When I suggest offering a gift, it doesn’t have to mean something expensive. Choose something that will help the client remember your company. That’s the key for any of these marketing tools, isn’t it? Maybe it’s a calendar with your company information, a datebook, or a magnet. Maybe it’s post-its or a key ring. It could even be a simple as a coupon for a free or discounted service. The thing is you want to get them in your door, so to speak.

Whether it is sending them to your website, signing up for a service, or even registering for your mailing list, get them connected and then you can nurture the relationship into something that profitable for your business. Remember, it takes a prospective client several times to see and hear about you before deciding to make that purchase. So, get out there frequently to ensure they remember you above the competition.

With all of the advertising methods out there, it is critical to know where your target market frequents. This is another reason to research and know who your target market is.

If you sell diapers, you don’t want to market to the college crowd. That would be a waste of resources and time. Although, it may bring in some business, you should consider advertising in appropriate areas to reach a higher percentage of the market, such as newsletters for new moms, events for families of young children, etc.

Advertising is such broad term for the ways you can reach out today. It no longer needs to be a great expense either. There are free and low cost advertising opportunities all over the place. Don’t count those out. If there is a free place to post an upcoming event for your target audience, list it. You never know where that next client may come from. Get out there in newsletters, business seminars, networking groups and anywhere that your target group spends time.

Do you feel as though there isn’t enough time to research your target market sufficiently or are you unsure of the ways to get started? VA-Supports.com Whatever Your Needs, Whatever Your Deadlines, We Are At Your Service!

Virtual Assistants (VAs) are becoming the wave of the future for businesses, whether they are small startup companies or large corporations. VAs are even becoming more popular for individuals planning weddings, parties or need help with their personal finances.

A VA is someone who provides office support from an off-site location. Each VA has different niches and services that they offer.

Generally, Virtual Assistants have their own business. This is a great benefit for companies who contract with them because the Virtual Assistant is vested in their company and is dedicated to your company as it directly impacts theirs.

In 2007, it was estimated that there were between 8,000 and 10,000 Virtual Assistants worldwide and they vary in costs anywhere from $20 to $75 an hour depending on services provided.

Virtual Administrative Supports charges a flat rate of $30 an hour for all services provided. Additional discounts are available on retainer contracts and for referrals.

When you take a few moments and consider what the actual cost of having an employee, you will see that having a VA is the way to go (see chart below).

You only pay for the time on your projects, not chatting with co-workers, bathroom breaks, or personal emails.

You don’t have to worry about taxes, insurance, benefits, etc as the VA takes care of all those costs themselves since they are a contractor.

According to VANetworking.com, a regular employee’s 8-hour day can be reduced to 3-4 hours with a VA.

How much work could you get done if you hired a VA for a full 40 hours a week instead of a regular employee? That’s easy – DOUBLE WHAT YOU’RE GETTING NOW!

VAs are often also more experienced in a variety of areas and have more flexibilities in the job duties you’d like accomplished.

That’s a savings of $62,560! What can you do with that kind of savings?

*Now, you may be asking why there is only 480 hours for the VA listed. Virtual Assistants are generally more experienced and more efficient than employees are; plus, you do not pay for breaks, co-worker chatting, or even bathroom breaks. You can devote far less time to the project to get the same results, only approximately 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for the employee.

How do you know where your site ranks compared to your top competitors? Well, now it’s easy to check. Marketleap offers a free service to help you determine how to better market your business to search engines. It allows you to compare your website to others in an immediate report. Isn’t it worth your time to see where your ranked?

They also offer great tips on SEO including content, keywords, links, titles, and meta tags. Check it out! http://www.marketleap.com/

With the economy in such turmoil that it is currently in, there is a great deal of stress on businesses of all sizes. Small business owners are feeling some of the biggest squeezes. Now is the time for small business owners to consider bringing in some help to get their business going.

The stress piling up on business owners is growing at an exponential rate with the current recession, leaving little time to focus on how to make it through. Instead, they are focusing on how to stay afloat at this moment. The success (or failure) of a business may depend on the simple fact of focusing on how to stay in front of your customers and bring in their continued repeat business while drawing in new customers. It could be as simple as getting a different perspective on how to go about this.

Virtual Assistants (VAs) are in more demand now than ever before. VAs offer exceptional skills and abilities and a great rate for businesses who need to focus on their budgets now more than ever. Have you considered what a VA can do to help your business?

Virtual Administrative Supports is now proud to offer a special service for the upcoming holidays. We’ve recently hired a Virtual Assistant who specializes in buying.

We now have amazing resources to help you save money and time with purchasing all those holiday gifts on your list.

We have a free tool on our website (www.VA-Supports.com) for companies- “How to Hire A Virtual Assistant.” This is a great resource for anyone interested in hiring a VA but doesn’t know where to start. Check it out!

When looking for a Virtual Assistant, look for one who is actually in business. Those who work on the side show a lack of business commitment that can present conflicts and trouble for you in the form of longer turn-around times, poor communication, conflicting commitments, interruptions, and even periods of unavailability. Consider these questions:

1.      How long has the Virtual Assistant been in business?

2.      Is it a full-time business or part-time with limited availability?

3.      Is this a chosen profession or just something the VA is doing for a short-period of time?

4.      Does the VA and the business have detailed policies and business standards that will encourage a positive working relationship and communication?

Virtual Assistants who consider their business to be a chosen profession will typically have systems and offerings in place to provide the best service possible to serve the client’s needs and expectations. Look for confidence, a solid business, independence, trustworthy, and dependability.

Virtual Administrative Supports runs as a full-time business and expects to be in business for the long haul.  We do not consider this as a job that we are doing until something better comes along. We are here, and will be for a long time…

A Virtual Assistant can do nearly anything you need. The Internet, faxing, telephones, instant messaging, and email makes it extremely simple to stay in contact and pass your duties to a VA.

Every VA offers varying services, so it’s important to check with them on what they can and will do for you. Also, listen to any suggestions they may have. Working with several different companies gives them insights to possible solutions to conflicts and ways to reduce your time commitments on particular aspects of your job. Remember: they are here to help you. They want to see you succeed as it directly affects them and their work.

Virtual Administrative Supports provides a large variety of services to meet your needs.

We offer: Custom Designed Projects (brochures, business cards, flyers, PowerPoint presentations, etc), Scheduling Services, Document Services (such as preparing, editing, and proofing, etc), Direct and Mass Mailings, other Specialized Services (database design/maintenance, event planning, fax services, research, etc) and much more.