I coach a number of women who try to balance their careers, businesses, and motherhood. Many of those women are bloggers who want to have it all. And of course, they should!
One of the topics that come up a lot are outsourcing, or questions about hiring a virtual assistant. There are so many blog posts out there and bloggers encouraging people to get a virtual assistant to help them grow and manage their booming careers. I actually do have a virtual assistant that I use for some projects here and there, for something maybe twice a month or so, but a majority of what I do, I do on my own.
Social Media
One of the tasks I see advertised a lot for a virtual assistant to do for a blogger or business is to have someone do your social media posting and replying. With so many different platforms available that let you scheduled tweets, Facebook updates, and more, this job is much easier done on your own. Spend a couple of hours scheduling a weeks worth of important updates and then spend some time throughout the day just updating from your smartphone.
Writing Blog Posts
While it doesn’t hurt to get an assistant to do some research for a blog post for you, no one can truly replace your unique voice. Trust me, I’ve tried. While the quality is never bad when working with an awesome virtual assistant, there’s still something that always felt off when I start reading blog posts that I had an assistant write for me. I believe a blog is a reflection of you, your writing style, and your story, no matter what your niche is. Set time aside during the week to write posts that come from your heart.
Managing your Schedule or Blogging Schedule
Google Calendar is my life line. I use it for my kids events, appointments, date night reminders, and to keep up with blog deadlines and posts. It takes a second to add something to my calendar and it’s updated everywhere.
Managing Another Person
What I found is, even with the best virtual assistant, it took a lot of my time to actually manage that person, double check on assignments, clarify this, or point out something else. That time wasted, I honestly could have completed that task myself. No one knows what I want exactly more than myself.
Some small things that can help you save time and be productive without having to hire a virtual assistant are:
- use email auto responders. When you are on a break, on vacation, or just to let people know you will reply at a certain time.
- Google calendar
- Say NO to things you can’t handle, and clear your plate of unnecessary things
- Clear out your own email inbox and unsubscribe from the mailing lists you no longer need
- Create an editorial calendar
- Have guest posters on your blog or hire contributors
- Automate everything, from forms to check out
- Schedule blog time
What SHOULD a virtual assistant do for you?
- research blog posts
- seek out brand opportunities and money making opportunities
- help you find keywords to grow your blog
- moderate comments on your blog and social networks
Have you used a virtual assistant? What are your pros and cons?
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