In Part 2 of this series, I mentioned free services related specifically to blogging.  There are numerous other services available for free to low cost out there that are utilized by not just virtual assistants - but everyone in the business world.  I am not very experienced on most of these services, nor am I endorsing all of them.  The following are just the results of my research.  Please feel free to provide feedback in my comments section on your experiences and any other services you are aware of.

Conference Calls:  Free Conference utilizes long distance phone numbers.  1-800 numbers are available for a fee.  You may also buy recordings of the conference call for additional fees.

Press Releases:  MediaSyndicate, PRWeb  PRWeb provides you with the opportunity to make donations.  The more money, the better and more widespread the release.

Copyright:  Copyscape allows you to obtain copyright information on your Webpage, etc.

E-Newsletter:  Constant Contact is an email marketing solution that is free for up to 50 email addresses.  The fees increase to increase your email list.

Web sites:  GoDaddy.com  As you can see, GoDaddy.com is hosting my Web site for free.  I just have to put up with the banner at the top, which is perfectly reasonable for a start-up business.  It cost me less than $10.00 to register my domain for a year.  They provided template options for me to set up no more than 5 pages.  I got an email account that I can access online, plus this blog account.  I can purchase additional features for additional fees as I want and as I am ready.

Long Distance Calls:  Skype is a voice over the Internet service and is free to download.  A full year of unlimited calls in the US and Canada is $14.95.

Faxing:  eFax is an online faxing service.  They offer a package for free, but the best value for a functional home-based business looks to be the package starting at $16.95 that includes sending faxes by email, a local or toll free number, 1 year of online fax storage, 130 free incoming fax pages per month, and wireless access. 

SharePoint:  SharePoint is an online file sharing and intranet system.  My fellow Colorado VAs highly recommend the program.  Andrea Kalli is considered an expert and trainer for SharePoint.  For $19.99/month you can get 1 GB web space, 50 user accounts, 50 e-mail accounts, and secure online access from any location.  I pulled all my files for the UofVA course utilizing SharePoint.

Timekeeping:  TraxTime is for independent professionals, contractors, entrepreneuers, etc. to track their time on projects for their clients available for $39.00.

Remote Access:  LogMeIn is a secure source that allows others to remote into your computer for support.  I have heard of VAs using this to print reports directly from their client's PC to their client's printer.  There are different pricing packages depending on your needs.  You can try the basic remote access package for free for 30 days.  Then it's $19.75/month or $199.00/year for 5 PCs.

PLEASE NOTE:  All prices mentioned above are subject to change with their developers.  These are the listed prices at the time of posting the article.

Just a Few Other Recent and Related Articles:

~ "Why does anyone pay for a conference call?" by Jack Spirko with ComTech News
~ "Five Neat, Free Software Programs" by Douglas Hanna

Blogging is becoming more and more popular at explosive rates - both in business and personal worlds.  Churches and missionaries also use blogs to post reports and updates.  It is a medium that is crossing generations.  MySpace is one of the most famous and controversial sites.  It is a way of staying in touch for everyone.  There are a number of good benefits to blogging in the business realm. 

1.  Connecting with clients and customers.  Blogging provides a place to post updated information on products and current events.  It is a modern and electronic newsletter.
2.  Public relations and marketing.  Blogging is a way to provide samples of work and products.  It is an excellent area to express your expertise on topics related to your business.  It can serve as a great place to post frequently asked questions.
3.  Increasing search engine optimization (SEO) and rankings.  Search engines like Google and Yahoo gather and rank their information on sites that have current content posted.  The search engines crawl your links and URLs connecting you literally to the world in the World Wide Web.  There are a number of services that offer to "ping" the search engines to announce your update.  A couple of free services include:  Ping-o-Matic! and Pingoat.  You can fill in your blog information, check off the search engines you would like to be pinged, and bookmark the page for easy updating later as it will save your information.  For additional tips, you may also find it helpful to read my previous entry on Submitting to Search Engines.  If you do not find satisfying results, there are a number of other services you can conduct an internet search for that require varying fees to help with your SEO and rankings.
4.  Creating discussions.  It is a forum for venting and allowing feedback.  It is a place to present your thoughts on subject matters related to your business.
5.  It is informal.  Blogging is a casual communication tool that typically is "short and sweet."  While it is informal, it should be concisely written and formatted.
6.  It is FREE.  There are a number of places to start a blog and connect it to your business Website.  One is to consult your hosting and web developing company.  Another is to set it up through a number of free blog services online and link it to your Website.  A couple of examples of free blog services include:  WordPress and Blogger.  They offer templates that make it easy to set up and develop content.
7.  Networking online.  Visiting other blogs is a great networking avenue.  Politely posting comments on other blogs introduces yourself and your business to others.  Asking permission to link to their articles on your blog promotes both them and you.  It is a win-win networking solution.
8.  Source of Revenue.  Many use blogs as a place to post ads through sources like Google AdSense and make extra money.  Your blog site definitely needs to have the traffic for this to be profitable.

A well developed blog requires time and maintenance to be an effective tool.  Writing the content and articles may require research and may seem like writing a paper for school, but the benefits make it well worth the effort.  A great way to stay on top of topics that are of interest to you and your business is to set up Google Alerts.  A couple of other links to articles are:  Article City and Ezine Articles. 

If you need help starting or maintaining your blog, please let me know.  Blog maintenance is one of the virtual assistant services I offer.

Just a Few Other Recent and Related Articles:

~ How to use Blogs in the Workplace by Rod Boothby with innovation Creators
~ SEO Benefits from Blogs by Steve Terjeson with Ironvine Search Marketing
~ SEO Benefits from Blogs by Lee Odden with Top Rank Online Marketing
~ Company blogs hold benefits, pitfalls by Christopher Scribner with Oakland Business Review
~ Blogs help break business barriers by Stacy Vogel with GazetteXtra

The Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) definition of a VA begins with the statement, "A Virtual Assistant (or VA) works independently at an arm's length, via the Internet, utilizing the latest technologies..."  During my University of Virtual Assistants training, I was amazed at what is out there and the advancements in technology.  I was especially surprised to learn what services are available for free.

Over the course of the next couple of months or so, I am going to explore the technology used by VAs more.  Technology is an area that is always developing.  It is an ongoing learning experience for everyone.  The speed of technology is so fast that it is hard to ever really be "up to speed" on it.  While it will take more experience for me to claim to be an expert, I will share in this series what I am learning.  The technology that VAs are using is not exclusive to the VA industry as they help many types of professionals around the world.

For some people, learning new technology can be uncomfortable as it takes them out of their comfort zone and presents weaknesses.  For others, like myself, it can be exciting learning something new as it opens up more possibilities to work with others.  As we become more and more of a global community and as our businesses expand more and more around the world, it is essential for better communication to use the latest technology available.

It does not seem long ago that few people had an e-mail address or Website.  To run a successful business today it is essential to have a Web presence and correspond via e-mail.  This is now expanding to blogging and podcasting.  Blogging and podcasting are a couple of areas that I will be learning more about in the coming weeks.  I just got an iPod a few months ago and I am just now learning how to listen to the music on it.  Apparently, it can also be a marketing tool!?! 

I will learn more and share with you all that I learn about these areas and more.  As I research, I will try to compile some of the more useful links, resources, and experts, and pass them along to you.  In my learning curve, if you know of some helpful links, resources, and experts, please "throw" them to me.  Please also feel free to add your knowledge to my blog in the comments section.  I think it would be nice and interesting to start a discussion.  We can learn from each other.  By no means will I be able to be comprehensive, but I hope to at least provide some kind of overview.

I am looking forward to this year and building Virtual Harvest.  Stay tuned for updates and new virtual assistant services available. 

If you would like an information packet, please contact me.  It is freshly updated with the logo and ready for mail out.  The packet includes a brochure, menu of services, cost comparison spreadsheet, sample work-for-hire agreement, and my resume.

I am excited to announce the logo for Virtual Harvest: 


I would like to thank Shari Shipman of Smart Solutions for all her creative help.  Shari created an identity and look for Virtual Harvest beyond my imagination!  She produced a high quality business card and brochure to help in my marketing efforts.  Shari, thanks bunches! 

Many companies decide to work with staffing agencies and hire temporaries for their short term projects and office overflow work.  There are advantages now to hiring a Virtual Assistant or VA instead.  Just a few of them include:

~  With a temporary you are not guaranteed the same person and likely have to spend time training different individuals over and over.

~  With a VA you get familiarity of operations, consistency of quality, continuity of expectations, and more productivity. 

~  With a VA there's no staffing agency fees and coordination with a third party.  Companies can work directly with a VA to schedule and negotiate services to meet their business needs.

It doesn't matter if you are in the Virtual Assistant business or not.  Whatever your business or interest is, it is likely that you want to optimize your presence out on the World Wide Web.  The benefits of marketing and advertising are obvious.  So how do you go about that?  There are many articles and experts out there that can help you.  Just type in the keywords "Search Engine Optimization" and all kinds of related information will pop up.  You can surf around to your heart's content, but it can be overwhelming. 

It has helped me to participate in the forums on VA Networking.  A lady who calls herself "Tiny Queen" has written an excellent article, "Tips on Submitting to Search Engines."  It is very concise and informative. 

I would like to focus this entry on bragging on my coach, Cheryl Callighan, with University of Virtual Assistants.  Since July 29th I have been taking the Virtual Assistant Training Program.  We are about half way through to completion.  She has been absolutely great!  She has been able to answer all my questions and has provided a wealth of resources and tips.  The course is well developed and organized, while tailoring to my needs. She utilizes conferencing calling with an online meeting site for presentations and demonstrations.  With the training, she offers one-on-one coaching by phone or e-mail.  I highly recommend her as a coach.

Right now, we are discussing marketing.  I have been especially curious about how to market online.  As a virtual assistant, my services are open to clients across the country and internationally.  To add to my previous entry and give a sample of her tips, the following are several online specific marketing tips we discussed today:

1.  Develop e-mail signature block with complete contact information and website.
2.  Promote website with business cards, brochures, etc.
3.  Interact in virtual assistant and related field forums.
4.  Subscribe to list serves.
5.  Post services and website to online directories.
6.  Maintain blogging.
7.  Integrate RSV feeds.
8.  Post services to Craigslist, etc.
9.  Respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
10.  Send press release.

This past week I attended a breakfast with the Colorado VAs.  Great bunch of ladies!  I had a wonderful time.  Our topic of discussion was marketing tips.  We went around and everyone had a chance to mention at least one tip they had on marketing.  As a newbie, I was vigorously taking notes.  The following are the tips that were mentioned:

1.  Referrals / Word of Mouth - do a good job for one client and it could multiply to more.
2.  Interacting with the Colorado VAs.
3.  Distributing business cards wherever possible.
4.  Attending networking events (i.e., Small Business Association and Chamber events/training).
5.  Volunteering to help on field committees.
6.  Send thank you cards at close of project with extra business cards.
7.  Follow-up with potential clients (no more than 3 times).
8.  IVAA RFP referrals.
9.  Post services on Craigslist.
10.  Search engine optimization of website.
11.  Blogging on COVA blogs.
12.  Networking with local community organizations.

We also discussed... how do you define your target market?  Ask the following:
1.  Who is going to best use your services?
2.  Where is your experience?
3.  What would be a clear service fit?

Thank you ladies for the warm welcome and support!    Do you have any tips you would like to add?

To coincide better with my website, I am transitioning my blogsite to here.  My old blogsite was at www.virtualharvest.blogspot.com.  While it was serving it's purpose temporarily, I thought it would be more appropriate to incorporate this matching blogsite with more features.  As I am just getting up and running, I am still making adjustments and getting everything set up.  I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have.  Thanks!