Become a Virtual Assistant to earn money online.
Become a Virtual Assistant to earn money online. How do I actually become a Virtual Assistant | Remote Worker?
You have decided to explore the possibility of working as a Virtual Assistant, but you are a bit overwhelmed with what you actually need to do to make this a reality. This article looks at a few steps you can take in making your dream come true.
Please note this is for people who wish to become a Remote Worker via the independent self-employed route. If you are employed then have a read through the following article – remote work as an employee.
First steps on how to become a Virtual Assistant
- First of all, you must decide on the services you are going to offer (ensuring you have the skills to professionally deliver them).
- Work out if there are specific niche sectors you would like to target.
- Sort out your pricing. Do different services cost a different price? Do you offer package rates? Do you offer daily rates?
- Create your website and clearly identify why your prospective customer needs to use you.
- Network – tell everyone what you are doing. Join local networking groups. Tell friends and family and ex-employers. Tell whoever will listen!
- Have an ‘elevator pitch’ ready – in other-words something that will explain your business in two easy sentences.
- Join professional organisations such as LinkedIn, Trade Organisations, post regularly and join in discussions, online forums and support groups – don’t automatically do a sales pitch but rather share information and offer tips if people are looking for advice. People like to engage with people they feel have helped them.
- Use social media – whether it is Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn …. get yourself an online social media account and start posting relevant content.
- Stick at it – it may take time to get that first client so be prepared to be patient.
What services should a Virtual Assistant | Remote Worker offer?
Each Virtual Assistant will have their own set of skills and experience. The services listed below are generally completed on a daily basis in most offices and are also easily dealt with on a remote basis.
- Audio transcription work
- Word processing
- Data management
- Data entry
- Call handling
- Email management
- Excel spreadsheet developer
- Social media management
- Webchat
- Website design, development and support
- Website maintenance
- Content creation
- Translation service
- Bookkeeping
- Research
- Proofreading
- Diary management
- Mail shots
- Project management
- Customer service
As you can see the list is only limited by your own skill-set – but remember, only offer what you can confidently deliver. It is better to offer services that you know you are proficient in rather than trying to offer everything and end up delivering a poor service.
Can you think of anything else? Drop us a line and let us know.
How to become a Virtual Assistant with no experience
What if I have no experience? Everyone has to start somewhere, so don’t worry if you don’t have previous experience as a Virtual Assistant, after all this article is looking at you setting up as a Virtual Assistant.
What you do need however, is experience in the services that you are offering to potential clients. Admin is admin whether that is for a real estate company, a social media company, or an individual consultant. If you have the correct skills and experience you can offer one specialized service to a wide variety of clients. This allows you scope to gain clients throughout various sectors, which will allow you access to a wider pool of potential customers.
It is not necessary to enroll on paid training programmes – that is purely a personal choice. If you feel confident enough to move forward on your own then do that. Potential customers want to know about your experience – not if you have completed a training programme. If you have been out of the employment sector for a while then look at things that you already do in your day to day life which are transferrable.
- Budgetary control – managing the household bills
- Time management – getting the kids to school
- Diary management – keeping on top of appointments and trips
- IT – sorting out the WiFi and the jammed printer
- Transport – getting the team to soccer practice
- Conflict resolution – sorting out family arguments …. you get the idea
Have a bit of self-belief and see how you get on. You can always opt into a paid training programme if you feel you need to.
Conclusion
This article has looked at how to become a Virtual Assistant to earn money online, and there is no better time than now to give it a go. Whether you go it alone, or sign up to find work through agencies there is something there for you. Let us know how you get on.