| Having an assistant is invaluable and can mean the | | | | Many business owners don't have the knowledge to |
| difference between the success and failure of your | | | | set up and maintain their own blogs, but they know |
| small home-based business. However, many people | | | | how profitable they can be by increasing website |
| cannot afford employees initially, so when their | | | | traffic. Assistants are able to set up original and |
| businesses take off, they often begin to be overrun | | | | creative blogs and keep them updated not only with |
| with increasingly heavy workloads. | | | | content but the latest plug-ins and other evolutionary |
| The solution is simple: outsource tasks to virtual | | | | updates as needed. |
| assistants. Many business start up and growth tasks | | | | 4. Postal Mail & Follow Up |
| can easily be taken on by someone other than the | | | | Helpers can also respond to customer orders and |
| business owner, by people who can reach out to help | | | | prepare your materials to ship. They can also design |
| via the Internet and phone. As such, here are 6 ways | | | | direct mail pieces, maintain your database and mailing |
| that a virtual assistant can help you. | | | | lists, and regularly mail out promotional campaign pieces |
| 1. Email Sorting | | | | - all via the Internet. Afterward, hire workers to call |
| When you are trying to run a business, it is extremely | | | | your contacts for order taking, to seek referrals and to |
| difficult to keep up with all of the email that arrives in | | | | get updated email addresses so that you can have |
| your in-box, be the items legitimate or spam. Let | | | | them email special offers. |
| experienced assistants deal with the unpleasant task | | | | 5. Sales Letters For Your Website |
| of sorting and reviewing your inbox to keep it from | | | | Virtual helpers can also conduct research to find out |
| getting backed up. They can also track responses | | | | what your target customers want to know about your |
| from clients and ensure that problems receive | | | | products and services so that your team can best |
| follow-up. The last thing you want to do is lose a | | | | respond to their questions and needs better. For |
| customer because their questions were buried in the | | | | example, they can create an attention-grabbing |
| wrong folders. | | | | headline on your main sales page, peak interest in your |
| 2. Article Writing and Marketing and Search Engine | | | | web visitors there with awesome sales copy |
| Optimization (SEO) | | | | containing a call-to-action, all the while optimizing the |
| Let virtual assistant marketing experts and professional | | | | white space and main focus areas on your web page, |
| writers place meaningful content on your website, | | | | leaving your clients wondering excitedly where to sign |
| submit it to online directories and publish it online in other | | | | up. |
| places so that it will draw plenty of targeted | | | | 6. Writing and Submitting Press Releases |
| customers to you. Leave the creativity, research, and | | | | Knowing which news sources to forward press |
| proofreading to them so that you can get on with your | | | | releases to is half the battle in getting coverage for |
| business operations and make a profit. | | | | your products, services and business website. Let your |
| Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | | | | assistants use their contacts in the industry to help you |
| Virtual professionals understand the importance of link | | | | reach your targeted audience, online and off, to make |
| building and search engine optimization. They also have | | | | your products and services household names. |
| the latest information on optimal keyword and | | | | While there are countless other ways virtual assistants |
| optimizing solutions you need set up and grow within | | | | can help with business start up and growth, the solution |
| your website operations to receive top search engine | | | | is a no-brainer: outsource. You can increase your |
| rankings. | | | | productivity and your time with plenty of good helpers. |
| 3. Blog Setup and Maintenance | | | | |