10 tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant
You have a lot of tasks to finish, but you just don’t have time to do it all alone. When it comes to running your business, you are probably trying very hard to compete ahead of your competitors, boost your sales, market your brand, stay on top of your taxes, make your internal processes more efficient – the list of ‘things to do ‘is endless … If you’re thinking that all the weight is on your shoulders, think again.
Using a virtual assistant can reduce the hours in your work week. If you’re still 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 find that it’s all about selecting the right tasks for you to handle.
There are many misconceptions on the market around the concept of virtual assistants and their role in assisting 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 as expected. The problem is not necessarily in the quality of the work of the virtual assistant, but in the choice of the tasks that were 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 suits you best.
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 with social media experience 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 an impressive 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 bring you an incredible amount of traffic, if done correctly. A VA can help you write new, quality 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 generate direct traffic to your website.
Schedule management
Every entrepreneur needs a secretary. A secretary answers calls and watches her schedule. If there are places you need to go and people you need to call, it is best if someone reminds you to do so. 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 diary.
Customer and partner management
It is always a good idea to send a gift card to your customers on holidays and anniversaries. These are fairly easy but time consuming and creative endeavors. You can 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
The 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 really help you when it comes to managing your ecommerce site. Writing compelling product descriptions, editing product lists or images, updating prices and inventory online, or processing orders are all tasks that a trained virtual assistant 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 completed on a regular basis, from staff timesheets to expense or customer lists. The natural idea is to let your virtual assistant do all of this. A virtual assistant can import, export and classify any type of data, while it can also handle spreadsheet design and general maintenance.
Customer service support
A virtual assistant can respond to your inquiries within a stipulated schedule. 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.
Regardless of the tasks you decide to outsource to a virtual assistant, the most important thing is to build trust and make them truly understand your business; This will take some time at the beginning of the relationship, but it will be worth it in the future.