How to work with a virtual assistant

How to work with a Virtual Assistant

The VA industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK today and every day it would appear that a new website pops up. So to, it would seem, do stories of appalling work, unprofessionalism, and bad experiences. Without a doubt hiring a VA can have tremendous advantages to a small business owner or single entrepreneur but without knowing what to look for in a virtual assistant it could leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

So what should you do to enable that you get the best value for money for your business and that your professional working experience is a positive one?

Research the industry. Do not hire the first VA you find on the internet. Make sure that the fit will work. Is the VA responsive to your needs and are they on your wavelength? Many VAs have great websites (and there are many more that do not!) but can they actually do what is required from them, efficiently and cost effectively? If the fit still does not work after a trial period, don’t give up. Try another VA.


Know what to delegate and communicate this clearly. What time consuming tasks are taking up your valuable time and preventing things from getting done? What essential skills are you lacking that another professional could handle for you?
Remember it is your responsibility to communicate your needs clearly and precisely. Understandably there will be a learning curve at the start but good communication and confirmation that you are fully understood, will ensure that your VA evolves with you and your business. They truly will become a valuable asset to your company.

Understand that a virtual assistant is a business professional and a business owner themselves. They are not a subordinate or employee. In fact they are actually a business equal and the relationship you have with them should be that of a partnership. It is important to realize that you cannot dictate how the work you have contracted is carried out. All work should be completed within an agreed timeframe and for an agreed price but resist the urge to control the situation. Relax and understand that it is being handled by a professional who can and will deliver for you.

Pay per click advertising

Pay Per Click Advertising
The Pay-per-click ads (or sponsored ads) in search engines such as Google or Yahoo work on a bidding system. Advertisers choose to ‘bid’ how much they are prepared to pay every time someone clicks on their ad. The more you bid the higher your ad appears and every time someone clicks on your ad your bid amount is deducted from your account.

It is near impossible to appear in the main results of Google or Yahoo Search when someone is looking for a Virtual Assistant even with a hefty investment in SEO. For a brand new site it will be very difficult to get good results in the main search engines initially especially in Google. The way your website is built can also hinder good rankings in the main search results. SEO relies on target phrases appearing all over your site which might make you look unprofessional or you may want to target a very wide range of phrases, and not have the time and/or budget to optimise your site for these.

Pay-per-click advertising is a good way to get to the top of the search engines quickly and affordably and will allow you test whether internet marketing is likely to be profitable for your business. If managed carefully it can be extremely cost-effective. If nobody clicks on your ad you don’t pay. (Some pay-per-click programmes do, however, have minimum monthly charges and/or setup fees.)

The two main pay-per-click programmes are Google AdWords and Yahoo Sponsored Search with Google being the most widely used at the moment. Google AdWords supplies ads to Google, Ask Jeeves, AOL and a number of other sites. Yahoo Sponsored Search ads appear on Yahoo, MSN, Altavista and many other sites. It is a good idea to try out a number of various programmes to see which get the best results for your business.

To get started first choose key words that you want your advert to come up for when searched. There is a free keyword research tool provided by Google Adwords and Yahoo Sponsored Search to help you find lots of related phrases.
The words that you use to describe your VA service are not necessarily what your target audience would use.

Next, subdivide your list of keywords into a number of categories – if you are providing a variety of secretarial services for example, you might have an ‘Transcription Service’ category, a ‘Powerpoint Service’ category and a ‘Diary Management Service’ category. For each category, write a different advertisement, which closely focuses on those searchers’ needs.

Read the search engine’s own guidelines carefully. Experiment with the wording of your ads and try out several different ones to compare the results. If you offer a free consultation or offer discounts mention it! You can use a search engine marketing consultant to help you set up and even run your pay-per-click campaigns for you however this may not always prove cost effective.

Both Google and Yahoo have an Analytics reporting systems which enable you to track and analyse the success of your campaigns. You can see clearly which keywords are delivering the best results for you and which adverts are attracting the most clicks. You can even see which days of the week and times of the day work best for you.

Establishing your niche client

Establishing your niche client


Establishing who your niche client is and having a clear understanding of exactly who you are marketing to is one of the most profitable ways for a small company to conduct business. By concentrating on providing one or two specific services, such as transcription, or by working within a specific industry sector, such as Real Estate a Virtual Assistant’s reputation can grow quickly. It is a common misconception that providing a lot of services to a variety of different business will result in greater income. It could actually lead to far less profit. By narrowing down your niche market you will have a better understanding of who your client is and how you can help them.

Having a niche market will:
· Give you one goal to focus on.
· Allow you to concentrate all your marketing.
· Help you establish yourself as an expert in a particular field.
· Allow you to better understand the specialised skills needed for a particular service or in a specific industry.
· Cut down on your advertising costs.
· Ensure that you do not spread yourself to thin.
· Encourage people in related industries, who talk to one another, to refer you.
· Allow you to address only the needs of your niche client and understand fluently what they want.

Think about your niche client. Who are they and what are their needs? What day to day problems do they face in their business? What tools and equipment do they have and what software programs do they use? How do they themselves conduct business and make their money? Now how can you help them to better achieve this? By understanding what your client does, and how, you can better recognise what it is that they need from you to help them.

7th May 2009 Marketing Tip

Give people as many ordering options as possible. Accept credit cards, cheques, money orders etc. Use shopping cart/pay pal etc

6th May 2009

Cross promote products with other businesses who have the same niche clients as you to help keep the advertising costs down.

5th May 2009 Marketing Tip

Know your niche and when they are most likely to buy your product and when they are not. If there is a certain time of day when nobody is buying then lower the price during these hours to bring in stragglers or bargain hunters.

4th May 09 - Marketing Tip

Today's Marketing tip:Survey your target market-find out what you have in common with them.Talk about it in your ads,website,literature etc