When I started blogging 3 years back, this was not a term which was in my vocabulary. I loved writing. But social media sharing and interactions made me tired. Now few years down the line, I realized a need for help. With a full-time job and a six-year-old at home, I was struggling to keep up. Then I had my eureka moment. The search started for a virtual friend.
What is a virtual assistant and what do they do?
A virtual assistant is someone who will help you grow your business. They will be employed by you but will work from home. In this world of online business is a wonderful way to get help without overwhelm of managing a team physically.
Basic:
- Sharing on social media.
- Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram at the least.
- Scheduling blog post shares using various tools.
- Creating blog post creatives, social media creatives.
Standard.
All the above plus some more.
- Special branded Pin images and Instagram images according to blog posts.
- Make optin content
- Make videos, vlogs. Repurpose them with appropriate captions.
Advanced VA skills
All that is in Basic and Standard plus
- Get clients on board.
- Schedule social media calendars.
- May need content creation skills when life gets busy.
- Ability to train and manage multiple junior level trainee.
- Curate content.
- Research content.
- VA transcription services and many more specialized needs.
Qualities a VA needs to have ( Basic)
- Curious nature.
- Ability to learn.
- Able to spend 3 to 4 hours a day for the designated jobs.
- Hard working.
- Pleasant to get along with.
- Appreciates the ease of working from home.
- Ready to learn on the job.
- Understands the importance of her work
Skills a VA must have
- Comfortable with social media
- Ability to.use a smartphone and laptop to create social media content and blog content.
- Minimum skills: Ability to use Google doc,excel sheets, Canva, video and photo editing software.
- Understands copyright issues.
- Understands confidentiality.
Other specialized VA work:
- Book cover design
- Proofreading editing
- Web design
- Website optimization
- Podcast into voice over
- Video Intro
- Video editing
- Book-keeping
- Online Research
- Database entries
- Data presentations
- Newsletter managing
- Email managing
- Social niceties
- Managing appointments
- Trend tracking
What a VA must not do
- Take client information and use them for personal gain.
- Unethical use of information.
- Unreliable.
- Not easy to get along with.Not social.
My Favorite sites for VA work:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- Elance
How to be a VA in India?
If you are ready to get started as a freelancing VA, then I have some help for you.
- Create a business plan for your VA services.
- Have your own virtual home. Get a website.
- Get client testimonials.
- Have a portfolio.
- Get your ideal client.
- Get a contract made.
- Be truthful about what you can deliver.
- Do not under price.
- If it’s not working for you have an exit plan.
- Explore and branch out
- Hire more people.
Virtual Assistants help us in many ways. They are remote and work part-time.T hat takes the pressure of full employee payment which many may have a problem with. They help you concentrate on the important part of website and business.
If you want to hire a VA what you need to know:
- The exact work list you need help with. If you are vague about the work that needs to be done, then you will run into trouble.
- Decide on the rate of work. It can be per hour or according to work that needs to be done.I prefer deciding on a rate in advance and then the work that needs to be done in that time too. That way I am not left with undone work at the end of that time.
- A trained VA will have a higher charge than an untrained on.
- Decide on a trial period when working with a VA. This gives you a better rate as well as a good chance of testing the skills of the VA. I prefer at least 21 days to 1 month. That way I have an escape option if things don’t work for me.
Takeaway
It’s a good way to earn or the side and with regular clients and a team, the sky is the limit. The minimum and maximum depend on work requirement and skill sets.
Have you ever needed a VA? Do you want to train as a VA? Do you want to earn as a VA
Comment below to let me know or email me at dramrita@healthwealthbridge.com or fill up this form if you want to have your profile displayed on this page.
Definitely, subscribe to my blog here