In part 1 of my “Finding New Clients For Your Virtual Assistant Business” article, I discussed how to create legitimacy for your business and some of the places you can travel to find prospective clients.
In part 2, I’m going to talk about what you can do to make clients search for you. Marketing doesn’t always have to be so “in your face” and you don’t have to always be the aggressor. Don’t get discouraged, business owners are in fact looking for virtual assistant services, you just have to be visible in the places they’re searching.
So how can you leave a trail that guides prospects to your website or online profiles? It’s easy, you have to walk in their shoes. Think about it, when you are looking for a service where do you go? Obviously this depends on the services, but if you are looking for professional services where do you start your search? Colleagues? Social Media? Search Engines? All of these are a definite yes, but I’m sure you already knew that. I’m going to walk you through where I found my best virtual assistant clients (actually where they found me) and tell you what I did to make my company more appealing than my competitors. So let’s get started…
Virtual Assistant Directories
This is a no-brainer. If you are a virtual assistant you NEED to be listed in a couple of virtual assistant directories. I have closed several deals from clients finding me in directories. One that’s at the top of my list is www.virtualassistantville.com. I recommend getting at least the SEO Enhanced listing, at the time of writing this article it cost $7.99 per month. The key to getting clients here is:
- Ensure that your profile is complete. Don’t leave anything blank.
- Make sure that the categories you choose are the services that you are the absolute BEST at performing and these should also be the services showcased on your website.
- Don’t leave out any contact information. Make it easy for prospects to reach out to you.
- Upload a quality image that is a recent picture of how you look today! The picture should be warm and friendly but still professional.
- This directory also gives active accounts access to proposals submitted by people seeking virtual support. When submitting your proposal, make sure that it is short and to the point. I also usually include a FAQ sheet. Before you send out the proposal make sure that you have read their request thoroughly and if possible do some research on their business. This will help you create your response in a language that they understand and can relate to.
Search Engine Optimization
Yeah, I’m sure you already know that your website should be optimized so that your company website shows up on the first page for specific keywords. I won’t go into the actual process with this one but you should be able to Google to find some free SEO training resources or you can reach out to our team that actually performs SEO and have us do it for you.
Blog
You should blog and blog often. Blogging is a great way to get some really good targeted traffic to your website, the key here is to ensure that each post is written specifically for the people you want to work with. For example, if you provide bookkeeping services, you shouldn’t be blogging on client attraction or website design tips. Stick to topics or solutions that you provide. This is your chance to prove that you’re good at what you do. Become a valuable resource.
Another option is guest blogging. Guest blogging is a great way to get on a higher platform. Find someone that shares your target audience and offer a blog or two.
Be Socially Visible
You need to get out there and be active on the social media profiles that captivate the attention of your target audience. Be creative, be interesting, be memorable, be helpful.
Have questions? Or maybe you want to share a tip or past experience? Join in on the conversation by adding your comments below.