Hiring a Virtual Assistant / Marketing Assistant
Do you know the key to a successful business?
It’s the difference between knowing when to do it yourself and when to outsource.
Running a business involves a million different things.
As an entrepreneur, it’s common to take pride in your work and your ability to put on multiple hats.
However, trying to do everything by yourself takes lots of time.
Lear to outsource what you’re NOT good at!
Remember, time is money.
It’s the currency that business owners understand and value more than anyone.
So when it comes to marketing, consider hiring a virtual marketing assistant.
In fact, virtual employees, such as contractors and long-term freelancers, take up 30% to 45% of the US workforce.
You’ve probably come across similar terms, including telecommuting, remote work, work from home, or location-independent worker.
The future is moving toward virtual, online works that can be done from remote locations.
A virtual marketing assistant can help you accomplish more than you’ve expected.
Let’s dive deeper and find out about virtual marketing assistant and why it’s time for you to hire one.
What is A Virtual Marketing Assistant?
By definition, a virtual marketing assistant is often a self-employed person who works online.
They’re responsible for a list of specific marketing tasks delegated by a particular client.
They can have multiple clients at a time.
But they split their time up to make sure each client’s needs are fulfilled or certain deadlines are met.
Due to resource scarcity, part-time virtual marketing assistants are ideal for new businesses or startups.
You can hire a virtual marketing assistant whenever you need help with projects that don’t quite fit your skills and experience.
Benefits of Hiring A Marketing Assistant
1. HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
What determines the productivity of your business is whether or not you’re willing to forgo certain marketing tasks that would take you hours and days to work on and hand them over to a virtual marketing assistant.
Doing the non-essential works that you have no interest is just a waste of time.
Focus your time and energy on something that you are good at and create values.
Leave certain marketing tasks to your virtual marketing assistants.
For instance, if you’re a great content strategist, but not a great writer, hire someone to write your blog posts.
If research is not your thing, get your virtual assistant to help you accomplish the task.
Steve Pavlina, a personal development coach, states that typical office workers only spend about 90 minutes of real work per day.
They spend a great amount of time on non-work related activities, such as coffee breaks, kitchen talks, water cooler chats, and well…
…lots of cat videos.
On the other hand, when you hire a virtual marketing assistant, you’re paying them according to the hours or a deadline.
This is cost-saving and more productive than hiring a regular, 9-to-5 employee.
2. MORE FLEXIBILITY
Things move incredibly fast when running your own startup.
Changes happen within the course of a day.
Hence, flexibility is crucial in enabling your business to quickly adapt and thrive in a constantly changing environment.
Usually, there’s no contract involved when working with a virtual marketing assistant. If you’re not pleased with their work, replacement is easy and simple.
As your business goes through peaks or troughs, it’s easy to adjust the need for a virtual assistant.
3. COST EFFECTIVE
Since virtual marketing assistants often work on a part-time basis, you can save a lot of money.
Some companies in the United States have saved nearly $1,900 per employee by letting their workers work from home.
Regular, full-time salaried employees add up a lot of costs for your business.
Not to mention…
…the other fixed expenses such as office rental fees, equipment, electricity, and maintenance fees.
With a virtual marketing assistant, you pay them by the hours or by the project.
There’s no insurance or paid benefits involved.
If you hire virtual assistants outside of the US (i.e. in the Far East), the cost of labor is significantly lower.
4. IMPROVED WORK QUALITY
Don’t think that virtual marketing assistants only know how to schedule Twitter and Facebook updates or draft email newsletters.
Nowadays you can find skillful, experienced remote workers in each and every field, not just marketing.
For example, accounting, human resources, web development, and translation.
5. WORLD CLASS TALENT
Once upon a time, if a business operates in Chicago, you can only have access to talents within Chicago.
However, thanks to technologies, hiring someone is no longer dictated by geography.
Today, businesses that are open for remote work opportunities can have direct access to world-class talent.
Your virtual marketing assistant can live half way across the world and still get the job done in a timely and effective manner.
6. 24/7 SUPPORT
The beauty of working across borders and time zones is that you can always find a virtual assistant who’s available, on-demand.
There’s really no concept of official or non-working holidays when it comes to remote work.
One nation’s holiday is just another nation’s normal day at work.
You can even hire a second virtual marketing assistant for backup and extra support.
7. FOCUS ON CORE OPERATIONS
When you have someone taking care of the mundane tasks, you can focus on doing works that have a direct impact on your business.
In other words, you get to spend your energy and effort on areas of your expertise.
This is much more fun and efficient.
It’s also sustainable and scaleable when working to drive your business forward.
8. SCALABILITY
A common problem when a business grows is scalability.
Without properly scaling your operations, your business will be more likely to be at risk.
One of the key benefits of hiring virtual marketing assistants is the ability to accommodate an increasing volume of work without breaking the bank.
With virtual assistants, you can easily handle the business expansion and control the expenses at the same time.
9. BETTER LIFE
We all know that being an entrepreneur equals a busy life.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make that life better and more balanced.
There’s no need to worry about every little detail now that you have a virtual marketing assistant taking care of it.
You’re hiring a helping hand — someone who helps relieve your stress, not intensify it.
With lighter workload, you can go out and have some fun on with your beloved ones.
Enjoy and appreciate life no matter how busy you’re.
And remember…
…work smarter, not harder.
Tips for Hiring A Virtual Marketing Assistant
Now that you’re ready to bring a virtual marketing assistant on board, there are a few things you should keep in mind during the hiring process…
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Settle for a fair hourly rate.
It’s easy to get caught up on the lower side of the pay scale, but don’t aim too low.
Otherwise, you might attract only poor applicants.
BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE
You’re not working in an office, where you can just go to someone’s desk and discuss some work details.
When working remotely, never assume.
The more specific, you’re the better.
Clearly, define your expectations.
Spell out everything.
This will save you a lot of time and prevent future miscommunications.
AVOID MICROMANAGING
Micromanaging is a common mistake when it comes to working with virtual assistants.
This is not only impractical but also time-inefficient.
How can you really check on someone who is halfway across the globe?
Instead, set up deliverables and ask for monthly or weekly reports.
Depending on the scope of your project, the frequency of communications might vary.
Remember all that matters is the final results.
START SMALL
Build up the workload gradually.
No matter how great a virtual marketing assistant is, the first project should be small.
Once they’ve proven their capabilities, you can start handing over heavier, more demanding projects.
If your assistant shows great, consistent performance over a long period of time, you can consider making them a core member of your business.
OPEN COMMUNICATIONS
Maintain an open line of communication.
This is not only for regular reports.
Consider this a chance to get to know your virtual marketing assistants.
Give them opportunities to ask questions, send feedback, and discuss any concerns about the work.
The same goes for you — communication is a two-way street.
Show them respect.
Whenever possible, show your appreciation for their work.
This will help strengthen the relationship and inspire loyalty.
WHERE TO START
If you are looking for a place to begin, check out OnlineJobs.ph here…
A lot of great talent that is definitely underutilized.
The Bottom Line
With these wonderful benefits, it’s no wonder why more and more entrepreneurs and business owners are willing to use the services of a virtual marketing assistant.
Your time is limited.
So spend it wisely.
A virtual marketing assistant can free up your time, let you focus on what you do best, and ultimately drive your business forwards.
