Standing Out

I first became aware of Joe Hage on Biznik (which I’ve talked about many times on this blog before and if you’re still not joining me, well…) and he’s now a client of mine.

He’s a Marketing Guy. That’s not his official title, of course, but he knows his stuff. Just look at his resume or testimonials to figure that out.

But I’m writing because I was reading a marketing article of his and I am compelled to share it! Never mind that it says Seattle Marketing Strategy - the advice is actually completely independent of Seattle (he probably did that for SEO purposes - learn it!).

Virtual assistants, marketing assistants, etc - we’re as in demand now as it’s ever going to get, so if you’re not getting business, you really need to re-think your marketing strategy.

Read Joe’s article here and if you’re brave and/or smart, you really should join me on Biznik and follow my lead so you can get clients (good paying ones), too. I am a paid member but didn’t start out that way. A Biznik membership is completely free. Even if you just want to learn from some experienced folks, you need to be networking.

Really, if you’re SEO-challenged, website-challenged in general, or simply want to know what the heck SEO is and how to make your website a bit more search engine friendly, view this free 15 minute SEO tutorial given by eBizITPA.

This is the 2nd post in my VA site review series. It wasn’t that easy deciding which site to post here - I’m very particular, I suppose!

I am particularly interested in good blogs to review, so if you have a suggestion, please leave a comment with the URL to the blog so I can go review it!

Virtual Assistant Site Review #2: Vadirectory.net/blog/

This VA blog, authored by Kathie M. Thomas, is called Virtual Assistant - THE Blog About Our Industry.

I’ve been to this blog on several other occasions, but I think it’s important to note that I found the blog through Technorati. That’s a great place to go when sourcing websites or blogs or news.

What I Like About It: Kathie’s style of writing is unpretentious, informative and entertaining. She also has some very interesting series - my favorite being “Has Anyone Worked with a Virtual Assistant?” where she profiles people who’ve worked with her or other VAs and writes about their experiences. If you’re new to the industry, those are great reads for you. (Maybe Kathie will turn that series into a book…)

Why You Should Visit: Kathie tries hard to make sure she’s offering her visitors something of value, which is essential when you’re blogging for business. I find her material easy to digest and interesting. My suggestions are: VA Networking, her trackback to A Tale of Two Assistants, and one of my very favorites is her post about supporting the client and its interesting take on when to push back (those are my words, not hers)

Tips We Can Learn From This Site: Categorization! Kathie’s done an excellent job of categorizing her posts effectively - something we can all learn (in fact, I have plans to re-categorize everything very soon!) Categorizing your posts effectively is important so that people can find what they are looking for. Sometimes, blog design makes that difficult.

How to Get There: Visit http://vadirectory.net/blog/

Great job, Kathie!

I’m starting a new “site review” series where I’m going to be reviewing websites that I think are valuable to virtual assistants. If you’re interested in having your site reviewed (it’s a great way to increase quality incoming links!), leave a comment with the link or send me an email: tia@allamericanadmin.com

Also - see my updated comment on this entry! In response to Kimberly.

Virtual Assistant Site Review #1: VAClassroom.com

Every now and again I come across a resource for
virtual assistants that I think is of extraordinary
value. I found such value in VAClassroom.com’s
training center.

(In case you’re wondering, YES, I have personally
experienced paid membership at VAClassroom.com)
so I am qualified to really review it!)

Today’s top virtual assistants excel by assisting
their clients in a number of tasks related to
internet and technology. Neither needs to be scary!
I’m naturally inclined toward internet, technology,
software, etc, but even if you aren’t, it’s not
something you should shy away from.

VAClassroom offers a number of training modules
geared toward increasing your knowledge of some of
the hottest trends in virtual assistance today:
internet marketing, blogs, shopping cart assistance
and more.

Here’s what Craig, co-founder of VAClassroom.com has
to say:

“Our primary mission at VAClassroom is to provide
skill-based Training Programs that equip Virtual
Assistants with the exact skills and knowledge
businesses are seeking today. I am sure you all can
relate to taking a course only to discover that it
did not provide the relevant skills needed to find
tangible work opportunities. At VAClassroom, our
courses are created based on the input of our network
of Internet Business colleagues who regularly hire
Virtual Assistants. This gives us the confidence that
we are providing the right kind of training that will
translate to real work opportunities for VAs.”

Congrats to VAClassroom.com on a job well-done!

I was inspired to write this after I read and commented on VagabondetteVA’s 6 Things That Will Make Me Leave Your Blog post on May 23. Rather than talk about the things you shouldn’t do (she’s covered them), I figured I would give you some great blogging tips - what you should do - to increase visitors and rank.

There are so many ways a blog can help you create awareness about your cause, service offering or product but it’s important to pay attention to the mechanics - the ins and outs of your blog - otherwise you won’t reach your target market and ultimately your time will be wasted. A blog is not a diary; it’s meant to be shared with someone other than yourself!

Yesterday was this blog’s best day ever with the “Ning.com” post. I already had in mind some great blogging tips I liked to follow, but yesterday’s stats reaction sparked a couple more. So here are some blogging tips you can use to increase visitors and rank.

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