If you wish to work solely from home, get hired on various projects, and work on your own terms, the job of a virtual assistant might be an excellent fit for you. Whether you work for an agency or are self-employed, it is vital not only to have the skill set necessary but also a client list that can hire you.
A noteworthy mention would be that for new virtual assistants, it might be helpful to work with an agency so you can gain experience. Without further ado, if you are thinking of becoming a virtual assistant, this article can be a good place to start. So, any questions you may have – like what virtual assistants do, how they work, and how many types of services they can provide – we’ve got your answers.
First Things First: What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is a professional who provides expertise to companies from remote locations. In general, a virtual assistant will offer administrative services to business owners, entrepreneurs, or CEOs who are overwhelmed with the workload and need a highly organized professional to support the effective management of the business. However, the job of a virtual assistant is not solely related to this role, and they can assist in many other aspects of the company, from marketing to finance.
There is a high demand for virtual assistants nowadays. Given that their expertise can be employed remotely is a great advantage for businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones. What’s more, some business owners need assistance on a project basis, so their expenses can be significantly diminished. So, the partnership between a virtual assistant and a business can be mutually advantageous.
How Do Virtual Assistants Work?
There is more than one way you can work as a virtual assistant. Depending on your experience, expertise, area of focus, and list of clients, you can choose to work independently or with an agency. If you are self-employed, you are a freelance worker offering your services directly to one or more companies. Depending on how demanding each project is, how much work you want to sign up for is up to you. You can either collaborate with one business or more. The key is to have enough experience so you can acquire clients. Once you do this, you might even want to open your own virtual assistance agency.
On the other hand, many virtual assistants work with a well-established agency that makes available to businesses their experienced assistants, from specialists in administrative tasks to professionals in other departments such as finances or bookkeeping. Therefore, you might consider working for a virtual assistant service at the beginning of your career.
Can Virtual Assistants Offer More Than one Type of Service?
The short answer is yes. Virtual assistants’ skills and expertise expand across multiple sectors and departments. So, they can assist business operations in various ways. Small and medium-sized businesses might need help with their content on social marketing, creating visual content, or general admin tasks. Therefore, no matter your area of expertise, if you wish to work on a remote basis, chances are you can become a virtual assistant. The following list of types of services virtual assistants can do is not limited only to these areas. However, to get an idea, here are five different roles of a virtual assistant:
Administrative
Usually, this is an excellent place to start, as all companies need general administrative support. If you have prior experience working in an office and are tech-savvy, and can work efficiently with digital tools, you are a great candidate for this job. Among your responsibilities, you will have to be highly organized to support the office’s management with scheduling appointments and managing incoming and outgoing emails.
Social Media & Content
When it comes to more specific services, many businesses are looking for help with their social media accounts and maintaining a consistent online presence that clearly showcases the brand’s identity. You might be hired as a virtual assistant overseeing a business’ social media, creating content, both written and visual. Smaller companies that cannot employ a specialist full-time will hire the expertise of a professional on a project base.
Copywriting / Blogging
On a similar note, companies are seeing the benefits of investing in marketing, specifically SEO strategies. For this reason, they wish to prioritize providing relevant content on their website with a tab dedicated to blog posts. Business owners want to grow their online traffic with optimized content on their website or other sites relevant to their business. A virtual assistant can create and edit blog posts with relevant keywords that support the business’ growth on search engines.
E-commerce
For businesses that are selling their products or services online, the workload can be overwhelming. Tasks such as managing the customer service support to answer any queries promptly and maintain a good relationship with the customers, managing inventory, and tracking orders, can be time-consuming. A virtual assistant can support a seamless running of the back office of an e-commerce business by fulfilling the tasks mentioned above and more.
Graphic Design
There are freelancers whose expertise comprises graphic design as well. If you work as a virtual assistant and have the necessary skills in this area, you might be able to help smaller businesses with graphic design projects. For instance, you could create logos, graphics for social media or edit photos or videos. Indeed, the tasks might be smaller in scale initially, but it is an excellent way to get you started if you wish to gain experience in this area.
Final Words
No matter your area of expertise, you can work as a virtual assistant from the comfort of your home or any other workspace that is suitable for you. A thing is sure – the demand for virtual assistants will not decrease any time soon, with so many businesses hiring talent remotely.