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Niche VA – Blogs

I first began blogging in 2005 I think it was.  Lost track really.  Blogging for me was the perfect outlet for the frustrated writer inside. I love to write!

I’ve found over the years blogging is a great way to keep fresh content on your site, and to demonstrate your expertise and knowledge in an area.  A marketing guy I was speaking to recently confirmed for me my own thoughts – the importance of keeping a blog to its topic of choice and then start a new one if you have another topic you want to write about, so it can gain its own readership. No point in confusing your readers as to what your blog is about.

Because of my love for blogging and my experience, it means I’m the perfect VA for those who need to set up a blog and need continued assistance.  I’m well positioned to create and set up a blog for a client and then guide them in regular posting and gaining their target audience.

What’s more I can show them what else they can do with their content over time – publish books for example. I have.

So providing support to clients who wish to write a blog for their business, or for their passion, is an ideal niche for VAs who have that knowledge and experience.  What else could you do for a client in helping with their blog?

Virtual Assistants for Photographers – niche

As you know, photography is a passion of mine….  and it occurs to me this would make another great niche for a Virtual Assistant.  What kind of things would photographers need assistance with?

  • Diary management of bookings
  • Database management of existing and prospective clients
  • Cataloguing of images
  • Setting up and ordering photobooks
  • Promotion and marketing through ezines, newsletters, blogs, Facebook, etc
  • Assisting photographers with setting up Twitter and Linkedin profiles
  • Maintaining their website and blog

Of course there are probably many other things that can be done, but this is a good start.  So, if you know a professional photographer who may be struggling with their admin needs, why not approach them to see if you can become their VA and assist them in their business?

Niche VA – Send Out Cards

Many would have heard of Send Out Cards by now.  It’s an exceptional online program that allows you to pick or create a greeting card that is then printed on recycled card and posted within a short period of time.

The cards are of good quality and there is a gift line available too.

Now what has this got to do with being a Virtual Assistant?

If you’ve already been assisting clients with their databases it’s a natural addition to the services you have been providing.  Have you ever been asked to handwrite cards to the clients of your clients and even send them gifts? I certainly have.

Or perhaps your client has been looking for a way to maintain regular contact with their clients but in a way that is unique and special?

As a Virtual Assistant you can have your own Send Out Cards account and either use it to assist your clients, or help them set up their own account and then manage it on their behalf.

Existing databases can be uploaded in a .txt file and lists of names can be grouped so you can send different cards to individuals or groups, or even a campaign of cards. And not just greeting cards but also postcards (great for promoting conferences and events) or even trifold cards.

This means you are now working in the area of Customer Relationship Management and if you have your own account and refer your clients to open an account, that also means you are earning extra for referrals. Send Out Cards has a referral bonus and commissions based on the number of cards sold and generated through your own efforts.  People can only open an account when referred by someone else who already has an account.

So, if you are already managing databases for your clients, then having a Send Out Cards account would be a welcome addition to your business and will also help generate more income.  Why not check it out today?

And you can also like my Facebook page on this subject at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gift-A-Card/172065382811256

Niche VA – Social Media

I thought I’d touch on the various Niches that a Virtual Assistant can work in.

Today I want to touch on Social Media – a subject that is very popular in today’s business climate.

Social Media covers so many things but largely relates to the form of networking you might do for your business and the tools you use for it.

Tools can include:

  • Blogs
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • MySpace
  • Twitter
  • Plurk
  • Gist,  and the list goes on.

It seems that almost every day there’s a new tool being developed to meet needs that might not have been met before.

At the moment the big 3 appear to be Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter but you might have others you prefer to work with. Whatever, you can learn as much as you can about the Social Media Tools you like working with and then offer these as service provision items for your Virtual Assistant practice.

With both LinkedIn and Twitter, in orer to support clients, you can set up profiles for them and then teach them about various aspects of using those Tools. Twitter seems to be the hardest one to get your head around (at least it was for me) but once it clicks your client could be off and running!

Facebook has a lot more to it though and it’s important you understand the various aspects. It’s not just about setting up a profile but also about whether you want a page or group for your business.  And in setting up an account at Facebook you need to be aware of their TOS and that only one account per person should be opened. So where does that leave you when you might have two identities: Your personal one and your business one.  If you’re like me you won’t want to have business contacts along with your family and friends because you’d prefer to keep the two separate. And so a decision needs to be made from the beginning.  After that you can set about the process of creating Pages for different parts of your business or even groups if you want to encourage group discussions.

Facebook Pages have a lot more available to them though in the form of applications, Twitter links and so on.  You can post to the wall on your Facebook Page and have it tweet at Twitter.  You can share the page with those you are connected to and also put a badge or like box on your business website to get people liking your page.  And with FBML you can create special Welcome and About entry pages for your Facebook Page.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to social media – I’m just skimming the surface here, but it is reasonable to think you could become a Social Media Virtual Assistant and help/guide/assist your clients in the world of Social Media.

Oh, and this post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share my own Social Media links, now would it? I hope you connect, follow and like where appropriate!

http://www.facebook.com/AClaytonsSecretary
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gift-A-Card/172065382811256
http://www.facebook.com/kathiesphotos
Twitter http://twitter.com/kathiemt
LinkedIn http://au.linkedin.com/in/kathiethomas

A Niche Virtual Assistant

Here, there and everywhere you see discussions on ‘what type of VA’ are Virtual Assistants?  Many have discovered (or created) a niche business by servicing a particular type of client, or by providing a particular type of service.

Is one better than the other?  Not that I’m aware of.  My own personal focus over the years has been supporting Business Coaches and Professional speakers, as well as not-for-profits.  They all need exactly the same skillset to support them through maintaining databases (membership lists or client lists), updating websites, organising public events (workshops, networking events, training sessions, committee meetings) and so on.  It’s a line of work I enjoy doing.  And there are many other things that VAs can do that they enjoy doing.

I’ve written about niching before but not specifically on the types of niches. You can see some of my posts here:

What kind of VA are you?

Do I have to have a niche?

Everyone wants to be a transcriptionist!

So, I thought I’d do a series on Niche Virtual Assistant practices, focusing on either skillsets or client types and encourage you, my readers, to add comment or suggestion on the niches that should be covered here.  Please leave a brief comment here – I will contact you for more information and add it as a post with a link to your site if you would like.

About

A Clayton’s Secretary T/as VA Directory was established in March 1994 by
Kathie M. Thomas.

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