If the pandemic has brought anything positive it’s the fact that it paved the way for remote working and virtual assistants.

However, one of the most frequent questions that freelancers keep asking is: “How do I find customers and how do I market my skills in the market?” With virtual assistants still a niche in the job market, you need to establish yourself and your talents online to find the right clientele.

That is why we have compiled this list of opportunities to help you develop your skills online and make a living as a virtual assistant.

Establish your niche

It should be understood that the term virtual assistant covers a wide range of activities – such as administrative tasks, medical assistance, data entry, personal tasks, social media marketing, project management and more. And as an individual, you may not have expertise in all of these areas.

Therefore, in order to make it clear to potential clients which jobs they can hire you for, you need to clearly state your skills and talents. Also, make sure that this is one of the first things people see when they go looking for you.

Create a website to showcase your work

Although there are platforms like Upwork and Freelancer on which you can register as a freelancer, this does not set your profile apart from hundreds of other profiles on the website. Additionally, the work of a virtual assistant is slightly different from that of a freelancer, so you may be sending mixed signals to prospects.

We recommend remote assistants to create a clear, well-designed website that will serve as your portfolio and resume. Make sure that the services you offer and your contact information are easily visible to users, as users usually leave a website if it is too cluttered or if the information they are looking for is not easy to find.

We also recommend creating company profiles on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. While this is not a traditional way of looking for work, in today’s digital age it always helps to be able to present yourself on as many social platforms as possible because you never know when an opportunity is knocking on the door.

Create educational content

Another way to prove your credibility is to create engaging, informative content that shows potential employers your expertise in a topic.

For example, if you want to become a remote social media marketing assistant, you can create social media posts on the latest advertising trends, marketing tools, and other relevant news.

Some new and innovative ways to create content are:

• Social media posts
• Infographics
• Youtube videos
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Live sessions on Instagram and Facebook

Continuing education is the key

We live in a fast paced world, and even more so when it comes to the internet. New trends, software, and features are introduced every week, and it’s easy to fall behind if you don’t keep up to date.

Potential employers want tech-savvy remote assistants who are familiar with the latest social media tools. It doesn’t matter how well educated or how many years of experience you have; If you are not familiar with the latest technology, you are easily replaced.

It is therefore important to continue to train and educate yourself as a virtual assistant in order to be one step ahead of the competition.

Make SEO your friend

People can easily find your site / profile while browsing the internet by carefully selected SEO friendly keywords.

Regularly keep your website updated with educational content and blogs on your area of ​​expertise, and use SEO keywords to help improve your search engine ratings.

In this way, people looking for work-related services can easily find you on the Internet. And because you work remotely, you have the added benefit of working with customers from all over the world. So make sure you are using SEO properly to attract more visitors to your website.

Advertise yourself

While SEO is a great way to bring organic traffic to your blog, when you’re just starting out, you can’t just rely on the organic traffic to make a living as a virtual assistant.

There are several ways to self-apply without spending a lot of money online and offline. For example, paid advertising from Google Adwords to get higher ratings in search engines and social media ads.

However, you can also promote yourself by posting your services on Facebook groups where your customers may be active and answering questions on platforms like Quora. It’s a simple yet effective way to create your digital footprint on the internet. You can also reach out on LinkedIn to small business owners who want to hire a VA and promote their services directly.

When marketing offline, don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing. Let all of your social circles know that you are offering your remote assistant services and are actively looking for customers. As remote working becomes more popular every day, small business owners in our communities are constantly on the lookout for VAs.

Build a network of virtual assistants

Because the remote assistant domain is relatively small, it is important to build a strong network of virtual assistants who can help each other create new job opportunities.

For example, let’s say you are a VA content writer and learn a job related to data entry; You can always forward them to someone you know is good at work and vice versa.

A solid network of people in a similar professional field will also help you stay up to date on current trends and new training opportunities. Sometimes it just helps to have a support group of like-minded people to let out on!

There are plenty of Facebook groups where you can connect with virtual assistants from all over the world who can help you better manage remote work.

Reach freelancers in your field

Similar to our previous point, you should also connect with freelancers who are working with your prospects. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, find freelancers working in marketing and let clients search for designers for their brand.

If you can find an opportunity that they might be well suited for, then you can recommend it as well.

The most important part of self-marketing in any field is good networking, and a solid contact list makes job hunting a lot easier.

Connect with your past customers

If you’ve been into the VA game for a while, you may already have a list of trusted customers that you’ve worked with before. Try to contact them to see if they currently need work or if they can connect you with their friends / colleagues who want to hire a virtual assistant.

Even if you don’t know anyone hiring a virtual assistant, you are the first person that comes to mind at every opportunity. So it is always good to check with previous employers from time to time.

Try out your services

Finally, if you’re just getting started in remote working as a virtual assistant with little or no prior experience, your best bet is to beta test your services to build your portfolio.

Of course, with no prior work to show your clients they could be cautious about hiring a freelancer. So don’t be afraid to offer your services for a lower or free cost when you are just starting your career.

There are a few advantages to this – first, you can build a portfolio. Second, if the client is happy with your job, they may hire you after your trial period.

And third, the more you work and surrender, the more confident you will become with your skills, and when it is time to meet real clients, you will have the confidence to better market yourself to how your work is around you to support.

Great marketing is the backbone of any successful brand – especially if you are the brand.

With remote working growing in popularity among businesses large and small, now is the time to take this opportunity and establish your brand online as a remote assistant. We hope you enjoyed these tips and find them helpful as you build your career as a virtual assistant.

If you would like to work as a virtual assistant at Wishup, click here or contact us at [email protected]