by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 25, 2014 | Small Business, Social Media, Virtual Assistant
I have been a long-time supporter of the partnering with other like-minded entrepreneurs and understanding the value they bring to the table. An entrepreneur is a different breed especially when considering building a virtual team to support and scale your business. It isn’t a hobby or a passing fancy – it is a passion we live and breathe every waking moment.
In Mark Harai’s recent post “Entrepreneurship is an Art,” he wrote:
“Entrepreneurship is an expression of every thought, imagination, hope and dream that drives your life and makes you “who you are.”
Entrepreneurs take the visions in their mind – the breadth, the depth, the magnificent colors, and bring them to life in the real world.”
When considering partnering with a virtual assistant, you do have many decisions to make that are beyond just wanting to move tasks off of your plate.
- Do you want a task master who only goes from point A to point B or do you desire someone who is truly interested in your success and your goals?
- Someone to brainstorm and consult with?
- An individual who delivers values, solutions and outcomes to your greatest pain points?
An established virtual assistant will do this and more while a call center is for one offs, the simple tasks to push off of your desk. A reputable, time-honored Virtual Assistant is a highly trained professional who MUST keep current on business management, social media, digital marketing and every other component of operating an online business. In order to keep up with the changes and trends of social media and the digital world, we must constantly read and absorb to be able to translate this knowledge to our client’s business, as well as our own.
We aren’t just here to collect a paycheck and get the job done. We run that extra mile for you because we want to. Because we treat your business as though it was our own. When you are mining for an executive virtual assistant to help take your business to the next level, keep in mind the qualities of an entrepreneur, how you live your day to day, and what you expect from a dedicated partner in your business. This mindset is a key driver for success.
Delegating enables you to scale your business, focus on your core company objectives, removes you from the daily back end details, and enhances your time management and productivity. When considering virtual assistance, think about creating a long-term partnership – not just checking off items on a To Do list. Partner with an entrepreneur and you will see measurable results.
“As the business owner, your time is extremely valuable, and you should be focusing on the items that only you can do! If you have the resources, consider hiring a virtual assistant to take care of these administrative tasks that are holding you back”. Brett Relander
Rebekah Radice and Jason T. Wiser produced a fabulous interview about being able to scale your business by working with virtual assistants. There were many valuable take-aways from the detailed discussion. It was wonderfully supportive of the industry as well as very educational for business owners who are strapped for time, help and needing to grow their companies.
Scale Your Business Beyond Yourself highlights the benefits and value of partnering with a virtual assistant to effectively grow and manage your business. I hope you will take the time to watch this 33 minute video, thinking about your business, goals and how you would like to expand your company in addition to creating a deeper more cohesive online presence.
Jason T. Wiser: “It’s time to stop trading hours for dollars.”
Your actions steps for right now:
- Review your tasks, projects, and goals (both short and long term)
- Recognize what can be outsourced
- Think about a true team partner for you and your company
- What do you value most and need?
- Reach out to Ace Concierge to discuss your pain points, project management and desired virtual outcomes.
Let’s get started before half of the year has gone by and you are still in the same place, doing the same things, needing more time to focus ON your business rather than IN it.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 20, 2014 | Blogging, Content Marketing, Social Media
Social media tools and platforms to help you manage, curate and post are developed at such a furious pace that it is almost impossible to keep up and test each one, all the while operating your business. Implementing a few of the platforms are sure to save you some time and a few headaches. As a business with an online presence, managing your social media is a full time job, not a hobby. It does require goals, strategy, tools, time, and manpower or womanpower. Just creating a few social profiles and a blog page are not enough. You should be actively engaging consistently and frequently to build your following, credibility, community and reputation.
It is important to humanize your brand and personally engage versus 100% automation. THAT isn’t social at all. You are not a robot and neither is your audience. Social media is relationship marketing to reinforce and support your brand image and establish long term connections.
In order to make your time most useful, investigate which tools work best for your needs, as well as which ones you will actually commit to using on a daily basis. They do help to simplify the process and minimize some of your valuable time online.
“Marketers are under pressure to find more cost and time effective ways to meet the increased demand for content marketing. The way to meet this need effectively is to add content curation into the content marketing mix.” Heidi Cohen, Content Curation In the Content Marketing Mix
Content Curation: Find, organize and share relevant, enriching content for your audience. Your curated content should focus on educating your readers and helping them to solve their greatest business issues.
Finding educational and newsworthy content takes time and effort. It isn’t just a matter of a quick search and click of a share button. There is such a surplus of data and intelligence flying through the airwaves that you should be particular about what you share.
“Content curation should be part of every content marketing strategy. There is no need to create all the content ourselves.” Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute
OneIMS
Follow your industry favorites, add their RSS feeds to your aggregator of choice, sign up their newsletters, listen to their podcasts and monitor their social networks. This will help you to filter the noise and receive only the content you want.
You can take a step beyond your standard social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn and try some of these other aggregators to reach further into the quagmire of content on the web. People consume hundreds of thousands of bits and bytes of data all day so filter your sources, provide something to tempt their palate and become a trusted, sought after resource. Many of the available curation tools are FREE!! Simply sign in with your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account and you are good to go.
Using some of the tools below, you can curate content based upon your interests, industry, keywords, hashtags and even user names in a few of the platforms. Some of them can be utilized for social search, analytics and real-time trending topics as well as having a multipurpose of posting and scheduling. THAT is a bonus as it saves a few steps in sharing your trusted content.
- Prismatic
- Tagboard
- Scoop.it
- everPOST
- Paper.li
- Flipboard
- Zite
- Topsy
- Listly
- Content Gems
Word to the wise: Just because you see something populated, doesn’t necessarily mean it is enriching and valuable for your followers. Make sure you click on each post and read it too, putting your trusted name behind your content.
Be selective and have a laser focus. Don’t simply share “just because.” Each piece of content you post, share and annotate is a representation of you and your online brand image; become the go-to source in your industry. A thought leader.
“I think curation is usually something people lean on when they are looking for something they can put together quickly. But if you’re doing curation right, you actually have to put a lot of time into researching things so you can serve the best content possible. Do not underestimate the amount of time it takes to curate content properly.” Corey Eridon, Hubspot
Image Credit: OneIMS
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 18, 2014 | Small Business, Social Media
My daughter transitioned from Montessori to public school in 4th grade and her first day was harrowing. My little cherub with a head full of blonde curls ran up to a potential classmate on the swing set and asked if she would be her friend. To my daughter’s dismay, the other child gave an emphatic NO and ran away. Of course my heart broke when she got off the bus in tears, telling me she didn’t want to go back to school and no one liked her. She had no friends.
She did survive, unscathed. She graduated college in May with a degree in Forensic Science and starts training in Tampa, FL next month for her new position as a Forensic Science Technician. Yes, I am a VERY proud mom!!
Whether on the playground, at a party, a networking event or online, the rules of engagement and relationship marketing all rely on some straightforward human principles.
Create a meaningful, personalized experience and you will be remembered when it is THE time to do business. Business results come from fostering and enriching your online connections within your community.
“When you try to get close to people you build trust. Staying consistent with that strategy will not only build your influence and authority, but it will also help you make true connections! In order to create a personality that people will trust online, you have to learn how to make time to be personal.” Wade Harman
No one likes a spammy self-serving salesman. Forget the schmoozing and big talk. Focus on creating long-term relationships based upon trust, not broadcasting content to your community. Just because someone liked or followed you does not mean you have relationship.
RELATE!
It is pretty simple. Nurturing a relationship of any kind requires you to relate to another individual. To engage in dialog, share ideas and have rich conversations without an ulterior motive as your frontline purpose.
- Listen and learn about them
- Visit and READ their profile and business pages
- Engage in online conversations
- Generate a personalized experience with you and your brand
- Use their first name
- Comment on their blog posts
- Reshare their content
- Ask questions and express REAL interest
- DEVELOP the connection
SERVE!
You can’t run around wondering what everyone can do for you. Think about how you can serve others. What value do you bring to the table? Social media isn’t ME ME ME! If you aren’t serving and offering value then you are taking. Be a giver instead.
- How can you solve their problems?
- Are you able to educate or inspire?
- How can you offer support?
- If you happen to see an industry related article they might enjoy, pass it on
- Make introductions to other like-minded colleagues and followers
- Serve others as you want to be served
“Relationships are the new currency.” Ted Rubin
Relationship Marketing: You and your brand are the face of your company, the connector to deliver service, value and meaningful relationships.
YOU are the CRO: Chief Relationship Officer.
Now get out on the playground and push that swing like you mean it.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 17, 2014 | Personal Concierge, Productivity, Time Management
Are you feeling more like a mere mortal than a superhero at work? Could it be that your work-life balance is out of whack, and you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? It’s like you’re a tightrope walker juggling chainsaws while trying to keep your cool, and before you know it, you’re burning the midnight oil instead of enjoying time with your nearest and dearest.
But don’t surrender just yet, there’s a solution! It’s time to ditch the tightrope and seek balance in your life. So long, circus act, and hello to a happier you!
A scream is acceptable at this moment. Life can be so overwhelming and exhausting. I know the feeling.
- On average, how many hours per day do you spend on personal business that may divert your time, energy, and focus away from your daily business operations?
- Do you ever feel stressed trying to balance your personal and professional life?
- Do you wish you had more time in your day to squeeze it all in?
- Does your workload make its way to your family time?
- Are you always connected and listening for notifications?
Work-life balance seems to be an elusive term these days as the line between professional and personal time seems to have become blurred with the advancement of technology and always being turned on. Some employers have come to expect 24/7 availability from their staff, which leaves little downtime for personal business and life. There needs to be a better separation, and more defined lines of business and pleasure before we completely tune out all that matters in life and living to the fullest.
WLB can mean different things to different people. It could represent more of a “fit” versus a balance, but no matter how you want to define it or enjoy it, it is off-kilter. You need to learn how to determine the different roles, times, priorities and activities and their importance in your life. How can you learn to co-exist with all of your daily responsibilities harmoniously to ensure your greatest contentment?
“Organizations across the globe continue to ask their employees to ‘do more with less’, leading to increasing dissatisfaction with work-life balance. Tactical solutions like telecommuting options or flexible work schedules will not be enough to successfully address these mounting concerns. To address work-life balance issues and lessen the workloads of top employees, organizations need to develop fundamental solutions to enable their current workforces and think strategically about which key roles need to be supplemented from the outside.” Mark Royal, Hay Group.
Achieving or maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a key driver for employees. They want to be able to have a life outside of the office and be able to continue to support their personal and family needs. In a Hay Group study, comprised of 5 million employees in more than 400 companies across 65 countries, more than 39% of the respondents felt they did NOT have a happy work-life balance. This dissatisfaction or feeling of lack increases stress, reduces productivity, distresses family life, and can create health issues in addition to increasing depression, employee burnout, and turnover. It is a big problem that needs to be addressed.
Navigate Your Work-Life Balance
- Work-life balance should be a priority for you, your staff, and your family.
- Schedule breaks throughout the day to refresh and energize.
- Set your priorities at the end of the day.
- Create your space and time boundaries for work and play.
- Schedule “ME” time.
- Address deadlines and deliverables with clients and employees.
- Understand that a balance for you may not be the same for others.
- Commit to work hours and time off.
- When you are with your family and friends, turn off notifications and be present in the moment.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Pick your battles.
- MAKE time to exercise.
- Take a vacation.
- Learn to say no. It’s okay.
- Utilize “Corporate/Personal Concierge” services (just ask Ace)
Whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee, establishing a healthy balance or “fit” is important for your physical and emotional well-being. You are always on and giving it your all, but eventually your engine can give out without the proper fuel and recovery time. If you don’t make yourself a priority, then other parts of your life will begin to suffer. Don’t wait until you are exhausted and completely burnt out. Take the time NOW to access your goals and what is most important.
“How do we reject the expectations foisted on us to excel at everything in work and in life, to drive ourselves to the limit, while we try to be happy, healthy human beings?” – Tanya Selvaratnam
What steps are you ready to take for a happier and healthier balance in your life?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 13, 2014 | Business Values, Communication, Small Business, Social Media
In this cattle drive of digital marketing it is easy to get trampled amongst the hooves of the masses. The pasture is astronomical in size and you may feel like a speck on a “patty.” Literally hundreds of millions of people are clamoring for space to be outstanding in their field, to have their voice heard; their brand recognized.
Jumping on a soapbox with a megaphone sure sounds like a great idea, but just how can it be accomplished in the stampede?
As you have read, it takes time, painstaking effort and a hell of a lot of energy, every single day, to retain and maintain your online presence. It is time consuming and can also divert your focus away from your core business.
There are dos and don’ts and best practices published every second. Let’s just say it is information overload, enough to make your brain explode. Your most esteemed colleagues, industry thought leaders, marketing organizations and the like are continually evaluating, suggesting, studying and pushing content on what to do and how to do it best in order to achieve your social media marketing goals and business success.
You sometimes may feel the urgent need to test the suggestions, add new plugins, try the tools but it gets to a point where it is almost impossible to dedicate your time ON your business because you are so entrenched with the current recommendations for a positive, productive online experience, both for you and your customer.
- Step back.
- Take a breath.
Step above the herd:
- Evaluate some of the tips and tools
- Implement some – test and measure results
- Be cognizant of YOUR strategy and goals
- Realize you can’t try everything and not everything works for everybody
- Know your real value proposition
- Educate your followers about your solutions, not your widgets
- Sell VALUE not cost
- Be authentic
- Engage in real-time, one on one conversations
- Continue to educate yourself
- Nurture relationships
- Write QUALITY content
- Consistency counts
- Share and syndicate your posts
- Be passionate about your business and your customers
- Never make promises you can’t keep
- Share and retweet others
- BE social, don’t do social
- Give without expecting something in return
- Express your gratitude
- Join in community discussions, offering valuable insight, not just idle chatter to get noticed
- People buy from people – let them see you’re human, not just a brand
- Think: RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
It certainly isn’t easy and some days may feel a bit rougher than others but never, ever give up. You’re an entrepreneur. A business owner with a dream and THAT is worth pursuing. You’ve come this far just figure out what works best for you and your company. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel by any means but you do have to take action everyday. I am not saying to bury your head in the sand and ignore some of the main premises and practices of digital marketing; that would be social suicide. Try and manage the overwhelm of the influx of data and suggestions. We all have different ideas, strengths, and opportunities to play upon. Pay attention but you don’t need to feel the craze and institute every single post you read.
Let your true passion tell your story and connect with the hearts and minds of your audience. While some others may just be link pushing or talking in the wind, YOU build and cultivate the relationships based upon integrity, value, character, trust, gratitude and of course some of the basics above. Be patient. Be present. Be you.
“When you’re about something that benefits others, you’re more believable and trustworthy. People want to know you’re not just in it for yourself.” Mike Henry Sr.
This all sounds pretty touchy feely but again, people buy from people they know, like and trust. Your reputation will precede you and your brand advocates will share, promote and talk about you. Word of mouth is your most powerful marketing tool.
What makes you stand out from the herd?
