What are Perfect Niche For Successful Virtual Assistants

We all realise how Virtual Assistants have revolutionised the way we work today. Most businesses now count on their virtual assistants the same way they used to count on their secretaries, only so much more. Virtual Assistants are a prized and respected part of their client’s team, and unlike secretaries, who are often taken for granted, virtual assistants are praised for their professionalism and skills. Most businesses today can’t imagine where they would be without their VA. And as the potential for success in a virtual assistant business continues to explode, so does the need for good virtual assistants.     Today’s virtual assistants need to take pride in their business and also learn as much as they can about their niche, which is the specialty they have chosen to specialise in. One niche that I highly recommend is offering publicity and marketing services to clients. This is an area that is growing in leaps and bounds as more and more authors, businesses, and other professionals realise the need to market their business to get good publicity. A business can expand tremendously when hiring a virtual assistant to help them spread the word about their products or services. Also, most authors today aren’t aware that once they write a book, that’s when the real work begins. They need to get the word out about their book in order for it to be successful. That’s where a good publicity VA comes in.     Publicity and marketing are thrilling, to say the least. There’s such a great rush when your client gets recognised in national magazines, or a TV station wants to do a segment on them, and you helped them achieve this success. Or better yet, when your efforts start resulting in substantial increased sales for them. Clients will not only keep using your services, but also tell others about this new positive addition they have to their business. And best yet, you too get to feel that satisfaction as you help them achieve their goals.     One of my most successful tips is learning how to effectively use any publicity that a client receives. When clients get national attention in a magazine, newspaper, or TV segment, or even on a popular website, it’s important to make sure that everyone is aware of this. A press release should go out immediately to announce their accomplishment. This release should be added to their website and also go to all their local papers, radio stations, and TV networks. The local media loves to highlight the success stories of their locals, so make sure you get this out there as soon as you can. And you don’t have to wait for the publicity to happen. If your client lands a major TV segment, you can start sending this press out beforehand in order to get more media attention for when the event happens. You just want to make sure that the client is fairly confident that the segment will air. Also, don’t worry if the segment gets bumped back; that often happens as breaking news takes priority. This can almost be a blessing, as then you get to do more publicity before the airdate.     It’s also important to follow-up with the reporters and let them know how much you appreciate their acceptance of your quotes for an article. When you take the extra step to show them your appreciation, they will remember you when the next article comes up and they need help with more expert advice. Many reporters work for multiple magazines, so having one good ally can lead to lots of media exposure. Always keep your PR hat on. Learn to take any situation and turn it into good press for your clients and your business as well. Stay on top of current events and see if you have anything to offer. Whenever a storey hits the press that any of my clients would have a connection to, I’ll send it right away. Having press releases already prepared for clients about their business is always a great help. How do you know about these events? Sign up for Google Alerts under the topics of interest, and then whenever a storey is written, you can follow-up with your press release or article to the reporter. It works! I also use ProfNet from PRNewswire, which allows me to get daily leads from major news outlets. You can also consider PRLeads.     It’s also important to learn how to write a good press release and an article and where to send them. Make sure that your press releases and articles are newsworthy and also something that interests the readers. When I write a release, I always think, "Would I read this release?" Would it interest me? If not, I doubt your target audience would be reading it either. Plus, be careful not to sound too promotional. You can easily get your message across without sounding like an ad.