Ready for Support With Your Online Business? Here’s How a Virtual Assistant Can Help
Virtual Assistants (or VAs) are no longer a new fad or trend. If you work in the online space, chances are you’re either familiar with the term “VA,” have hired one yourself, or have been considering whether it’s time to bring one into your business.
(Or maybe you’re even considering becoming a VA yourself. This post is for you too!)
As business owners, it’s easy to get lost in the day to day hustle of managing and growing your business. It’s important to remember that you have options that can help you grow, which in turn gives you more time to focus on your own zone of genius.
And that is why VAs are so amazing.
But if “Virtual Assistant” or “VA” is a new term for you, let’s start by telling you what the heck a VA is…
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone who works remotely to support your online business in a number of ways. If that sounds like a general description, that’s because there are no set tasks a VA is expected to perform, as each business comes with its own unique needs! As the business owner, it’s up to you to decide which area of your business needs the most support. From there you can choose which tasks you’d like your VA to work on.
If you need more support around delegating in your business, check out this blog post.
Most virtual assistants operate as independent contractors, meaning they pay their own taxes, and set their own working hours. Some VAs charge hourly, while others group their services into monthly packages or retainers.
The type of VA you decide to hire will depend on your business’s budget and needs. Since VAs can perform a variety of tasks, their prices will vary based on skill level.
Now that you know what a VA is, I bet you’re busy dreaming up all the wonderful things they could potentially help you with.
To help you narrow it down, here is an overview of some different tasks a VA can perform:
Entry Level VA Services
Admin Support
A good Admin VA can help you with tasks such as inbox management, calendar management, and webinar/meeting support. They can take meeting notes, or be there to provide troubleshooting in case of technical issues. Admin support also includes things like data entry, market research, and organizing digital files.
Customer Service
If you run a product-based business or communicate with your customers frequently, your VA can help by responding to emails, returning phone calls, answering inquiries, and processing refunds.
Social Media Support
Entry level social media support can include creating monthly content calendars, designing graphics in Canva, posting your social content, and engaging on your social media channels. Engagement includes answering DMs, responding to comments, and building your online community.
Mid Level VA Services
Many mid level VA services tend to be more niche than entry level services because they require more experience, knowledge, and skill to complete. Here are a few examples:
Email Marketing Management
Email marketing management is much more than just writing emails to send out to your list. An email marketing manager can also be responsible for tasks like
Creating landing pages and opt-in forms, and integrating them with your website
Creating automated email sequences such as welcome sequences, launch sequences, and abandoned cart sequences
Keeping your list up to date, and utilizing strategic segmentation/tagging
Creating insight reports
Learn which email marketing platforms I recommend here.
Copywriter/Content Manager
A copywriter can assist you with things like
Website copy
Sales pages
Email copy
Blog writing
Social media captions
A content manager or content repurposing specialist can help you take one piece of content, such as a blog post, youtube video, or podcast interview, and turn it into multiple pieces of content to share across all social platforms. Content managers are typically skilled in copywriting as well, and are a great option if you’re looking to outsource your content marketing efforts.
Youtube & Podcast Management
You can also hire a VA to manage your Youtbe channel or podcast. Typically, these VAs are skilled in video and audio editing software, but they can also be responsible for
Creating graphics for your show like thumbnails and banners
Finding keywords to use on your channel
Uploading episodes to Youtube or to your Podcast platform
Writing show notes, and episode descriptions
Organizing your channel into playlists
Advanced VA Services
If you’re ready for more advanced support with your business, consider hiring for one of these services:
Systems Set Up
There are VAs out there who specialize in specific platforms that can help you when it comes to setting up systems in your business. Here are a fw systems your VA can help you set up:
Your CRM (Customer Relation Management) platform (learn more here)
Your online course platform
Your membership platform
You could also get support connecting various online platforms to each other so all systems run smoothly and work seamlessly with each other.
Project Management or Online Business Manager (OBM)
Project managers or OBMs are great to bring into your business when you’re juggling multiple projects at once, need extra support with organization, or need help managing team members. An OBM can help you…
Manage the day to day workings of your business
Find and implement new systems that support your business
Create, delegate, and manage new project tasks
Web Design & Maintenance
Web design and maintenance support includes getting your initial website set up and optimized (keeping best SEO practices in mind). Your web design specialist can also assist you in managing the backend of your website, helping with troubleshooting issues or website crashes.
Before you get too excited about hiring your first virtual assistant, make sure you know which services you’re interested in hiring for. A good place to start is by identifying the tasks in your business you no longer enjoy, don’t have time for, or are just plain crappy at.
And if you’re not sure HOW someone could help, but know you can’t do it on your own anymore, try to find someone who listens to you during your initial consultation call. A great VA will be able to hear where you’re struggling and tell YOU how they can help.
I regularly talk with entrepreneurs who aren’t sure what they need, but know that they’re drowning, and that’s ok too. Just be honest with where you’re at so you can find the best fit for your needs.
Before moving any further, make sure you have these 4 essential systems in place that I recommend for all new entrepreneurs. A virtual assistant can help you set up these systems, but first you need to know which ones could use some polishing!
That’s why I created my free Simple Essential Systems Guide. In this guide, you’ll learn which systems are the most important to prioritize in your business, plus receive prompts and recommendations for setting up each one. Download the guide for free here.
And if you’re ready for some help right now, you can always reach out to us for a consult – we can help with pretty much everything listed in the post and more and would be thrilled to talk with you.
