‘‘What can a Virtual Assistant do for me?’’ Now that’s a good question! Generally speaking, the role of a Virtual Assistant (VA) is to support their clients with administrative, creative or technical services. But each VA has a different skillset… some focus on providing one particular service to a range of clients, bookkeeping or minute taking perhaps. While others provide a number of administrative, creative or technical support services, but only to clients within specific industries such as healthcare or construction. Within the Virtual Assistant community, we refer to this as our ‘‘niche.’’
It's important for professionals who are considering partnering with a Virtual Assistant to decide what it is they want support with. By doing so, they can ensure they onboard a VA with the relevant skillset, experience and expertise.
If you’ve taken a tour of my website then you’ll already have a pretty good idea of what my niche is, but if you haven’t then hopefully the below will give you some insight into how my VA services could support you and your business:
A Virtual Personal Assistant… Yes, it’s a real job! After spending nearly a decade working as an employed Personal Assistant (PA), it seemed wasteful to not incorporate this skillset into my Virtual Assistant business when I launched back in 2020. I had years of practise juggling multiple calendars in different time zones, condensing messy inboxes, taking minutes in board meetings and disciplinary hearings, and co-ordinating different teams and tasks to achieve key business objectives – I really enjoyed it!
Throughout my employment as a PA, I worked within different departments in a variety of industries. I began in the housing market before moving onto an insurance giant, then an industry-leading builders’ merchants and finally the world of travel as PA to the UK Finance Director at Thomas Cook (yes, I was among the thousands who were made redundant back in 2019… I was on honeymoon at the time, but that’s a story for another day).
It’s fair to say I’ve had a lot of experience providing PA support to various Senior Executives within a variety of departments including technology, marketing, finance and contact centre operations. With that in mind, I wanted to provide PA services in a virtual capacity, as a Virtual Assistant, to businesses in all industries. So that’s what I do! And I really enjoy organising diaries, travel, agendas, presentations (…you name it!) for multiple clients from the comfort of my own home office.
Marketing? Check! Project Management? Check! As my Virtual Assistant business grew, I began supporting new clients with their marketing, be it a social media campaign or content writing for a new website. Although I had worked within a marketing department before, I’d never been overly involved in the specifics… and now I know I was missing out!
I began creating content for a number of client social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Thereafter I started writing content briefs for copywriters. But before I knew it, I was the copywriter! Creating newsletters, email campaigns, website content, press releases and blogs… I was covering an array of topics. In fact, in 2022 I wrote over 50 blogs! I must admit I get a lot of enjoyment out of writing (I find it very therapeutic).
In addition to content creation and copywriting, there were so many other tasks encompassed within the daily demands of a marketing role that needed co-ordinating and organising. For example, simultaneously liaising with Graphic Designers and clients on an editorial piece and submitting this in adherence to the Publisher’s deadline. Or populating content for a new web page and collaborating with Developers in readiness for the site’s launch date. Needless to say, project management soon became a big part of my day-to-day VA responsibilities, and with a strong background in organising others as a PA, I was in good stead to undertake the job virtually!
From understanding different target audiences to creating insightful, bespoke and engaging content to ultimately build brand awareness, I’ve learnt that marketing demands a strategic yet creative approach… And I get a real buzz from it!
What’s my Niche? While I focus predominantly on Personal and Executive Assistance (EA), marketing support and project management, I pride myself on offering a versatile skillset of administrative and creative solutions to clients within a range of industries of all shapes and sizes - from small start-ups and SMEs to corporate giants in the UK and beyond!
Which Virtual Assistant is Best? More and more business are recognising the benefits of partnering with a VA and subsequently the demand for Virtual Assistants is on the rise.
I mentioned this earlier, but it's important for professionals to decide what it is they want a VA to support with and, of course, what they would be comfortable delegating – outsourcing can be quite daunting, especially at first! This way, business owners can find a Virtual Assistant with the relevant experience, expertise and skillset.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant – It’s easier than you think! I hope it goes without saying, but if you’re looking for PA/EA support or if you’re in need of an extra pair of hands to help manage your marketing projects, I’d love to hear from you! Simply get in touch and we’ll schedule a call to put a voice/face to the name. During our discovery call, we’ll discuss the services and hours of support required, agree to some T&Cs and before you know it, you’ll have a VA on your team! Easy, right?
Ultimately my role as a Virtual Assistant is to:
· Provide comprehensive and effective administrative and creative support.
· Increase business productivity without compromising high standards of work.
· Save clients time and money.
· Make the lives of my clients easier.
If you’re considering partnering with a Virtual Assistant and feel my niche is right for your business, get in touch today.
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