Virtual Assistant Blog

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.

Work.com - Virtual Buzz Assistants

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.

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.

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.

What is your internet marketing formula?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Start your home-based Virtual Assistant Business - FREE

Thinking 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.

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.

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.

Social 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.

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.

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.

What can a Virtual Buzz Assistant do for you?

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

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