So You Want to Become a Virtual Assistant - Steps to get you Started.

By Crystal Redhead-Gould

Social networking websites are growing increasingly popular as time goes by. There are many who use these sites for social interaction only. They have no professional objectives for joining these forums. If you do have professional motives however you need to make the most of this opportunity to further your professional objectives. I have outlined some points to get you started.

Join social sites that are related to your areas of interest with member who may need your services at some point in time. It is pointless to join a forum where members meet to discuss topics you know nothing about or have no interest in learning.

Personalize your profile. You are not just your business. Portray some of who you are in your profile so members can see who’s behind the business. Remember people do business with other people not just businesses.

Seek to expand your network. This should be quite obvious, the greater your network the larger your audience will be and this increases your chances to market and promote your products or services.

Participate actively in the forums. By doing this you are not only making yourself known but also you can develop a reputation for being the “person to talk to” in your area of expertise.

Join the welcome committee. So that you can meet new members from the get go.

Visit often. It’s pointless to join a social network if you only visit once a month. Try to visit at least three times weekly.

Offer freebies to your network as much as possible. When you offer something good that’s free you leave a lasting impression on the members. Be sure to somehow create a link back to your website.

Try to connect offline. Once you have established a rapport with a potential client seek to meet up over the phone or in person if that’s possible.

Keep the communication clean, to the point and honest. You do not want to come on strong with “repulsive” hard sells. Stay away from heavy promotional materials. This is not the forum for it.

Update contact information. If for some reason your contact information changes be sure to update your profile contact on all forums.

So go out and successfully network for your business, you’ll make a few friends and you’re guaranteed to love the experience.

Crystal Redhead-Gould is the President of Five Star Executives.