Make Money as a Virtual Assistant
Did you know you can earn money as a virtual assistant, even from your kitchen table? A desk and/or an office is obviously preferred, but you can start at the kitchen table. With an internet connection and a computer, you can provide a much needed service to clients from around the world. Best of all, you can be online and working in just a few hours. You can be a virtual assistant!
1. What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is a person who provides administrative type help to clients online. Rather than working in an actual office environment, the virtual assistant works online instead. As a virtual assistant, you would communicate with your clients by email, Skype , or a project management system.
You can specialize the services you might offer. For example, you might manage a forum or an affiliate team, you might answer and send emails, you might update blogs, you might write content, you might answer support questions, etc. Also you might provide a variety of administrative services, such as handling the accounting needs of a client. You can also specialize in an industry, a particular niche topic, or a particular service.
2. What You Need to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant
- Computer
and AT&T internet connection
- Software to support your administrative services (such as Microsoft Word)
- Phone with a headset (so you can talk hands-free)
- Website and/or blog to promote the services you offer (no free sites!)
- Business PayPal account
You probably already have a computer and internet connection. The rest can be acquired quickly. You might not have a website or blog yet, so you will want to buy a domain name and get hosting. The best place to buy a domain name is GoDaddy.com and the best place to host a domain name is with HostGator.com
. A simple website is all you need to get started. After you have clients, you might want to expand your website by adding a blog. You might also add content describing more in detail about your services to help grow your business.
3. How to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant
Most virtual assistants charge for their services by the hour. But you might consider charging by the service itself or by the project. If you are doing writing, blog posting, articles, or audio, you might consider charging by the minute, by the word, or by the post … depending on what type of service you are providing. For example, if you are providing transcription, you may wish to charge by the audio minute. Obviously, the more services you offer, the more money you could make. Be careful not to branch out so far that you overwhelm yourself.
4. Marketing and Promoting Your Administrative Business
Like most other businesses, it might be better for you if you chose to specialize in what services you provide clients. For example, you may promote yourself as a 24 hour transcriptionist – making sure clients know that you always turn around any transcription order in less than twenty four hours. You could specialize in managing affiliates, scheduling, or managing customer service. You could also specialize in a particular industry. For example, you may wish to focus on offering research for information marketers.
Your website and/or blog will be your main marketing tool. It will be where potential clients can check out your services, your rates, and view your work samples or testimonials from other clients. Because of this, you will want your website to look nice, professional, and neat (no icky clutter). This is also the reason you want to stay away from free sites and free blogs. They simply do not look professional.
You might consider being a partner with another virtual assistant, as this can be a smart way to help market your business. For example, you may consider being a partner with a website designer who specializes in the same industry you do, if you do not offer website designing as part of your business.
Social media, advertising, and content marketing all help to promote you, too. Have a Twitter account and a Facebook page for your business. Remember the idea is to get the word out about your virtual assistant business!
Last, some virtual assistants find wonderful success by offering memberships to their service, or being on retainer. For example, you could offer five, ten and fifteen hour memberships, or a even a lifetime retainer. Offer clients a discount for committing to ongoing regular work.
If you want to offer virtual administrative services and you want to work from home (even from your kitchen table), you can do it. Decide what services you want to offer, put your ideas down on paper, organize your ideas, get a website going, let people know about you and your services, and start making money in just a few hours.
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