15 ways to market your VA business that really work
Knowing how to market your VA business doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive or even very time-consuming. But it can feel overwhelming - something that’s not helped by well-meaning friends and family telling you about the different marketing options they’ve seen. From stickers on your car to paying for a Google Adwords campaign, it’s easy to get sucked into wasting money and time on things that don’t really make a difference or aren’t appropriate for a business that’s just starting up.
Do this before you start marketing your VA business
1. Step one is simple and dare I say it, a bit boring. But it’s also essential. Your first task is to identify who you want to target with your marketing and decide on your key messages. (OK, that’s two things, but they’re closely related!) Once you’ve done this, everything else starts to become much easier. That’s because you can sense check whether a marketing opportunity is as great as it sounds, by asking yourself ‘is this an effective way to reach my audience?’. Keeping your messages consistent makes marketing easier too because you won’t need new ideas each time you do something.
With this background work under your belt, you’re now in a better position to start marketing your virtual assistance business. Here are some of the most effective and easiest ways for you to do that:
Get comfortable with social media
There’s no getting away from it, social media is a great way to market your VA business. That said, there are many different ways to approach social media. Here are some of the best ways to embrace all things social, while staying true to who you are.
1. Build your confidence
Putting yourself out there on social media can feel daunting. So if you need to, take baby steps to build up your presence and confidence. Don’t feel like you have to go all-in, because you don’t! I’ll let you into a secret - I really don’t enjoy social media, it doesn’t come naturally to me at all and I have to constantly push myself out of my comfort zone to do it. But I’m persevering and things are working out. 💁🏻♀️
2. Choose your channels and stick with them.
You can’t do everything, so why try? Overdoing it on social media will leave you feeling overwhelmed and wanting to give up. I stick to just two channels - LinkedIn for Timpi and Instagram for Timpi Academy. I’d recommend that you don’t spread yourself too thinly - three channels are more than enough. It’s only natural to want to cover all of the main channels but it’s better to do a spotless job on one than to do a crap job across four!
3. Plan your socials properly ✏️
If social media doesn’t come naturally to you, planning monthly will save your sanity and give you the results you want. Commit one day to smashing out your social media for the month - and BOOM! - you won’t need to think about it for another month. Another tip for free - always plan a month ahead of where you are. That way if you end up falling behind because you get busy, feel unwell, or just fancy some time off, then your socials will still be in place - it’s one less thing to worry about.
4. Update your profiles
Whether you choose to have separate social profiles or just one, it’s important to reflect what you do on your profile. It’s easy to do - change your ‘place of work’ information to reflect your new VA business.
5. Make LinkedIn work for you
LinkedIn might seem serious in comparison to other platforms, but it’s a great way to find clients and potential partners. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you know and have worked with in the past and connect with them - you never know who might be looking for some help with their business. While you’re there, update your profile and start engaging with people in your network. You don’t need to be posting all the time. Interacting with other people’s posts can be a powerful way to get noticed.
6. Be bold
If you’re feeling brave, use social media to do lives, post stories and hold events. It’s a brilliant way to shout about your business and show potential clients what makes you different! And it might sound harsh, but you need to get over your fear of appearing on video… no-one cares about what you look and sound like on screen as much as you do. The sooner you get over it, the better!
7. Join groups
Facebook and LinkedIn have so many groups - industry-specific and local - that you can join and these are a REALLY good way of finding clients. Some of these give you an opportunity to advertise your services or ask to collaborate with others. These can be a great way to build your confidence and your network.
Embrace the online world
There are so many ways to promote your VA business online, social media is definitely NOT the only way to do things.
1. Create a website
This sounds more daunting than it actually is! You don’t need an all-singing, all-dancing website to run your business. A simple landing page is more than enough to get started with. Include your core information - contact details, links to social profiles and a bit of information about you and what you do. That’s it! Then, once you’ve built up some cash reserves, you can invest in a bigger website. I’ve found Showit and Squarespace to be super easy, and there are plenty of others to choose from.
2. Build a mailing list
A mailing list of engaged subscribers can be one of your most powerful assets! Start by getting people you know to sign-up to your mailing list. You can add a link to your sign-up page at the bottom of your email signature and run social media posts to encourage people to become subscribers too. Not sure where to begin? Mailchimp and Mailerlite have everything you need.
3. Get blogging
Blogs are a great way to demonstrate your experience and knowledge while also letting people learn more about you. You don’t need to have a website to post blogs - you can post articles on LinkedIn instead. Not sure what to write about? Start by brainstorming the kind of questions your clients and potential clients ask you. Use those questions as a starting point - it’s a guaranteed way of making sure people will find your blogs useful!
4. Set up a Google My Business page
Google My Business is a fantastic way of building visibility in your local area. It’s an easy thing to do but isn’t instant - your business needs to be validated by Google before you can go live. Once you’ve set up your Google My Business account, you’ll benefit from improved SEO performance for your website as well as increased local visibility.
Get out there
You might be a virtual assistant but that doesn’t mean you should keep yourself to yourself! Build new relationships and capitalise on your existing connections.
1. Attend online and in-person networking events
You might not want to hear this, but networking works! There are LOADS of networking groups out there, so get dressed up and get out there. There’s a chance that you’ll come across one or two groups that you can’t bear, but there will be others where you love the vibe. Nearly all groups let you come along for a couple of free sessions, so give them a go. What do you have to lose? Here are a few networking groups that are worth a visit. Athena, Fabulous Networking, Federation of Small Businesses.
2. Tell friends and family
Your friends and family are your biggest supporters, so let them help you grow your business! Tell them what you do and explain what being a virtual assistant means. It’s likely many of them won’t understand what you do. Ask if they know anyone who needs any help and build up your experience (and bank of glowing testimonials) this way.
3. Ask for referrals
Got a client who loves the work you do for them? Ask them if they know anyone else who could use your services. This is a really easy way to build up your clients - people will only refer those who they respect and appreciate. This makes referrals a fantastic method of finding new clients.
My final piece of advice is this - keep it simple. Don’t spend so much time setting up elaborate campaigns that you don’t have time to do your client work or enjoy your self-employed life. I’d recommend using a blend of techniques so you can communicate with a variety of people - remember that not everyone uses social media or attends networking events. Some things will work for you and others will work better for others. Keep trying new things and changing it up, and you’ll soon figure out what works best for you.
Good luck, you can do it! 🙌🏻
