It can be difficult to keep track of your posts for your social media that’s why we are giving away this free content calendar for you to download so you can manage your social media effectively.
Hi I’m Tammy and I’ve been running my business as a Virtual Assistant for nearly the last 3 years. Being self employed and working from home is such a great pleasure for me as I learnt to make that balance between work and family. Over the past 3 years I’ve learnt things that I never expected to and I’ve had the pleasure of working with some wonderful people some of which I now consider friends too, and to think when I first started I was so worried because it took 3 months to get my first major client. Over this time I have gained valuable skills to help me assist other business owners with various aspects of their business including some marketing, in the form of WordPress Websites, Social Media & MailChimp Newsletters.
Over the last 9 months I’ve taken the time to really evaluate my business and figure out the direction I wanted to go. I came to the conclusion that I want to help start ups and those small businesses that don’t have the cash flow or the knowledge to get their business started online. So for the past 8 months I have started offering website development for those business owners that need an online presence at an affordable price. I can complete what could be a time consuming job for you for a fraction of the time and price.
All my websites are built on WordPress with an easy to use/manage theme so even you the business owner can make changes at a later date. My website packages come with basic SEO, if you provide the relevant keyword search terms I try my best to incorporate this into your website for you.
As a VA I rely a lot on networking & online channels to source work whether it be on social media or face to face. In my personal opinion you can’t be without social media and you should be using it to your advantage. A website and social media go hand in hand. If you are sharing valuable content to your followers and utilizing groups like the business community groups to drive traffic to your website you are half way there, the other half is having a good website that leads your customers to take action and this includes having the relevant call to actions (what do you want them to do when they reach your page?).
For me I had a major YAY! moment today. I completed a website for a client about a month a go, I incorporated basic SEO into his website and when I checked yesterday he has come up at least 5 times for various search terms on the first 10 pages of Google and most of the results were on page 2 or 3. To think when I started with just my own basic website 3 years ago and then in the last 8 months the amount of stuff I’ve learnt, this is something that I can definately sit back & be happy of where I am today.
TLB Admin Support has come so far in the last couple of years we have gone from starting out with that 1 client to now supporting many businesses that we either work with on an ongoing basis or as needed. We take the hassle out of having to employee someone when you need that support whether it be with your admin, website, social media or chasing those people with unpaid invoices.
I just have these questions for you. Are you happy with where your business is today? Are you doing everything you can to make sure you are being found online? As a business owner you should be doing everything you can to be at the stage where you can work On your business rather than In it. If it’s a matter of having the time as a Virtual Assistant I offer support from just 1 hour a week with no lock in contracts, giving you an opportunity to spend some time on your business.
If you would like to chat more about how you can get online or if you need some support you can contact me at tammy@tlbadminsupport.com.au or connect with me on LinkedIn. I also have some great articles on our Facebook Page.
While free website builders like wordpress.com and Wix can seem great you have to take into consideration how your potential clients are going to perceive you. What they sometimes don’t tell you is that with the free sites yes you don’t pay for hosting or a domain but you will have their own branding attached to yours, which can seem unprofessional.
A month after I started my business I realized I needed a website as there is only so much you can do on social media to build your brand awareness and I noticed that a lot of people after speaking to me initially wanted to visit a website to know more. I started with the DIY website builder from Go Daddy and purchased my own domain name and hosting through them. While this was a start now looking back on what my website looked like I’m surprised I got anyone to visit my website but at least I had an online presence and managed to get my second client through my website.
Personally for me I find WordPress.org to be my preferred platform. With hosting starting anywhere from $6 a month for Australian hosting, and domains from $22 you’re already half way there. With wordpress.org there are so many free plugins to use to create your site as well as free themes. What they don’t tell you with wordpress.com is that if you want premium features you have to pay and it will end up costing you more whereas some of these features actually come with the .org version. There are some paid themes available that have the ease of allowing you to drag and drop to create your website, this is great if you want to add your own personal touch and create it yourself.
Around 74.6 million people use WordPress so really that’s a good indication that it’s a great platform to use. Generally I find that WordPress.org goes hand in hand with the Yoast plugin for your SEO, this can be used as a free plugin or you can purchase premium.
So remember while free can be good it’s not always best especially if you want to grow your brand the right way. Wouldn’t you rather do it right in the beginning than later on having to spend more time and money having to change it?
If you would like more information or want to check out some of our previous blog posts you can read them here.
Also head on over to our Facebook page for a constant flow of articles to help you grow your business.
I’m coming up for my 3 year Business Anniversary this November and it has been a wonderful journey but I didn’t start getting leads until about a month of advertising and trying to get my name out there. Let me tell you it won’t happen right away it may take several months but it will happen.
My first client I signed up a month after launching my business and he found my advertisement through Gumtree. Never under estimate the power of free advertising on sites like Gumtree, True Local, Hot Frog, Locanto and other free sites. Doing a Google search and typing ‘free advertising sites’ in is a great place to start. Also when you place your advertisement on these sites I found that you increase your chances of being found in a Google search too providing you use the right keywords.
Now it took a further 4 months to get my second client. In the space of that 4 months I thought I was doing everything possible however it wasn’t until I launched my website that I got my second client. It wasn’t by simply launching my website that I got this lead it was the name of my business and the keywords used for my SEO that enabled me to be one of the listings on the first page when he did a Google search. Two and a half years later and I am still working with this client.
Your website doesn’t need to cost you an arm and a leg or even be professionally built (however if you can afford it great go for it!), but just having an online presence by way of a website will help you build trust with your customers. They can see who you are and what you do. When you think about it anyone can open a Facebook page and say they are running a business but by adding a website to the mix you are showing them you are the real deal.
Fast Forward to the present and I have found that networking is the best tool for growing your business. Join your local chamber of commerce, mine is the Wanneroo Business Association attend networking events and coffee catch ups get to know the local businesses in your area. They may not have a need for your services now but that doesn’t mean they won’t in the future and by getting to know them you are always at the forefront of their mind. Another networking platform to look at is Meetup.com on here you can find heaps of local networking events that you can attend.
If you don’t know the power of social media then you need to get started. With so many people using smart phones, tablets and computers you need to be on social media. You don’t need to sign up for every platform just the ones you know will work for you. Personally I would recommend Facebook and LinkedIn for any small business as they are both great online networking platforms.
Within Facebook you have the power to promote and educate your followers by posting content to your Business Facebook page. Try to follow the 80/20 rule which is 80% valuable content that your followers would want to see against 20% self promotion.
Join some of the Business community groups and promote your business to the local market however like your facebook page choose the optimal times to post. That being when people wake up early morning, lunch time, dinner time and when people are usually sitting on the couch relaxing. For an indication check your Facebook Page insights and see when your followers are most online.
Both networking groups on Facebook and LinkedIn are valuable as you can share you blog posts, tips and tricks and allow people to get to know you online. If they can see that you are adding value to the groups and get to know you and your work ethic you are half way there.
I’m hoping by sharing my experience that other start ups can get some valuable information from here to help them promote, educate and grow their customers.
Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn & Google+ for more tips tricks and useful information.
Once it’s published you can then see it on the map search in Google under your Google My Business Listing, it’s as easy as that. Below is a screenshot of what you would see on your listing.
Follow me on Facebook, Google+ & Linkedin for more tips and updates.
