The type of task you do as a Virtual Assistant depends on your interest and skills. Every time I coach an aspiring VA, I always ask them first; What are your interest? What can you offer to your clients?
Most of them find it hard to answer my question maybe because they thought that they will give me the wrong answer.
But what I also say is that; you need to know first what your interest are and what are the things that you love to do so that you can find a good niche that is related to your interest. That is the first step to a Successful Career as a Virtual Assistant.
For instance, a person who loves to organize things, read, write and gain inspiration can be a good VA to Online Coaches. A nurse who decided to stay at home to be with her kids, but still wants to earn, can be a medical VA.
To give you a clear idea of the different types of VA’s out there and what they do, I summarized them here.
There are different types of service that a Virtual Assistant can do, but they are divided in 2 main categories;
Virtual Generalist – are also called Administrative Virtual Assistant. Their responsibilities vary depending on what their clients ask, but it basically include clerical task and sometimes even personal ones. These tasks may include;
Data entry
Creating PowerPoint, Word or Excel Files
Making Reports
Online Research
Scheduling
Database Management
Email Correspondence
Setting Appointment
Handling Phone Calls
Virtual Specialist – from the word itself means that you have a specialty. You offer a particular service to your clients.
Listed below are some examples of Virtual Specialist and their responsibilities
• Social Media/Marketing VA
This is one of the best and the most in demand work today.As a Social Media or Marketing Specialist, you’re responsibilities involves;
Creating posts and posting on Social Media sites(such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc)
Creating Ads and Social Media Engagement
• Internet Marketing VA
Online Business owners love to hire someone who could help them market their sites and as a result, gain more customers. Their responsibilities involves;
Product Launch
Newsletters
Blogging
Video Marketing
Bookmarking
Facebook Marketing
Articles and Press Releases
Webinars
Podcasting assistance
Affiliate marketing
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Most of the terms here may sound foreign and difficult, but with proper training, they very easy to learn as long as you are willing. Actually this is the niche that I personally love the most, but when I started as a VA, I don’t have any idea what all these tasks are all about, but with constant learning, I acquired the knowledge and skills that I needed.
• Medical VA
This niche is a great idea especially for Filipino nurses because you need medical background since you will be working on medical terminologies. These may involve transcription, documentation and sometimes even setting appointment with patients. Your target market are Medical Practitioners, Medical Institution, Hospitals or Pharmaceutical companies.
• Legal VA
This is also a unique niche just like Medical VA and you need to have proper knowledge in legal terminologies to specialized in this area. Your target area are Legal Practitioners, Law firms or Government Departments
• Technical Virtual Assistant
For you to specialized on this area, you need to have technical skills and know how on some Online software. It involves;
Website creation and maintenance
Creating Graphics
Video Creation
Podcast Creation
Teleseminars
Landing pages
Autoresponder
Online Shopping Cart Setup
HTML
So now, I hope that you already have an idea of the different types of Virtual Assistant and the tasks that they usually do. Of course, what has been listed above can also be combine, mix or interchange. It really depends on the VA on what skills and abilities she/he can offer.
As for me, I focus more on social media because this is what I love most and this is what I do best.
So if you are planning to start a career as a Virtual Assistant, you need to decide for yourself on what type of VA you would want to be.
If you like this post, you can also check out 5 Personal Skills that Clients are Looking for in a Virtual Assistant
Have a great career ahead of you!
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