over into my blog:) I have to say that the Olympics and watching the many amazing athletes have really fired me up about my business and maximizing the potential of what I am doing with VAClassroom.
To close off the week, I want to leave you with a great post from a Small Biz Trends titled:
Olympics for Small Business Owners
In the post, Dr. Susan Reid outlines 15 Ways the Olympics exemplify success for small business owners like yourself. I am a BIG FAN of #7: “Stay the Course”. When I started my first Internet Business, these three words were SO important in the early start-up days. My wife and I would constantly say to each “Just, Stay the Course”, everytime we faced adversity or challenge in our business pursuits.
The Olympic Athletes have really inspired me to achieve excellence in EVERYTHING I do including parenting, marriage and of course my Virtual Business.
Enjoy the closing ceremonies tomorrow everyone!
What’s Your Perspective?
I thought I would deviate a bit from my usual blog content and share a couple “random thoughts”, so bear with me:)
Tonight, I went to Subway for dinner with my three princesses (daughters age 6,4,2). The “sandwich artist” behind the till was one of the regular guys that serves us. So I asked him “How are things going”? He replied: “I’m hanging in there.”
Hanging in there? HANGING IN THERE? Couldn’t he set the bar a little higher for his day? I mean you could be really having a crappy day and still be “hanging in there”? No, this post is not going to turn into a “Seinfeld episode”!
His comment got me thinking about the whole topic of “Perspective”. I am a firm believer that the lens by which you view your life directly affects your behavior and actions. Some people look at their life and work through dark glasses - they tend to see “the glass as half empty” and have a negative perspective in most circumstances. So, the big question is… Does this type of perspective impact their goals, dreams, business pursuits etc….? I believe it does.
Do you think it is possible to grow a successful business with a perpetually “gloomy” perspective? While I am sure there are exceptions to every rule, I think that negative people will not have the “staying power” when the entrepreneurial storms hit. They will crumble and not see the positives or the potential in their current set of circumstances.
One of my former Employers always used to sign his emails as CEO (Chief Executive Optimist) and let me tell you, this guy is one of the most positive people I know. His Internet business has been through many storms and his “sticktuitiveness” and positive outlook has always led to a successful outcome. So how much of his success is dependent on his positive attitude - I think a lot actually!
So, stop for a second and do a “Perspective Check”. How are you currently viewing your life and work? If you are going through a particularly difficult time in your VA business, what is your current perspective? As mentioned in a previous post, “Adversity is a natural part of the Entrepreneur’s Journey.” It is inevitable and you can’t control it at times. But you can control your “perspective” and how you will respond to your current situation.
Over the last year, my wife has endured a very difficult medical condition. We have certainly had our share of “dark days”, but we both recognize the importance of keeping a positive and hopeful perspective in the midst of great adversity.
I have been reading a fascinating autobiographical book called “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. This is story of an acclaimed Computer Science Professor who was diagnosed last year with Pancreatic Cancer and was given a few months to live. This book is ENTIRELY about “PERSPECTIVE”! Randy is an upbeat, positive, humorous fellow that is not letting his terminal illness shape his behavior or actions. The Last Lecture is about achieving your dreams, overcoming your obstacles and making the most of every single minute you have as you never know when it could be your last one! Well, Randy has already lived longer than doctors predicted and you wonder how much of this has to do with the ultra positive perspective he has on his situation and life in general. If you were to ask Randy how he was doing, I would highly doubt he would respond with “Hanging in There”! Randy says “You cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand”.
Now, if you have a spare hour, I would highly recommend watching his last lecture on YouTube - it will impact you and quite possibly change your perspective on your own work and life. Enjoy!
VideoUtilityPoster - A Cool Web 2.0 tool For Driving Traffic To Your Blog
I came across an ultra cool web application that is ideal for all you bloggers out there. Now, I don’t know about you, but there are times in a blogger’s life when the creative juices aren’t flowing and you are stumped with fresh ideas for your blog. While this might only last for a moment, why not take the opportunity to add some other people’s relevant content to your blog that will interest your readers and ignite your Search Listings.
Well, the VideoUtilityPoster does just that! This downloadable software integrates with whatever blogging platform you are using (Ie. WordPress) and allows you to quickly search for relevant videos that you might want to incorporate into your blog or website. VideoUtilityPoster features an easy “Drag and Drop” system, where you drag the video script into your blog post. This tool also allows you to automatically add keyword-rich descriptions (if you like) to further boost the SEO potency for your post.
As you may know Google and other SEs love fresh video content, combined with keyword rich content - this makes equates to a winning formula for your SEO efforts.
So, consider adding some great relevant video content the next time you experience a “writer’s block”! The cost for this tool is $67, but they do offer a 30 day money back guarantee, so it might be worth adding to your blogging arsenal! Also, this might be a value-added tool to use for your client’s blogs in helping them come up with new and relevant content ideas.
Again, you can also just simply search for content ideas in YouTube, and copy and paste the embed link into your post. However, VideoUtilityPoster basically simplifies and saves you time in researching and integrating video content into your blog. Check it out!
Where Can I Buy A Personal Productivity Pill?
Does anyone by chance happen to know where I can buy a Personal Productivity Pill which completely eliminates all disorganization, scattered thinking, poor use of work time and overloaded schedules and replaces it with focussed planning, heightened efficiency and exponentially increasing daily productivity? I would flll that prescription in a heartbeat.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my personal productivity is probably better than the average person and yet I am still bogged with jumbled priorities, overloaded schedules and simply too much work to do! Can you relate?
This week I reflected on why I left the regular 9-5 hustle and bustle for the Virtual World - Freedom, Flexibility and more time with my wife and kids! Yet, I looked at my schedule over the last month and realized that I have been chained to my laptop 24/7 with the growth of VAClassroom and many other things on the go. My work/life balance was totally out of sync. Fortunately, I have the distinct privilege of being married to a wonderful woman that can “set me on the right track” when I get off course:)
But seriously, as I reviewed my projects and schedule, I quickly realized that I had forgot to implement any of the productivity and organization principles I teach in my courses. I have always prided myself on being a well-organized, productive entrepreneur, but with the fast growth of our business and many competiting priorities, I got “out of sync” with how to maximize my work productivity, while preserving my home life! Can you at all relate?
Anyways, I dusted off my cover of Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress Free Productivity
If you can totally relate to what I have experienced, then I would highly recommend jumping on Amazon and ordering “Getting Things Done“. I would also recommend the blog, ZenHabits as they provide some awesome tips for maximizing productivity and preserving work/life balance. Or if you hear of a Personal Productivity Pill hitting the market, please let me know - I will be first in line!
TweetBeep Your Way to New Client Prospects For Your Virtual Assistant Business!
Now, I am fairly certainly that many of you are becoming avid “Twitterers“, but are you also a “TweetBeeper”? Okay Craig, speak English!
I have started to use TweetBeep over the last little while and have been quite impressed with the potential for Virtual Assistants to connect with clients interested in hiring Virtual Staff - Your marketing strategies couldn’t possibly get more targeted:)!
TweetBeep functions similar to Google Alerts in the sense that you can receive daily or current alerts based on specific keywords listed in Twitter conversations.
So, check out a segment of a TweetBeep email alert from yesterday for the keyword, “Virtual Assistant”: (mind the less than stellar quality of the below image:)
As you scan this list, you will see the first two are ideal “twitterers” to follow and connect with as they are both serious about hiring VIrtual Assistants. The 4th post demonstrates a very smart way of doing “Twitter Marketing” - Sharing a blog post relevant to prospective VA clients. The second to last post (Hi Frances!) also has a heads-up Twitter post by attempting to engage those that are seeking a Virtual Assistant - nice!
There are no shortage of creative ways to connect with prospective clients in Twitter. We covered a number of these ideas in a recent teleseminar we did at VAClassroom, Marketing your VA Business in a Web 2.0 World.”
So, if you are not yet using this tool, it is time to start “Tweetbeeping” your way to a wave of new clients for your Virtual Assistant business.
Managing your Social Network Profiles Just Got Easier!
Now, I know that many of you are Twitterers, Facebookers, or have Linkedin Profiles. I don’t know about you, but it is becoming increasingly more challenging to manage and update the many Social Media Accounts we all currently have.
Well, there is hope. There are three great web tools worth checking out that offer a one-stop solution to managing all your social media accounts - phew!!!
FriendFeed and Tabber are Social Media Aggregator tools that allow you to manage and update your accounts in one easy location. Some of you may be offering “Online Presence Management” services to your clients in which you set-up and manage their many different social network profiles. Well, Tabber and FriendFeed will simplify your life by allowing you to track and update your own social media accounts as well as your clients in one user-friendly platform.
Check out this great post: Managing your Social Network Connections from One Location - Blogger, Nora Rubinoff provides a nice comparison between Tabber and FriendFeed.
In addition, the Social Media Browser, Flock, is another great way to stay in tune with all your social network connections. Flock is an actual browser that allows you to monitor sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogger and many others. Flock is a great tool, but presently, does not service a few key business networks like Linkedin as well as top social media news sites such as Digg and Stumbleupon.
Gotta love Web 2.0 Technology - simple web apps that enhance your productivity and reduce your time spent networking!
Winner Announced for VAClassroom Contest
We have a winner! As many of know, we ran a “Win a VA Business PowerPack” contest that included a Web/Blog Site Redesign, Marketing Makeover and some cool VA business web tools. Well, we are pleased to announce the winner of our contest…….
Mary Howard from Virtual Office Professionals (US)
Mary is very excited about the package and is just trying to decide between a blogsite and website design. We are naturally a little biased toward Word Press Blog sites, but look forward to providing an excellent re-design for her. We will actually be featuring the “before” and “after” post in the near future, so you can see the key elements we included to further enhance her client appeal!
One other noteworthy item….. Our VAClassroom Special Membership Offer for our Blog readers and subscribers has been extended to May 26th at Midnight, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t already.
Is the future bleak for Virtual Assistants in North America?
I want to feature another business challenge put forth by one of our subscribers:
The growing challenge of offshore competition
This has become a topic of interest across a number of blogs, so I thought I would attempt to tackle this one myself!
I am not sure if you have accounts at Elance or Guru, but it is a known fact that Western Virtual Assistants ( residing US, Canada, UK, Australia etc….) are competing against $2-$5/hour VAs in such countries as India and the Phillipines. It is also a known fact that more and more companies are starting to outsource internationally in order to cut costs and grow their profits. So in light of these trends, what is to become of Virtual Assistants in places like North America, UK and Australia - will they simply not be able to compete in this new global marketplace?
I am sure this concern has crossed the mind of many VAs especially if they are browsing Virtual Assistant profiles in Elance and Guru. Well, there is HOPE and let me tell you why…
The Virtual Assistant industry while technically founded in 1995 (by Christine Durst) is still a relatively new industry. Stats have estimated there are currently about 20,000 Virtual Assistants working worldwide. However, that is a very small number considering the increasing amounts of small and medium sized businesses seeking to hire Virtual Assistants over the next couple years. It is estimated that by 2009, 80% of all small and medium businesses will have a web-presence and be marketing online - that is over 20 million companies! Many of these companies will be building Virtual Teams in order to manage their business and online efforts. It is predicted that there won’t actually be enough Virtual Assistants to meet the demand!
Furthermore, based on my own experience in outsourcing internationally and in-country, there will always be certain tasks that are better suited to a western Virtual Assistant. For example; in a previous company I worked with, we had hired a Virtual Assistant to research, recruit and manage affiliate partner relationships. This individual was required to keep regular North American hours and converse on the phone with partners. We would not have outsourced this virtual position internationally. There are many more examples. The reality is that there will always be a certain part of the business population that prefers a more local virtual presence as opposed to offshore VAs. So, while outsourcing offshore is on the rise, so is the potential client base VAs can market to!
Secondly, there are oodles of opportunities for Virtual Assistants to establish in-demand niches and become specialists in such areas as Blogging, Social Media, Shopping Cart Set-up, Autoresponder management and so much more! I firmly believe that those Virtual Assistants who continue to adapt their business and tap into new “in-demand” niches will thrive even in the midst of growing offshore competition. Personally, I would much rather hire a “Specialist VA” at a higher hourly rate to accomplish a particular task as they will likely take less time and be more proficient.
Michael Russer, author of The Obsolete Employee, says “…To be consistently successful as a VA, one needs to specialize rather than run ragged trying to be everything to everyone.”
This is key - the important piece is to know what tasks are in demand and what to specialize in. There is a BIG market for VA Specialists - Blogger VAs, Social Media VAs, Online Event Planner VAs, Affilate Marketing VAs… the list goes on.
Finally, there is an unprecendented number of networking opportunities for Virtual Assistants to connect with their target audience through such sites as Linkedin.com, Facebook Groups, Ryze and so much more. This is networking on steroids! Those virtual assistants that consistently tap into these many targeted networking channels online and build a rapport with the small/medium business community will position themselves well for a steady stream of new clients and income opportunities.
Futhermore, it is essential that Virtual Assistants also educate local businesses on the immense value of hiring virtual staff. There is certainly good value in connecting with local business associations to raise awareness as well. I firmly believe that if you can market and network well, you will never have a shortage of work, irregardless of the offshore outsourcing trends.
This is a very interesting topic - please join the discussion! I would be interested to get your own personal take and feedback on the whole offshore Virtual Assistant trend.
