Author: Annette Jarrett, Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
There are many different types of Virtual Assistants. Although many provide general administrative services, some choose to specialize in various areas.
According to VA Classroom University’s 2018 Virtual Assistant Skills Report, the top 3 skills most important to virtual assistants are technology, social media, and project management. These skills are very much in demand and many are choosing to niche in these areas. Let’s take a look at each of these in greater detail and the tools and platforms which are used in providing these tasks.
Technology
Clients require assistants to create and maintain an online presence for them. One of the first steps to providing this is to create a website. WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for creating websites. Once the site is created and content is added, there are tools which aid in the marketing of the site, such as LeadPages, Optimize Press, and ConvertKit. There are also all-in-one marketing platforms which offer CRM (client relationship management), e-mail, shopping carts, affiliate programs, etc., such as InfusionSoft, Clickfunnels, and Ontraport.
For those interested in graphic design tools such as Canva, Pixlr, PowerPoint and Picmonkey can be used to design presentations, images, social media graphics, and edit photos.
Three tools which are used to schedule content across multiple social networks are Hootsuite, Buffer, and Co-Schedule.
Having experience in the use of these technologies has enabled some virtual assistants to create this as a niche in for their business.
Social Media
Social media marketing and advertising are very important in promoting an online presence. The most relevant social media platforms are:
- YouTube
Virtual Assistants who are experienced in this area and can skillfully create engaging social media posts as well as set up and manage social media ads on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are in high demand. Scheduling tools include the Facebook scheduler, Hootsuite (for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram), and Buffer (also for Twitter and LinkedIn).
Project Management
Project managers effectively manage all sorts of different projects and tasks, including writing, social media, web design, product launch, and business management project. The most effective project managers are able to deliver a quality product on time and on budget. Project management tools which are widely used are Trello, Asana, Basecamp, and Teamwork.
When choosing a niche remember to consider these three!
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Thank you for this post. It gave me some food for thought.
So glad you enjoyed it! Finding your niche can be a bit intimidating. We have a tendency to want to cast our net wide to get that first client but, that strategy often does more damage than good. Let us know how we can help you with anything else!