Virtual Assistants Startups
Diana Ennen
President, Virtual Word Publishing
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com
Author: Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA & Workbook
(954) 971-4025
We all realize how virtual professionals have revolutionized the way we work today. Most businesses now count on their Virtual Assistants the same as they used to count on their secretaries. The good news is that it’s better now and they appreciate them all the more. They are able to secure the most experienced and qualified VA in the area needing the most help; there’s no need to train them; and of course they work on an “as needed basis.” Because they represent themselves and work for themselves, VAs often take the time to get the qualifications and skills they need. They seek to learn as much as they can on every aspect of their business in order to be profitable and a true asset to their clients.
As such, the potential today for VAs to be successful continues to explode. One area I find that is growing in leaps and bounds is the VA who specializes in publicity and marketing. There is a huge potential for this today as more and more well-known authors contend that one of the best ways to be successful is to hire a good VA.
Through the years I’ve changed my specialties often as I grew my business. I started out doing medical and legal transcription, word processing, and practically anything that needed to be typed. Then I focused on writing and marketing my own books. This led me to the where I am today. Now, my business primarily consists of book marketing, general publicity, copywriting, and my personal favorite, my own writing, as I’ve now authored five books. When I started 21 years ago, I never would have imagined this would be where my path would lead me. That’s why it’s so important to always grow in your business. Get trained and constantly explore new options that excite you and keep you motivated.
Publicity and marketing is thrilling to say the least. There’s such a great rush when your client gets recognized in national magazines, or a TV station picks up their segment. Or better yet, when your efforts start resulting in increased sales for them. That’s when it starts getting fun.
I’ve learned through the years what works and what doesn’t. One of my most successful tips is learning how to effectively follow-up. When clients get national attention, I go to work to make sure that everyone is aware of this. A press release immediately goes out to announce their accomplishment. It’s added to their website, and then the “real good ones” get added to their bio for article submissions. One example can be found on one of my client’s websites, www.hometutoringbusiness.com, and her press page.
It’s also important to follow-up with the reporters and let them know how much you appreciate the acceptance of your quotes. When you go the extra step to show them your appreciation, they remember you when the next article comes up and they need help with more quotes. Many reporters work for multiple magazines so one good ally can lead to lots of media exposure.
There also is a great demand today for VAs to help realtors with their marketing. Whether virtually or locally, you can make a substantial difference in a realtors’ bottom line. When I did marketing for a realtor several years ago, I always thought outside the box. Yes, we could send out mailers and announce new houses on the market, but I worked on ways to immediately capture the attention of those we market to. What will keep impress them enough, and stick with them, that when they found a need for a realtor, you are the one that first comes to mind? We decided part of our marketing campaign would be to take advantage of the holidays. Yes, many realtors did this, but we did it better. For Halloween we put small pumpkins with our business cards in the neighborhoods that we targeted. We also did the follow-up with a mailer that had the realtor in a costume and the ad read something like, “Does the prospect of selling your home SCARE you? It wouldn’t if you listed with Max Realty.”
We sent something for most of the holidays and even though the cost was high, they were easily offset by the profits the realtor received. But the best news was that he quickly became known as the “friendly realtor,” and the realtor that everyone wanted to do business with. We repeatedly heard that every holiday, our friends in the neighborhood looked forward to seeing what we would come up with next. I bet our magnets were on most of the families’ fridges in the neighborhood. How did we do that? Well, everyone sends the calendar magnets for New Years, but people get so many, they get lost. The real trick is to send that magnet when others don’t, like for Valentines Day or the start of the baseball season with the home teams schedule on it.
My business today is all about getting exposure. My PR hat is always on. I like to take any situation and turn it into good press for my clients and myself alike. As a result, I stay alert on current events. Whenever a story hits the press that any of my clients would have a connection to, I’ll send it right away. Having press releases already prepared for clients on their business is always a great help. I sign up for Google Alerts on their topic and then whenever a story is written on the issue, I’ll follow-up with our story to the reporter. It works!
As you can see, I love being a VA and am excited about the possibilities of our Industry. I do believe that some day the phrase Virtual Assistant will be just as popular as the term secretary, only with a more positive feel to it. Often secretaries weren’t proud of what they did, although they should have been, as most ran the offices and their employers couldn’t work without them. However, virtual assistants are a proud bunch and we should be. We’ve come a long way and that’s just the beginning. We are skilled, dedicated, and determined to spread the message of how we can and will make your business better.
President, Virtual Word Publishing
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com
Author: Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA & Workbook
(954) 971-4025
We all realize how virtual professionals have revolutionized the way we work today. Most businesses now count on their Virtual Assistants the same as they used to count on their secretaries. The good news is that it’s better now and they appreciate them all the more. They are able to secure the most experienced and qualified VA in the area needing the most help; there’s no need to train them; and of course they work on an “as needed basis.” Because they represent themselves and work for themselves, VAs often take the time to get the qualifications and skills they need. They seek to learn as much as they can on every aspect of their business in order to be profitable and a true asset to their clients.
As such, the potential today for VAs to be successful continues to explode. One area I find that is growing in leaps and bounds is the VA who specializes in publicity and marketing. There is a huge potential for this today as more and more well-known authors contend that one of the best ways to be successful is to hire a good VA.
Through the years I’ve changed my specialties often as I grew my business. I started out doing medical and legal transcription, word processing, and practically anything that needed to be typed. Then I focused on writing and marketing my own books. This led me to the where I am today. Now, my business primarily consists of book marketing, general publicity, copywriting, and my personal favorite, my own writing, as I’ve now authored five books. When I started 21 years ago, I never would have imagined this would be where my path would lead me. That’s why it’s so important to always grow in your business. Get trained and constantly explore new options that excite you and keep you motivated.
Publicity and marketing is thrilling to say the least. There’s such a great rush when your client gets recognized in national magazines, or a TV station picks up their segment. Or better yet, when your efforts start resulting in increased sales for them. That’s when it starts getting fun.
I’ve learned through the years what works and what doesn’t. One of my most successful tips is learning how to effectively follow-up. When clients get national attention, I go to work to make sure that everyone is aware of this. A press release immediately goes out to announce their accomplishment. It’s added to their website, and then the “real good ones” get added to their bio for article submissions. One example can be found on one of my client’s websites, www.hometutoringbusiness.com, and her press page.
It’s also important to follow-up with the reporters and let them know how much you appreciate the acceptance of your quotes. When you go the extra step to show them your appreciation, they remember you when the next article comes up and they need help with more quotes. Many reporters work for multiple magazines so one good ally can lead to lots of media exposure.
There also is a great demand today for VAs to help realtors with their marketing. Whether virtually or locally, you can make a substantial difference in a realtors’ bottom line. When I did marketing for a realtor several years ago, I always thought outside the box. Yes, we could send out mailers and announce new houses on the market, but I worked on ways to immediately capture the attention of those we market to. What will keep impress them enough, and stick with them, that when they found a need for a realtor, you are the one that first comes to mind? We decided part of our marketing campaign would be to take advantage of the holidays. Yes, many realtors did this, but we did it better. For Halloween we put small pumpkins with our business cards in the neighborhoods that we targeted. We also did the follow-up with a mailer that had the realtor in a costume and the ad read something like, “Does the prospect of selling your home SCARE you? It wouldn’t if you listed with Max Realty.”
We sent something for most of the holidays and even though the cost was high, they were easily offset by the profits the realtor received. But the best news was that he quickly became known as the “friendly realtor,” and the realtor that everyone wanted to do business with. We repeatedly heard that every holiday, our friends in the neighborhood looked forward to seeing what we would come up with next. I bet our magnets were on most of the families’ fridges in the neighborhood. How did we do that? Well, everyone sends the calendar magnets for New Years, but people get so many, they get lost. The real trick is to send that magnet when others don’t, like for Valentines Day or the start of the baseball season with the home teams schedule on it.
My business today is all about getting exposure. My PR hat is always on. I like to take any situation and turn it into good press for my clients and myself alike. As a result, I stay alert on current events. Whenever a story hits the press that any of my clients would have a connection to, I’ll send it right away. Having press releases already prepared for clients on their business is always a great help. I sign up for Google Alerts on their topic and then whenever a story is written on the issue, I’ll follow-up with our story to the reporter. It works!
As you can see, I love being a VA and am excited about the possibilities of our Industry. I do believe that some day the phrase Virtual Assistant will be just as popular as the term secretary, only with a more positive feel to it. Often secretaries weren’t proud of what they did, although they should have been, as most ran the offices and their employers couldn’t work without them. However, virtual assistants are a proud bunch and we should be. We’ve come a long way and that’s just the beginning. We are skilled, dedicated, and determined to spread the message of how we can and will make your business better.
posted by DianaEnnen at 1:11 PM
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