What the heck is a Virtual Marketing Assistant, Anyway?

[Yvone M. Kon]

O.K, I admit, I only heard the term “Virtual Assistant” or “VA” a few months ago. Unbeknownst to me, I’ve actually been a VA for years now without even knowing it. I realize that doesn’t bode well for me with potential clients, but hear me out. Sure, I’ve heard of “freelancers” and “independent contractors”, but a VA? Never heard of it! And neither have a lot of other people either. The term is fairly new. 99% of the time when I tell someone I’m a Virtual Marketing Assistant I get the same question - “What the heck is a Virtual Marketing Assistant”? Well, allow me to explain. The official definition of a VA is as follows:

“A Virtual Assistant, or VA, is a highly skilled professional who provides administrative support and other specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, sales professionals, and others who have more work than time to do it.” - Virtual Assistant, The Series, by Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker.

Now, I have been providing marketing support for a variety of businesses from my home for years. During this time, I always had a full-time job in addition to the marketing projects and web design work I did on the side for small businesses. When I finally made the decision to work for myself full-time, I immediately opened my trusty Google search bar to research similar businesses. I didn’t immediately find information on the virtual assistant industry. At first I searched for “work at home businesses”. BIG MISTAKE! My search yielded thousands upon thousands of results. Most of them appeared to be businesses where I could make $10,000 in the first week with little or no effort! Momentarily sidetracked while I planned which island I would build my winter vacation home on, I then remembered what my 9th grade social studies teacher, Mr. Eckhardt, always said, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”. Darn. Back to the searching. I then searched for freelance marketers and independent contractors and even marketing consultants. Inspiration finally struck and I searched for “virtual businesses”. YESSSSSSSS! This was what I was looking for. As my previous post stated, I found the Virtual Assistant Forums and learned everything I needed to about owning my own virtual business.

At first I didn’t think I actually “fit” as a VA. At first glance, it appeared that the majority of VA’s provide administrative support to their clients. After further research in the forums, I realized that there were a number of VA’s providing specialized services to their clients, such as marketing, graphic design, support services for real estate agents, lawyers and writers. Basically a VA can fit in any niche he or she has a talent for. Marketing, advertising, event planning and web design are my talents, so I built my virtual business around those.

Marketing is an activity that is lacking in most small businesses. Most small business owners simply don’t have the time or inclination to do it themselves and they don’t have the money to keep a full-time marketing person on staff. A virtual marketing assistant can be a huge benefit to small businesses. Since I work virtually from my home, a business owner does not have to pay me a full-time salary. He or she will only pay me for the specific marketing projects he or she needs. When a business owner has a full-time marketing person on staff, he or she has to pay that marketing person whether or not there are projects to complete. The business owner will also have to pay for that employee’s benefits, vacation time, sick time, lunch hours and breaks. Plus, don’t forget about the cost of office equipment, software and training. When a business owner hires me, he/she is paying only for my work, nothing else. That can amount to a significant savings to a small business. And don’t forget the added benefit of having a marketing expert, with years of experience and knowledge at the beck and call of a business owner!

So, the next time you or someone you know needs marketing assistance, don’t fret. All you have to do is call or email your ever-knowledgeable virtual marketing assistant (ME) and your marketing woes will disappear. Click here to learn more about the services I offer small businesses and read testimonials from my clients.

Allow me to market and promote your business while you do what you do best - run your business!

[Darrell A. Williams]

This is a great introduction. Thanks Yvone.

[Yvone M. Kon]

Thanks so much Darrell - I appreciate it!