Every Virtual Assistant can sometime use some help in the marketing department, because constantly finding new, cost-effective and innovative ways to promote your business often proves to be a difficult thing.

Furthermore, you don’t have a six-figure marketing budget to throw around.

But don’t worry – you can still attract clients without breaking the bank.

So, after you’ve spend some time pinpointing your ideal clients, here are 15 ideas to start spreading the word and promoting your business. Best of all, you can start implementing them today and many of these can be done with little to no money. It will cost you nothing more than a bit of your time.

1.     Create a blog: Show potential customers your expertise by blogging about things that might interest them. It only takes about 5 minutes to set up a free Google account and begin blogging with Blogger. You can also create links to your blog when mentioning the posts on your website, email newsletters, email signature file, social media accounts and traditional print marketing materials.

2.     Comment on Blogs: Contribute to the conversations on blogs your ideal clients will visit/read. Keep the comments relevant to the topic and include a link back to your website / blog.

3.     Use On-line Business Directories: List your business and website on on-line business directories. Just Google the words “business directories” and you will find hundreds of them. It creates free advertising as well as a link back to your website.

4.     Tell your family and friends what you are doing: Ask them if they know someone who could benefit from your services.

5. Start building a list: Build a list of potential clients who might be interested in your services – (this is where you list the names of potential clients you receive from talking to family and friends).

6.     Do an internet search: Find contact details of potential clients in your niche. Contact them personally to introduce your business.

7. Visit business owners in your local community.

8. Pin a flyer or a business card to community bulletin boards in your area.

9.     Get active on Twitter: Create a Twitter profile and start tweeting relevant info. It only takes a few minutes to make a tweet and proves to be a steady way to build up a network of followers interested in your area of expertise

10.  Create a Facebook Business Page: Start by sending out invites to all your friends, family, and existing clients and post conversions on the “Wall”. Post items like videos, news stories, pictures, interesting blog posts applicable to your business. Get the conversations going.

11.  Make Your Business Cards Memorable: Print a coupon code or discount service on the back of your business card to encourage potential clients to make use of your services.

12.  Join professional groups in your area for great networking opportunities: It can be groups like the Chamber of Commerce, Women associations, Rotary Club and more.

13.  Use your website and exchange links with other businesses: Offer link exchanges on related business websites where your link will add value to their visitors, and their link will add value to your visitors.

14.  Use your Invoices: Attach a small brochure or flyers to the invoices you send out monthly. Inform existing clients about special offers or new services you provide.

15.  Print a few leaflets: Leave your leaflets and business cards at the local hairdresser, doctor, and dentist – anywhere people have to wait.

16.  Print a t-shirt and hat with your company logo: Wear it when walking or jogging and ensure your spouse also has one!

This list is only a starting point to help you getting the creative juices flowing. There are many, many more ideas to spread your message far and wide and attract your ideal clients.

If you enjoyed this list or if you have any other ideas please feel free to drop them into the comments section below. Let’s help each other and be helped in the process as well!

The day you decide to start selling services virtually, you’re faced with one big dilemma…

Competition… and lots of it.

Most of the time it’s not only reasonable and fair competition, but you also compete with 1000s of VAs around the world who advertise their services on job boards for extremely low rates.

The question then comes up – how do you compete with that. How can you make a reasonable living from your business and how will you ever get clients when you compete with people who charge less than 1/10th  of what you charge for exactly the same services? How on earth can you compete with that?

Well, today I want to tell you that you don’t NEED to compete with that.

In actual fact, you don’t WANT to compete with that. You don’t want to compete with other VAs on price alone, because there will always be someone charging a lower rate.

You want to compete on your own grounds and have clients that are willing and happy to pay your fees. The only way you can achieve that is by having a business that stands out above this crowd.

Have a business that is different because if you are the same – or appears to be the same as your competitors, you are not giving potential clients a chance to pick your business.

Now the fact of the matter is. People are very selfish creatures and 99% of the time they think about themselves first. Before they part with their hard-earned money the first question popping up in their mind is “What is in it for Me”? In other words, “What will I benefit if I buy this service from you?”; “Why should I buy from you specifically!”

It is therefore important to answer those questions satisfactory to convince clients that you are different and that by working with you they will experience so much more benefits.

But how do you do that?

How exactly can you differentiate your business and position yourself as the “Go To” person in your niche?

Luckily, it’s not that difficult to stand out and be different. You just have to do 1 of 3 things.

You either need to

• solve a unique problem for a client that not many other VAs can solve, or
• solve a common problem but solve it in a unique way, or
• solve a common problem in a common way but specialize in a particular audience.

And let me tell you a dirty little secret today. People who succeed in their business sometimes do things just a little bit better or they do things just a little bit different in a particular area and it leads to extraordinary differences in results.

It is like a horse race. When a horse runs a race and wins by a nose, he wins ten times more in price money than the horse that comes in second. This doesn’t mean he is ten times faster… he is just a “nose” faster.

Brian Tracey says: “People who succeed in life are a “nose” better than those who don’t”

So decide today in what area of your business, you’ll be a “nose” better than the rest.

Your Business Assignment For Today:

1. Knowing what you do best can be critical to differentiate yourself from the competition because trying to incorporate too many different services into your business, sometimes only lead to the discovery that you can do them all but not do any of them exceedingly well. Thus, make a list today of the things you can do particularly well. Then focuses upon doing it better than anyone else.

2. Schedule an hour or two in your diary and put on a “client hat”.  Have a look at the websites of other VAs in your niche. Evaluate what they say and how they do it. The idea is not to copy what they do, but to find something where you can be different.

It’s the most important thing you can do for your business.

If your business is not growing to your expectations, the problem may not lie in your business, it may be a result of your marketing mindset – how you think about- and respond to marketing.

I believe that marketing is by far the most important thing that you can do for your business.

Why?

Because if people don’t know you exist or  how you can help them, they’re simply not going to come to you when they need your help.

The problem with marketing however is that lots of people are afraid of it or they sometimes have these inherent believes that marketing is a sleazy business – much like a door-to-door salesman trying to sell you something you don’t need.

But in actual fact, you don’t have to be afraid of marketing and it doesn’t have to be sleazy. It can be done ethically without sacrificing your own values.

Marketing is about building trust, building relationship with your prospective clients and making people aware of your company, your services and what you have to offer.

Marketing is also about having a genuine belief in the importance AND the value of your services and knowing that it can really help your clients. When you truly belief this, marketing is not an obstacle any more. It then becomes a passion because you just have to let potential clients know how you can help them!

This belief then becomes your marketing MINDSET.

Having a successful marketing mindset helps you to focus everything you do and everything you say into a common goal namely building awareness among your current and potential clients of what you can do for them and how they can benefit from making use of your services.

Thus, to create a strong marketing mindset, just follow these 6 steps:

1.    Start with you. Build confidence in yourself, your services and your business. If you are confident about

• what you do and
• know how it can benefit people, it will show.

Potential clients will be able to see it and you’ll find it much easier to convey your marketing message to them.

2.    Realize that when you do marketing, you’re not pushing people to buy what they don’t want.

• Instead, you offer potential clients a solution to the problems and pain they experience in their lives.
• Thus, you have to let them know you exist and that you can help them! What can be more satisfying than helping people?

3. With every marketing action you take, think about the following:

• Does this action / words build awareness among potential clients on how your services can benefit them;
• Is it something they really need and will give attention to;
• Does it help you achieve your marketing goals?

4. Refine your marketing processes continuously.

• Ask yourself  how you can make it even better;
• As you gain confidence in one marketing technique, find new marketing ideas to try out;

5.    Do some marketing activities daily. Nobody is born a great marketer. It takes practice, every day. But you know what, the more you practice, the better you will become at it.

Your business assignment for this week: Start developing your marketing mindset, by making a list of how potential clients can benefit from your services, what problems they have and what solutions you offer to their problems. Then plan your marketing message accordingly and choose at least one marketing tool (something you’re comfortable to use) to deliver this message to your clients.

If you are unsure how to do it or how to get started with creating your marketing strategy, I recommend getting a copy of “Jumpstart your Virtual Assistant Business”. It contains content rich marketing information to show you EXACTLY how to set up a simple, solid marketing strategy, so that you consistently fill your client pipeline and continually get new clients. You just follow and do the steps, one-by-one. It is that easy. You can get Jumpstart at http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com/jumpstart

“Where do I FIND clients?” is certainly one of the most asked questions in the VA industry.

The problem with this question is that if you do not know who you are looking for, it will be pretty difficult to find them.

It is the same as practising archery with your eyes closed or trying to hit a goal on the hockey field with a blindfold on. In both cases, not being able to see your target would make it extremely difficult to score.

This concept can easily be applied in your business, as well. Doing business without knowing WHO your clients (or “target market”)  is and WHERE you can find them, will make it extremely frustrating and difficult to get clients for your business.

Let’s start with “What is a Target Market?”

Well, in the most basic terms, a target market is the group of people or clients that you want to work with.

It is people who may be interested in your particular service and who have common characteristics that set them apart as a group.

The term “target market” is then used because that market (group of potential clients) is the target at which you aim all your marketing efforts.

The reason you need to identify a target market is because it makes your plans for designing a pricing and marketing strategy more streamlined and effective. Because, the more you know about your target market, the more precisely you can develop these strategies and plans and it will become easier to attract clients.

For me, the easiest way to find a target market – those people you would like to work with, is to start “close to home”.

Start with yourself – assess your own interests, work style, and personality

…and then expand it step by step to include your ideal clients and their needs.

Ask yourself some basic questions such as

• What am I good at
• What do I enjoy doing
• What passions do I have that I haven’t explored yet
• What do I hate/dislike doing
• What of my services are profitable / not profitable
• What services are not requested often enough to keep them on my service list

By answering these questions, patterns might arise that can offer some clues about the services to focus on. Concentrate on the services you enjoy and which are profitable and cut the ones you dislike and/or do not provide enough profit.

Now, take a look at your ideal clients and answer the following questions

• Who do I want to work with? Lawyers, doctors, small businesses, home based business owners, small shops, entrepreneurs, internet marketers, real estate agents etc?
• What services do they need?
• What services can I provide to them?
• Why am I confident to provide these services to them?
• Is it a profitable market?
• Where are these ideal clients located?
• What is the best way to reach these clients?

Answering these questions will bring you a step closer to providing the services that you enjoy most, to the clients that you enjoy working with.

Then the only thing left is to develop a plan for getting your message in front of this group  – your target market. Go out and get them.

PS: What are your thoughts on having a target market. Please share it with us in the comment box below.