Networking is widely thought of as one of the most effective methods of marketing and promoting your business. So what is Networking? There are various Networking Sites available – mainly social, some which you may have heard of are those such as MySpace or Facebook. They are sites which were specifically created to help people establish all sorts of relationships via the internet. These sites are appearing all over the internet and spreading like wildfire. There are also many other additional web 2.0 tools such as Podcasts, Webinars, Blogs, and Video Casts to name a few. All these tools allow us as individuals or businesses to advertise, promote, inform, share and educate online.
A majority of the social networking sites have free accounts – which makes getting started easy. It’s certainly an inexpensive way of establishing you and your business on the Web. Not only are these sites free, but most other networking tools are also free, such as video, podcasts, and blogging. With our present technology, mobile phones and computers are both very useful when implementing new ways of promoting your business.
There is one major pitfall to networking – Time.
Joining, monitoring, and participating, along with managing your email and the all round upkeep of your developing network is intensively time consuming and, whilst highly effective, it often carries over into your working day. But don’t worry, all isn’t lost. A Virtual Assistant or VA can assist with your networking and time management. Managing these essential tasks can be greatly simplified when you work with someone truly competent who you’ve chosen to handle your account sign-up’s, research into the best places to network, manage your profile completions, groups, contacts and so much more. A virtual assistant can enable you to effectively pursue every aspect of social networking. Whether you are an expert who needs more time in the day, or a beginner who has little knowledge in this area, a Virtual Assistant can make ‘all the difference in the World’.
Paying for regular assistance with your networking will allow you to enjoy all of the benefits of this interaction without having to tediously work through every time consuming detail on your own.
Over time, it’s possible to build up a large network of contacts, potential clients and colleagues by outsourcing just one or two hours a week on this endeavour. The more time that is outsourced, the quicker the results will start to show. It is essential to keep in mind that it can often take time to see these results when starting out. There aren’t any ‘quick fix’ networking methods; this method provides long term results toward the establishment of yourself and your business. So although networking is an exceptional method for promoting a company, product, service or individual, it’s certainly not an instant solution for getting rich quick, nor will your website traffic triple overnight.
So, what should you be keeping an eye out for when you’re considering outsourcing your social networking tasks?
1) A good VA will first take an interest in your business, products, services, location, target market, website, and pretty much any other aspect of information you are able to provide in order for them to understand exactly what you are all about.
2) They should offer you a consultation – or at the very least, a form to complete so that you can convey a clear picture of your long term goals. Through this, your VA can then clearly see what you are looking to accomplish with networking.
3) They should then research and locate the most beneficial networking methods, sites and techniques based on the information you have provided.
4) Finally, a plan or schedule should be formulated and presented with suggested options, sites and timescales explaining the choices and benefits of each of these methods.
5) Once the plan is agreed – it’s all systems go, just sit back and let your VA get to work!
Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss Friday, an Executive Virtual Assistant who assists businesses and individuals with achieving their professional goals. Want to find out more about online business building success strategies? Support the Campaign for FREE Virtual Assistance today!