Are you ready to become a VA Specialist?

When someone decides to become a Virtual Assistant, they usually think in terms of offering services related to their experience.  They are already facing the task of learning how to provide their services as they transition to using hardware and software to go virtual.  Many VA’s, once established, gain steady clients and/or project work.

However, if they are involved in VA organizations or forums, they consistently hear that “niching” their services is the way to go.  If you are considering this option, the first question you should have is “what are the pros and cons of becoming a specialist?”

5 Pros to Become a Specialist:

1. The Virtual Assistance industry is growing rapidly in 2010.  Becoming a Specialist allows you to stand out from the crowd.
2. You can narrow down your “target market” and your “ideal client”.
3. You can become a “thought leader” in your specialized field.
4. You can provide more detailed services, tailored to your client’s needs.
5. You can more easily focus on updating your education and experience to the latest methods and skills in your speciality.

The Cons:

1. In order to become a Specialist you have to train yourself to be fully knowledgeable in your chosen field.  You have 2 choices.  You can choose to research and learn from countless sources on the internet but that involves an extraordinary amount of time and does not necessarily provide you with all the information to be the best at that service and provide the desired results for your clients.  Or you can research all the sites, groups and schools that have courses available but you have to be prepared to spend varying amounts of money to get the education, get certified or obtain a diploma, and purchase the hardware and software you will need.
2. If you specialize, be consistent.   It is very easy to be distracted by providing totally unrelated or general services and robs you of the time you want and need to be making use of  your specialized services.  The way to rise above all the competition, is to “be on top of your game”.  Be clear in your marketing messages and your branding.
3. In specializing, you have narrowed down who your clients will be but it may be difficult to turn down a big project or steady client.

If you have decided that being a specialist is the right choice for you, are you aware of all the areas of specialization available in the Virtual world?  You can choose to have professional clients in specific industries like legal, medical, real estate, authors/speakers, the trades, etc. OR you can choose a specialty service and offer it to various sizes and kinds of businesses.

Some examples of “niched” services:

• Internet Marketing Specialist
• Social Media Marketing Specialist
• Virtual Event Specialist
• Copywriter
• Press Release Specialist
• Research/Development Specialist
• Search Engine Optimization Specialist
• Accounting/Bookkeeping Specialist
• Video Marketing Specialist
• Website Creator
• Desktop Publishing
• Blog Marketing Specialist
• Transcriptionist

…..and the list goes on.

If you have specialized, what was your choice?  Why did you choose that particular specialty?  And if you have a specialized service you want to add to this list, please feel free..

Diane L. Coville

ALTERNATIVE OFFICE ASSISTANCE

http://www.alternativeofficeassistance.com

Social Media in 2010 – Where is it Going?

 Despite the best of my intentions, I got side-tracked from my Blog in January 2010.  The year started very different from what I anticipated.  Five new opportunities/prospects came my way for which I am very excited as my business is growing again but I also got sidetracked from my strict regime of networking and blogging.

As well, when VA Classroom announced they were offering a new and updated Social Media 2010 program at the beginning of February, I debated for 0nly one day about whether or not to sign-up.  But I realized that although I received excellent training from their first Social Media Marketing course in 2009, things have changed significantly since that time and it is difficult to keep abreast of all the new and innovative ways to use this media to it’s full potential.

A week into the course, and I do not regret signing up.

When I first provided Social Media services to my clients, it was easy to strategize for those clients that had far reaching “ideal clients” internationally or nationally.  But it was more difficult to find and refine helping “local” clients – those that had a focus on clients in a specific region such as – a plumber, a flower store, a nutritionist, a trainer/coach, etc.

Those who also identified the needs of local businesses came up with all sorts of software, sites and tools to help local businesses optimize their strategies.

And on the other end of the spectrum, Corporations and Organizations also recognized that ignoring the Social Media realm as a fad would be a huge mistake.  And so they started dreaming up new ways of making Social Media work for them.

• One great example is Best Buy.  Their people developed Twelpforce for Twitter.  Many of their best salespeople, technicians and customer service people work through Twelpforce to assist customers on-line, and in their stores.
• I also recently discovered another great new resource specifically focused on customer service called Get Satisfaction.  Facebook uses it and so does Ping.fm.  I specifically had a problem within Ping.fm and within 3 hours, using Get Satisfaction, I was communicating with one of their customer service people who resolved my problem effortlessly.  I was very grateful for their efforts in getting my issue resolved to my complete sastisfaction in record time.

Those two examples of how Social Media has spawned new ways for businesses to interact more effectively with their prospects, present customers and referrals with a  fresh approach is only the beginning of many new dynamic trends in how this medium will develop in 2010.

Please feel free to share new methods you have discovered in Social Media.

 

Diane Coville

ALTERNATIVE OFFICE ASSISTANCE

www.alternativeofficeassistance.com

 

Virtually Green

 

Going Green

 

I recently got “tagged” by Janet Barclay, owner of  Organized Assistant who was tagged, in turn, by Sheila Sheffield of Tree Beginnings who came up with the  Green Challenge!  The challenge is to pass on three ideas about how you try to minimize your impact on the environment, then tag 5 more bloggers to carry it on.

Since January is fast approaching with a fresh New Year ahead, I have been strategizing for 2010 – what worked in 2009 and what didn’t and  how I want to move forward in 2010.  Of course, the economy and the shift in how businesses are operating in this recession plays a large part in the strategizing process and those who do not pay attention to the changes and think the old “tried and true” methods will still produce desired results, should take pause and do a little research.  Just my opinion…

Most of my strategies involve my company, but that directly relates to my personal side as well, being a small business owner and an entrepreneur.  And one big shift I have been working toward is going GREEN. 

Therefore, my three ideas for minimizing my impact on the environment are as follows:

Garbage Waste:

Like Janet, I also recycle and compost. 

On the business side, anything that is still useable, whether it be company related like office equipment, office supplies or the like, is taken to Goodwill or a company that recycles business related items.  I even check for used items that I need for my business such as a filing cabinet or office chair before I look to purchase new items.  I also reuse paper – if printing is on one side, I often print on the other side as well for unofficial documents and also use for scrap paper for writing notes.

On the personal side, I send items like gently used clothing, cooking utensils, books and appliances to Goodwill.  I buy a lot of food items in reusable containers – plastic or glass containers that can be reused to store leftovers or dry goods items that I buy in bulk from Bulk Barn.  When they are broken or damaged, they go to the recycle bin.

Car Usage:

Being virtual, I already have reduced my car travel as I work from my home office and only, when necessary, do on site work for clients.  And when I am out doing site work, I incorporate my runarounds for errands into the same trip, saving gas, time and money.  The bank, drug store and food store are not within walking distance but I do have a bus that stops right outside my door.  I shun drive thrus – no wasteful idling for me.

Hydro:

Computer on standby or shut off when not in use.  Low watt, energy saving light bulbs, LED Xmas lights, TVs and lights turned off when no-one is in a room, cold wash laundry & minimal use of dryer.

And these are the bloggers I am tagging:

• Andrea Kalli
• Kathy Colaiacovo
• Janice Byer
• Lisa Olinda
• Karri Flatla

I realize this is a very busy time of year, but would appreciate your comments and suggestions on how to contribute to going green and link love.

Diane L. Coville

ALTERNATIVE OFFICE ASSISTANCE

www.alternativeofficeassistance.com