10 tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant
You have a lot of tasks that you need to finish, but you just don’t have the time to do it all by yourself. When it comes to running your business, you probably try really hard to get ahead of your competitors, increase your sales, market your brand, stay on top of your taxes, make your internal processes more efficient – the “to do” list. ‘ is endless… If you’re thinking that all the weight is on your shoulders, think again.
Using a virtual assistant can cut hours out of your work week. If you’re still feeling a bit reluctant to delegate parts of your business to someone you’ve never met, you’re not alone. The idea of hiring a virtual assistant may seem strange at first, but you’ll soon realize that it’s all about selecting the right tasks for them to handle.
There are many misconceptions in the market around the concept of virtual assistants and their role in helping organizations. The reason these misconceptions exist is that companies often hire virtual assistants, spend zero minutes training them, and then end up disappointed and confused when things don’t go their way. The problem is not necessarily in the quality of the virtual assistant’s work, but in the choice of the tasks assigned to her.
online research
Get the help of a VA to do any time-consuming internet research and receive the best information on any topic, product or competitor in the time frame that works best for you.
social media marketing
A virtual assistant can post to your social media channels on your behalf and market your SEO content, increasing the visibility of your brand, products, and services. VA social media expert can help you create a social media strategy, integrating it with the rest of your marketing strategy.
Data presentation
Have an important meeting with a new client and want to make a big impression? A virtual assistant can make a stunning PowerPoint presentation to your specifications so you can make the most of your productive time.
Ghostwriting Blog
Content marketing is the name of the game today. Your blog will get an incredible amount of traffic, if done correctly. A VA can help you write quality new content for your blog. Your virtual assistant can also post to Medium or Pulse for you. This is essential to increase the reach of your content and drive direct traffic to your website.
schedule management
Every entrepreneur needs a secretary. A secretary answers the calls and monitors her schedule. If there are places he needs to go and people he needs to call, it’s best if someone reminds him to do it. Sure, you can download some software to do it for you, but procrastination can still keep you stuck. You will complete your tasks much faster if you let your Virtual Assistant manage your schedule.
Customer and Partner Management
It’s always a good idea to send your customers a gift card on holidays and anniversaries. These are fairly easy but time consuming tasks that require creative effort. You could even have your VA congratulate a partner or client on a new job or deal, especially if your client or partner uses social media.
Website maintenance and e-commerce
Websites require constant maintenance and updating. Many virtual assistants are familiar with WordPress but also with other website builders like 1&1. A VA can give you a real hand when it comes to running your ecommerce site. Writing compelling product descriptions, editing product listings or images, updating prices and inventory online, or processing orders are all tasks that an expert VA can do for you.
internal training
Training your employees on how to use a new software or service can take up a good chunk of their productive time. Why not leave this job to a virtual assistant? You could even train your staff remotely, using Skype for example, saving costs.
Spreadsheet Management
As a business owner, you probably have to deal with a large number of reports that need to be filled out on a regular basis, from staff time sheets to lists of expenses or clients. The natural idea is to let your VA do all of this. A virtual assistant can import, export, and sort any type of data, while also handling spreadsheet design and general maintenance.
customer service support
A Virtual Assistant can respond to your queries within a stipulated time frame. A business inquiry can be anything from a dissatisfied customer to a potential customer. A VA can help you stay on top of your customer service tasks, creating new business opportunities, resolving and escalating cases, responding to complaints appropriately.
Whatever tasks you decide to outsource to a virtual assistant, the most important thing is to build trust and make them really understand your business; this will take some time at the beginning of the relationship, but it will be worth it in the future.