For the first three tips in this series, please see the post from 4th August.

Tip Four – Press Releases
Press releases are useful for generating a buzz about your virtual assistant business. The business editor at your local newspaper will always be on the lookout for a good business story to fill the paper’s business news section.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of running a paper, and is more inclined to run your story if you buy advertising space, but will still print stories for special events and openings. Think of an angle. Could you offer a competition prize? Could you help a local charity?

The important thing to remember about press releases is that they must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole trader, quotes from you should be written in the third person – Joe Bloggs says: "Your quote here."

When writing a press release, put the important information at the beginning of the copy and supplementary details towards the end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take on your story.

Tip Five – Online Presence
It goes without saying that, as a virtual assistant, you needs a website. But have you really thought about the best way to use it? Some visitors will arrive at your site as result of your telling them about it, or seeing the URL on your business card or marketing material.

What you really want, though, are visitors to arrive at your site because they are actually searching for a virtual assistant. These are not just visitors; they are also prospects. They have actually gone to the trouble of going to a search engine and entering a relevant term into the search bar and are busy looking through the results to find someone with whom they want to work. So, how do you make sure your site is the one they choose?

Well, search engine optimisation (SEO) companies charge a small fortune for ‘optimising’ your site in an attempt to make it appear at the top of search engines results, and, with good reason. The search engines constantly change their indexing criteria to keep out the ‘spammers’. So, the SEO companies have to consistently keep one step ahead. If you do not have the budget to compete with the big players, the best thing you can do is be listed on their websites. Visitors will then see your information and click through to your site.

There are several directories advertising virtual assistants and their services in the UK. The UK Association of Virtual Assistants consistently appears on the first page of Google and can be found at www.ukava.co.uk

Tip Six – Test Everything
Whenever possible, you should test your advertising and marketing efforts. It is natural to want to ‘jump in’ and try various ideas and formats, and that’s admirable. But, try to keep a record of where each enquiry comes from, and which enquiries you convert into paying customers.

With this data to hand, you can then look at what has been cost effective and what has not. For example, if you paid £500 to join a networking group, and attended 50 breakfast meetings, costing £10 each, over the course of a year, and, as a result, you got one new client, that client would have cost you £1000 to source. If you put an advert in the UKAVA Directory for £49.95, from which you gain five new clients, each client has cost you less than £10 to source. In this scenario, you may decide to drop the networking group and advertise in the directory more frequently.

The important point is that you cannot improve on what you do not evaluate the situation. If you do not know what is working for you, and what is not, how can you expect to improve your results in the future?

Sometimes, you may find that the lower-cost advertising and marketing strategies are the ones that bring you the most business.

For a listing in the UKAVA Directory visit: http://www.ukava.co.uk/html/join_the_uk_association_of_vir.html

For an in-depth online course on how to market your virtual assistant business, visit: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-online-courses/marketing-for-virtual-assistants/

When you are starting out as a virtual assistant, and no one knows you or what you do, one of the biggest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business. You probably have already done some research and already know that there are people who need your services, otherwise you would not have started your business in the first place. But, once you have spoken to those you already know who may need you, your next task is to find others who will help you make your business a success.

At this point most people turn to advertising. If I had a pound for every VA that has said to me, ‘There’s a little local magazine that comes through my door each month; should I advertise in it?’ I would not have to run a VA business myself; I could retire on the proceeds. The answer, by the way, for many reasons, is ‘no’. There are many better ways to spend your limited advertising and marketing budget.

It is a misconception that you have to spend lots of money to advertise your virtual assistant business. Unless you have some sort of financial backing, it is unlikely that you will have a huge budget, so it is better to be creative and use what you have wisely.

In this article, I will be letting you in on a few tips and passing on some of the lessons I have learned on how to advertise your virtual assistant business within a tight budget.

Tip One – Word of Mouth
If you have just started out, and have done a piece of work for a client who is pleased with the results, they will talk about it. My advice in the early days is to under promise and over deliver. Think about how you can ‘delight’ your customer. What can you add, or improve, that would really ‘wow’ them? Could you deliver the work early, could you suggest some ideas that might improve it, could you put them into contact with a potential new client that you know? Anything that is seen as going the extra mile and helping your client within their business will be appreciated. When they thank you for it, ask them if they know anyone else who might need your services. Put it in their mind that you are looking for new clients in this way and they may send you referrals.

Tip Two – Referrals
Sometimes it is not whom you know, but whom they know. We have all heard the theory about the six degrees of separation, that you are only six people away from anyone you want to get to know. Well the same applies to business. The person to whom you are talking may not have any requirement for a virtual assistant, but whom do they know that might?

If you make an impression on the person you are talking to they will remember you and, possibly, refer you to anyone who may need your services. This is particularly true at networking events, which we will cover in the next tip. But, how can you make sure that they will remember you and refer you when appropriate. How about offering a referral fee?

A referral fee can be a gift or cash, and is usually related to the amount a referred new customer spends. You only pay out on the referral if the potential new client signs up, so you have nothing to lose. You may want to offer a free bottle of champagne or gift vouchers for each new referral, or perhaps 10% of the first invoice total. It is up to you, but it can be a very effective way of getting your contacts to refer their contacts to you.

Tip Three – Networking
If up until now you have been an employee, you might never have been to a networking event before. The whole idea is that everyone who goes along is a business owner or key decision maker in their business and is there, like everyone else, to promote their product or service. The beauty of networking is that if you attend groups regularly, people get to know and trust you and are happy to work with you if they need a virtual assistant or refer business your way.

I could write a whole series on the subject of networking alone, but these are the basics. If it is your first time networking, go to an informal group. This will help you get your confidence and see how they work. Do an Internet search of networking in your town and you should find a whole range of groups in your area. Have a look for one that takes your fancy and book a place. Most groups will let you attend one or two meetings before asking you to take out a membership, so make full use of all the free trails until you find a group that you like. Some groups are free, but you will find the ones that charge a membership fee are often more formal business networking groups and produce more clients and referrals.

Remember that anyone you speak to may know someone who needs a virtual assistant. So, never dismiss someone on a first impression, and remember that networking is a two-way process. So, if you can put those you meet in touch with anyone who would interest them, do it. You will be remembered for it and that is the first step towards getting referrals.

Join us again on the 11th for three more hot tips.