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You are here: Home / The Beginner VA / Beginner Virtual Assistant – Module 2 – Virtual Assistant Solutions

Beginner Virtual Assistant – Module 2 – Virtual Assistant Solutions

How do I get started?  Where do I begin?  I am OVERWHELMED!

I completely understand!

(Continued from Beginner VA 1)

Module II:  VA Solutions

  1. Google Products (Detailed Breakdown)

  2. Calendar Options

  3. Events

  4. File / Task Management

  5. Email Marketing / List Building Programs

  6. Reputation Monitoring

  7. Social Media

  8. Marketing Tools

  9. An Excellent Attitude

 

MODULE II. VA SOLUTIONS

  1. Google Products

Many of the Google products are free (if you set up a google account).  These solutions are easy to use and are accessible anywhere when you have internet access.  These are a great way to get started with no cost (other than your time).

a) Google Plus

  • Google+ is an interest-based social network that is owned and operated by Google
  • You can link your images, videos, reviews, etc to your Google+ profile

b) Google Places (now called Google My Business)

  • Using Google My Business is the fast and easy way for businesses, products, brands, artists, and organizations to manage their online presence with Google. Using the Google My Business dashboard, you can: Maintain up-to-date business information on Google. Build loyal customers using a Google+ page.

c)  Gmail

  • gmail.com
  • Have a domain (i.e. GoDaddy or HostGator forward to gmail account)
  • Create folders in Gmail
  • Searchability in Gmail
  • Priority Email vs Inbox Email
  • Sent and Draft Folders
  • Favorites
  • Signature
  • Google Apps
  • Live Google Chat

d) Google Apps

  • Set of web applications offered by Google.
  • Email, Calendar, Docs, Google Talk (Chat), Google Mobile and Google Sites.
  • All of these items are online in a cloud based format
  • Details and pricing here: https://support.google.com/a/answer/3035792?hl=en

e) Google Docs

  • Share docs with other people
  • Google Docs is similar to MS Office (but not exactly the same). If you are familiar with Microsoft Office you will be able to navigate around Google Docs.
    • Please Note: that the level of functionality in the Microsoft products are more efficient than Google.
  • For Example:
    • Google Document (similar to MS Word)
    • Google Presentation (similar to MS PowerPoint)
    • Google Spreadsheet (similar to MS Excel)
  • Google Docs is a fabulous way to share documents online securely

f) Google Calendar

  • https://www.google.com/calendar
  • Accessible online calendar
  • Synch to your smartphone
  • Often on an event click (add to Google Calendar)
  • Invite attendees to event
  • Set up reminders (email x weeks, days or hours ahead of appointment).
  • Multiple calendars for multiple clients

g) Google Drive

  • Google Driveis a file storage and synchronization service created by Google. It allows users to store files in the cloud, share files, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with collaborators.

i) Google Blog (aka Blogger)

j) Google Adwords Keyword Planner

k) Google Alerts

  • https://www.google.com/alerts
  • Get an email notification when Google archives your information online
  • Receive Google Alerts on clients’ topics, name, etc.
  • Use double “” before and after text “” to ensure that you will only receive alerts for EXACTLY what you are searching for.
  • Use Google Alerts to determine what your competition is doing
  • Determine what questions people are asking online.

l) Google Voice

  • https://www.google.com/voice
  • Google voice allows the user to hide their personal phone number if they are using a personal cell phone
  • You can get a free 800 number from Google
  • You can also get your voicemails emailed and a text sent to you upon voice mail messages received.

m) Google Task List

  • https://mail.google.com/mail/help/tasks/
  • This allows you to track your tasks online and cross them off as they are finished.
  • There will be a running online account of the items you update.
  • You can also synch this tasklist to your Smartphone or IPhone.
  • Note: I also use a paper task list so I can stay organized on paper and online.  I never want to miss a task or an important client appointment.

 

2.  Calendar Options   

  • Keep in mind that keeping your clients tasks, appointments, etc. organized is KEY to your success.
  • You may have an online calendar (i.e. google.com/calendar) and you may also choose to have a paper calendar.
  • I personally have both just so I have a backup for both.
  • In addition, it helps me stay on task with what is important and urgent for a specific day.
  • You may also utilize calendars in:
    • Online Calendar
    • Smartphone (Samsung/ IPhone)
    • Paper Calendar
    • Day Timer / Franklin Planner
    • TimeTrade.com– allows clients to book an appt with you online during a time that is convenient for them. You set up the times that you are available.

3.  Events

  • Event posting and monitoring will be a great asset to your client’s events and upcoming speaking engagements.
  • Your client can sign up for a free account on eventbrite.com , this site is free. Eventbrite does charge a fee if your client charges a fee for the event.
  • You can add links, information, location (with google maps, etc.).
  • Event Registration Sites normally send reminders the day before and also track their email registration.
  • Once you create an event in Eventbrite you can create a custom url which you can use in all of the client’s other marketing
  • If you have Aweber, Constant Contact, etc, you can create the event in those sites. Use the RSVP link from the particular event in question.
  • Please Note: that Eventbrite.com has an online interface for Mailchimp.com (more details to follow).

a) Places to Post Your Event

  • You will want to post your clients’ event in as many places as possible where their target clients relate online.

b) Event Tips:

  1. You will want to proofread your event twice. You don’t want to have to go in and edit an event after it is posted on the various sites (takes a great deal of time).
  2. Have the client sign off on the event prior to posting.
  3. Spam Email
    • Separate Gmail Event email account – you may want to use a separate gmail account (that you consistently monitor) so that your other email doesn’t receive spam.
    • Or, you can set up an event@thecompaniesdomain so that all event requests and/or spam notifications go to one place.

4.  File / Task Management

  • Keeping files organized on your PC and in your office will give save you time and frustration.
    • How do you function? Do you organize A to Z or Z to A?
    • Do you file by clients last name, first name or Company Name.
    • Do you file by Topic?
  • Whichever way you choose to file, once you make a decision, stick with it.
  • It really only matters what works for you and your organization system.
  • The key is to be able to retrieve a document quickly.

a) File Management Areas to Consider

  • Email Files (i.e. Gmail)
  • Computer Files (i.e. C/MyDocuments/etc.)
  • Paper Files in a File Drawer or cabinet online
  • Evernote - Evernote.com - is an online note tracking site that also synchs up with your smart phone and email.
  • Google Task List (Gmail.com) allows you to note various tasks and update them online.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Be sure to have a back up system in place to back up your files for your computer.

b) Search for Documents

  • One tool that will help you “find” a document if you lose it is to search for the files on your PC (this is for PC’s not MAC)
    • Click Start
    • Search
    • All Items Docs
    • * namesearch*.*
  • (The * denotes wild card and the pc will pull any variation for the wildcard option)
  • This will give you a list of documents that have the above criteria.
  • Once you click on the document, note where it is saved so you can find it again or resave it to a familiar folder.

 5. Email Marketing / List Building Programs

a) Email Lists

  • It is not as simple as “getting” an email address and adding it to your database. That is not good business, and also, you will want your list to be people who truly want to hear your insights and updates.
  • If you purchase lists, often times the below programs will not allow you to import the list unless the people verify that they want to receive the information you are sending.
  • Lists can be as detailed or as simple in each of the below programs.

b) Aweber

  • Aweber.com – from $14 per month
  • Email Newsletters, website sign up forms, autoresponders, email analytics, social media integration, marketing and blog campaigns, easy template setup
  • Event creation, tracking and addition to database
  • Lists and Database Management
  • Smartphone Applications
  • Please Note: If you are importing a list from other sources (i.e. another email marketing system, gmail or Microsoft Excel) the email recipients will need to re-opt in to your email campaign.
  • I personally use Aweber and have found the tech support and templates very user friendly.
  • Features: https://www.aweber.com/email-marketing-features.htm

c) Constant Contact

  • ConstantContact.com – from $15 per month
  • Free 60 day trial
  • Email marketing, social media integration, online surveys, database management
  • Autoresponders, email analytics, event registration and reminders
  • List and Database management
  • Iphone Application
  • Please Note: If you are importing a list from other sources (i.e. another email marketing system, gmail or Microsoft Excel) the email recipients will need to re-opt in to your email campaign.
  • Many of my clients use Constant Contact and like it very much.
  • Features: https://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp

d) iContact

e) InfusionSoft

  • InfusionSoft.com – from $299 per month plus set up fee around $1,500
  • Email Marketing and CRM integration
  • Shopping Cart
  • Social Media and Database Management
  • Track Newsletters, depth campaigns
  • Team Management and Updates
  • Excellent program for companies who want one program which does EVERYTHING for them
  • Success Coach to work hand in hand with company
  • My clients who have used InfusionSoft have LOVED the program and all that it offers in automation and support.
  • Features: https://www.infusionsoft.com/features

f) Mailchimp

  • MailChimp.com – has a free option
  • You can send 12,000 emails per month to a list of 2,000 subscribers—completely free.
  • Mailchimp has custom templates, social media links, newsletter templates, RSS to email, google analytics functionality, etc.
  • Mailchimp has an integration with Eventbrite to the two sites will connect with eachother.
  • Iphone Application
  • Features: https://www.mailchimp.com/features/

 g) CRM – Customer Relationship Manager   

  • CRM (customer relationship management) is an information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help a company manage customer relationships in an organized way
  • There are several CRM’s that I have seen client’s use.
    • Salesforce
    • InfusionSoft
    • Industry Specfic software.
  • If you have great skills in other areas, and are a fast learner, I have seen companies willing to train you on their own industry specific program.
  • NINJA TIP: Do NOT charge a client for your time when learning their proprietary software.  Often the client has access to online trainings.  You can take a few hours and learn. 

6.  Royalty Free / Photo Sharing Sites

  •  A company may want to use photos for newsletters, their website or other projects they are working on.
  • It is VITAL to make sure you know the source of your photos. If the photo is a royalty free photo, that means that you will not need to pay a fee to the photographer.
  • Royalty Free in photography and the stock photo industry, refers to a copyright license where the user has the one-time right to use the photo without restrictions. The user can therefore use the image in several projects without having to purchase an additional license.
  • Some Royalty Free sites are:
    • Photobucket – Photobucket.com
    • Public Domain Photos - https://www.public-domain-photos.com/
    • PLEASE NOTE – since Getty Images was acquired in 2012, I have had a few clients who were “fined” because they thought they had a royalty free image, that wasn’t actually true.
    • I ALWAYS recommend Virtual Assistants to purchase images (or have the client provide the images that are needed).

a) Photo Sharing Sites

  • You also may consider adding your photos to an online site. Please read the requirements of the site and if submission to the site allows your pictures to be obtained by other users

b) Photo Creation Sites

  • You can create your own images for use on social media and your client’s marketing. Here are 2 great platforms to try:
    • Canva.com – this is the Ninja of online photo creation – free platform – AMAZING!
    • Pickmonkey.com – has a free option to create images, resize, etc.

7.  Blog

  • There is a good chance that your client will have a blog (short for web log). A blog is a great place for clients to get their information out to their target clients.
  • A few blog platforms to consider

a) Blogging Tips

  • Be sure to use keywords in the title
  • What are the FAQ the client is asked – create blogs on those topics
  • Use good tags in the post of the blog
  • Link back to your website in the body of the blog

b) Website

  • The client may have a website that needs updating. If you are skilled in html then this is a service you can offer your clients.
  • If you are proficient in WordPress, you can also offer this to your clients.
  • Please Note: Before I could afford a website, I had my domain linked to a local networking site.
  • Another good option is to get your website link to forward to your LinkedIn profile.

8.  Reputation Monitoring

  • You will want to track what information is online for your client
  • For free tools you can use:
    • Google Alert – google.com/alerts
      • Set up alerts for keywords, blog titles, industry, competition, etc.
    • Socialmention – SocialMention.com
      • Great site for seeing what the latest information is on yourself or your client to be viewed online.

9.  Social Media

  • Become familiar with how to post on each of the social media platforms
  • Remember all of the blogs and articles you are creating, may be appropriate to place on the clients’ social media sites.
  • PLEASE NOTE: not all social media platforms are good for all companies.
  • Social Media is a TOOL to be utilized in conjunction with a powerful social media plan.
  • See Detailed Social Media Training here:

10.  Marketing Tools

11. An Excellent Attitude

  • I remember an old college instructor saying “Attitude is Everything”..that is never more true than when you are in a service industry like Virtual Assistant.
  • Clients are stressed, they need HELP, but they don’t know HOW or WHAT they need.
  • Your job is to have a positive and honest attitude on how your services can best help them save time and ultimately money by truly serving in the business they love.
  • Please Note: if a client is not a good fit for you, be honest up front and find another VA who will be able to help them.  That is why it is vital that you connect with other VAs in your local area.
  • LOVE WHAT YOU DO!
  • That is why you have a business and work so hard. Enjoy the journey!

Remember, work at your own pace and take good notes. This is a private network where you can take the time you need to learn the material in a way that works for you.

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MOST OF ALL...HAVE FUN! This is an investment in you! Take your time and learn in a way that works for you!..Ready??

So buckle up...and let's get started!

~ Angel

 

Virtual Assistant Training Network

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Bordentown, New Jersey
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