With the economy heading quickly towards recession, more companies than ever are considering hiring Virtual Administrative Assistants. A Virtual Administrative Assistant can provide the specialized support that both small business owners and top executives need. However, concerns and uncertainty about virtual assistants have kept many from taking the final leap. Here are five foolish fears about hiring a virtual administrative assistant and the reasons you shouldn’t worry:
1. Can a Virtual Administrative Assistant Get the Job Done?
One of the biggest fears surrounding hiring any virtual assistant involves the ability of in-office staff to communicate effectively with those out of the office. With today’s technology, however, this fear is entirely out-dated. Video Instant Messaging, Cell Phones, Conference calls and VOIP technologies like Skype make it easier than ever to communicate with off-site workers.
What really causes the most difficulty is a lack of process many companies encounter when hiring a virtual administrative assistant who works entirely remotely. When hiring a virtual administrative assistant, it’s important to create the same kind of structure you would otherwise have at a physical office. Have your virtual administrative assistant prepare and deliver your morning agenda in the same way every time, schedule a midday brief with her every day, and remember to follow up just like you would in your normal office environment. Remember: since most small successful business owners and top executives conduct the majority of business outside the office, face-to-face interaction between administrative assistants and their bosses is already minimal. It no longer matters where your administrative assistant works, and having a virtual administrative assistant is more viable than ever.
Continue reading “Five Foolish Fears: Hiring a Virtual Administrative Assistant”
We’ve already talked a good deal about website seo tasks for virtual website assistants here. But how much does work from a good virtual website assistant actually cost, and how much value do they create? Can we expect to pay the same rate for a virtual website assistant as we do for a more general virtual assistant or specialized virtual assistant? Should we accept high rates from virtual website assistants for specific tasks? A quick analysis of the market reveals true value virtual website assistants provide.
In my first post on virtual website assistants, I mentioned that doing a quick search for search engine optimization on elance yielded at least 2,500 results. Most individual virtual website assistants and virtual website assistant companies offer core SEO functions like keyword research, on-site optimization, and backlink building, and the average virtual website assistant charges between $8.00 and $18.00 per hour for these services.
These rates are certainly more expensive than the rates for generalized virtual assistants; the average virtual assistant on elance charges between $5.00 and $15.00 per hour. Is paying for a virtual website assistant really efficient?
To understand the real cost savings involved in hiring a virtual website assistant, it’s important to look at the rates that so-called “SEO experts” charge for their services. An article at SEOmoz on SEO Pricing and Costs reveals that mid-tear SEO companies charge up to $200 per hour for their services. That’s over a 1000% difference. In other words, it costs roughly five times less to hire a mid-tier virtual website assistant than it does to hire a mid-tier SEO expert!
Considering that both virtual website assistants and SEO gurus work from their own offices and communicate with clients via email and phone, the level of customer interaction they provide is entirely comparable. Likewise, a quick credential check on most of the virtual website assistant services in elance reveals high numbers of satisfied customers. People actually enjoy working with virtual website assistants, and they, like most virtual assistants, accomplish their tasks quickly and effectively. Virtual website assistant services clearly provide an incredible value to those companies that use them. It’s hard to beat getting the exact same services for one fifth of the price.
My virtual assistants have done a lot for me. By scheduling meetings, sorting through data, and even researching international business opportunities, my virtual assistants have saved me time and money in ways I never expected. In fact, I’ve used them so successfully, that one of my good friends, Greg Herring of Emergent Energy, recently asked me to talk with him about virtual assistants and the extent to which one could use them for personal and business productivity. Our conversation got me thinking about all the functions VAs have, and one in particular that’s becoming increasingly important: website search engine optimization and traffic-building.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an incredibly time-consuming task no matter how much of an expert you are. But it doesn’t have to be your time that’s consumed. In fact, an increasing number of virtual assistants have added the title virtual website assistant to their CVs.
Continue reading “The Virtual Website Assistant Edge”
Virtual assistants are a great resource for any SEO worker or webmaster. I mentioned in my previous post, the Virtual Website Assistant Edge, that hiring a virtual website assistant can significantly improve the productivity of your website as a marketing, sales, and informational tool. Virtual assistants are, of course, as good if not better at online tasks as they are with offline ones. But what exactly should you expect a virtual website assistant to do? What tasks are best-suited for virtual website assistants, and how can they increase your website’s efficacy? Here are the top 10 website tasks for virtual assistants:
10. Keyword Reasearch
Keyword research is possibly the most important function for any SEO worker. Knowing what keywords have become common and what keywords are up-and-coming can help you determine what areas within your niche are information-saturated and what topics are ripe for discussion. This knowledge will in turn help you and your team know what your audience is looking for and what kind of content to create; knowing your customers this well gives you an incredible means to create content that’s effective. If you have a virtual website assistant or are considering using one, make sure both you and your virtual assistant are well-versed in the art and science of keyword research.
9. On-Site SEO Optimization
Optimizing your site for search engines by getting down and dirty with the html, css, and backend code is definitely not a fun job, but, as they say, somebody’s gotta do it. If you’re new to SEO and you want to know what to expect from your virtual website assistant in terms of on-site optimization, be sure to check out SEOmoz’s 24 On-site SEO Checkups For Clueless Developers / Marketers.
The Internet is full of people promising to make you rich, and let’s face it: most of those promises are scams. Those writers who aren’t trying to con you out of your hard-earned cash usually offer the same old obvious, tedious advice—save money each month, avoid unnecessary expenses, and keep your savings in the bank. But for those of us who want to move beyond the Puritanical, a-penny-saved mindset, a more effective method is necessary. Let’s face it: saving is for retirement, not for getting rich. There are a few simple things you can do, however, that will put you well on your way to living more prosperously without adopting the kind of frugal habits that resemble Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond.
1. Act Like You’re Already Rich - In Steve Pavlina’s article, 5 Wealth Lessons from 20 Percent of a Millionaire, Steve discusses the significant shift in identity that it takes to become a millionaire. He argues that it’s impossible to become rich without first becoming comfortable with the lifestyle that accompanies wealth. This doesn’t mean acting like a snob, but it does mean learning to live as if you already had a million bucks. If you think about your wealthy friends and acquaintances, you’ll realize that most of them do most or all of the following: Continue reading “5-Plus Habits That Will Make You Rich”
If you’ve read or seen the news lately, you’ve probably already heard of virtual assistants. Bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek
(#1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal) and countless articles in the business sections of most major newspapers and magazines have popularized the concept of low-cost, outsourced assistants. Despite the media attention, however, the concept hasn’t caught on quite as quickly as many thought it would. Unsure of the benefits, afraid of the risks, or concerned about the difficulty of communicating with a remote, possibly foreign assistant, most professionals haven’t taken the plunge. If you’ve thought about using a virtual assistant and just haven’t taken the risk, or if you’ve tried a virtual assistant and want to work even more efficiently and effectively, this article is for you.
This article will provide a brief overview of virtual assistants, explain how to effectively use them to save time and money, and offer some free tools for improving your VA experience. Read more to learn how you can save thousands of dollars per year, free up your time, and have fun in the process!
Continue reading “Save Time & Money with Virtual Assistants”
