We all realize how Virtual Assistants have revolutionized
the way we work today. Most businesses now count on their
Virtual Assistant the same as they used to count on their
secretaries, only so much more. VAs are a prized and
respected part of their client's team, and unlike
secretaries, who often were 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 to learn as much as they can about their
niche, which is the specialty they have chosen to
specialize in. One niche that I highly recommend is to
offer 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 realize
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, 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 Virtual
Assistant comes in.
Publicity and marketing is thrilling to say the least.
There's such a great rush when your client gets recognized
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 are
helping 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 immediately go out to announce their
accomplishment. This release should be added to their
website and also should go to all their local papers, radio
stations, and TV networks. Media loves to highlight a
success story 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 for when the event happens. You
just want to make sure that the client is fairly confident
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 the acceptance of your
quotes for an article. When you go the extra step to show
them your appreciation, they remember you when the next
article comes up and they need help with more expert
advice. Many reporters work for multiple magazines so 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 story 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
on 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 story 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 article and also where to send those. 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 to sound too
promotional. You can easily get your message across
without sounding like an ad.
A good publicity virtual assistant can make a big
difference in a business so learn as much as you can to be
the best Publicity VA.
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Diana Ennen is the author of Virtual Assistant - The
Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and
accompanying Workbook; and Words From Home, Start, Run and
Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business.
President of Virtual Word Publishing
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and
http://www.virtualassistantstartups.com . Stop by our site
for free booklets and reports on business startups.
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