When it comes to hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA), there is one common question that keeps cropping up – what can a VA do for me? Most small business owners are swamped with work and dream of hiring in help – but they don’t know WHAT help they can pass over to someone else! Continue reading “Can a VA manage my social media?”
Tag: LinkedIn
Become a VA: Step 7 – Social Media and Your VA Business
For the past 6 weeks, I have shared 6 tips that I hope are helping you to launch, grow and boost your VA business.
Are you putting them into action? Which has been your favourite? Which have you found the easiest or the hardest to apply?
This week I want to talk about ‘How to use social media to boost interest in your VA services’.
Regularly when I ask VAs or Business Owners in general why they are on social media, they tell me its because someone else told them to be on it. A lot of them think Social Media is a waste of time, or they say “I don’t have time to get round to doing it”. But are just doing it for the sake of it.
Well the reality is, if you think about how many people you could get exposed to, online, it’s actually far greater than what you would be able to achieve in terms of the number of people you would meet if you were going to your local networking meeting. As an example, when I look at my 576 LinkedIn connections, I could be connected to over 11,411,482 business connections world wide and that doesn’t take into consideration Twitter or Facebook. The potential is far reaching.
Although I say, you rule social media and social media doesn’t rule you. It is imperative that you are consistent in your approach and have a strategy of what you are trying to achieve with your interaction. I always recommend having a social media strategy and a social media plan, so that you know what you are writing about every week.
There are literally hundreds of social media platforms available but you don’t need a presence on all of them. Think about where your ideal client is and the platforms they are using and then use those platforms.
Facebook
Facebook is an ideal platform for Business to Consumer type businesses – it’s a great way to showcase your expertise, link to helpful articles and build relationships with potential clients. Your posts have great longitivtiy and visual content works well on Facebook. However, it can be a slow process to build your likes and gain traction, so remember this is part of the long game and not a short term social media platform.
Twitter
Twitter is great for Business to Business interactions and Business to Consumer. It can be fast, fun and addictive and a great tool for signposting individuals to your other platforms. You can ask advice, give advice and share articles. Business colleagues of mine, recently described Twitter as “going to the pub and being able to ask the silly questions”.
LinkedIn
Someone new joins LinkedIn every second. It is seen as the number one social media tool for Business. Often regarded as the more formal social media networks, it is used by professionals in all fields. It encompasses the ability to give and receive recommendations. LinkedIn works really well for relationship building. I recently wrote a guest blog for the Virtual Assistant Coaching and Training Company on the subject of 15 steps to creating a professional LinkedIn profile. I also posted a post about why you need a company LinkedIn page which I thoroughly recommend.
So feel free to connect with me on the Social Media Platforms mentioned by clicking on the name of the platform below (it turns into a hyperlink) and if you connect after reading this blog please do tell me:
Have you enjoyed the Blog series? Has it left you thinking that you need more information about setting up as a Virtual Assistant before you make the transition?
Learn the Key Strategies of What You Need to Know When Becoming a VA &
Learn if this industry is for you..
…in our half-day taster sessions priced at only £37!
Nothing ventured nothing gained!
Is this you?…
- Are you a PA who’s a mother, soon to retire or being made redundant and now interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant and yet you are not quite ready to go ahead?
- Have you conducted lots of research yet still not sure if becoming a VA is for you, perhaps you are a little scared of setting up your own VA business or are nervous about taking a leap of faith?
- Is this a venture you are looking to start in a few months’ time yet want to get a full understanding before you are ready to get going?
- Do you need to know the basics first before you fully commit to any full training or business building?
- Do you want someone who is an experienced expert to guide you towards what is essential for you to know, prior to getting started, so that you start on the right footing avoiding the costly mistakes many makes? Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Join us in London for a Taster Session on Thu 4 Dec at 1330, Premier Inn Meeting Rooms, Euston. To learn more or to book click here.
Why Your Business NEEDS a LinkedIn Company Page
LinkedIn is the fastest growing social media platform – that’s a fact. It’s growing faster than Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube, with two new profiles being created every second. So, are you making the most of this opportunity… or are you thinking it’s just for those businesses that are larger than yours, or those who sell business to business products and services?
Brand awareness
The fact is LinkedIn is a social media platform but, with it’s old reputation for being seen predominantly as a recruiting site, it is often overlooked and underutilised. That reputation is gradually being changed to one of a business networking site – and you’ll want to be on there to ride that growing wave. As is the case with other social media sites, it’s well worth your time being on there, due to the huge potential for exposure and visibility that you and your company can gain as a result.
The LinkedIn Company Page
Once a contact visits your personal profile, they have the opportunity to read more about you as an individual – but they also have the chance to click through and investigate your company details too – and this will take them to your company page, if you have one. This page can be a dedicated space to, not only raise your brand awareness through your colour schemes and logos, but to also display videos, blog posts, ebooks, white papers and to share the latest company news with your followers.
You can also showcase specific products and services via the “showcase pages”. This gives you to opportunity to highlight those initiatives and products that would benefit from distinct messaging and segmentation, whilst showing how they fit into your business model as a whole.
Interaction
Interaction with your clients, potential clients and future strategic partners is what must be at the heart of all social media – and LinkedIn is no exception. By posting regular updates and informative content, you will be encouraging your contacts to interact with your company, as well as the opportunity to “follow” you… ensuring they receive all further updates and news too.
Finally, whether you’re already at the stage where you can recruit staff, or are just building up to it, you can list your job opportunities on the site, as it is still one of the top (and most trusted) recruitment sites for job seekers!
Do you use LinkedIn and have you set up a company page… or do you avoid it, in favour of the other social media sites? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on Linked In, both generally and about their company pages – so why not share them in the comments box below?
Images courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
