Saturday, December 27, 2008

Virtual Assistant Job

Lots of people need a virtual assistant.

If you are looking for a virtual assistant job you have to be specific about what you are looking for. You might understand exactly what you are providing, or you might be willing to do any type of virtual task, but a client that is trying to fill virtual assistant jobs is not going to be looking for people willing to do anything virtually.

Instead, they are going to be looking for people that can do very specific skills for them.

That is why our Virtual Buzz Assistant network provides training in how to specialize in being a Virtual Marketing Assistant. Businesses looking to find a virtual assistant for a particular job or project can visit that site and submit their request for free - and the virtual assistant job request is available only to our private members.

Anyone that is trying to do online marketing knows that there are a lot of tasks that need done but can be outsources - that is why posting your virtual assistant job on our jog board makes sense.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Affiliate Manager

If you have ever launched an affiliate program and found that it really did not help you very much, you are not alone.

My latest post on the virtual buzz assistant blog is why you should hire a virtual assistant as an affiliate manager.

This is critical - whether you are trying to grow a downline in something like iLearning Global or you are trying to build your own affiliate program, it is going to be harder than you think. You need to have good marketing material, good community building and good sales coaching. A virtual assistant can become very good at these things.

What I especially love is the fact that you have very clear outcomes.

  • Number of monthly new affiliates
  • Revenue of sales from affiliate program
  • Reports on conversion of different ads and sales pages
You cannot get much more clear than that.

Monday, December 22, 2008

iLearningGlobal Marketing Tips

I launched two new iLearningGlobal sites:

- iLearningGlobal Marketing

- iLearning Global - Information Page

Both were launched for marketing reasons, of course. The first one is a place I can post regular, quick iLearningGlobal Marketing Tips and the other is built to rank well for search for a particular keyword.

Sometimes Buzz Marketing is about creating the buzz. Sometimes it is the realization that many other people are out there creating buzz and all you have to do is become an expert on the topic on the Internet. Then people will come to you.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

iLearningGlobal - Hot or Not?

You may have already heard about iLearningGlobal - That link goes to the reasons I joined.

But you may be wondering if it is a good opportunity or not.

Here are the iLearningGlobal links that will answer your questions.

I also realize that you may be wondering why I am even mentioning iLearningGlobal here. Go take a look at it. They have gathered many of the top trainers in the world and they are putting together on demand high-quality video training around business and personal development that is very affordable and offers a reseller program that is very interesting. Yes, I joined, but only after I saw how good the iLearningGlobal product is.

Not sure if you can make money from it? Then download my free eReport - Onlne Marketing Strategies for iLearning Global.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Virtual Assistant Passive Income

Virtual Assistant Passive Income Experiment

There is a lot of stuff out there about how video sites are better than blogs for dominating search engines.

I will admit that they are less work, but I am not sure that they have the staying power of a blog that has built itself up as an expert site.

So I signed up for a trial account at one of the video posting sites and broadcast a video about how Virtual Assistants can develop passive income to improve their bottom line. Video Link: Virtual Assistant Passive Income

The goal is to target a reasonable longtail key phrase: Virtual Assistant Passive Income

Within 48 hours, one of the videos did land on the second page of Google at the #20 spot. But unless I also do a blog post about this subject, I cannot really compare which one is better. This blog post is going to be my test. The results will change day to day, so I am not posting the outcome here. You will need to go out and look in Google yourself for virtual assistnt passive income and see where things fall.

One point is this. I am using this blog to strengthen the MySpace video that showed up first, so even if the video ranks higher eventually for passive income for virtual assistants, it might end up being because this blog post gave it some extra juice.

Since I posted the same video to 5 different sites with similar keywords, I will know that the blog helped if it turns out that the MySpace video is much more strongly ranked than the others.

I know that this is just a micro-test and does not prove anything, but it is always interesting to see people do experiments, and I am very curious what will happen in this Virtual Assistant Passive Income experiment.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Open Source Software Marketing

If you know me you know that I love two things:

Technology and Marketing

I just wrote a post over on the virtual buzz assistant blog about how virtual assistants can market open source software.

Of course, Virtual Marketing Assistants can help nearly anyone market their product or service better, but I really wanted to dive into how to help a specific situation more.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

iLearning Global

If you are interested in really creative ways to market a product, you should take a look at iLearning Global.

It is an MLM - which initially turned me off. However, it is a really exceptional structure because it rewards people for recruiting only 5 people and then really helping those 5 build their 5.

Still, I did not join right away because of the stigma around MLM companies. However, what won me over is the quality of the product - just look at all the world class trainers involved. I would pay for the training access even if there was no MLM involved.

Read my iLearning Global Q&A

I am going to take this seriously. Sure, I feel a bit dirty being associated with ANYTHING that is MLM, but I am looking at it as a way to help people be more successful and really it is nothing more than a clever affiliate program.

Marketing Lesson

Here is a big marketing lesson. If you create a really high end product with big name people involved, you can convince people to sell it fairly easily. And the people that I am teaming up with are really taking this thing seriously. They are meeting regularly, producing marketing material, strategically working together and all trying to help each other make a lot of money.

Creating buzz is all about creating advocates. And this thing is building a strong group of highly talented advocates very quickly. Getting in early and with a strong group is going to be critical to someone's success with it.

If you want to work with me on it, click here and consider joining if it is a good fit for you.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

How to Get Virtual Assistant Projects

How do you find an get more virtual assistant projects?

I did a post over at the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network called Virtual Assistant Job Postings and even if you are not a virtual assistant, you should read it if you are writing proposals and soliciting new work.

As I wrote it, I confess that I realized I was not doing half these things well either. That ends today. (OK, tomorrow, I am writing on an NFL Sunday)

Also, if you have not submitted your free virtual assistant project request over there either yet, you really need to do that. We have people in that network that are talented at assisting you at getting better internet marketing results and they are usually very reasonable.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Free Marketing Plan

Here are links to a few articles about planning your marketing effort. Enjoy.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Marketing Mastery Advisory Board

Bay of Puck Buzzoodle has launched a new product that is ideally positioned for those marketers, business owners and entrepreneurs that crave interaction and brainstorming on marketing topics with peers.

It is called the Marketing Mastery Advisory Board and it is really special. If you have not tried been on a marketing committee as a board member, you do not know what you are missing. It is very creative and beneficial.

Currently we are running two Advisory Boards - Akron and Cleveland. Let me know if you are interested in one of those or interested in us helping you start one up.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Why Employee Evangelism?

Manhattan, la ciudad que nunca duerme... Employee Evangelism is a dream come true for companies that have a committed, enthusiastic workforce.

Employee Evangelism will increase sales, increase relationships, increase brand visibility and result in people caring more about the organization, because they start to care more about the people in the organization.

Starting an Employee Evangelism program is not that hard. Take a small group of people that are already doing it, probably in a less organized and intentional way, and train them in the tools and messages that make it easier and more effective. Once that team is doing employee evangelism well, have them mentor others in the organization and grow your buzz with each person.

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Monday, September 01, 2008

How to Promote a Blog

Karagöl ( Şavşat / Artvin)  - (HDR)Check out the new article on the Virtual Buzz Assistant blog - How to Promote a Blog. While it suggests using Virtual Assistants to do some of the work, it is a good list on how to promote a blog online and offline.

How to promote a blog is a list of online and offline activities that you could also do yourself.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Employee Evangelism

OK, this is a big deal. Really.

At Buzzoodle, we have just launched an Employee Evangelism program.

It is a hybrid of our one-on-one buzz marketing mentoring program and our employee evangelism workshop. It is especially sweet and special because it is better than those other things.

Go over and read the benefits on the site. You will see what I mean.

It is inexpensive because of the group aspect and using technology to manage the program. It is also incredibly valuable because if you got between 5 and 20 people creating steady buzz, even a little bit each month, you website traffic will increase, your sales will increase, and you will even occasionally hit a home run and end up in big media.

Go take a look at the program. I am very proud of this because it is finally a way to bring a cost-effective, incredibly valuable program to bigger businesses.

Employee Evangelism is only going to get bigger. Social Media is growing, and you cannot expect just your marketing department to keep up with it. You have to create a culture of social participation.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Virtual Assistant Blog

KDE Wallet Manager I just did a post on the Virtual Assistant Blog and invited other people that have a virtual assistant blog to post a link to their blog in the comments as well.

My hope is that it becomes a great resource where you can find a comprehensive list of great virtual assistant blogs.

Our Virtual Assistant Blog has grown very fast even though it is only 4 months old and in a crowded marketplace. I think we got really lucky by focusing on virtual assistants that are 100% internet marketing focused.

Even if you are not interested in virtual assistants, take a look at that blog. We have a PR 4 already and FAST growing blog traffic. You can do this for nearly any industry.

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Work.com - Virtual Buzz Assistants

Was a long and dark December

First, check out our new work.com entry on Virtual Marketing Assistants.

It is a nice place to put together an article with action steps and resources. It is also an excellent example of a place that virtual buzz assistants can post articles for you to get more buzz.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Real Estate Buzz and Web Updates

If you are in the real estate market and thinking about how to do a good job on the web, you need to read this article called Real Estate Virtual Assistant.

The fact is, Real Estate Agents have a lot of work to do if they want to maintain a great web presence. And doing things like blogging can generate a lot more interest in their services as well as help promote the properties they are currently representing.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Virtual Assistant Marketing Jobs

Top 10 Virtual Assistant Marketing Jobs.

These are the top 10 things an internet marketing trained VA can do for you. Ultimately which ones of these are best depends on your goals, but you cannot go wrong with this list of marketing activities.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

What is your internet marketing formula?

Just Drive

Read about the internet marketing formula on the Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing blog.

This article compares the normal business profitability formula to the internet marketing profitability formula.

If you are wondering how little changes in your internet marketing can change your profits, take a look at this article. If your idea of internet marketing is having a 10 page website, it is probably not for you.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Why Blog? A Buzz Marketing Video

- Watch a video on why to blog -

I do presentations all the time about blogs and social media.

In fact, next week I will be talking to a bunch of executives about why they need blogs in their organizations.

Since I only have 30 minutes, I am breaking it down into answering the 7 most common questions I get, and inviting them to follow up with me after.

Since I have been trying to improve my video skills of late, I did a shorter version of the presentation. If you are on the fence about blogging, watch this presentation. It should answer your questions and be realistic.

7-blogging.gif

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Virtual Marketing Assistant

A Virtual Marketing Assistant is the best option for many small businesses. It is a perfect solution that is not as expensive as hiring a marketing agency, but not as difficult as doing all the internet marketing activities themselves.

The #1 reason that a Virtual Marketing Assistant fails is that small business owners just want them to do too many things - and have unrealistic expectations on the outcome.

A Virtual Marketing Assistant can help you execute your marketing plan. But your marketing plan better be better than - just go out and create buzz for me. If you do not have a clue of where you want to start, you need to hire an Internet & Buzz Marketing Agency to help you craft your strategy. Then you can hire Virtual Marketing Assistants to help you keep your strategy going month after month.

And I am not here to tell you that you have to have someone else do it. Anyone can do Internet Marketing themselves, but it takes a lot of time and willingness to continually learn, test and create great information.

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Saturday, August 02, 2008

Virtual Assistant Jobs

Are you looking for great Virtual Assistant Jobs?

One option is to specialize in Internet Marketing and become a virtual buzz assistant. Virtual Buzz Assistants can see virtual assistant jobs in the network and contact people looking for help with their internet marketing tasks.

Most virtual assistants say they do internet marketing, but it takes time and training to become really skilled as an internet marketer. That is why we formed the virtual assistant network for buzz creation.

The virtual buzz assistant network includes training, video, a forum, a virtual buzz assistant job board and a blog publishing system that makes it easy for a virtual assistant to publish articles on blogs for their clients.

There are many freelance sites and job boards, but the virtual buzz assistant network is a smaller group of people (think less competition) that get requests from people specifically interested in getting help with blogging, social media and internet marketing.

There are a few spots left at the current price and then it will close and the pricing will rise when it reopens. Probably my favorite aspect, beyond the work at home angle, is that as you become a more experienced virtual buzz assistant, you can charge more money per hour and you are honing your internet marketing skills. Eventually I expect that some people will get so good that they will start doing it for themselves and not do it for clients anymore.

Fun, easy and in high demand. You should take a look whether you want to be a virtual buzz assistant or if you want to post a virtual assistant job request on the network for FREE.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Start your home-based Virtual Assistant Business - FREE

Business Launch PadThinking about launching a Virtual Assistant Business?

I started out writing this eBook as a members-only kind of resource. Then I realized it could be very valuable to anyone starting any kind of home-based or small business.

People were getting lost in what seems like overwhelming issues, so we lay it out day by day and make it easy to move from idea to income in 30 days.

We are giving it away. Click here to get your copy.

Since we have launched several ventures, we know the basic stuff you need to get in place, and how important it is to focus on generating revenue quickly. If you are thinking about starting a business or are trying to figure out what things need done for a business you recently started, this resource is for you.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Wordpress SEO Basics

We posted a new blog article about Wordpress SEO Basics over on the main Buzzoodle blog.  I know from all the questions I get all the time that this is a hot topic.  Start out on the right SEO foot with your wordpress blog and save yourself future headaches as well as get better search engine results.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Who is doing your Social Media Audit?

When you first started your business it was simple.  You had a checking account, a few expenses every month and if you were lucky, some deposits.

"Today you are trading in social currency.  You may be rich, or you may be poor, but it is the currency of the future whether you like it or not."

If the IRS came knocking at your young business, you gave them the shoe box of transactions and brewed them some coffee while they sat at your kitchen table and reviewed a whole year's worth of transaction.  If you have been in business for a while, you know how quickly that changes.  Multiple checking accounts, automatic transactions left and right, loans, credit cards, balance transfers....

For a more developed company, an audit is a hassle if you are going to do it yourself.

twitbroken1.gifSocial Networking seems just as confusing and out of control as finances can be.  It all started out easy.  No need to keep lots of records, you are just trying out that new social media tool...

Doing taxes, and auditing your own financial books is not fun.  But if you were not forced to do it periodically, imagine what a mess you could have after a few years.

Your Social Media Efforts Need Audited

Your social media efforts produce important things for you, even if you are not taking full advantage of them.

  1. Connections - List of people you can contact
  2. Feeds - via RSS - Avenues to publish information other people see
  3. Access - Permission to publish on other web sites

Much like scheduling autopayments for a reoccurring expense, many of these tools automatically publish information or grow your network.  It is easy to forget it is happening.

Here are recommendations for getting the most out of your social media effort.

  1. Have a serious strategy - Who would you like to connect with and what do you have to offer them?
  2. Have a reason for them to sign up to an email list - Email is still #1 when used correctly.  What can you offer people in your many online groups to entice them to sign up directly with you for email?
  3. Track all your accounts - Keep a spreadsheet of accounts, when you signed up, password, etc.
  4. Audit profiles and settings at least twice per year.  You will find all kinds of things have changed, but you have not updated them.
  5. Look for new integration opportunities - Social media is doing a better job of integrating and standardizing than financial tools are, in my opinion.  (Yes, financial is a bit harder, I know)

Perpetual Beta Social Sites

Social media sites are ever evolving.  Many never leave Beta.  If not the tool itself, then some other tool that will take data from a site and display it within another tool.

You have to keep up, or your image will get muddled or stale.  The good news is that there are social media bookkeepers.  A good virtual assistant can help you organize the tools, track progress and outcome, grow your connections and audit your profiles -  often in a few hours per month.  The Virtual Buzz Assistant network was created because of the incredible need for this kind of help.  It helps people develop their own Virtual Buzz Assistant business and help busy professionals that understand the importance of social media to find the help they need.

No sales pitch here - you can do it all yourself right after you update Quickbooks and finish your weekly payroll.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Internet Marketing

From eZineArticles: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Internet Marketing

I think the idea of virtual assistants is great. The problem is in the term "Virtual Assistant."

Virtual - they work from another location.

Assistant - they help with something you are doing already.

This is very broad. If you try to hire a Virtual Assistant, you will find out just how broad.

Virtual Assistants can be everyone from low cost people that barely speak English to high end business consultants and coaches that offer to guide you as an assistant. Instead of selling "Virtual Assistant" services, there needs to have focus and clarity. For example, the Virtual Buzz Assistants or Virtual Marketing Assistants that focus exclusively on creating Internet visiblity.

By specializing, clients know what they are getting and they are less likely to request additional stuff like ordering flowers or booking a hotel. You do not want marketing professionals doing that for you and more than you want a travel agent doing your Internet Marketing - but many Virtual Assistants try to be all things to all people.

So if you are hiring a Virtual Assistant to help with your marketing, here are some tips.

1) English Fluency

Assuming you are marketing an English language site, be sure they are 100% fluent in English and familiar with the culture. It only takes one poorly chosen word to kill the message in marketing.

2) Ethical Practices

Make sure they are familiar with ethical practices in Internet Marketing. Doing stealth marketing or hiding your identity can get you in trouble. Visit the Word of Mouth Marketing Association for ethical guidelines.

3) Industry Experience

If you can find a virtual assistant that has worked with a client in your industry before, even if it was not completely successful, they still have a head start with that experience. I would always pay more for someone with industry knowledge.

4) Track Record

It is not hard to see if someone gets Internet Marketing. If they do, they are always developing resources that market their services and that they can use with clients. If you interview a Virtual Assistant that does not have a blog and/or eNewsletter, I would not have faith in their skills.

5) Clear Plan

To begin with, you need to have a clear goal in mind. Not something like increase sales, that is too broad. Something like increasing website traffic by x or increase search engine visibility for specific keywords. If you are specific with your goal, a good Virtual Assistant with Internet Marketing experience will be able to put together specific activities that will lead to accomplishing your goals.

6) Willing to Learn

A good Virtual Assistant is willing to take some time to get to know your business and do some research. That might happen before or after you hire them, but it should happen before they start telling you what you need to do.

When many people look for a Virtual Assistant, they are looking for a Virtual Expert at a Virtual Assistant price. Hiring a Virtual Assistant to do Internet Marketing can be a very cost effective option, especially with the constantly changing Internet landscape. You have to be willing to hire someone that has specialized and to be involved with them to clearly plan and execute your goals.

To find out more about what Virtual Buzz Assistants do, Visit the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network

Ron McDaniel is author of Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing and writes the Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing Blog - with over 900 Buzz Marketing articles available FREE.

Ron is a national speaker and frequently speaks to groups of non-technical business owners on how to make the most of the many free Internet tools that are available to them.

Ron also runs the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network, where he brings together Virtual Assistants trained in Internet Marketing with Business Owners that need Internet Marketing support.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Buzzoodle Wins JohnCow

If you want to see the right way to do a contest, look at JohnCow.com - I won a 10 hour audio blog mastery set - I just wish my Buzzoodle blog would have gotten a back link. 

Since the audio series is from Yaro Starak - who is a master blogger - I am thrilled.  I am sure the first hour or two will be… what is a blog, how to set up a blog, blah, …..but I expect to learn a lot from this full time blogger that is currently traveling the world and making money while blogging.

John Cow did a great job of documenting the creation of a new blog through its sale - all in about a month.  I am interested to see how much it sells for, because many hours went into making it a fast success - and anything short of $10,000 I would consider a bad investment of my time.  It is part of a challenge they have with another web expert.

You can see the current bid for the next few weeks at the top of the Johncow blog.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

What can a Virtual Buzz Assistant do for you?

Virtual Buzz Assistant
You might wonder what a Virtual Assistant that specializes in buzz would do for you. Here are some ideas.

Blog Writing and Promotion

While many organizations create blogs, they often do not have the time to keep them updated. Writing a post each week for an organization is a good way for them to keep content at least semi-fresh and keep readers coming back.

List Development & Management

Managing and growing a list of email subscribers is one of the best investments an organization can make. Having help to make sure the list is grown well and contacted regularly helps organizations get more results.

Social Networking

Social Networks are often used by businesses to connect with consumers. Never hide your identity or intent, but many organizations pay virtual assistants to manage social network accounts on their behalf and keep them fresh.

Online Advocacy & PR

Contacting bloggers and writers and offering product samples, interview opportunities and interesting content is a great service a Virtual Buzz Assistant can provide. It builds links and word of mouth.

Resource Development

Writing good articles in places (Like Hubpages) that provide value and raise the visibility of the organization can be done every month.

Group Contacting

Online Groups can be contacted with special offers and free trials. Always contact the person in charge of the group and ask permission before just posting.

Employee Profile Management

Organizations with lots of employees sometimes hire Virtual Buzz Assistants to manage the profiles of employees online. An organization that has 100's of employees can generate a lot of visibility by having those profiles published in the many places where people put profiles.

Community Management

Participate and manage an online community that an organization wants to develop. The software is the easy part. Building active usage of an online community takes ongoing effort, perfect for a Virtual Buzz Assistant.

These are just some of the things that someone could do working from home as a Virtual Buzz Assistant. The ability to create buzz and engage an audience is in high demand. The low start up skills for this make it the perfect start up company for people that want to work from home and launch a business quickly - and with no gimmicks.

Request a Virtual Buzz Assistant

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Virtual Buzz Assistant - Hire One or Become One

For years, we have seen that companies want this service. They know they can create buzz themselves, but because of the many other responsibilities, they do not have the time or desire to stick to it long term.

You can hire a marketing agency or a Professional Buzz Marketing Expert, but that is going to be pricy and guess what they are going to do – They are going to put an assistant on the job creating buzz and visibility online every week.

So why not hire the assistant yourself?

Now you can.

The Virtual Buzz Assistant Network trains people to be effective buzz and marketing experts from their homes in their own businesses. It places companies like yours with the best Virtual Buzz Assistants to fit your needs.

The Virtual Buzz Assistant Network Members have passed a buzz ethics certification, are fluent in English and focus only on delivering the best Buzz and Internet visibility services. Traditional Virtual Assistants do all kinds of tasks. A Virtual Buzz Assistant has chosen to specialize in Internet and Buzz Marketing so you get the best results.

Review the complete offering at virtualbuzzassistant.com