One of the easiest ways to work from home is by doing virtual assistant (VA) work. Virtual assistants are skilled, home-based professionals that offer companies, businesses, and entrepreneurs administrative support.
Virtual assistants perform a wide variety of tasks … in fact, the services that you can offer are endless and all depend on your background training, experience, and skills.
Here are some common tasks that virtual assistants complete:
- Making phone calls
- Email correspondence
- Internet research
- Data entry
- Scheduling appointments
- Editing
- Writing
- Bookkeeping
- Marketing
- Blog management
- Proofreading
- Project management
- Graphic design
- Tech support
- Customer service
- Event planning
- Social media management
Where do you find virtual assistant jobs?
- 24/7 Virtual Assistant
- Assistant Match
- Belay
- eaHelp
- Fancy Hands
- Freelancer
- FlexJobs
- People Per Hour
- Red Butler
- Time Etc.
- Uassist.Me
- Upwork
- VaVa Virtual Assistants
- Virtual Assistant USA
- Virtual Staff Finder
- Worldwide 101
- Ziptask
- Zirtual
How much do virtual assistants earn?
Depending on what services you offer, how long you’ve been working in the field, and your experience, virtual assistants can make anywhere from $12 – $60 per hour. If you're running your own VA business, there are a few different ways that you can charge for your services; by the hour, by the task, project, or package – explore what options work best for you and your clients.
Want to start your own VA business?
Like any other home business, you will need to educate yourself on the best business practices, file all of the appropriate paperwork, and get your legal and financial ducks in a row. Once you set up the preliminary business framework, you can start working on the fun parts of your business.
1. Choose a niche.
There are many different services you can offer, but even something more to consider is who would you like to work for? While some VAs are generalists and work on a wide variety of tasks, it's easier and more lucrative to choose a specialty. Figuring out what niche you want to focus on can be a challenge, but if you mind-map your passions, interests, experience, and knowledge you can narrow it down relatively easy.
Still uncertain? This list has a bunch of services you can offer that can help you determine your specialty.
2. Build a website.
To be competitive as a virtual assistant, you need to have a website. Having an online presence will help you attract more clients, it gives you a place to showcase your work, list your services and testimonials, and it makes you look more professional. Don't worry, setting up a website is easy and affordable. This post has step-by-step instructions that will have you up and running in no time — and it's affordable!
3. Market your business.
There are tons of ways to promote your VA business; the thing you need to remember is consistency is key. Choose two to three methods that you think you'll enjoy doing and spend time each day working on those methods.
Not sure of your options? Here are just some of the ways you can market your business:
- Social media
- Cold calling
- In-person networking
- Email marketing
- Blogging
- Lead generation
- PR opportunities
- Public speaking
- Guest blogging
- Print advertising
- Forum participation
- Email prospecting
- Facebook groups
Now that you've got your website in place and you're actively marketing your business, it's time to connect with potential clients. Some experts believe you should follow up with five to ten new prospects a day until you have a constant flow of clients in your pipeline.
4. Invest in your VA business.
As your cash flow builds, you’ll want to reinvest some of it into professional development. Luckily, they are events, conferences, webinars, teleconferences, online courses, books, membership sites, mastermind groups, and coaching sessions – there is something to fit every budget and every niche. By investing in yourself and your business, you gain the knowledge, information, and skills to make your freelance business a success.
Starting your own VA business may seem like a far off distant dream – but if you take the first step, you can make it a reality. Good luck on your journey!
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