Time is priceless, and business owners understand the meaning of this phrase better than anybody else does.

The recent entrepreneurial boom resulted in the fast development of virtual assistant businesses to help business founders multitask and allow them to focus more on strategic growth.

Starting a virtual assistant business is fast, and easy, requires no investment, and brings lots of benefits.

Why start a virtual assistant business?

Several months ago, I started to join closed groups on Facebook dedicated to business growth strategies and entrepreneurship. Actually, I did that on purpose.

My goal of being a part of Facebook communities was not to promote my business or ask for advice. Though it can also help, I had a different goal.

I wanted to analyze what starting entrepreneurs are interested in, what business niches are most popular among the starters, and the difficulties most business owners should face daily.

And you know what?

The virtual assistant business appeared to be one of the most popular among the starters.

It is not surprising because it is easy to start and requires no investment.

But what is more interesting here…

Frequent requests from Facebook group members have shown that virtual assistants are in high demand now among business owners.

how to promote a virtual assistant business on Facebook

Why?

It is simple. When you are growing a business, some tasks take too much time. Therefore, it is easier and CHEAPER to hire a virtual assistant and focus on business development, rather than spend hours doing routine work. And that is the reason why the virtual assistant business has started to grow considerably over the last several years. Here are some other reasons why start a virtual assistant business:

Read also: How to start a dropshipping business

  • Low investment

Starting a virtual assistant business requires minimal investment. It is totally online and can be easily scalable. 

  • High Demand

Entrepreneurs always need help with tasks like email management, scheduling, and administrative work, creating a consistent demand for virtual assistants. Even at a time when AI business is growing, virtual assistance helps to manage AI tasks and do research. 

  • Flexibility

The virtual assistant business offers flexibility regarding work hours and location, allowing entrepreneurs to balance work and personal life.

  • Technology

 Advancements in technology help to collaborate remotely and provide efficient virtual assistant services. You can manage your virtual assistants using task tracker systems like Trello, Asana, Jira, or others. 

  • Income Potential

With the right skills and a solid client base, you can earn a substantial income as a virtual assistant. What I like about the virtual assistant business is that the bigger the team the more tasks you can handle and the more income you get! No limits at all.

starting a virtual assistant business

Just take a look at the data below, an average virtual assistant makes $34 an hour. When you build a reputable virtual assistant company, you can charge up to $82 and more.

How to start a virtual assistant business

To start a virtual assistant business, follow the simple steps described below.

1. Define a niche for your virtual assistant business

To stand out and build a more strategic marketing campaign, you should choose a specific service your business provides.
Will you focus on social media management or email marketing?
Will your virtual assistance business provide executive assistance?

Go through the virtual assistant tasks and define the key ones you will focus on.

What are the virtual assistant tasks?

To understand the virtual assistant business more deeply, let’s go through the virtual assistant tasks list:

  • Email management – corresponding to client’s emails, following up with clients
  • Trips, flights, hotels, and appointments booking
  • Answering calls
  • Online research
  • Reports and presentations (PowerPoint reports, graphs, presentations)
  • Data entry
  • Invoice management
  • Online customer support (responding to tickets)
  • Documents and manuals preparation
  • Blog management (WordPress installation, plugin installation, creating tags and online forms, creating backups)
  • Submitting press releases to directories
  • Interviewing clients
  • SEO tasks (SEO best practices research, content optimization, keywords research, competitor analysis, link building, sitemap and newsfeed submission, Google Analytics monitoring)
  • Social media management (creating a managing social media accounts, creating images for posts, social media campaigns audit, hashtags, and competitors’ activities research, communication with the audience and growing engagement, running contests and giveaways)
  • Marketing tasks (commenting on other websites, and forums commenting)
  • Content writing (press releases, blog articles, advertising texts)
  • Video management (video editing, video presentation making, updating YouTube channel content)
  • Personal requests (buying gifts, making doctor appointments, time scheduling, etc.)

Before starting a virtual assistant business, decide on the services you are going to provide – think about what you like the most and identify your strongest skills.

Read also: How to generate great small business ideas

2. Define your Virtual Assistant business pricing strategy

Determine your pricing structure and service packages. How to do that? Research competitors to ensure your rates are competitive and reflect your expertise.

Here are the most popular strategies to price your virtual assistant business services:

  • Hourly vs. Flat Rate 

Decide whether you’ll charge clients hourly or offer flat-rate packages. Flat rates can be attractive to clients as they know exactly what they’ll pay upfront.

  • Value-Based Pricing

Consider the value you provide. If you can save entrepreneurs time and help them grow their businesses, you can justify higher rates.

  • Tiered Pricing

Create different service packages or tiers to cater to various client needs. Offer Basic, Standard, and Premium packages with increasing levels of service and pricing.

3. Register your virtual assistant business

how to start a virtual assistant business

Register your business to establish your professional identity and ensuring legal compliance.

Despite legal protection, it will add professionalism to your virtual assiatant business. Your potential clients will see you are committed and serious about your work.
Also, creating an LLC for a virtual assistant business help build trust and credibility, especially when dealing with entrepreneurs.
How to open a virtual assistant business LLC?
I recommend trying ZenBusiness as a reputable LLC service provider. They are the best fit for entrepreneurs and simplify the process by saving you time and doing all the paperwork.

4. Create a virtual assistant business portfolio

Building a portfolio for your virtual assistant business is one of the best tools to attract potential clients. But how ca you do that?

Here are a few ways to create a virtual business portfolio:

  • Show work samples

Gather examples of your work. This could be documents, reports, social media posts, or any task you’ve completed for previous clients. the main goal here is to demonstrate your expertise.

  • Case Studies 

Create case studies for some of your projects. 

  • Describe your client’s problem 
  • Outline the tasks you did
  • Show the results achieved. 

Use real data and metrics whenever possible to quantify your impact.

  • Client Testimonials

Include testimonials from satisfied clients. These can be short quotes or longer endorsements. Ensure they emphasize the value you provided.

  • Professional Presentation

Design a clean and professional portfolio website or document. Make it professional by using a consistent color scheme and typography. 

Use images, charts, and graphs to make your portfolio visually appealing and illustrate your work.

5. Promote a virtual assistant business

Starting a virtual assistant business you need to think about the best ways of getting clients.

How to promote a virtual assistant business?

Here is the list of key steps you should follow to promote your virtual assistant business:

1. Create a website

Create an attractive website with the list of services provided by your virtual assistant business. Fortunately, there are tons of ways to create a website without special coding skills, such as WordPress or Wix.

2. Print Business Cards

Create business cards with your contact information and a website link. Keep your business cards with you every time you go out and share them with people who could be interested in your services. Even if they don’t need your help now, they will need it in the future.

3. Network

Networking is all about WIN-WIN relationships.

The more people you can help the more clients you will get. Communicate more and do not focus just on direct business promotion. Focus on providing help to others.

You’ll be surprised how word-of-mouth can impact your business growth.

4. Facebook groups

Join Facebook groups for entrepreneurs and small business owners and try to offer your services there.

Here is the list of some great Facebook groups you can consider:

5. X and Facebook ads

Social media ads can help a lot in targeting your market. For example, if you target doctors or business coaches, just select these areas of interest before posting your ad and your future clients will see your promo.

Read also: How Changes in Facebook News Feed Algorithm Will Impact Business

6. Blogging

Create a blog and write articles about different problems solved by virtual assistants to attract more clients. A website with regularly updated content is easier to promote. Besides, you can attract more people via organic search.

7. Participate in conferences/meetings

If you promote online it is awesome, but do not forget about the real meetings. The local market can give you unlimited opportunities for growth since

8. Comment on forums and Q&A websites

Find some niche forums and websites where entrepreneurs are searching for help. Be active in commenting and answering the questions. In this case, you’ll get noticeable quickly and have more chances to get new clients.

9. Introduce on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for networking and marketing business. Make sure your profile looks professional and represents your skills.

how to promote a virtual assistant business

One of the best ways to promote your virtual assistant business in to join the communities and introduce your services there. As a alternative, you can create your own community and share company news on a regular basis.

Surely, you can personally contact business owners offering your help, but the most effective way is to ask for an introduction from your professional network.

Virtual Assistant vs. Online Business Manager: What is the difference?

If you are interested in helping your clients with more strategic tasks, you should think about providing business management services.

Online Business Manager’s (OBM) tasks can be the following:

  • Team management
  • Strategy planning
  • Task management
  • Project management
  • Reaching business goals

OBM focuses on business planning and business growth, while virtual assistants perform more specific administrative, marketing, and technical tasks.

Both types of services are in high demand now, and it is up to you what services to offer.

Be as specific as you can with listing the services your business provides. Focus on 3-5 tasks you would like to help with.

In this case, you will be able to identify your Target Audience to promote virtual assistant business.

Final thoughts

I am sure that the virtual assistant business will continue to grow. If you want to contribute to clients’ business growth and build a profitable company, starting a virtual assistant business is perfect for you.

Just focus on particular services without trying to cover everything. Do not forget about competitors and provide only high-quality service.

Good luck!

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Tetiana Artemova

Tetiana Artemova is an entrepreneur and owner of IStartHub, a business media for ambitious female entrepreneurs and small business owners.