| |
JUNE 15, 2009
ISSN 1947-105X | Vol. 3, No. 24
Don't forget to add "newsletter@virtualassistantnetworking.com"
to your email friends list so you won't miss future issues!
MARKETING & NETWORKING ISSUE
In This Issue:
A Note from Danielle...
When you run an online-based business, you have to remember that you
don't have some of the trust-building advantages that a brick-and-mortar
business does. Customers and clients who can visit, or at least see, an
actual office gain a sense of stability and legitimacy from that. The
good news is that there are little tweaks you can make to your website
to creates lots of rapport in your visitors and prospective clients.
Yours in goodness and success!
Danielle Keister
Founder, Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
-
FEATURE ARTICLE -
Building Trust and Credibility Via Your Website
 When
your business is virtual, your website becomes the public office and face
of your business. But because you are virtual, visitors can't walk into
your office and get any sense about the personality of the business or
its professionalism and legitimacy... Or can they?
Just because you may run an online-based business doesn't mean you can't
create the same feelings of trust and credibility in your site visitors
that a physical brick-and-mortar office does for its visitors. There are
little details you can provide on your website that will have a powerful
impact in establishing rapport and building trust with your prospective
clients and customers.
- Your Name. People do business with people, not anonymous,
impersonal machines. They want to know who it is they will actually
be dealing with. Clearly display your name, if not on all the pages
of your site, at least on your Contact page. Lead your business loud
and proud and just see what a difference it makes.
- Address. It doesn't matter if you use a physical
address (although be cautious about this if you run a home-based business)
or a post office box—just have an address of some kind or another.
There isn't a logical reason for this and it may not be relevant since
your customers or clients don't come to your office, but this one doesn't
have to do with logic or reason. It's an emotional thing. People just
feel safer about a business if they can clearly see there is an address
attached to it.
- Contact Info. Don't make it difficult for folks to
figure out how to contact you (although in some part, it's not even
about the ability to contact you, it's just simply knowing it is easy
to do so if they ever need to). The more clearly you display contact
info, the better visitors feel about your site. The best sites not only
display at least their basic contact info on all pages of their site,
but also consolidate their full information (including hours of operation
and other helpful data) on a Contact page of some sort.
- Photo. Nothing does more to instil rapport than providing
a photo of yourself on your website. It's a great idea to have your
image right there on your Home page to immediately greet your site visitors.
But if not there, at least provide a photo of yourself on your About
or Contact page. You don't have to be the most beautiful or sharpest
dresser. Forget the cheesy glamour shots and unnecessary Photoshopping.
Don't use any photo that is more than five years old--better to take
a fresh, current photo of the real you. Wearing something simple and
professionally modest is perfectly fine. The most important, stylish
thing you should be wearing in your photo is your smile.
- Your Office. If you have a separate office area that
is presentable (such as a dedicated room or space in your home that
you have turned into your office), take a photo and put that on your
site. Prospective clients like to see these glimpses into your operations.
It makes it more real to them and they get a sense of who you are as
a person at the same time.
- Don't be a robot. Long gone are the days of impersonal
corporate-speak and the royal "we." Talk with your site visitors
like you would a real living, breathing person. Have a conversation
with them in your copy. One technique for doing this is to imagine your
ideal client in full detail, clearly picture their face and personality
before you, and then write your content as if they were sitting right
next to you asking questions (with your answers serving as your content).
- It's not about you. Never forget that your site is
for your visitors, not an indulgence for your ego. I don't know how
to put this more delicately, but when folks are shopping for solutions,
they don't care about you. They are looking with a "what's in it
for me" mentality. They want to know what you do and how you do
it as it applies to their interests, their needs. They want that information
provided from their perspective, not yours. That means using lots of
"you" in your writing rather than "I" and "we."
If you have lots of "I" and "we" in your copy now,
go through and do a more personalized rewrite with a "you"
perspective. It will really transform the whole personality of your
content--you'll see.
RESOURCE: Julia Hyde offers
some further great tips for effective contant writing on your business
website: "10
Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy."
 About
the Author: Danielle Keister is a business advisor and innovator
in the Virtual Assistance profession. An administrative professional of
20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her logical, no-nonsense
approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of
the leaders in the field. She loves what she does and is passionate about
sharing her knowledge and know-how with the world. She’s all about
inspiring others to reach for their highest excellence. When not taking
care of clients in her own Virtual Assistant practice, The
Relief Virtual Assistance, she is busy leading the Virtual
Assistance Chamber of Commerce and helping Virtual Assistants create
six figure businesses.
© Copyright 2009, The
Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights
reserved. You may print this article for personal use or republish it
online only if it is left unaltered and used in its entirety, including
bylines, links, copyright notice, resource and author information. Contact
the author for any other permission.
-
VACOC NEWS -
New Service for Clients: Quickie Gigs™
 The
VACOC has a new service for clients we call Quickie Gigs™.
Here's the idea:
The core business of a Virtual Assistant is providing one-on-one, ongoing
administrative support to clients they work with in long-term, continuous
relationship. We always encourage clients to go that route because it's
where you are going to reap the most rewards in terms of value, continuity
and cost-effectiveness. However, if you have not yet found your right
Virtual Assistant or you are between Virtual Assistants, but still have
occasional tasks and projects you'd like completed, we can help you out!
Quickie Gigs™ is primarily for simple, straightforward
administrative tasks and projects that can generally be completed and
turned-around in few days with no fuss or muss. You fill out our online
form with the project specs and once the preliminary account set-up is
completed, we'll get to work right away.
Everything is simple! You sign only one contract (this will cover our
terms for one year in case you have other occasional projects that pop
up) and each project will be quoted on a flat fee basis (easier for you
to budget). For more information, be sure and check
out our Quickie Gigs™ page.
Let's Connect
We Love Hearing From You!
 "Your
[ezine] emails are great, keep'em coming"
— Thomas
Mullooly regarding "Make
Your Inbox Better with ClearContext" on 6/1/09.
So hey! How did you like this issue? Was it insightful,
helpful or informative? Have topic ideas you'd like to see covered in
future issues? Let us know!
-
NO-COST TELESEMINAR -
Leveraging Collaborative Virtual Office Technology
 Faced
with increasing competition from offshore and commodity service providers,
Virtual Assistants and other independent service providers must find ways
to work more connectively with clients and deliver more value while differentiating
themselves from the emerging competition. Join us at the next
no-cost VACOC Guest Expert Teleseminar on June 18 as Shahab Kaviani of
HyperOffice presents a specially guided tour of their fantastic
collaborative workspace software. Anyone interested in knowing how collaborative
workspaces work and how Virtual Assistants use this technology to make
working with clients virtually a snap is welcome to attend.
RESERVE
YOUR SPOT >>
Download the VACOC Toolbar
Marketplace
EmailCenterPro.com, brought to you by Palo Alto
Software, is the BEST web-based tool to enhance your business and help
you more efficiently answer your client’s email with a secure tool.
Analytics and collaboration tools help you increase your effectiveness.
Set-up in 15 minutes – IT knowledge not required.
NO-COST TRIAL.
SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD? Have
you been wondering what this administrative solution called Virtual Assistance
is all about? Not to worry! The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
has written an online guide to answer all your questions: The
Client's Guide to Virtual Assistants.
TIRED OF WADING through
the thousands of Virtual Assistant sites on the Internet? Would you like
qualified, competent and reputable Virtual Assistants to come to you instead?
Simply submit your info to our Virtual
Assistant Partnership Center.
 MAKE
25% IN AFFILIATE EARNINGS! Join the VACOC
Affiliate Program and earn extra money simply by referring
people to our website. Monthly payouts with no minimums required. Sign
Up Today!
Find a Virtual Assistant Today
 You
don't have to live in overwhelm! Find
yourself a great Virtual Assistant today, and go from struggling
by yourself to enjoying more time, freedom and success.
Subscribe and Forward to a Friend
Get this from a friend?
Subscribe
to this ezine and never miss another issue. And please do share
this ezine with people you think may enjoy it. Just forward it in its
entirety so that they can then sign up for themselves.
|
|
See
Your Ad Here!
| The Portable
Business™ (formerly The Gritty Business Buzz™) is a
weekly electronic newsletter from the Virtual Assistance Chamber
of Commerce™ It is produced by our Virtual Assistant members
especially for the gritty, resourceful, fiercely determined small
business owners and independent professionals they serve--YOU!
Published every Monday. Our records indicate that
you are subscribed to this newsletter. To change your subscription,
see link at end of email.
EDITOR: Danielle
Keister, The
Relief Virtual Assistance
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:
Denise Shears, Shears
Virtual Advantage
HAVE TOPICS
YOU'D LIKE TO SEE COVERED IN FUTURE ISSUES? Let us know!
We're always interested in your ideas. Contact
us here.
We protect your privacy. Your name,
email and personal information will NEVER be given out, period.
|
|
