Do you have an internet marketing plan?

I guess It’s OK if you don’t, but I highly suggest creating one ASAP. I’ve discovered in my work that a lot of people believe that if they just put up a website, clients will just magically show up. That couldn’t be further from the truth. People will only know you exist if you or someone or something tells them that you exist. The marketing plan ensures that you or someone or something is out there, telling people about you!

There are basically two sides of the coin: you either have an internet marketing plan or you are flying by the seat of your pants.

Marketing plans don’t need to be difficult. Put the marketing plan in place and then let it work – don’t keep fuddling with your marketing plan. Just let it work.

Components of a Simplified Internet Marketing Plan

A good internet marketing plan should answer the following questions. It should also frame all of these questions with a time period. For example, create a quarterly marketing plan or a yearly marketing plan. Marketing plans are not “forever!”

1. Who are your clients? What do they do and what do they need? This is essential in any marketing plan, not just an internet marketing plan. Determining what they need is critical, because you can use this information to help you figure out where you should promote yourself.
2. What online medium do you plan to use as your BASE location, where people can find out about you and contact? The obvious is your website – but I’ll let you in on a little secret: it doesn’t have to be. You can start a blog and make that your home base, or you can have a LinkedIn profile instead, or a Biznik profile, or a Squidoo page…think outside the box. If you don’t have a LOT of time and money, you might really consider one of the alternatives to having a regular website – get that up and running first and then take your time in creating your website masterpiece.
3. How will you find your clients? An internet marketing plan assumes you are finding your clients online. But where? Layout specific details here. Will you network on sites such as StartupNation and Biznik? Don’t forget less traditional methods such as Clickbank - if you sell a product.
4. What advertising methods will you use, if any? Banner ads? Pay-per-click ads? Link swapping (be wary of this and do your homework)?
5. How will you drive visitors to your base location? Think social bookmarking and social networking as well as online PR and article marketing.
6. How often will you market and by what methods? Create a calendar and lay out your desired marketing methods and intervals.
7. When your visitors arrive at your site, what will you use to compel them to contact you? this is so overlooked, but this is one of the biggest parts of your whole marketing effort. Try to imagine a clear path of least resistance to your contact page, signup page, free consultation page, etc.
8. How will you capture your visitor’s contact information, so you can follow up? E-zines and newsletters are popular and they work. You should also TRY to make sure it’s very clear how to get in touch with you from the very first page. Burying your contact information is a sure-fire way to lose a potential lead.
9. What materials and expertise do you need to implement and support these efforts? If you’re planning to do it all by yourself, give yourself enough time to really do it well. Consider outsourcing (even VAs can outsource!)
10. How much money will that cost? YES! Promoting yourself online costs money. It doesn’t need to be ridiculous, but it does cost something. Don’t be unrealistic and DON’T be cheap. Try and find free resources where you can but don’t skimp on things like autoresponders, affiliate software or graphic design. Remember that shopping carts cost money, too. Even Paypal really isn’t “free” – they keep a hefty chunk of change for themselves when your clients pay you through Paypal.

Make sure that your marketing plan is realistic. Executing a marketing plan is like going on a diet: if it’s totally unrealistic for you it won’t work.

Here is a great internet marketing resource: http://www.cumbrowski.com/default.asp

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Have you noticed…there are what seems like a bazillion virtual assistants out there! Your clients are looking for a solution – how is it that you meet their needs as opposed to the next VA?

If you haven’t given any thought to this yet, I suggest getting out a sheet of blank paper, or a white board, and start working on it.

My company brand image is “the know-how all American virtual assistant.” I came up with the brand AFTER I started my business, not before. You don’t have to do it that way, but it does help. I decided on “know-how” after I realized that I had a lot of skills many other VAs didn’t have.

My background in technology really helped me learn new technical skills quickly, and because I’d been working with websites since 2000, while I was still in school, I knew I could set myself apart by being able to say “yes” whenever a client asked if I knew how to do something.

I chose All-American because it helped set me apart from the global community of VAs. This doesn’t make me better; it just adds a little identity. I like that.

Use these components to come up with your own brand:

1. Your personality and work ethic
2. If you were to have a frank, totally confidential interview with someone who asked you why you’re better than other virtual assistants, what would you say?
3. How do you want to connect with your clients? What do you think they’re looking for?

It may take some time to come up with ideas, but keep plugging away. And always remember that the “next” idea is going to be better than the current one, so don’t be afraid to try out 20, 30 and even 40 different ideas and slogans.

Once you’ve come up with your brand, you need to develop artwork around it so that it’s easier to promote it online and in print materials. If you’re not great at graphic design, consider outsourcing it to another VA (it’s a way to keep it all in the fam’). Some VAs specialize in graphic design. You can find one on Biznik or VANetworking Forum.

I just read a blog post TODAY (Fri Jul 18) that talks about how to build your online brand. It’s written by social media blogger Chris Brogan.

There’s one part that I really like. It’s toward the end, after he gives a run-down on Google Reader and some social networks you should consider. It’s the section marked “What to do with it all.” So many people forget to tell you how to string it all together so that it works for you and you get business.

Chris writes,

What to Do With It All

This is partially difficult to answer, as it’s up to you what your goals are for using social media. But some of the things you can do once you have this all in place are:

-Learn who’s talking about you (or your company, or the other keywords you put into your reader), and engage them in conversation on their site.

-Make relationships with others before you need them on social networks.

-Find other professionals in your field, or in unrelated fields on social networks.

-Connect with old friends and business colleagues.

-Discover new people through reading and learning, and follow the media they make on the various networks, and/or in Friendfeed.

-Learn more about your competitors through the media they make, and discover where you can build more value.

I’d especially pay attention to the very last one – “learn more about your competitors through the media they make, and discover where you can build more value.” He doesn’t say “do what your competitors do” but rather, build more value. I take this to mean two things: continuously build your own brand image and promote it in unique ways, and add value to the industry by getting out there and making our presence known.

I’ll also add some VA-specific information on building your brand:

1. Make sure your presence is known wherever VAs are found. This means get into the VANetworking lists and any other directory – don’t spend a lot of money. In fact, be wary of spending a lot of money to get listed in directories. Find out whether people actually use the directory first! Sometimes, the reason publishers charge to be listed is because they don’t get enough traffic to make money from advertising!
2. Get out there! Don’t hover around VA circles all the time. Find out where your clients hang out online, and then participate in the discussions. I’m risking a lot by spreading the word, but I get business from hanging out in real-estate circles and small business circles, by participating in discussions on blogs where people are asking for advice. I offer advice and I always link to my website and blog.
3. Be willing to change your brand or update your image once in awhile. It’s OK to change your brand if it needs changing. The VA industry is not like soda – where Coke and Pepsi can get away with using the same brand for 10 or 15 years. And even Coke and Pepsi have changed their brand to go with the times. Look at Madonna – she’s changed her brand maybe 5 times and is STILL selling out concert tours.

Now, what’s your brand and how to you plan to build it?

© 2008 – 2009, Tia Peterson. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced with permission. Please contact tia@tiadpeterson.com to request permission to reuse this content. Thank you!

Also – see my updated comment on this entry! In response to Kimberly.

Virtual Assistant Site Review #1: VAClassroom.com

Every now and again I come across a resource for
virtual assistants that I think is of extraordinary
value. I found such value in VAClassroom.com’s
training center.

(In case you’re wondering, YES, I have personally
experienced paid membership at VAClassroom.com)
so I am qualified to really review it!)

Today’s top virtual assistants excel by assisting
their clients in a number of tasks related to
internet and technology. Neither needs to be scary!
I’m naturally inclined toward internet, technology,
software, etc, but even if you aren’t, it’s not
something you should shy away from.

VAClassroom offers a number of training modules
geared toward increasing your knowledge of some of
the hottest trends in virtual assistance today:
internet marketing, blogs, shopping cart assistance
and more.

Here’s what Craig, co-founder of VAClassroom.com has
to say:

“Our primary mission at VAClassroom is to provide
skill-based Training Programs that equip Virtual
Assistants with the exact skills and knowledge
businesses are seeking today. I am sure you all can
relate to taking a course only to discover that it
did not provide the relevant skills needed to find
tangible work opportunities. At VAClassroom, our
courses are created based on the input of our network
of Internet Business colleagues who regularly hire
Virtual Assistants. This gives us the confidence that
we are providing the right kind of training that will
translate to real work opportunities for VAs.”

Congrats to VAClassroom.com on a job well-done!

© 2008 – 2009, Tia Peterson. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced with permission. Please contact tia@tiadpeterson.com to request permission to reuse this content. Thank you!

I subscribe to Lisa Taliga’s Virtual Assistant Life blog and get her posts via email. Today’s post striked me – her email subject line is “I Felt Like Giving Up, Tia.” I opened the mail and clicked the link to the entry.

It’s a simple message – nothing too complicated or involved, but there’s something that happens when you share your challenges, fears and disappointments that does something mysterious: it motivates.

Here is the link to her post.

So that’s some motivation for Monday. As you put together your to-do list for the week, no matter how long, short, simple or complicated it may be, find the motivation you need to keep going. And know this: I’ll be digging deep for that motivation as well!

Happy Monday.

Cheers,

Tia

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U.S. based Virtual Assistants: You are not in danger! Seriously. Don’t panic.

Why am I writing this? Well, I should probably make note of the posts that I read which inspired me. The first was Elizabeth Pott Weinstein‘s post about what virtual assistants do, which I didn’t actually read first. I came around to it. I found out about it first after reading a comment someone had made about it while I was browsing Elizabeth’s other posts.

I thought the comment was interesting, so I followed it to someone named Jonathan Robert‘s post about how you can find a VA for $3 an hour and have it be a valuable experience for you (that’s my reader’s digest version).

Finally his post led me to the vaclassroom.com blog post about whether or not western VAs are threatened by low-wage international competition. That’s where my inspiration for this post took off.

In the first issue of my VA e-zine I specifically call out this issue of U.S. VAs vs. the global market in terms of cost of services, and whether or not it’s something to really worry about. Here’s my two cents worth:

• Develop a niche. Really. Why wouldn’t you, anyway? Develop a niche market for yourself and your VA business. If you don’t know where to start, ask yourself which of your services do you like the most? Blog maintenance? Article submission? Customer service?

Whatever your favorite service is, make that your primary service and hone, hone, hone it until you are the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be (OK, so I watched a little WWF growing up!)

• Seek clients who are willing to pay your prices. Do not waste your time haggling. Negotiate, but be firm. Have a range you are willing to play with and don’t lower it for anybody (not even your mama). Why? You simply cannot build a business with this sort of strategy.

If Gucci negotiated prices with every customer they came in contact with just so they wouldn’t lose that customer, they wouldn’t have the brand they do.

There is something about charging what you are worth and not what you think someone will pay for your services. You are worth something. Your services are worth something. You are CONVENIENCE. And guess what? Convenience costs. The reason hiring a VA located in India makes sense for some people is the same reason paying $25 to ship your document overnight makes sense to some people. It’s all still convenience.

The aha factor is that convenience is relative and completely subjective. Remember that and work it!

• Play up your strengths as a domestic. Ever heard of a SWOT analysis? The beauty of it is that when you see yourself as you really are, you’ll realize that you have strengths to counter what might seem like a weakness. So you’re domestic. So you cost more. So what? You speak perfect, fluent English. You’re available by phone in the same time zone. You’re not long-distance. You can understand a southern accent. You’ve heard of most of the Fortune 500 companies. You and everyone you know has a MySpace, Facebook and Bebo account. You know the lingo, culture, and history of the U.S. For any potential client doing business with mostly American people, you’ve just given yourself a huge advantage. Play up your strengths.

Regardless of how you feel at this moment, there are clients out there looking for you. Not everyone is wanting to go with the offshore thing. And I’m not saying offshoring is bad at all. On the contrary, I think it’s great that offshore companies exist, because people need them.

But clients need you, too! So don’t worry. There is more than enough work to go around and if you don’t believe me, Google virtual assistant and see for yourself just how many of the top 20 listings are actually U.S. based. Then if that isn’t convincing, go to Indeed.com, search ‘virtual assistant’ and of the listings that come up, count how many specifically say that they want fluent English or a U.S. based company/virtual assistant. Seriously. If you need a pick me up, just go do those things and you’ll feel better.

Then, get to work! (and if you’re a self-employed mom join my mastermind so we can chat about this).

Cheers,

Tia

All American Admin

Feel free to leave a comment! They’re much appreciated.

© 2008 – 2009, Tia Peterson. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced with permission. Please contact tia@tiadpeterson.com to request permission to reuse this content. Thank you!

Anyone reading this blog has probably heard of or read the book Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel. The book highlights some common mistakes women naturally make that may prevent them from breaking through that highly controversial notion of the “glass ceiling.” The book is very good, actually, and if you haven’t read it, you should, particularly if you have been or plan to ever be part of “corporate” America.

But I have another angle on this that I’ve been thinking about recently. What about the home office? Is there a difference when it comes to women’s natural tendencies (to bring cookies and other goodies and leave them at our desk, to bring in our kid’s fundraisers, to put others first, etc) in the home-based business realm, vs corporate America?

I’d love to see some responses and comments to this. Women in home-based businesses tend to be in industries we expect them to be in – virtual assistants (like myself), home/personal products, shopping, etc. Some of the very successful are in more mixed pools – graphic design, coaching/consulting, etc. A lot of men in home-based businesses are found in major money-making MLM businesses, finance (like home-based accounting and tax services), real estate investing, technology and media. Of course, all of this commentary is without research into this – this is just my observation. Click here to read the Good Morning America article on Virtual Assistants written last September.

Case in point: I’ve never been a “brick-and-mortar” administrative assistant professionally (a few times during college temporarily). I have a BA in technical writing and until recently worked in IT as a tech writer, then product manager, and then lead business analyst. But when I decided to work from home, I chose virtual assistance. Why? I don’t really know. I just enjoy it a lot. That’s all I can offer for an explanation.

Women seem to thrive in “helping” businesses like virtual assistance. Does that make us servants? Most definitely not! But if you ever find yourself feeling that way a bit, don’t fret, I’m sure we all do at some point. I recently came into negotiations with a potential client that didn’t go very well. The essence of the conflict was a philosophical one. The potential client (a man) worked from home and probably enjoyed a lifestyle that anyone would – lots of income, low overhead and free time. But he didn’t anticipate that I would be in the same position as he is. When it came to negotiations in terms of my rate and my work schedule, he expected me to work 24/7 for peanuts. That’s ridiculous. Needless to say it didn’t work out between us.

Anyway, the issue I’m really getting at is that it’s obviously possible for women to be very successful in home-based business (many, many women do – just look at Ali Brown and her prodigies), but it isn’t by giving stuff away, acting like a servant, lowering our rates or devaluing our services. It’s by sticking to your guns. Set a price and a schedule that you want and that reflects your desired lifestyle (see my blog about Lifestyle Entrepreneurs) and then don’t waver. Men rarely do that (in business or in life) but as women we’re so good at rationalizing our changes that we talk ourselves into things like “I’ll lower my rate for just this one client” or “It really shouldn’t take 2 hours to do this task so I’ll only charge him for 1 1/2 hours.” Resist the temptation to do this!

Whether or not you believe in “you reap what you sow”, law of attraction, karma, “you get what you ask for” or something similar, the truth is that you will get out of life exactly what you expect to get. So set your expectations high! If you want lots of money and a 2 hour workday, expect that. You will then find yourself researching businesses that allow this sort of lifestyle and the next thing you know it will be yours.

So be nice, but be real. Don’t bend down for clients, reach up for them.

To our success!

Cheers,

Tia

© 2008 – 2009, Tia Peterson. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced with permission. Please contact tia@tiadpeterson.com to request permission to reuse this content. Thank you!