Have you ever wondered, ?What exactly is that Virtual Assistant that you keep hearing so much about?? The answer is simple. A Virtual Assistant, or VA, is an administrative professional who provides immediate professional support, services, and skills to busy entrepreneurs and business managers via the Internet.
But ?What can a Virtual Assistant do for me?? is a little more complicated. The ways in which a VA can help you and your business are as unique and diverse as the individual VAs are themselves. To help narrow down the possibilities, the Virtual Assistants at the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) forum, http://www.VAnetworking.com were asked to list the top 10 things they could do for their clients.
This is what they said.
1.A VA can assist you with marketing support, increasing your clientele and freeing up valuable time to service your customers. They also can handle all your marketing and publicity helping you to spread the word about your product or services.
2.Many Virtual Assistants specialize in web design and search engine optimization. Once you work with a VA, they know your business inside and out, who better to help you prepare your website.
3.A Virtual Assistant can make your next presentation shine by giving it that polished professional presentation which is sure to capture your audience and promote all your products and services.
4.A Virtual Assistant can be instrumental in proofing, editing, and typing all your correspondence, pleadings, manuscripts, etc., thus allowing a more professional edge to all your business communications.
5.A Virtual Assistant can take over all your bookkeeping, bills and accounts payable. Let them worry about payroll so you can worry about the important tasks of running your business.
6.A Virtual Assistant can plan your next company event or outing providing for an enjoyable and memorable time for all. Think how much more enjoyable it can be when the burden of planning is removed.
7.Because VAs work on an ?as needed basis? and only when you have work, hiring a VA can save you money. Clients only pay for the work done, and don't have to pay for benefits, equipment, or supplies. What a cost savings that can be.
8.A VA can save you space because s/he work from his/her office as an independent contractor.
9.Hiring a VA can save you time because you will not have to spend time hiring an employee or temporary help, as well as training the new staff.
10.A Virtual Assistant can schedule your appointments, manage your calendar, organize your desk, and make running a business that much smoother.
Tawnya Sutherland is the founder of The Virtual Assistant Networking Association Forum (VANA), the largest member based Virtual Assistant global networking community for aspiring and successful Virtual Assistants online. She states, ?By bringing ?the best of the best? of Virtual Assistants to the VAN Community, we make it easy for clients to partner with successful VAs.?
Stop by Virtual Assistant Networking Assocation (VANA) today and find that VA you've been looking for. They are waiting, ready to assist you with all your business needs.
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So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your business, here are some things for you to consider.
1. Have a plan
Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business - plan ahead.
2. Make sure your target audience is online
Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your stuff don't want what you off'r. Or if they don't look to the Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or hear) your message and they are receptive to it.
3. Create good content
Web 2.0 is the social web, but it's still content-driven. Lousy content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is. Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and answer their quest?ons with your content.
4. Don't sell
Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about people connecting by helping each other. No salesmen allowed! Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.
5. Start with a free hosted blog
Wordpress and Blogger both have very useful and simple blogs you can setup for fr'e. Use them to start blogging and get a feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe in the water before diving in.
6. Talk to kids
Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This helps you understand the web from a different perspective.
7. Do it yourself
Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.
8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting
Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder, tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky. Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to YouTube.com.
9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder
MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it sound professional and you're in business.
10. Surf 'till it Hurts
Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites. Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if it might fit your marketing plans.
Both Tawnya Sutherland & Komail Noori are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tawnya Sutherland has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cruise Ships, Customer Service and Home Businesses. Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) The ever popular, friendly, informative, educational & resourceful network for success. Tawnya Sutherland's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Komail Noori has sinced written about articles on various topics from Photography, Digital Photography and Motorola Cell Phone. Written by: Komail Noori, a freelance Expert of Pakistan and. Komail Noori's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.
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