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  • February 18, 2019

By DeneenTy

How to Not Suck at Social Media

Social media is all about socializing. Business’ and consumers are connecting online and exchanging all types of important information that will ultimately create ongoing relationships. Introverts and extroverts alike are maximizing their online time to initiate conversations about what consumers want, and how business’ can better meet their specific needs.social-listening-image

Knowing how to “not suck at social media” will help you generate more leads, improve customer care and ultimately grow a loyal customer base. It’s important to note that like most relationships, it takes time to grow something solid. Strengthening your online presence and growing your following will take time (and I mean more than three months). The good news is that with consistency and the right content, you’ll see a growth in your following, sooner than later.  Use social listening to help your business better connect with its community.

Tip 1: Know which social media networks to focus on.

Figure out where your audience finds their most relevant information. Just as its important to identify a target audience for honing your marketing strategy, its equally important to determine which social media sites your target audience frequents. Google analytics is, hands down, one of the most efficient ways to track and monitor related trends like conversions, the different sites linking to your content, network referrals and more. Google analytics is able to tell you key things like which of your articles are being shared and from which social network. Check out this blog post from Hootsuite for a more in depth “How To” related to Google Analytics. You also have the option of gathering this type of information “by hand” which involves surveying customer satisfaction through questionnaires; just be warned that this method is by far more tedious.

Tip 2: Publish content that your community values.

Whether you’re outsourcing your content creation needs to a freelance writer or you create your own content, it’s important to focus your writing on meeting the needs of your followers, as opposed to, bombarding them with pitchy, self-promoting content.  There are several blogs out there that offer you different ratios for social media marketing. For example, the golden rule ratio- 30/60/10- suggests that you create 30% original content, 60% curated content and 10% promotional content to ensure a balance between meeting your business promotion needs and meeting the needs of your followers. 10%!! That means if you post to social media 10 times per week, only one of those posts should directly promote your business; the remaining should focus on meeting the client’s needs.

Instead of always broadcasting the services you provide, let followers know how you can help assist them by creating content that solves the day-to-day problems they face. This’ll keep them coming back for more!

Tip 3:  Listen more than you promote.

Don’t be “that guy who talked about himself the whole date”, get to know the person (or the people) around you, let them know you care. In the case of social media, get to know those in your community by figuring out what they’re struggling with day-to- day. My grad school professor always said: “people don’t care what you know, until they know that you care”. Since hearing that statement for the first time, no statement has been truer. Once your community of customers know that your business cares about what they need they’ll find a reason to be a loyal follower. Figure out how you can best serve them with social listening. Do this by using your social media presence to ask more questions and discover more about the type of ideal client you’d like to attract.

*Tips adapted from socialmediaexaminer.com

Favorite Top 3 Social Media Blogs/Websites

Effective social media management requires that we remain “in the know”. Stay up to date with cutting edge practices and tips relevant to the world of social media. Here’s my Top 3 List of blogs/websites every Social Media Manager should follow:

  • http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/
  • socialmediatoday.com
  • https://blog.bufferapp.com/

Printed Resources for Effective Social Media Management

Click item to purchase.


Need Help Managing Your Social Media?

As vital as Social media is for business, managing your own site(s) isn’t always feasible. Outsource this task to a virtual assistant for guaranteed quality and consistency.


ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER:

logo-image-cartoonHi guys, I’m Deneen , Content Creator and Virtual Assistant at D.Tyler Consulting Services and Virtual Assistance where we provide administrative, creative and technical services to help small business owners establish brand consistency online and offline. Partner with us to meet your social media needs! “Help isn’t help if it’s not what you need”, let us virtually help you manage your brand.


 

Filed Under: Virtual Assistant Services Tagged With: administrative assistant, Facebook, GoogleAnalytics, Instagram, LinkedIn, small business, SocialListening, socialmedia, socialmediamanagement, socialmediamarketing, Twitter

By Becky Gregory

10 Things Your VA Can Do To Make Your Life Easier

When you think about it – most of us are already working virtually to some degree or another; phones, email, Skype, cloud based file sharing, conference calls – it’s how things get done.  Working with a Virtual Assistant is no different.  I’ve heard people say… “I don’t think a Virtual Assistant would work for me. I need my assistant to be close by”.  When I hear this I can’t help but think about all the ways a Virtual Assistant can provide support without being anywhere near them. Here are just a few examples:

  1. Social Media Marketing: Creating and sharing information about your business is vital – but not the best use of your time. This is definitely something your VA can do for you consistently resulting in driving traffic to your website and increasing your search engine rankings.
  2. Email: Your Virtual Assistant can reduce your daily email load by checking and screening for you. She can probably respond to a lot of it herself and flag the rest for your personal attention. She’ll also organize your email into manageable folders. Great time saver!busy-professional
  3. Email Marketing & Newsletters: Your VA can help you build loyalty, trust and brand awareness.  This is a time and money saving way to stay in touch with your clients and potential clients. Be the expert in your field and keep everyone informed about what’s going on in your business and industry.
  4. Word Processing & Spreadsheets:  Make sure your business has a professional look with precise, attractive documents. Let your VA create, format and edit simple to complex documents and spreadsheets that make you look great.
  5. PowerPoint Presentations: Interesting and relevant presentations are wonderful visual tools for speakers, coaches, trainers and others. Your VA can create fabulous presentations that help you deliver your message without being distractive.
  6. Calendar Management & Scheduling: Be on time. Know what’s next. Let your VA manage your calendar and schedule your meetings and appointments. Then you’ll always stay ahead of and be prepared for the next thing instead of running ‘a few minutes late’.
  7. Travel & Lodging Arrangements: Room reservations, airline and train tickets and ground transportation; having it all in sync makes your travel experience less stressful. Tell your VA where you’re going and when and let her set it all up for you, over time developing your personal travel profile.
  8. Database/Contact Management: Having your contacts organized and up to date has tremendous value. Not just for mailings and marketing but just being able to find a phone number in a hurry. Let your VA get all those loose business cards organized into an online CRM that you can access from anywhere.
  9. Webinars:   Your Virtual Assistant can set up and facilitate webinars and other online events. Presentations, lectures, workshops, trainings and seminars can be ready when you are. She’ll send out the invitations and the login info and track the RSVPs. She’ll even make sure you’re prepared with everything you need for a successful event.
  10. Internet Research: Research is no longer a bad word? Now your VA can research any topic for you and organize it into a format that you can use.

Your admin doesn’t have to be under the same roof to provide the support you need. VA’s can reduce your workload, save you time, money and energy. Enlist the services of a real Virtual Assistant today and experience the benefits for yourself!

Becky Gregory is an Executive Virtual Assistant and the owner of Virtual Administrative Services (VAS). You can reach Becky at becky@virtualadminservices.com

Filed Under: Featured, Marketing, Virtual Assistant Services

By Becky Gregory

Biz to Biz Bartering

b2b bartering

 

 

Recently, I found myself in a situation with a potential client where we went from talking dollars and cents to discussing exchanging our services in a way that would ultimately be a win-win for both of us. He runs a business networking group and has a substantial membership list of business owners and professionals in the Washington, DC Metro area.  He also had a substantial list of administrative work which he needed help with.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have the budget for a V.A.  On the other hand, I wanted access to his membership list.  I believed it had the potential to be a great source for new business. We began to talk about how we could help each other.

This was not the first time I had bartered  my V.A. services.  In this case we determined that I would provide some of the admin support he needed and in exchange he would grant me access to his prominent list of members, invite me to do a business presentation at their next meeting and give me a free membership!

Bartering Virtual Assistant services is like bartering for anything else.  According to SBDCNet (Small Business Development Center Network):

  1. Small Businesses exchange almost every imaginable product or service like medical services,media services, landscaping, clothing, food, real estate, legal services, toys, cruises, cars, hotels, etc.
  1. The advantages of bartering are:
    • You receive goods or services you need without paying cash.
    • You get new customers from the company you bartered with as they will continue to buy from you for cash, if they are pleased with your offering and service. This satisfaction generates the most effective form of advertising: word of mouth – which will get you new customers.b2b bartering 2

Consider bartering the next time you need something but don’t have the necessary cash on hand. See if the person who has the product or service you need is willing to make an exchange for yours. Here are a few tips to help you set up your barter arrangement.

  1. Decide what you need and what you are willing to accept in return. Be very clear and detailed.
  2. Identify a realistic trading partner. Take a fresh look at existing business clients and vendors and determine if there’s something worth exchanging.
  3. Make sure you get everything in writing up front – and be specific. Develop a contract just as you would for a paying client and include time limitations.
  4. Keep records for your accountant. Remember, bartering is considered income! While you may be able to write off expenses you incur during the barter, you must claim the fair market value of the services you provided as income.

Becky Gregory is an Executive Virtual Assistant and the owner of Virtual Administrative Services (VAS) www.virtualadminservices.com

Filed Under: Marketing, Virtual Assistant Services Tagged With: administrative assistant, social media, typing service, Virtual Assistant, wordpress

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