Q: How can a virtual assistant get more clients online?

I have helped many virtual assistants get more clients and grow their businesses. Here is what I recommend:

– Define your target market. Yes, all of this is going back to figuring out who your target market is. If you do not know who you want to work with, you will not be able to create an effective online marketing system for your virtual assistant business.

– Create an effective online marketing message. What is your unique selling proposition? How do you help your clients? What benefits will they receive by working with you?

– Create an effective web site around your target market. Having an effective web site is EXTREMELY important when you are doing business online. If your perfect clients come to your web site, but the web site does not convince them to hire you, they will go elsewhere. Make sure that your web site is good at marketing to your target market.

– Go where your clients are. Now that you defined your target market, find it! Network in the groups where your target market networks, etc.

– Use online marketing techniques – search engine optimization, article marketing, your own blog, etc – to promote your services and to drive traffic to your web site.

– Get my special report, “Top Strategies To Get Clients Online”. It discusses, in detail, how to use online marketing to get
clients online. You can get it at
https://www.avocadoconsulting.com/free_report.html

Biana Babinsky

If you have lots of web site visitors from paid ads but no one is buying on your web site, here are some things that you should look into:

– Are your web site visitors targeted? If people who come to your web site are not your target customers, they will not buy your products.

– Are you showing them targeted products? If they click on your ad for a particular product, make sure that the page they see for that particular product, and not your main page.

– Is your web site copywriting good? When your potential customers click over to your web site, they still need to be convinced to buy from you.

How good is your web copy?

– Is your checkout process easy to use? Even if someone decided to buy from you, but your shopping cart to use, they will abandon it in the middle of the purchase.

Make sure that your checkout process is as easy as possible – have others test it for you.

I recommend testing and re-testing your process before you start spending money on the ads. If your web copy and checkout process are not working well, you will just be wasting your money on ads.

An alternative to the ads that I recommend is learning about free online marketing methods, such as article marketing, search engine optimization, business blogging and others. These are long term marketing strategies that you should learn, so that you can apply them over and over again to your business.

Subscribe to my FREE Online Marketing Newsletter at https://www.avocadoconsulting.com/free_newsletter.html to receive my articles on marketing your business online.

Biana Babinsky

Many of my clients, who are life and career coaches, consultants, book authors and virtual assistants have been asking me if they should hire someone to do their search engine optimization or if they should do it themselves.

I usually recommend to my clients to learn how to do search engine optimization and then to do it themselves for their web site.

Search engine optimization is not a one-time process; it is a continuous process. In order to get results, you need to be working on it on a regular basis.

SEO consists of two different, but equally important parts. Part one is the actual optimization of your web site – finding good keywords and weaving them into your tags and text. It takes time to do this, and you should research the keywords and update them from time to time.

The second part is about getting links to your web site. The more links you have
from other good web site to your web site, the better are your search engine rankings. This can be accomplished by exchanging links and publishing articles that can be re-published on other web sites, so that you can get a link back from every web site that has published your article.

I discuss search engine optimization in depth in my FREE Tutorial, Search Engine Optimization For Coaches. Here is the tutorial:
https://www.avocadoconsulting.com/seo/

Biana Babinsky

According to a recent article, Internet ad revenue up 35% to $17 billion, Internet ad revenue is up to 17 billion.

Looks like there is A LOT of business being done online, doesn’t it? Many of my clients have been asking me recently how they can profit from marketing their business online and how they can promote their products and services to get buyers.

Internet is a huge field and a great place to get coaching clients. In fact, over 98% of my coaching clients find me online.

In order to use the Internet to get clients, I usually recommend to my clients to create a system to get targeted traffic to their web site, and convert this traffic into newsletter subscribers. Here is how you can do that:

– Clearly Define Your Target Market. Who do you want to coach? Who is your ideal coaching client? Before doing anything else, you need to know exactly who your coaching clients are, what they do for a living, etc.

Without knowing this it will be very hard for you to market your coaching business online.

– Create An Effective Web Site For Your Coaching Business. Before you even start marketing, make sure that your web site is user-friendly and that it attracts your target customers.

– Start A Newsletter For Your Business. Not everyone who comes to your web site is going to hire you immediately. And once the customers leave your web site, they will forget about it.

The only way to have them remember who you are is by keeping in touch with them on a regular basis. You can do that by having a newsletter, and asking your web site visitors to subscribe to it.

– Use Online Marketing Techniques To Drive Your Potential Coaching Clients To Your Web Site. Now that you know who your target market is, it’s time to start driving
traffic to your web site and get customers.

Use article marketing, online networking, business blogging, search engine optimization and other online marketing techniques to drive your perfect clients to your web site.

If you are just starting out with using the Internet to get clients, I recommend starting with online networking and article marketing. Both are easy techniques to apply and they can bring you a ton of web site visitors, when used correctly.

Want to learn more about promoting your business online? Here is a FREE Tutorial for you, FREE Tutorial, How To Market Your Coaching Business.

Platform building for your book is all about getting your name known and getting as many of your target customers as possible into your circle of influence.

Here are some of the steps that you can take to start building a platform:

– Define your target market – who are the people you want to buy the book?

– Create a free offering that you can give away to your target market. This can be a special report, audio recording, e-book, etc. You need to create an offering that your target market really wants – that way you will be able to use it to get more newsletter subscribers.

– Start building your newsletter list – use the free offering as a gift for everyone who subscribes to your newsletter. Publish your newsletter on a regular basis to keep in touch with your subscribers and provide them with information about your book.

– Use online marketing techniques – search engine optimization, article marketing, your own blog, etc – to get newsletter subscribers.

The more subscribers you have, the more people you can contact, the more people
will be able to buy your book.

– Create other products and programs. Having just a book is not enough. Create other products based on your expertise – e-books, audio recordings, classes, etc. Now you can use your newsletter list to sell your products.

As you can see, you build your platform by building on the things you have done previously. You define your target market first, then you create a gift you can give away, then you use marketing techniques to get more newsletter subscribers, etc. In this FREE Tutorial, How To Market Your Coaching Business, you can learn how to market your business online.

Need to find good keywords for search engine optimization of your web site? Here are a few ideas for you:

– Ask your customers for keywords they would use to find your products and services. It is all about what THEY would use, not what you think they would use.

– Use a free tool, such as Google Keywords or paid tool, such as WordTracker to find out the supply and demand of certain keywords. This research will show you which keywords are the most effective ones for your business.

For more search engine optimization tips, here is a FREE SEO Tutorial: FREE Search Engine Optimization Tutorial For Coaches

Should you start a newsletter and article marketing before you launch your web site, or should you wait to start them until your web site is done?

I usually recommend to my clients to launch a web site first, then the newsletter and then start marketing by using article marketing, business blogging, search engine optimization and other techniques.

The reason I recommend this order is because you want your newsletter subscribers, article readers, blog readers, etc to visit your web site, learn about your products and services and buy them. People have to be able to check out information about your products and services without too much pressure, and this is what your web site will
do for them.

You may start the newsletter before the web site, but then you will not have a web site to send the potential buyers to.

And you should not use article marketing before having a web site. The main benefit of
using article marketing to promote your business is that your article resource box links back to your web site. If you do not have a web site, you will be missing on this huge benefit.

For more information, get my free article marketing, business blogging and internet marketing tips.

Biana Babinsky

Hi, everyone

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Williams, the president of 24 Hour Secretary, an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company.

Thanks so much for hosting today’s blog tour stop. I’ve always enjoyed your informative posts on forums we mutually participate on and look forward to hearing your presentation on SEO at the upcoming OIVAC. Right now, however, let’s chat a bit about the VA industry.

1. Sharon, could you please tell us about the background of the VA industry. How did the industry get started?

The industry is an outgrowth of an era (1980s) when it was unpopular and considered an embarrassing circumstance to work from home. Then, women performed typing, mailing and other secretarial-related duties to supplement the household income. Fast forward to the 1990s when the economy shifted, downsizing appeared to be a daily corporate occurrence, and women with training and experience but often little seniority were dismissed from their positions. Many used their corporate-honed skills and started secretarial services, as it was a then innovative alternative to unemployment. In 1997, Mr. Thomas Leonard, then president and visionary of Coach U, planned on taking a sabbatical, in his RV, and wanted someone to run his life for him while he was away. It is documented that Stacy Brice assumed these responsibilities and he called her his “virtual assistant”. Stacy entered the Coach Training Program at Coach U and began to, concurrently, coach women to live authentic lives, and assist others virtually, and as they say, the rest is history. Visit AssistU for more details.

2. Why did you decide to become a virtual assistant?

Almost two decades ago, I was downsized from my job and as a result started a business consulting business. I soon discovered my clients needed services in addition to business plan related assistance, as they were unfamiliar with handling the back office duties necessary to efficiently run and properly document their businesses. Based on client input, I added administrative support services to my portfolio, and allowed customers to visit my office during evening hours (which was literally unheard of at the time). The word spread rapidly about my capabilities and flexible work hours, and my client base grew exponentially, with most requesting administrative support services. As I realized the financial possibilities, I combined my offerings and marketing abilities to form The 24 Hour Secretary, a company that continues to specialize in administrative, marketing and internet-based support services 24/7.

3. Please tell us how working with a VA can help solopreneurs become more successful.

There are many ways working with a VA can help solopreneurs become more successful. Recently, I wrote a white paper entitled A Virtual Solution for Business Growth, Stability and Profitability, which introduces solopreneurs, independent professionals, entrepreneurs and even corporations to the virtual assistant industry and how VAs can help them become and remain successful.

4. Can you tell us what kind of tasks solopreneurs can outsource to their VA?

This question has many, many answers. Some contingent upon the industry VAs offer specialized or niche services to; others based on if the VA is offers a unique menu of services that can be utilized by any industry, and then, of course, generalist services categories traditional admin support without restriction or niche. The Alliance for Virtual Business, the information portal to the VA industry, has developed an informative breakdown, by industry, of services VAs offer. In addition, 101 Ways to Use a VA a downloadable pdf contains a detailed itemization of tasks that can be outsourced to VAs. Please visit the Alliance or download the 101 Ways pdf for a comprehensive report containing an extensive list of tasks readers can delegate to a virtual assistant.

5. I know you have the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention coming up. Please tell us more about it.

The 2nd annual OIVAC will be held May 17-19, 2007 from a desktop or laptop computer near you. This weekend event provides information useful for entrepreneurs seeking advice from 27 small business and virtual assistant expert presenters, covering topics ranging from SEO, business ethics, negotiating contracts, subcontracting, developing media relationships, branding, networking and much, much more.

Friday, May 18th is International Virtual Assistants Day, the official commemoration of the Dedication, Experience, Expertise and Determination to Succeed (DEEDS) of professionals providing administrative and other business support services, virtually. This celebration will recognize the contributions VAs have made to the industry and the business community, worldwide.

We are proud to announce that Ms. Fran Capo listed in the Guinness Book Worlds Records as the Fastest Talking Female, a world record holder, comedienne, keynote speaker and writer specializing in humor, publicity and motivation will be our celebration keynote speaker.

The convention is priced to fit an entrepreneur’s budget, starting at $25 per seminar, and all the networking, exhibit halls and workshops are free and open to the public. Visit OIVAC for details on ways to participate in the commemoration.

Yesterday I visited Crystal Pina at Visions Virtual Assistance and tomorrow I stop by my favorite buddy, Andrea Cannavina’s LegalTypist’s BYOB Lectures, another show where you have to tune in to get the scrambled puzzle clue. In the meantime, your clue is (#23) urtpcdos.

About Sharon Williams: Sharon is the Chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and OIVAC, and president of The 24 Hour Secretary an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company. She is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award and co-founder of Virtual Business University an e-learning environment for entrepreneurs willing to step towards their greatness.

If you are wondering where your clients are, you are not alone. Many solopreneurs and online business owners want to know where their customers are, so that they can find them.

I have the answer for you – your customers are using search engines as you read this. Many of your customers are using search engines to locate information about products and services they want to buy.

So, how can you take advantage of this information and bring the people who use search engines to your web site? I discuss this in my Where To Find People Who Want To Buy Your Products article.

To receive my articles in your mailbox as soon as they are published, subscribe to my Effective Online Marketing Newsletter.

Biana Babinsky

Need information on getting clients for your coaching business online? I have helped hundreds of coaches and solopreneurs create a virtual online practice, and here is what I recommend:

– Clearly Define Your Target Market. Who do you want to coach? Who is your ideal coaching client? Before doing anything else, you need to know exactly who your coaching clients are, what they do for a living, etc. Without knowing this it will be very hard for you to market your coaching business online.

– Create An Effective Web Site For Your Coaching Business. Before you even start marketing, make sure that your web site is user-friendly and that it attracts your target customers.

– Start A Newsletter For Your Business. Not everyone who comes to your web site is going to hire you immediately. And once the customers leave your web site, they will forget about it.

The only way to have them remember who you are is by keeping in touch with them on a regular basis. You can do that by having a newsletter, and asking your web site visitors to subscribe to it.

– Use Online Marketing Techniques To Drive Your Potential Coaching Clients To Your Web Site. Now that you know who your target market is, your web site is ready with a good marketing message, and you have a newsletter, it’s time to start driving traffic to your web site and get customers.

Use article marketing, online networking, business blogging, search engine optimization and other online marketing techniques to drive your perfect clients to your web site.

For more information on using online marketing techniques to create a virtual practice, use this FREE Tutorial, FREE Tutorial, How To Market Your Coaching Business.