What Are Virtual Assistants?

A virtual assistant (VA) is a person, who provides various services to companies, professionals, and individuals from a remote location. For example, a professor is involved in research and writing a book about labor law. He uses a virtual assistant, who lives on the South Pole, to do some research for his research. Another example is a company X using a virtual assistant from Congo to handle customer service, or another company using the VA from the Netherlands to do his email management during the marketing campaign, or another example of an individual or professional is a politician who uses a VA from the US to do research about his voters.

  • A company can use a virtual assistant in order to better use of its employees, saving salary costs, saving the costs for training, saving time, etc.

  • It’s a great solution if the work is temporary.

  • And above all, the company doesn’t need to arrange or pay for the work place in their company, saving potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

  • Virtual assistant services are a key ingredient to helping startups and early-stage companies get off the ground.

  • Senior management or company owners are often doing micromanagement (is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and/or controls and/or reminds the work of their subordinates or employees), while their time would be much better to spend it on really important things for the company.

    • Such senior managers are frequently seen doing repeating work.

    • Instead, of doing that, they hire a VA to do such work, especially when it’s temporary.

    • Outsourcing some of your time-consuming responsibilities to a virtual assistant will help you focus on core business activities and scaling your business.

  • Small business owners (SBOs) can also benefit from hiring a VA, like no employee-related expenses, no separate office space, no downtime concerns, etc. You simply pay the VAs for the services they performed according to the terms of their contract.

There are several areas where virtual assistants can help or assist:

  • General Virtual Assistance

  • Content Writing & Management

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Digital Marketing

  • Social Media Management

  • Web Development

  • Audio & Video Editing

  • Miscellaneous

Here are some points, you can use a virtual assistant for:

  1. Bookkeeping and payroll duties: calculate hours, add expenses, update salaries.

  2. Receptionist and answering service: handle incoming phone calls, leave voicemails, and check messages.

  3. Database building, entry and updates (sales, lead generation, contacts, CRM, etc.).

  4. Perform banking needs, like paying bills and transferring funds.

  5. Write and send client invoices.

  6. Create, format, file, and present weekly reports on sales, deliverables, hours, and tasks.

  7. Check emails, respond to customer inquiries, and manage spam.

  8. Organize technical support tickets and participate in customer support.

  9. Create and send out greeting cards, invitations, newsletters, and thank you notes.

  10. Calendar management: establish, update, and manage important events.

  11. Schedule potential client meetings and other sales appointments.

  12. Launch and maintain cloud computing accounts (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive).

  13. Convert, merge, and split PDF files.

  14. Prepare training manuals for a new remote worker.

  15. Compose documents from handwritten drafts, faxes, and dictations.

  16. Create forms or surveys for customer feedback.

  17. Proofread documents and other office materials.

  18. Produce graphs from your spreadsheets.

  19. Article and blog post creation.

  20. Guest posting and guest blogging.

  21. Compose press releases and newsletters and submit them to news release directories.

  22. Produce content marketing material, such as infographics, white papers, and e-books.

  23. Design brochures and create content to put inside.

  24. Publish extensive how-to guides and industry-related book reviews.

  25. Translate company marketing materials into other languages.

  26. Write and submit op-ed pieces to newspapers and websites.

  27. Generate listicles (list articles) on industry-related matters.

  28. Respond to comments made on the business’s blog.

  29. Interview industry sources to write an in-depth report on markets.

  30. Interview previous customers to compose case studies.

  31. Develop, update, and optimize an SEO and web marketing strategy.

  32. Conduct keyword research for websites and perform a blog analysis.

  33. Set up and create landing pages.

  34. Start an in-depth competitor analysis (targeted keywords, ranked content, SEMrush positions).

  35. Manage sitemap and webmaster submissions.

  36. Begin a link-building campaign and generate a sufficient number of backlinks.

  37. Off-page optimization: commenting on other blogs, participating in forums and message boards, and responding to the public on YouTube and news websites.

  38. Monitor weekly and monthly Google Analytics reports; observe site traffic.

  39. Design advertisements (banners, side panel graphics, etc.) and find appropriate, high-traffic websites to place them on.

  40. Handle email marketing responsibilities including, creating a new list of email contacts, email newsletters, and promotional copy.

  41. Establish follow-up emails and auto-responders, updating them according to response rate.

  42. Design logos, e-book covers, headers, icons, and other graphic elements.

  43. Look for a copywriting or content marketing firm to post branded content.

  44. Reach out to media outlets and influencers to garner profiles by publishers.

  45. Open social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

  46. Come up with detailed social media profiles and insert links to the company website.

  47. Write, edit, and share posts on social networks (a content creation strategy).

  48. Perform a social media audit: conduct a thorough analysis on traffic, shares, and mentions.

  49. Observe the company’s competitors on social media by looking at rankings, online visibility, and keyword prioritization.

  50. Ensure your small business has a mobile social media strategy for full optimization.

  51. Research key hashtag conversations of the day and find out if it fits in with the company’s messages and marketing objectives.

  52. Engage with the audience: respond to inquiries, share relevant information, thank customers for mentions and purchases, and posting promotions.

  53. Update all social media accounts regularly.

  54. Create pinnable pictures for Pinterest.

  55. Run a social media contest or challenge.

  56. Upload photos to Flickr, Pinterest, and Instagram as part of marketing strategy.

  57. Web design, planning, and developing — including WordPress websites (if there is no business website).

  58. Provide technical support through coding on WP webpages.

  59. Install, customize, and update WP plug-ins and themes.

  60. Maintain the integrity of the website as well as functionality, security, and troubleshooting.

  61. Install and support payment gateway and ticketing systems for eCommerce sites.

  62. Incorporate web applications and programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and APIs into company websites.

  63. Optimize the user interface (UI) and cross-browser compatibility.

  64. Add tags and images to websites and blog posts.

  65. Perform regular backups to prevent data loss.

  66. Create designs for the various software like AutoCAD.

  67. Create online forms for content submission, customer feedback, or inquiries.

  68. Start affiliate marketing and launch such campaigns for the company.

  69. Set up, monitor, and manage other affiliates and respective links.

  70. Basic video editing: splicing intros and outros and inputting graphics and music.

  71. Upload files to YouTube, DailyMotion, and Vimeo.

  72. Edit audio files by removing background noise and improving volume levels.

  73. Management and maintenance of audio and video equipment (cameras and mics).

  74. Trim footage segments and produce rough and final cuts.

  75. Record, edit, and set up podcasts and insert them onto a webpage.

  76. Creating and editing rudimentary graphic design tasks on Photoshop and other image editing software.

  77. Write down minutes from meetings and then create a detailed document.

  78. Transcription of voicemail, video or audio, podcasts, and meeting recordings.

  79. Recruit potential team members and contractors or freelancers.

  80. Research important data, statistics, and facts for meetings and use the data to create PowerPoint presentations or blog posts.

  81. Perform generic errands for the office, including buying items online, arranging locations for office parties, and hiring a cleaning service.

  82. Place ads on career websites, review resumes, and contact the right candidates.

  83. Interview job applicants and speak with references.

  84. Train on-site employees, virtual staff members, or freelancers.

  85. Turn raw data into a detailed report and slideshow.

  86. Develop and deliver slideshow presentations.

  87. Search for hotels, book airfares, and map out business trip itineraries.

  88. Monitor and report on the latest industry developments and trends to brief SBO.

  89. Collect documents for tax season.

  90. Create a business-wide project management system online.

  91. Manage projects: stay in touch with subcontractors, email reports, use online calendars, and call team leaders to inform them of deadlines.

  92. Send a gift card or thank you note to your clients on holidays and anniversaries.

  93. Speak with customer service representatives for tech support, banking issues, etc.

  94. Conduct background, credit, and criminal checks on staffers.

  95. Run an internal office or challenge, so employees can receive bonuses.

  96. Put together welcome and goodbye packages for both clients and staff.

  97. Search for and contact industry experts or guests to participate in podcasts and webinars.

  98. Provide suggestions and recommendations when the company isn’t meeting its monthly, quarterly, and annual goals.

  99. Manage customer refunds.

  100. Produce customer care scripts for customer service requests.Contact clients regarding overdue payments.

So far, so good. But where do you find Virtual assistants? And how do you pay them? And how can you be ensured that they really work on your projects when they get paid by the hour? And where can someone become a virtual assistant? What qualifications does such person have?

All valid questions and you can find all the answers here on this site.