Standing Out

Hi there - I will set aside my normal banter and sarcasm for this post because it’s really important and I don’t want the message to get lost.

Do you have an internet marketing plan?

I guess It’s OK if you don’t, but I highly suggest creating one ASAP. I’ve discovered in my work that a lot of people believe that if they just put up a website, clients will just magically show up. That couldn’t be further from the truth. People will only know you exist if you or someone or something tells them that you exist. The marketing plan ensures that you or someone or something is out there, telling people about you!

There are basically two sides of the coin: you either have an internet marketing plan or you are flying by the seat of your pants.

Marketing plans don’t need to be difficult. Put the marketing plan in place and then let it work - don’t keep fuddling with your marketing plan. Just let it work.

Components of a Simplified Internet Marketing Plan

A good internet marketing plan should answer the following questions. It should also frame all of these questions with a time period. For example, create a quarterly marketing plan or a yearly marketing plan. Marketing plans are not “forever!”

1. Who are your clients? What do they do and what do they need? This is essential in any marketing plan, not just an internet marketing plan. Determining what they need is critical, because you can use this information to help you figure out where you should promote yourself.
2. What online medium do you plan to use as your BASE location, where people can find out about you and contact? The obvious is your website - but I’ll let you in on a little secret: it doesn’t have to be. You can start a blog and make that your home base, or you can have a LinkedIn profile instead, or a Biznik profile, or a Squidoo page…think outside the box. If you don’t have a LOT of time and money, you might really consider one of the alternatives to having a regular website - get that up and running first and then take your time in creating your website masterpiece.
3. How will you find your clients? An internet marketing plan assumes you are finding your clients online. But where? Layout specific details here. Will you network on sites such as StartupNation and Biznik? Don’t forget less traditional methods such as Clickbank - if you sell a product.
4. What advertising methods will you use, if any? Banner ads? Pay-per-click ads? Link swapping (be wary of this and do your homework)?
5. How will you drive visitors to your base location? Think social bookmarking and social networking as well as online PR and article marketing.
6. How often will you market and by what methods? Create a calendar and lay out your desired marketing methods and intervals.
7. When your visitors arrive at your site, what will you use to compel them to contact you? this is so overlooked, but this is one of the biggest parts of your whole marketing effort. Try to imagine a clear path of least resistance to your contact page, signup page, free consultation page, etc.
8. How will you capture your visitor’s contact information, so you can follow up? E-zines and newsletters are popular and they work. You should also TRY to make sure it’s very clear how to get in touch with you from the very first page. Burying your contact information is a sure-fire way to lose a potential lead.
9. What materials and expertise do you need to implement and support these efforts? If you’re planning to do it all by yourself, give yourself enough time to really do it well. Consider outsourcing (even VAs can outsource!)
10. How much money will that cost? YES! Promoting yourself online costs money. It doesn’t need to be ridiculous, but it does cost something. Don’t be unrealistic and DON’T be cheap. Try and find free resources where you can but don’t skimp on things like autoresponders, affiliate software or graphic design. Remember that shopping carts cost money, too. Even Paypal really isn’t “free” - they keep a hefty chunk of change for themselves when your clients pay you through Paypal.

Make sure that your marketing plan is realistic. Executing a marketing plan is like going on a diet: if it’s totally unrealistic for you it won’t work.

Here is a great internet marketing resource: http://www.cumbrowski.com/default.asp

Have you developed a brand image for your practice yet? What sets you apart from the pack and makes you different?

Have you noticed…there are what seems like a bazillion virtual assistants out there! Your clients are looking for a solution - how is it that you meet their needs as opposed to the next VA?

If you haven’t given any thought to this yet, I suggest getting out a sheet of blank paper, or a white board, and start working on it.

My company brand image is “the know-how all American virtual assistant.” I came up with the brand AFTER I started my business, not before. You don’t have to do it that way, but it does help. I decided on “know-how” after I realized that I had a lot of skills many other VAs didn’t have.

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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!

As I write this, it’s Sunday night (almost midnight) and it’s the end (too short) of a very, very long week. The week’s are just getting longer - my client list is growing and my clients are growing in their businesses, too, meaning more work for me - which is great. But there’s the nagging pressure: can I handle it all?

I subscribe to Lisa Taliga’s Virtual Assistant Life blog and get her posts via email. Today’s post striked me - her email subject line is “I Felt Like Giving Up, Tia.” I opened the mail and clicked the link to the entry.

It’s a simple message - nothing too complicated or involved, but there’s something that happens when you share your challenges, fears and disappointments that does something mysterious: it motivates.

Here is the link to her post.

So that’s some motivation for Monday. As you put together your to-do list for the week, no matter how long, short, simple or complicated it may be, find the motivation you need to keep going. And know this: I’ll be digging deep for that motivation as well!

Happy Monday.

Cheers,

Tia

I’m inspired to write this post after I followed a topic through THREE different bloggers blogging about the same issue and connected by comments. I figured I would get in on the thread because it’s a subject pretty relevant to what I do and something I wrote about in my newsletter.

U.S. based Virtual Assistants: You are not in danger! Seriously. Don’t panic.

Why am I writing this? Well, I should probably make note of the posts that I read which inspired me. The first was Elizabeth Pott Weinstein’s post about what virtual assistants do, which I didn’t actually read first. I came around to it. I found out about it first after reading a comment someone had made about it while I was browsing Elizabeth’s other posts.

I thought the comment was interesting, so I followed it to someone named Jonathan Robert’s post about how you can find a VA for $3 an hour and have it be a valuable experience for you (that’s my reader’s digest version).

Finally his post led me to the vaclassroom.com blog post about whether or not western VAs are threatened by low-wage international competition. That’s where my inspiration for this post took off. (more…)