Here’s a quick snippet from the report:

“I’ve been working as a Virtual Assistant since 2006 and while I’ve been really blessed to have super awesome clients that I love, there have been a few that made me cry, bang my head against my desk…ok you get the picture So, what have made those few clients a nightmare to work with?”

Hmmm…I bet you can’t guess who that snippet is written by

So, whether you’ve been outsourcing forever or just getting started, be sure to grab this free report now by clicking the link below. (It’s a PDF file)

Online Service Providers Share Their Outsourcing Tips

I hope you enjoy the report!

Until next time…

So, let’s get right to it with today’s question.

Tishia,

I need a reliable and trustworthy VA who is available nights/weekends. Do you know of any? This would be an occasional need such as when I’m out and about or on vacation and my web hosting server needs to be rebooted.

Glennette,
Premium Web Design

First, thank you for submitting your question Glennette. I’m sure this is something other people wonder too. While your question doesn’t have anything to do with time zones I want to take a minute to address this. I know from personal experience time zone differences can sometimes be a hindrance.

For example, I used to have a client who was in California and was 3 hours behind me. We established upfront that me being three hours ahead could get a little tricky – oftentimes my day was done and over and I was ready to shut down when she was just getting around to sending me projects to do. We worked it out so that I worked ‘late’ one day a week for her.

Now, that brings me to your question Glennette. Off the top of my head I don’t know of any VA’s that work evenings and weekends. I’m sure there is someone out there that does. I can’t speak for other VA’s but for myself, one of the reasons I started my own business was so I could get away from the evening and weekend hours. However, with that being said I still find myself working evenings and some weekends. Not because I have to but because I want to.  An occasional client here and there will have had something come up during the evening or weekend and need my help. I enjoyed being available for them.

So, to answer your question – I’m sure if you discuss the need for an occasional evening or weekend project that it wouldn’t be a problem. I know I wouldn’t have a problem doing it as long as I knew about it beforehand. But, don’t be surprised if you get charged a higher rate for ‘after hours’ services! If you’re looking for someone that could be available on a more regular basis for nights and weekends, it could be a bit trickier to find a VA that is available those hours.

Tishia

PS. Please feel free to contact me for a free consultation on how I can help you with your outsourcing needs! I would love to talk to you.

So, let’s get right to it with today’s question.

Tishia,

I’m kind of a perfectionist and like things done a certain way in my business.  I really want to start outsourcing, though.  Can you give me some tips on letting go and letting a VA handle some of my tasks?

Kim,
Dramatic Design

What a great question Kim! First, let me start by saying that I think this is normal and something that we all suffer from. It’s only natural for you to be a bit of a perfectionist. After all this is your business, your name/brand/reputation being ‘put out there’ so it’s normal to want only the best work out there representing you.

Now, with that being said, there comes a point where you just have to let go and as Nike says ‘Just Do It’. I’ve worked with clients like this in the past and we always start with something small like article marketing. The reason I suggest a small task like article marketing is because it’s probably one of the easiest projects to outsource. You provide the article(s) and let the VA do the submission. You can’t control the submission process meaning you have no control over the rules of the article directories and the things they accept (no HTML, some HTML, etc). So, there’s nothing there for you to be a ‘perfectionist’ about.

You can also create a QRG (quick reference guide) of how you do something in your business for a VA to follow. It’s pretty hard for someone to mess things up when they’re following step-by-step instructions. Another tip is have a phone meeting and make sure the VA understands exactly what you want. It will put you at ease being able to talk to them so there’s no misunderstanding that could happen in an email. And with web conference rooms and screen sharing, you can expand on that phone meeting and show exactly what you want done.

Thanks again for submitting your question Kim. I hope this helped and you’re ready to outsource now with a small project like article marketing I mentioned. Take baby steps, but the most important thing is that you at least take a step and do something!

Tishia

PS. Please feel free to contact me for a free consultation on how I can help you with your outsourcing needs! I would love to talk to you.

If you’re looking for a way to build the easiest wordpress website then you need to take part in my friend Angela Wills’s next Website Design Mojo class. Angela knows her stuff and she’s a great teacher. If you think you don’t have the skills to design a website – think again!

I’ve been using WordPress for a long time now. In fact, you could say I’m a total WordPress snob. It’s so easy to work with. You don’t have to pay a designer thousands (or hundreds) of dollars only to create a website that you can’t even update because it was built on some platform that you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out. You can build the easiest WordPress website in no time at all if you have the basic skills to do so.

That’s where Website Design Mojo comes in.  Angela will take you step-by-step through building and customizing a website with WordPress.

So, what exactly do you get with this course?

• 6 video modules with lifetime* access
• 6 weekly live question and answer webinars (with free repeat access multiple times a year)
• 6 weeks of personal email coaching
• Lifetime* Access to Members Only Networking & Coaching Forum
• WordPress Installation and Premium Theme Setup Services ($90 Value)
• Graphics Mojo ($27 Value)
• WP Safety Mojo ($47 Value)
• Premium WordPress Website Theme (Value $97)
• Plus: Extras Worth Over $300

You can clearly see for yourself how valuable this course is. Angela could (and should) be charging way more than $397.00 for this. But she knows the need to be able to build a WordPress website and wants to make it affordable to you.  And until October 1st she’s making it even more affordable with her easy pay option of three monthly payments. And if that wasn’t enough, she’s even thrown in a $100.00 off coupon bringing your total down to just $297.00! But hurry, this offer ends October 1st!

Get all the details here:
How to Make a WordPress Website
Coupon Code: mojo

If you purchase though my link, forward me a copy of your receipt (tishialee@gmail.com) for 1 free hour of VA services!

Viral marketing, while driven by strategy and well-planned messaging, is only successful when its audience is captivated. A marketing campaign will only go “viral” if people like it and ultimately, share it with others. Therefore, they have the power. Not the marketer.

Online business owners and internet marketers alike understand the important role viral marketing plays in the success of their businesses today. Social media networks have become just as much about business as they are about pleasure. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other key players are now joining us in the boardroom and in sales meetings. Blogs are replacing news media in many ways, and we must adapt our marketing approach to become players in this game.

From reaching the masses with special deals, invitations for sale events and enticing customers to purchase new products, viral marketing is a lucrative business tool, approach and strategy all wrapped in to one.

Say, for example, you are an internet marketer. You create and sell valuable sales tools, including E-books, reports, videos and webinars. Not only should you have a list to which you apply your email marketing campaign, but in addition, you can share your products by posting them on Facebook, tweeting about them on Twitter or uploading lessons to YouTube. The possibilities are endless.

With a little bit of creativity and a true understanding of your target market, viral marketing has the ability to skyrocket your business to new heights. Not only should you consider the favor of your current customer base, but approach your viral marketing campaign in such a way that encourages – and makes them want to – share your business with others. You could offer free products for every ten people your customers share your link with. The more you incentivize, the more likely people are to share with others.

Think about it, if you were your own customer, what would entice you to share your products? Would it be quality customer service? Great deals and monthly specials? What grabs your attention? Start there and see what works. The other great thing about viral marketing is, if one approach isn’t working, you lose nothing by switching gears. Just be careful to settle in to a consistent message, no matter what your approach might be. You don’t want to run the risk of turning people off.

So, engage in your viral marketing campaign. Be social on social networks, share others information and they in turn, will share yours.  Viral marketing is a give and take and the more you give, the more you will get. There is an unspoken set of expectations that accompany viral marketing, and the most important of all is to respect those you are marketing to. If you do, they will recognize that and most likely help you on your way to going viral.

Step 1: Clearly define your goals.

What is it you are trying to achieve? Are you trying to attain a certain number of click-thrus? Are you trying to grow your customer base? Or simply attract visitors to your site? No matter what the goal, you must know what it is before you can achieve it.

Step 2: Choose which outlets you will use.

Do you plan to employ social media to apply your viral marketing messaging to? Will you focus on your blog as a means to get your message across? Or will you submit articles to multiple directories in hopes of driving traffic? No way is better than the other, but try to choose at least 3 means of viral marketing, ensuring that each approach is unique, yet compliments the others.

For example, if you write a blog post as part of your viral marketing campaign, you can then drive people to read the post by tweeting about it, as well as emailing the link to your list.

Another example might be, if you create a video and post it on YouTube, you can drive traffic to the video by sending the link as a download or embedding it on your Facebook wall.

Step 3: Carefully craft your message.

Once you know what your message is going to be, it will be much easier to know how to apply it depending on the outlets you plan to employ. In other words, say you set out to write an article. Once you know the title, you can then craft that title into 140 characters or less for Twitter, and post a slightly longer description on Facebook.

Do you see how this all weaves together so beautifully? That is why viral marketing has become such a strong force to be reckoned with in and among the online business community. It truly is a powerful way of communicating, of advertising and of doing business. Now, more than ever before, we have the ability to communicate in real-time in such a way that carries a single message to millions within seconds.

While marketing in general has its limitations, the possibilities are endless. It’s up to you to make the most of your messaging and turn your target market into paying customers. And remember, its not only about them. It’s about who they are willing to share your message, your product, your business with. That is the essence of viral marketing. Keep this gold rule in mind and you will be on the path to success… or to going “viral” as they say.

1. Be Creative. If you are selling widgets, make those widgets stand out! Nobody wants to buy a widget that is simply “easy to use” and “better than the rest”. People respond to innovation, to creativity, to things that appear to be exciting and new… even if they are not. Don’t waste your time with sales driven messaging. Instead, spend your time carefully crafting creative marketing that will grab the attention of others. Once you have their attention, going viral is the next logical step.

2. Be Different. There’s nothing worse than more of the same. You and your business have to stand out in the crowd. And even if your product is one in a million, make that one appear different and most importantly, the best. How? Add value to your offerings by incentivizing your products. Make customers feel appreciated and deliver on your promises. And above all, stay on top of the competition. You can’t do it better than them if you don’t know what they are doing and how they are doing it. Find out what message your competitors are sending and differentiate yourself with a stronger message, more strategic campaign and overall better offering.

3. Be Consistent. Without proper management, the attempt to go viral with any campaign can quickly turn sour. Consistency is key with any marketing, but when attempting to go viral, you will need to stay on top of every single message you put out there… and do so often. Viral marketing takes a lot of time and quality management. Prepare yourself to make this part of your daily routine, and invest your time as you would invest your capital into any advertising projects. While viral marketing is essentially “free”, you will need to spend valuable time and effort in order to make it work for you.

Whether you are a veteran of the viral marketing world or new to this approach, remember that it’s about what you put in that really matters. The more you manage all aspects of your online marketing, from tweeting to status updates, to feeds and daily blog posts, your message can only go viral if you are putting it out there on a regular basis.

And don’t simply plaster your social media accounts with sales copy and unattractive pitches. As we’ve discussed, be creative. What would interest you? What would you want to share with your friends, family and colleagues? What would you encourage others to take a look at?

Take the time to respond to others, to craft creative messages and pay attention to what others are saying. In order to become part of the conversation, you have to engage in it and that is what viral marketing is all about.

For internet marketers and business owners alike, viral marketing has not only woven its way into the advertising and marketing culture of modern-day success stories, but it is quickly becoming as necessary as billboards, newsletters and direct mail campaigns were just a decade ago. In fact, some may argue, it has already surpassed these archaic forms of marketing and is now the single most cost-effective, reliable and strategic way to share information while gaining customers through an approach that truly offers the most bang for your buck.

So how did this technologically-driven marketing approach get its start? One word – Hotmail. Thanks to Hotmail, the first among free web-based email service providers, viral marketing has taken on a life of its own.

When Hotmail first began, they decided that the best way to entice new customers would be to reach the friends, family and colleagues of each user they had. So, in the footer of each and every email that was sent from a Hotmail account, the Hotmail team placed a link that read something like this: “Want a free email account? Sign-up for Hotmail today!” And yes, believe it or not, this strategy went, as we know call it, viral. Hundreds of thousands of users hurriedly signed up for their free email accounts and the rest is history.

That Hotmail model is the foundation for the viral marketing we are familiar with today. From Facebook, to Twitter, to YouTube and LinkedIn, viral marketing takes many shapes and forms. It can vary in approach and evolve within each format, but the bottom line is to share information and do so on a large-scale – for free. Rather than spend thousands on expensive advertising campaigns, businesses (both large and small) have come to recognize viral marketing as a cost-effective way to not only get their message across, but to increase sales and improve business overall. It truly is a phenomenon that continues to gain momentum.

And the more businesses that recognize viral marketing as an acceptable and reliable form of marketing, the more intriguing this approach becomes. Why? Because more and more people and businesses are joining the conversation. More and more we are seeing the positive effects of viral marketing and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

While Hotmail has suffered the consequences of major competition, they are still an important player in the email game, and an extremely influential model in the world of internet marketing. As the grandfather of viral marketing, Hotmail will forever be recognized as the service that started it all. Thanks to them, we have all been bitten by the viral marketing bug and our businesses are better for.

CPR for your blog?

Yep! Nicole Dean has been at it again and she’s just released her newest course – Blog CPR. Nicole doesn’t put out garbage. Her products are jam packed with information and she often gives ‘behind the scenes’  information, sharing exactly how she does something in her business! This time is no different! It’s behind-the-scenes stuff. She’s not holding anything back.

Ready to know more now? Click Here!

So, what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to resuscitate your blog, bring it back to life and learn simple ways to keep it fresh, attract more readers, engage with them, and gather prospects who are interested in the products or services you offer?

Check it out here

For a limited time you can get Blog CPR for just $17 which is a crazy price. Nicole could be charging so much more and soon the price will be going up so be sure to grab your copy now!

Correctly and respectfully? What does that mean? It means not abusing the system. It means using viral marketing tactics to spread the word about your business, your product and your service without offending others or being self-serving.

But, viral marketing is inherently self-serving, isn’t it? Well, yes and no. To be truly effective, viral marketing must include a give and take approach. You must engage others, take part in conversation, and give as much as you get. In other words, don’t expect your message to spread itself. Viral marketing takes time, careful planning and well-thought out execution.

It has, for lack of a better word, an incurable need for attention.

While viral marketing can be applied in a number of ways, there are 3 main approaches:

#1 – To Share. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are in fact products of viral marketing themselves. While they’re sole purpose is to allow (and encourage) users to share information, they too must share their service via their users. It’s simple, really. Their users believe in them and enjoy their websites so much, that they share those websites with others. Knowing this and trusting this would take place, these social media powerhouses have become multi-million, some billion dollar businesses thanks to, you guessed it, viral marketing.

#2 – To Add Value. Adding value is not a characteristic unique to viral marketing. It is a common marketing approach across the board. For hundreds of years, business owners have understood the importance of offering their customers “more”. For instance, buy this product and receive this additional product for free. You get the picture. So, this notion of adding value applies to your viral marketing in the same way. However, rather than simply applying added value to your products and services, make value-added offers to those who share your message. For instance, send this message to an additional 10 people, and receive a free product. Incentivize and you will see results!

#3 – To create buzz. Similar to sharing, creating buzz is can be extremely effective. How is it different? While sharing refers to others literally sharing information with friends (i.e. Like my Facebook page? Sign-up for your own Facebook page today and see more of what I’m up to, including photos, favorites and more!) creating buzz is more about spreading the word. Consider how gossip spreads, or the way in which gossip magazines create stories based on hearsay. The idea is to get people “talking” about you and your business in a positive way so that they begin to encourage others to become customers, sign-up or carry on the conversation on their own.

As you can see, viral marketing is about more than inundating your audience with your message. Its about strategic planning and taking an approach that puts your business in a positive light while enticing others to not only become customers, but to spread the word as well.