It’s that time of year again, where we desperately hope for a sunny summer here in the UK before giving up halfway through August and booking a last-minute trip to sunnier climates. But for business owners, packing up and leaving the country can fill you with a sense of anxiety. What will happen whilst you’re […]
The power of blogging should not be underestimated; what started as a form of online diary-keeping for the first generation of web users is now a staple for almost every company website.
Most business owners keep blogs as a way of regularly communicating with their customers, informing them of events, products and the like. Blogs can help you to forge stronger ties with your clients, build strong brand identity and, ultimately, bring in more custom.
However, a blog which is not regularly updated can be likened to the latest series of The Only Way Is Essex – wasteful, unnecessary, with nobody looking at it. Blogging regularly is by no means easy, it requires regular maintenance, care and an almost constant stream of interesting, readable content. Many business owners struggle with original writing and their blogs often fall by the wayside, another dead link in the Internet’s graveyard.
If you struggle to maintain a good blog, why not hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) to do some of the work for you? Most VA’s have a good deal of office experience and can be hired for as many or few hours as your business dictates.
If you are interested in writing articles but are lacking facts and subject content, your VA could research and compile the necessary information for you. Alternatively, if you have all the facts but lack a writer’s voice you could hire a VA with writing experience to create blog posts. Even if you are a competent and creative writer, sometimes it helps to have a fresh voice. You could split content creation with one or more VA’s and receive a regular stream of articles from various different perspectives.
A well maintained blog is a successful blog; regular posts are necessary to hold the attention of your clients. Your VA can schedule your posts weeks in advance so that even if you might forget to update, posts will still be sent out. Essentially, your VA could create a month’s worth of blog content in one day, saving you time and money. VA’s can be hired for a minimum of an hour’s work so you could purchase a month’s worth of blog organisation for an affordable price.
Additionally, your VA can function as your PR manager – they can respond to any comments or queries left on the site and ensure that every visitor receives a prompt and professional response. This will give your readers more confidence in the company and will ensure that any potential business is dealt with promptly.
To truly understand and utilise the power of your blog, there are a number of software programmes which can be of great help. However, when it comes to the more technological aspects of blog management many business owners would prefer to bury their head in the sand. If words such as ‘analytics’ and ‘optimisation’ have you running scared, find yourself a VA who is well-versed in these areas and leave it to them. Using a Search Engine Optimisation tool (such as this one provided by WordPress https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/) your VA can analyse what content is being read and what is being ignored. By using these analytics, you can create blogs which will gain more traction. Additionally, many VA’s can help you improve your search result ranking through the use of SEO, pushing your page to the top of the list based on your business’ keywords and phrases.
These are just a number of ways in which VA’s can work with you to manage and improve your blog, so if you’d like to know more, we’d be happy to help. Just drop us an e-mail or call us to discuss how to make the most of your site.
Image courtesy of dpwebdevelopment
Whether you run a start-up company, a small business or you simply work for yourself, you may not always have the need for or the resources for a full-time assistant. Taking care of the day to day running of your business – arranging meetings, paying invoices, updating social media, or making travel arrangements etc can take up a large portion of your day when, you could be focussed on the more core elements of running your business. These are some of the reasons why you could ultimately benefit from the services of a Virtual Assistant, helping to free up your time and getting things done, without the need of having a full-time member of staff. So, let’s explore some of the many benefits of using Virtual Assistant below;
More and more people are working from home or for themselves, with Virtual Assistants amongst those which are easy to find online. With little recruitment time you could start using the services of a Virtual Assistant the very same day, meaning no lengthy or costly recruitment processes. A quick Google search, recommendation from a fellow business associate or using a freelance hire portal is all you need to find your saviour.
You can hire a Virtual Assistant by the hour, project or on a regular retainer basis for as many hours as you need that day, week or month. If you only need someone for a few hours each week or ad hoc to help out during busy periods, then you can hire a Virtual Assistant that meets your budget and needs, without worrying about other HR concerns such as pensions, National Insurance or taxation etc. Virtual Assistants look after their own finances and taxation, so all you need to do is ensure you pay them for their time and they’ll take care of the rest.
Virtual Assistants are skilled in a variety of disciplines and have a wide range of experience, working with a number of businesses across different industries worldwide and thus very adaptable. You will be able to check out their testimonials and reviews of their services from past clients, and you can be sure that their main aim is to get the job done to the best of their ability.
The difference of having a Virtual Assistant working alongside you in your business can prove priceless. You may find that your business is far more organised, less stressful and the little things you may forget to do or do not have enough time for, will get done without any fuss – making your business more streamlined and professional.
Whilst there are some benefits to having someone physically present in your office. These days, there isn’t much that can’t be done remotely thanks to Skype, instant messaging, email and much more. Therefore, there should be no issues with your Virtual Assistant being contactable via these methods or even by sharing your desktop remotely in order to work collaboratively on certain projects together.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant can be a permanent or a temporary move and whichever you choose, you are sure to find instant benefits from their skills and ability to assist you in managing the running of your business. If you are fortunate enough to find a Virtual Assistant that you are comfortable working with, and who provides value add to your business, you will have taken a very positive step to growing your support team and ultimately your business in the long run. See here for more information on how a Virtual Assistant can help you in your business.
Picture courtesy of virtual support UK