Virtual Assistant Articles Directory - Virtual Assistance Articles | VAnetworking.com

About this time last year, a client asked me to investigate setting up a blog for her business. She'd read about it in a business marketing newsletter and thought it might be worth looking into.

On first look I wasn't sure that this was the way to go, however, to fully understand what's involved, I set one up for myself and learnt how to tweak the template, using www.blogger.com, registered it with blog search engines and explored blogging communities.

This didn't happen overnight – it really took me months to get into it, but slowly I started to see what the benefits could be, if I put some time into it. I chose to write about things that had happened during the week in my own particular industry.

Today I own several blogs but only 3 are business related, the rest are personal interest blogs. All get traffic that is growing and I find that when someone visits one, they also visit the others too, and periodically leave comments when they find something that relates to them. I also get people emailing me saying “I didn't know that…” – it's given those who are interested, a window into my life, so to speak.

So, if you've been thinking about a blog for yourself, where should you start?

1. You need a topic of interest that you can contribute to on a regular basis – at least weekly. If it's infrequent your audience will lose interest. There's a whole community (actually several) out there who spend spare time surfing blogs – stats seem to indicate people also surf blogs whilst at their workplace. Of course, if your blog is business-related, that makes sense.
2. Next, have a look at the free blog services available to you – there are a choice of templates and their system is a simple to use, like a word-processor, so it's easy to get started. I use both www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com and recently installed wordpress on my own server.
3. Choose a name for your blog – if you run a business you'll want something that relates to your business name or industry. Mind you, if have a hobby you're passionate about, you could set one up for that too.
4. Create your account and enter your first post. It only takes 5-10 minutes to set up and you're on your way! Easy.
5. Take time to explore the system, make sure you switch on the search engine services so it gets listed quickly with Google and other search engines. The listings seem to show up much quicker than regular websites. Seek out other blog search engines to list with.
6. Make notes in your diary to post again on a regular basis, so it becomes a habit.
7. Place a link on your blog back to your business website and vice versa.
8. Spend time surfing other blogs (in Wordpress and Blogger you just have to click on 'next blog' in the navigation bar at the top right hand corner) and learn from others.
9. There was mention of an a-list being developed of the top Australian blogs and there is a very noticeable lack of women bloggers on that list – so far. See the article at http://duncanriley.com/2006/03/20/the-a-list-of-australian-bloggers.

Happy blogging!

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Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is the founder of "A Clayton's Secretary", a Virtual Assistant Network with members in many countries. Dedicated to teaching others about operating business over the Internet, Kathie is a multiple award winner as both a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has over 30 years' experience in the secretarial/administrative field. She registered her business in March 1994 and is one of the senior VAs who launched the industry globally. http://www.vadirectory.net.

I periodically get clients (new and existing) ask for assistance in getting exposure for their website and their business. There are a number of things you can do such as Google Adwords or any of the other click through advert programs available, make sure your site is listed with search engines and so on, but one of the best value items you can do, is write articles on your niche topic. How many others know your topic as well as you do? And how many others are writing about it?

If you are having a challenge getting visitors to your site it may be that they are not searching on the very things you are trying to promote. Have you written your site in terminology people understand or is it in new terminology that people aren't yet searching on? Example: when I first began I was promoting myself as a homebased secretary. The term 'virtual assistant' began to be used in my industry but the general public did not know what that was, or what to search for so I stuck with using both the old terminology and the new on my website, in my keywords and my articles. Today the industry is 10 years old and lots more people are searching using the modern day term but for those who are still not yet 'web savvy', they will continue to use the old terms. Typing and Wordprocessing is another example.

It's important that you think about how people might view your services and products and use a mix of old words and new words in your articles and on your website. In other words you are educating the public about your field and encouraging them to search using the new terms but still attract people with the old ones.

Think about how many websites there are out there (millions of them) but only a very small percentage of the website owners are actually writing articles on their topic. What if you were to write several articles and submit them to several article submission sites? Let them do all the promotion for you. Some have people subscribing to their lists so they're advised whenever new articles are submitted on topics of interest to them. Others you just peruse through the sites and can view the latest articles, or the most popular ones, or do a search on particular keywords.

In most of these sites you need to set up a username and password, and then you can submit as many articles as you wish at any time. It is worth building up a bank of articles you can submit to several sites and over a few months, if you search for your name (or business name) on the search engines, you'll find the list is growing as others begin to republish your articles on their sites and in their ezines.

If you've never written an article it might be a bit daunting to think about at first, but write down a list of key things you want people to know. What do your clients or prospective clients ask you when finding out about your services or products? What kinds of things do you find yourself telling people over and over again? Make a list of these points and then build up a series of articles about these things. I did a series on Email Etiquette (see the 2003 list at http://www.vadirectory.net/newsletters.htm) and have done smaller series on Blogging, the World Wide Web and other things.

Develop a small one para bio about yourself, and include your website address - most important. Links leading back to your website are an important item in getting listed higher up in the search engines. Also develop a list of keywords for your topic and make sure you use some of these in each article.

Make a regular date in your diary to submit these articles, or if it's something you feel is beyond you, then engage a virtual assistant to do this for you - many do provide this as one of their services.

You can further add to your website by also adding these articles and your bio and allowing people to copy them from your site to use for their own - providing they link back to your site.

I've got a list of sites that will help you get started - I've used all of these and many more. If you find any deadlinks please do let me know as periodically URLs do change or owners of sites stop operating, but all of the sites I have listed as of today are live.

http://www.vadirectory.net/newsletters/articlesubmissions.htm

Have fun writing! And I'd love to hear about your success.

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Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is the founder of "A Clayton's Secretary", a Virtual Assistant Network with members in many countries. Dedicated to teaching others about operating business over the Internet, Kathie is a multiple award winner as both a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has over 30 years' experience in the secretarial/administrative field. She registered her business in March 1994 and is one of the senior VAs who launched the industry globally. http://www.vadirectory.net.

What's the difference between an article directory and an article bank?
Article directories are one-way places on a web site where the site's owner lists their articles. Here you can read the articles and sometimes these articles are available as free or paid content for publishers.

Article banks are two-way web sites or pages within a web site. They are places where authors "deposit" articles to invest and where lenders "take" the article to use. The "interest" someone pays for using an article consists of a bio or resource box. Each article bank site includes guidelines for authors and potential publishers. Authors retain first rights - retain ownership - to articles placed on article banks. Some article bank sites publish ezines that include recently submitted articles, ad swap requests and/or an "articles wanted" area, too. You'll find 10 article bank web sites listed below.

For Business Owners
Article banks are a way to advertise your business and gain link popularity, ezine subscribers and new clients. At the end of each of your article, place a 5-6 line bio, with a link back to your web site!

For Authors
Are you a new writer? Gifted writer? Business owner who enjoys writing? Writing can be an excellent way to market services or products with little capital outlay. Articles posted to an article bank include a short bio (sometimes called a resource box) about the author. This would include a copyright year, the name of author, and a link to the author's web site at the end of each article. Some article bank sites or publishers may request an authors' picture and/or logo, too.

A few words of caution for authors.

* Never give blanket permission to anyone to use your articles. Not an article bank, web site or author. Instead, set boundaries and your articles will appear in places you'd enjoy visiting. When someone requests to use your article, check their web site or request a copy of their ezine. If you don't like the web site, the product or whatever - remember to say "no"!
* If you don't always catch your own writing mistakes consider hiring a Virtual Assistant or Copywriter to assist you with proof reading, submitting articles, or even keeping track of places your article appears. For more information on Virtual Assistants, visit http://www.TheResourceQueen.com/business/virtual.html.
* Place your articles on your web site as a way for your potential clients or publishers to get to know you better. If you provide your articles for free, make sure that your bio includes a link to your web site or ezine information. Also include an easy way for anyone to request permission to use your article as text or to copy the code directly from your web site (if you allow that).
* If someone wants to use your article and they'll receive compensation, you deserve compensation, too. Money, ad's in newsletters, paid membership, yearly subscription, a copy of an e-book for you to use and send your clients, these are all ways for you to be paid. If the way someone suggests you'll be paid, doesn't agree with you, well, here is another place you can say "no".

For Publishers
Article banks are for you if you don't enjoy writing or are looking for some extra content for your ezine, magazine, web site, e-book, etc. With the permission of an article's author and sometimes the article bank owners themselves, you will be provided with free content. In return, the author will provide you with copyright information, a brief bio and link to their web site. Many of the sites below contain both article banks and ezine directories. When you visit article banks, look for the other services that the site owner provides for you as a publisher and utilize the other helpful services, too. If you find yourself using an article bank over and over again, consider providing a link from your site to their site - maybe on a "recommended links" page. It's an excellent way to thank the site owner for providing such a valuable resource.

Test out the article banks below and submit your articles now. Or use the banks to obtain articles for your ezine, web site or magazine.

You Can Post Your Articles on These Article Banks

There are more than 400 article banks on the Internet and the list changes often. Some go out of business, some change formats, and new ones crop up often. I used to do 6 days worth of research yearly to keep my list up to date. However, now I use Article Marketer and let them keep things up to date! Not only that, it now takes me 3 minutes or less to post articles instead of an entire afternoon!

The list below is small portion of the places to submit or request articles. The notes you see below, after the name of the web site, include what type of article it accepts and any special information that I feel would help you in the process. Enjoy! And let me know when one of the banks has helped you gain new subscribers and clients!

1. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/BusinessArticles/ Basics of business topics, no marketing.
2. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingArticles/ Marketing and Internet marketing topics.
3. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SelfCareArticles/ Self-care topics
4. http://newfreearticles.comNew Free Articles
5. www.addme.com Website, business promotion.
6. www.article-emporium.com Most topics.
7. http://www.articlesfactory.com/submit.html All types
8. www.advertisingknowhow.com/ All Types
9. www.reprintarticles.com Most topics. Was ArticleResponder.com
10. www.articlecity.com Most topics.
11. www.amazines.com Most topics.
12. www.alumbo.com/ Most topics.
13. www.businesstoolchest.com Internet with some Business Articles. Watch out for the war of the popups
14. http://buzzle.com/ Most topics. Application process takes 4 weeks.
15. http://boconline.com Business only

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©2007 Maria Marsala is an experienced Fortune 500 executive, speaker and author. After a 20 year stint on Wall Street as a trader and manager, she founded Elevating Your Business, a business consulting, coaching and training company. Maria created "Corporate Secrets For Small Business Owners™" to help women business owners' access the strategic business building processes, tools and expertise usually available only to large companies, at a fraction of the cost. Her system is a step-by-step process for women ready to boost their profits, productivity, and ready to take more time off. If that's you, subscribe to More Business Newsletter now and listen to the audio "Strategic Planning Made SIMPLE" at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com.

Question: I’m a Virtual Assistant. Can I use articles to promote my business?

Signed, Eager VA

Dear Eager VA,

Virtual Assistants are springing up all around the internet. It’s a very viable business option and more work at home moms are jumping on the bandwagon every day. The real go-getters will whip up a “business card” website right away with their contact information, ‘about me’ information, and their rates and services offered.

But, then that website sits and collects dust while they wait for the traffic to roll in. So, what’s a Virtual Assistant to do to generate traffic to their website?

Oftentimes VAs overlook one of the best methods of marketing their websites – article writing. Virtual Assistants can write about all kinds of topics – how to organize emails, customer service, hiring or firing a VA, ways a VA can benefit a business, or accounting among other things. Then, they can share the articles, just like any other website owner to drive traffic to their websites and establish an expert status in their field.

If you’re a VA who’s new to article sharing, it’s actually quite easy. You write a helpful article and include your author bio at the end. (See the end of this article as an example.) Then, you submit your article to Article Directories where hungry website owners, blog owners and ezine publishers eagerly grab your article to publish it on their sites.

Now, there is stiff competition so it’s not quite that easy, but that’s the gist of how article sharing works. And, you know it works because you’re reading my article that I’ve written and shared with article directories. There’s my URL in the author bio and you’ve found my article because someone has published it on their website, blog or in their newsletter. If it works for me, it can work for you, too.

Article sharing is underutilized in the Virtual Assistant field and I hope to see that change in the coming year. Go grab that free traffic and grow your VA business. Not only will your VA business grow, but you can share this method of marketing with your clients and blow them away with your knowledge of internet marketing. Best wishes.

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Nicole Dean doesn’t pay for advertising – ever. Sign up for her free web traffic course at http://www.WebTrafficBasics.com to find out more. If you're ready to get started using article marketing to increase your traffic and sales, check out http://www.EasyArticleMarketing.com.

One of the great ways to stay in front of potential clients is to offer them something of value on a regular basis for free. The may take some creative thinking on your part. What do you see?

The chances of you meeting someone at the very moment they are looking to hire a Virtual Assistant, and them deciding you are the right VA for them, are very slim. Since being a VA is about developing relationships you need to find a way to not only plant seeds but also to nurture and develop relationships with potential clients. A newsletter is the perfect way to do that.

A newsletter gets your creativity flowing while allowing you to offer value to those in your network. All of us have something of value, what are you willing to offer? In this edition of the Ask the Master newsletter we'll explore newsletter as a networking and marketing tool.

What do I include in the newsletter?

This can sometimes be the toughest decision to make. What you decide to put in your newsletter may have an effect on how often you send out your newsletter and visa versa. A daily broadcast would likely be much smaller than a monthly one.

Take a look at what you know the most about and what would be of value to your audience. Keep in mind that you will want to sustain the content for quite some time. You can provide a variety of information in your newsletter such as tips, quotes, letters from the editor and guest writers as well. Let your creativity flow.

WHow do I get a newsletter started?

As Nike would say, just do it! J Once you have decided how frequently you want the send it out start by signing up people you know who would benefit or be interested in it. Any current clients, potential clients, your coach, family members etc.

You may start out with only 5 or 6 subscribers but this can grow quickly if you make it easy to sign up. Ask subscribers to pass it along and include subscribe and unsubscribe instructions in the newsletter. You can also look at purchasing mailing lists.
How do I manage the list of subscribers??

Initially you will probably be able to use a distribution list on your email program. Outlook provides you the ability to create such a list however when you get to around 150-200 subscribers you will probably encounter difficulties sending the broadcast due to the number of email addresses. You can get around this by splitting the distribution list and sending it in smaller chunks or you can also look at getting a list service.

Most list services provide additional features such as the ability to schedule broadcasts to go out on certain dates so you can schedule ahead. They also offer subscribers the ability to subscribe or unsubscribe on their own by using specific email addresses. In addition they offer a subscription verification service along with welcome letters and unsubscribe letters of thanks. WebValence offers a good service at a very reasonable price (www.webvalence.com).

How do I set up and format the newsletter?

You can set up the newsletter either in plain text or HTML. Obviously plain text does not allow for formatting so it will be a much plainer newsletter. If you are using HTML you can be much more creative and the end result will be more aesthetically pleasing. You can also support the branding of the colours, fonts and/or logos you use for your business.

To create this newsletter I simply use a table in Word and merge the top and bottom cells together in the table. I then format the background, borders and text colours and copy and paste it into the email I am sending. Very simple.

What do I need to know about sending out a newsletter?

If you are sending out an HTML newsletter make sure you have your email program set to send HTML. If it is set for plain text your subscribers will see something very different from what you intended to send. You may want to have the option of both a plain text or HTML version of your newsletters. Also consider making archives of previous editions available as well.

Be sure you do not spam people and take care of any unsubscribe requests immediately. Always include both subscribe and unsubscribe instructions in your newsletter. Be aware of how often you are sending your newsletter out and the number of unsubscribes that are coming in. You want to make sure you are adding value at all times.

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Mary-Lou Ashon successfully launched her Virtual Assistant company in 1997 and holds expertise in organizing information, creation and implementation of administrative procedures and marketing. She has proven that dedication, communication, loyalty and a flare for marketing are keys to developing successful client relationships. Mary-Lou has a keen desire to promote awareness of VAs as a career option both internationally and at home in Canada and has developed a cost effective, convenient and high quality training program which you can locate at http://vatp.ca/.

It's that time of year again ... pages of backpacks, note-books and back-to-school clothing fill every circular that hits your mailbox. And you're off to the races ... the races being the mall, plus every other store in between.

You're in the same spot you were last year this time, getting ready to head off to work while your kids head off to school. Back to hugging them goodbye in the morning and seeing them just long enough in the evening to say I love you and tuck them in.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if the easier schedule of the summer lasted all year long? No more spending all your hours away from your kids just to earn enough money to cover the essentials and pay daycare?

Take it from someone who knows both sides of the deal here and believe that there's no time like right now to make the transition from the regular grind to working from home. As the proud Mom of a 2005 honors graduate who's heading off to college soon, I know first hand what a major impact working from home has had on his success.

When my son was very young, I worked a full-time job away from home, plus at least one part-time job on weekends. This meant that my son was in daycare while I worked. As a single parent who didn't receive child support (for years) though, I had no other choice.

A few years later in the 1990's, I decided there had to be a better way so I started a part-time medical billing service from my home. This allowed me to give up the outside part-time job and gave me the practical means of earning the much-needed income. Best of all, it gave me the priceless opportunity to take care of my son while I worked. I quickly saw that I was onto something great here ... what a concept!

I moved from the east coast to California with my son in 1995 where my first full-time job was with a consulting firm co-owned by a professional speaker. After some negotiations with my boss, we entered into an agreement by which I would work mornings in the office, leave to pick up my son from school in the afternoons and work from home the rest of the day. It worked out incredibly well ... so well in fact, that in 2000, I decided to leave the consulting firm and start my own full-time home based virtual assistant business.

Starting from scratch, I knew that gaining exposure for my business was essential if I wanted to be successful in my new venture. I also knew that traditional forms of marketing are very expensive and quickly gobble up the profits, particularly in the early stages. However, I also remembered a technique that I used successfully for my former employer.

Besides being a consultant and professional speaker, he was also an author, so his goals included increasing his number of speaking engagements and selling more copies of his books. He hoped to accomplish these goals by establishing himself as an expert in his industry, which meant having his work published by every major magazine in his field.

Committed to accomplishing his goals, he gave me a list of those publications, so I drafted a query letter based on one of his story ideas and e-mailed it to the editor of one of the magazines. The editor responded in short notice and offered my employer an article assignment. They published my boss's article soon afterwards and featured it on the cover of the magazine, producing an onslaught of calls to the office!

Writing and submitting that one article produced several paid speaking engagements. This new marketing intrigue fascinated me, so I fine-tuned my article submission process creating logs and checklists, and within a few months, my boss had accomplished his goal of publication in every magazine on his list!

Even online and in-print publications we hadn't contacted began calling and e-mailing in request of articles. The results of writing and submitting articles was so successful that we put other major marketing techniques on hold so my boss could travel to his paid speaking engagements.

As my interest and experience grew in this area of marketing, I knew that if it worked for my boss that it would work for other professionals as well. Soon, I was earning over half my income handling article submissions for other professionals.

Then I realized that if this technique worked for other professionals that it would work for me too in building my own business. And it has worked for me!

This same marketing technique, which I call marketing with articles, has been the success behind my own business. I've used it to expand my client base and build my virtual assistance business into a solid income-generating company, which has allowed me to work full-time at home for the past five years. As my son is getting ready to leave for college, my personal goal now is to help other parents be successful in achieving their career goals while living the dream of staying home with their children.

The concept of marketing with articles does not require a professional writer. Anyone can be successful in building their business and gaining credibility as an expert in their industry or area of expertise by writing and submitting free reprint articles to online and in- print publications. The key to success is in reaching your target audience with resourceful information that is valuable to them.

Editors of both online and in-print publications are in constant demand of quality content for their readers. They have a continuing need to publish content that appeals directly to their target audience, which is where you come in. By writing and submitting free reprint articles to publications that reach readers in your market, you have the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and gain a generous amount of exposure for your business.

True, you aren't earning money for actually writing the articles, but you are earning a huge payoff here. Not only do you establish your credibility as an expert in your industry or area of expertise, but you earn significant exposure for yourself and your business. Most editors will include your byline with your articles, which gives you the opportunity to include your name and contact information, plus the URL of your web site. Readers come to recognize your name and relate it with certain topics. The more articles you write and submit, the more exposure you gain!

The marketing with articles technique helped turn my dream of working from home full-time into a precious reality that has made a positive impact for both my son and me. As he goes off to college, he'll be leaving with all the benefits of having had a mom who found a way to support him financially without the high cost of being away from him all day. Me, I'll have the benefit of knowing that the bittersweet wind I'm putting beneath his wings comes from my deepest desires for his complete success!

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© 2005, Davis Virtual Assistance. Reprint rights granted to all venues so long as article and by-line are reproduced intact with links made live.

About The Author:

Bonnie Jo Davis is a full-time work-from-home mom who built her business on the concept of marketing with articles. An accomplished writer and marketing strategist, she offers over ten years of success in writing and submitting articles for gaining exposure and growing your business. Visit http://www.ArticleSubmissionSites.com to learn how her technique offers the means for success in starting and/or growing your own business.

The shrewdest and most effective means of free advertising is through providing interesting and relevant information to your potential customers. You can do this easily by writing and distributing free reprint articles at various web sites around the 'net. There are literally thousands of e-zine and web site publishers actively searching for the interesting and informative articles you can craft in your area of expertise. Targeting the audiences of these publishers is an essential element of your cost-effective advertising and marketing strategy.

I am convinced that anyone with a web site can promote that web site along with its business, products, and/or services by implementing this basic marketing strategy. Sure, it sounds simple enough, but what if you aren't confident in your writing skills? Accurate written communication is the foundation of this marketing maneuver.

Can you write?

My initial experience involved submitting articles written by other people to publishers. I was so excited when I saw the response generated by this technique that I decided to use it when I began my own business.

One day I sat down with pen-in-hand attempting to begin writing my own articles and spent the next half hour staring at the blank sheet. In frustration, I eventually put down the pen and walked away, later complaining to a friend that I hated to write. I complained about lacking writing expertise and that my qualifications basically amounted to the good grades I earned in English classes long ago. My friend gently interrupted me pointing out that I had been writing on a daily basis at work. She also brought to my attention the fact that my education provided me with the necessary skills to write competently and effectively.

After kindly showing me the forest which I couldn't see for its trees, my friend generously offered an incredible suggestion. Her solution for my dilemma was that I should try begin again by choosing a topic and then creating an outline representing the points I wanted to cover about that topic in my article. Choosing a topic would give me a foundation upon which to build my article. Drafting an outline would allow me to address the issues that I saw as pertinent and relevant to my topic.

I took her advice, narrowed my possible topics, and selected one that I would reduce to writing. With that one topic in mind, I proceeded to create a comprehensive outline on that blank piece of paper. After completing my outline, I fleshed it out, added stories to illustrate my points, and Voila... I had right there before me a rough draft of my first article! That rough draft, after being carefully proofed and polished, became an article that was published in dozens of online publications. The positive result of my effort was that my article netted me thousands of web site visitors and rewarded me with a treasured long- term client.

Can't get past the outline?

If you're absolutely certain you can't write there are at least three options well worth considering. The first option is to enroll in a writing class through your local university, adult education program or on-line. A couple of on- line options include Write101 Writing Tutorials at http://www.write101.com/writewell.htmor Writers' Village University at http://writersvillage.com/. Many local universities, community colleges and adult education programs also offer on-line courses.

Your second option is to hire a ghostwriter. Most ghostwriters will take your topic, conduct the research and write an article for your review. Upon your approval of the article the ghostwriter will add your by-line and release the article to you for distribution. Offering research resources or providing an outline for the ghostwriter to follow may reduce the ghostwriter's fees. You can post your article project and take bids from ghostwriters on-line at http://www.elance.com or you can seek a ghostwriter using any search engine. You'll find various options that will fit your budget. Freelance ghostwriters can negotiate regarding their fees since they work for themselves and often offer reduced rates to returning clients.

A third option also requires hiring a ghostwriter to write your article and add your by-line but going further to enlist that person to distribute the article for you. This is a convenient and time- effective way to have the entire writing and distribution project completed by the same individual. You can review two companies that offer packaged services at http://thephantomwriters.com/purchase/index.shtml and http://www.marketingwords.com/e-zinearticle.html.

Even if you honestly can't write you can certainly still educate your target audience, earn loyalty and establish yourself as an expert by using free reprint articles. You can invest a bit more in your advertising and promotional efforts by taking a writing course or hiring a ghostwriter. Whichever of the two you may choose, you are making an investment that will be well-returned many times over in beneficial results to both you and your readers. Be willing to go the extra mile in establishing your web site as the definitive choice of your targeted audience. You'll be pleased with the rewards of your efforts.

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About The Author:

Bonnie Jo Davis is an experienced writer and publications coordinator with over ten years of experience submitting articles on-line and in print. Visit http://www.ArticleSubmissionSites.com today to gain access to her submission list, e-book, newsletter and more!

As a professional copywriter, I’ve seen my share of copywriting mistakes. One that seems to be particularly common is writing copy that’s “upside down.” When you do this – when you don’t relay your message in the correct order – you lose your audience’s attention, and the sale!

You’ve probably seen copy that reads something like:

Professional Virtual Assistant Services
For over seven years, we have been providing virtual assistant services to the global community. With a proven history of excellence, you are guaranteed quality when you select ABC Company for your virtual assistant needs. You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!

What’s important in this paragraph? Yes, experience (“…over seven years…”) is necessary. And quality (“…you are guaranteed quality…”) is vital. But what is it that will catch the attention and deliver the true message about virtual assistants?

It’s this section: “You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!” So – if this is the most important part – why is it at the end? Because the copy is upside down, that’s why!

Let’s rework this section of copy and turn it right side up so it will grab the reader’s attention and make him/her understand what virtual assistants *really* do.

Professional Virtual Assistants Lighten Your Load
Tired of running around, feeling like you’re out of control? Have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Those are the situations where virtual assistants are a lifesaver! By using a professional virtual assistant, you’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized. You’ll be able to spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!

For over seven years, we have been providing Virtual Assistant services to the global community. With a proven history of excellence, you are guaranteed quality when you select ABC Company for your virtual assistant needs.

See the difference? We’ve hit a nerve. We’ve gotten the readers’ attention right up-front by appealing to their emotional needs and wants. We’ve shown them the end result of using this virtual assistant service, and then backed it up with facts.

I know I say it over and over, but it’s a true statement… Most buying decisions are emotional so your ad copy should be, too.

When writing any type of advertising copy, remember to place your best information up top (right side up), instead of at the bottom (upside down) where it may, or may not, be read. When you do, you’ll get greater readership and more sales!

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Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Let Karon write targeted copy and ezine articles for you. Visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com, or learn to write your own copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Karon’s free ezine at http://www.ktamarketing.com/ezine.html.

What is a Press Release?
A press release is a newsworthy story about your business that you submit to various media outlets ~ newspapers, magazines, website, radio, television. This is a wonderful way to get free promotion for your website. Any story that the media picks up will be far more valuable than a paid advertising spot. Having the media do a story about you is like a personal endorsement of your website and business.

What is the Appropriate Format for Your Press Release?
Your press release should have six basic components and they are (Visit http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/freedownload/samplerelease.pdf for a printable version of the release that got InternetBasedMoms.com featured on the local news):

1. Release Instructions

"For Immediate Release";
"For Release Before [date]" or
"For Release After [date]"

Use one of the latter two if your press release is of a time sensitive nature. For example, if you are holding a public speaking event, you will want to use the "For Release Before [date]" and make sure you input the final date for registrations. If you are using the "For Release Before [date]" ensure you are sensitive to media deadlines. Send your release out well in advance.

2. Headline

Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (why would it be of interest to people?) and descriptive. Avoid hype and promotional language ~ remember, this is a news story.

3. Contact Information

Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your phone number, address, company name, fax number, email and URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number and add an after hours phone number, if applicable.

4. Summary

Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release. Make it interesting, you want the recipient to keep reading.

5. Content

This is the meat of your press release. Again, write a benefits-oriented story. Think of the target audience as you are writing. Your target audience is partly the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. Ultimately, however, your target audience is that editor or reporter's readers or audience. You need to write a story that will be of interest to them.

The first paragraph should answer all the important questions - Who, What, Where, When, Why & How?

Add some quotations to add credibility and to break up the story. Quotations can be from you about the topic. Testimonials or commentary from your customers are very effective as well.6.

6. Signify the End of Your Release

The end of your press release is shown by a few simple characters. Place ### at the end of your release.

Other General Formatting Tips

- Always remember that your press release is not an ad. It is a newsworthy story.

- Address your release directly to the appropriate reporter or editor. The media receives many press releases each day. A release addressed to a specific person is more likely to get attention than a general submission.

- Keep your release to about 1 page (or 2 pages maximum).

- Number your pages 1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc.

- Use active verbs.

- Do not use excessive adjectives ~ they sound like hype.

- Tweak your release when sending to different medial outlets. If you are sending to the local paper your content may be slightly different than if you are sending it to a trade magazine.

- If you are sending your release by mail, use 8 1/2" x 11" paper.

- If you are sending your release by email, never send an attachment. Copy and paste your release into the body of the email.

Where to Send your Press Release
You need to build a media list and this will likely take some time. Start local and small. Local and/or small media are most likely to be interested in your story and it's the perfect way to hone your release writing skills. Besides, a lot of the larger media outlets scan the little guys to find stories to pick up.

Try newspapers, trade journals, topic specific magazines, websites, radio shows, television show ~ whomever would be interested in your topic.

Again, always remember to get specific contact information for your press release. A release address to a particular person will get a lot more attention than a general release sent to the media outlet.

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Alice Seba thrives on helping others build profitable online businesses. Claim your Internet Marketing prescriptions to success at http://www.aliceseba.com .

You get a call from Bob, your favorite client. He’s upset by a press release you sent out that has several mistakes in it, grammar and mechanics as well as content. The press release looks like a rough draft, and now it’s been distributed through all the newswires and publications. Bob depends upon you to make him look good, and writing is a big part of that. What can you do to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again?

Since you work virtually, you communicate most often through email and the written word. When you talk with people on the phone, there’s tone, pitch, speed, and volume to convey meaning. When you talk with people face to face, add in body language, eye contact, and gestures. Just your words, though, account for only 7% of the meaning you’re trying to convey. That other 93% comes from the visual and vocal communication cues you use. What this means is that most of the time you rely on these strong visual and vocal muscles to get your meaning across. And, if you’re not doing a good job of that, you usually get immediate feedback from your listener. When you write, you have only the word muscle to work with.

As a VA, you need to communicate with your clients. First of all, you represent your clients to their customers. Basically, to your clients’ customers, you are the client. Your words need to be professional and mistake-free. Additionally, some of the tasks you do for your clients probably involve writing. For example, your client may have an E-zine, which presents a whole host of writing needs. He may want you to edit, write, and proofread. If he’s Internet-savvy, he may ask you to submit his E-zine articles to article directories, which require a description, summary, keywords, and author biography. Unless your client has a ton of free time on his hands, all of that writing will be left up to you.

Suppose your client offers in-person workshops and teleclasses. She depends on you to write up the description she will use in her marketing materials and on the website. You may also have to design flyers and hand-outs. What does a mistake on those do to your client’s image?

One VA who works with non-profits and boards of directors writes proposals, procedures, and bylaws. These aren’t just quick reply emails to a client. Organizations will be using procedures and bylaws for years to come. They need to be clear; there can be no confusion over meaning. Good writing in a proposal can make the difference between the proposal being accepted or being passed over.

Here are the top ten writing challenges VAs have and surefire fixes for each.

1. Spelling poorly. This is probably the easiest challenge to overcome. If you’re not a spelling bee champion, use the tools at your disposal. All word processing programs have a spell checker. If you’re composing something in a different program or on a web form, write the text in Microsoft Word first to catch any spelling errors. Then copy and paste into the other program or web form. There’s no excuse for misspelled words.

2. Using the wrong word. Sometimes this is as simple as mixing up easily confused words like affect/effect, principal/principle, they’re/there/their, it’s/its. Keep a cheat sheet of those word pairs or triplets that give you trouble and refer to it frequently. For a quick fix, look up the word in your word processor or on dictionary.com. Take the time to make sure the words you’re using are the words you mean to use.

3. Writing with the same word too often. Here’s an example: “I never knew what I wanted to do with it, and I remained unhappy with it.” “It” appears too much, and the writing is left flat. Replacing one of the “it” instances or rewriting completely removes the flatness and doesn’t call attention to the duplication. Go through your writing every so often and read carefully, looking for duplicate words.

4. Unconsciously relying on word crutches. Everyone has his or her word crutches, words that just pop out of the keyboard or pen all the time. My main word crutch is “so.” I want to start every paragraph with “so”; I think it helps with flow, but in reality, my writing looks amateurish. Be aware of your crutch words and find other ways to do in your writing what you think those crutch words are doing.

5. Using cheap words. Remove these words from your writing, and your writing will immediately be more polished and professional: really, just, so, nice, pretty, very, there is/are, that, which, who, try/tried to, sort of, kind of, I think, it seems.

6. Writing in passive voice. Passive voice is weak and lessens the impacts of the words. Passive voice includes using “being” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, did, may, might, must, can, could, should, would) as well as a thing receiving the action. Think of the difference between “He threw the ball” and “The ball was thrown.” You’re more able to picture a “he” throwing a ball than a ball being thrown. Active voice allows us to “see” the words, which is more powerful for the reader. Look for being verbs and passive verbs where something receives the action, and replace with strong action verbs.

7. Telling instead of showing. Some sentences are just downright boring and lifeless. Take this example: “The event was wonderful. The food was great and nicely displayed. The speakers were wonderful, and the other attendees were good, too.” What do you get from these sentences? We’re told that the food was good and nicely displayed. Give your sentences life by being clear about what you’re trying to express, and then put that <i>what</i> into words. If you want to tell your readers how great the event, food, speakers, and attendees were, describe the display tables, the information you learned, how the food tasted, what the speakers talked about, and what effect the speeches had on you. Write so that your readers feel as if they were there. Show them; don’t just tell them.

8. Proofing badly or not at all. First, proof for different things at different times. Spend one time through a piece checking facts. Check again for misspellings. Proof a final time for run-on sentences and basic grammar errors. If you try to do all your proofing in one fell swoop, your mind has to think about the piece on several different levels, and it can’t do that. Concentrate on one area of proofing at a time. If you’re not confident about your proofing skills, use a style manual like the Chicago Manual of Style or the Associated Press Stylebook or take a grammar class. Do not rely on Microsoft Word’s grammar checker.

9. Lacking self confidence. Your writing skills may be good, but if you don’t have confidence in them, that lack will show through. Blog, journal, write articles, compose poetry or song lyrics. Just like any skill, you have to practice it to gain confidence. Sometimes it’s even as simple as writing what you know. What do you know? Well, you know about being a VA! You may have a niche, specialized skills, industry knowledge, or a hobby that you’ve been doing for years. Write about that, let your confidence in your experience show through, and your writing will be the better for it.

10. Failing to write in a client’s voice. A client has his philosophy on how his business should be run, how customers should be treated, and how potential clients should be responded to. You’ll be an even better VA if you can not only understand each client’s philosophy but also communicate (and that includes writing) in your client’s voice. Study what words your client uses and how he phrases his ideas. Imitate that phrasing and use the same words, and you perform the ultimate service as a VA: you lengthen your client’s reach and increase his impact. Instead of one of him, two of you work in tandem.

What image do you want your clients to have? Professional, polished, proficient? Or careless, casual, and incompetent? How you write can have an impact on how your clients are perceived. Not only does writing well affect how you perform, it also affects your actual relationship with your clients. Write well. When you do, your clients will trust you even more, and your client/VA relationship will thrive.

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About the Author

Dawn Goldberg, former English teacher and virtual assistant, is founder and Chief Writing Officer of Write Well U, helping people improve their writing skills. You can find out more about Dawn, Write Well U, and all the programs and services to help you write well at http://www.WriteWellU.com.

Virtual assistants are helping authors and self-publishers market their books by utilizing their extensive knowledge of the Internet and media. Online bookstores are a great way for authors to sell their books and e-books and gain recognition throughout the publishing industry. E-commerce has enabled self-published authors to achieve maximum sales results with their book sales.

Finally, the answer self-publishers and published authors have been looking for to compete in the overwhelming and often oversaturated book publishing industry. They have found the solution for getting the same exposure and media coverage as those authors who are fortunate enough to work with top marketing consultants. They have found the one true answer in getting their book the recognition it deserves. Meet the Virtual Assistant!

Virtual Assistants (VAs) are highly skilled professionals who take the time to excel in their given field. They provide extensive marketing solutions, creative and innovative advertising campaigns, administrative support, proofing and editing capabilities, and other specialized services for entrepreneurs, small businesses, authors, and others who want to bring their business to a new level, or market their books for greater results. VAs work globally, taking full advantage of all the connections of the online book networks, online publishing listserves, and other media outlets available to all who know where to find them. They utilize all their expert talents and superb writing abilities for book marketing and promotions, thereby helping entrepreneurs and authors achieve the success they deserve.

Diana Ennen, co-author of Virtual Assistant ~ the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (http://www.VA-TheSeries.com) states, “Today’s Internet has opened the doors to successful marketing. Being able to send your books to other online bookstores, promote your books on other sites, contact publishers and editors of papers via e-mail, and just day-to-day tasks of getting publicity is now more convenient and available for all to do. As an author myself, I know how important it is to provide that personalized attention to authors, so I make every effort to provide them that specialized attention and total commitment in marketing their books.”

Virtual assisting has also opened up the gateway for e-books and online bookstores. Virtual Word Publishing’s site has a virtual online bookstore and has experienced tremendous growth over the past few months. Self-published authors are getting exposure for their books and establishing themselves as successful authors and experts in their field. The bookstore currently has a wide variety of excellent books on many topics ranging from starting a virtual assistant business, marketing your online business, to cookbooks and Christian books.

If you want to stop by the bookstore and see the many fine books available, or list your book on the site, stop by today. You can download sample chapters or get research and information on publishing and virtual assisting as well. Simply the Best, that’s what you’ll find here.

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Diana Ennen has written several books including, Virtual Assistant The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (co-author Kelly Poelker), Words From Home: Start, Run, and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business, and The Home Office Recovery Plan (co-Author Patty Gale). Contact her at e-mail protected from spam bots or http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Contact: Diana Ennen
954-971-4025
e-mail protected from spam bots
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

One of the questions I'm repeatedly asked is how to use article marketing when you're not a writer and don't have anything to write about. If you say you have nothing to write about, I think you're wrong. I'm willing to bet you have more topics to write about than you have time. But, here are a few suggestions to help you get over that writers block.

First, don't stare at a blank computer screen waiting for an idea to come to you. You're probably putting too much pressure on yourself. What I want you to do is first think of your target market. What do they want to know? Take a blank piece of paper or that blank Word document and just start brainstorming. List topics that you think your target market wants to know about. Just keep writing them down.

Here are some examples for you:

If you are a dog trainer, you're going to want to talk about how to housebreak a dog, how to teach a dog to sit, stay, fetch, etc. There are at least four article topics.

If you're a virtual assistant, your target market probably wants to know how a VA will benefit them, the cost savings of a virtual assistant or the various tasks that a business owner can delegate to a VA. There are at least three topics for a virtual assistant.

Next, I want you to think of business related books that you've read, services you've subscribed to, or informational products you've bought. Were they beneficial to you? Yes? Write a review! Do you use Stamps.com? How does it work for you? What are the benefits? Is it worth the monthly fees?

On a separate sheet of paper I want you to list all of the products that have helped you succeed in business, either by increasing your knowledge or helping you to run an effective and efficient business. Keep writing until you're all out of ideas, but keep the sheet handy, because I guarantee you that you're going to think of another one while you're trying to fall asleep tonight.

Do you still feel like you need some more ideas to write articles?

Ok, here we go.

Visit every forum and message board that you are a member of. Yes, every single one of them. Look at the posts that you've written. Have you taken time to post a lengthy response to someone else's question? Great! You now have the start of an article. Flesh it out and use it to market your knowledge and expertise.

Here's the last idea for you and it's by far one of my favorites. Interview someone. That's right, I said interview someone. If you're a virtual assistant, ask your clients if they would mind taking 15 minutes out of their day so that you can interview them. Ask them about how they use a VA. Ask them how a VA benefits their business. Come up with some additional questions to ask. When you're done, draft it in to an article and use it!

If you have 10 clients, you've got 10 articles! (Even better, you could put it together for potential clients to download from your site as a bonus for signing up for your newsletter.)

There are many more ideas on how to come up with article content and then how to recycle your content so that you get the most out of it!

For the record, this article started out as a response to one of my subscribers. Before you knew it, I had an article. See how simple that was?

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About the Author:

Heather Jacobson doesn't pay for marketing if she doesn't have to and uses the power of article marketing to elevate her business. Sign up for the free 5 day eCourse on article marketing at http://www.valleyva.net/article-ecourse.html and discover how you too can market your business with articles!

Exposure for your business brings money into your bank account. How are you getting exposure for your business?

Paid advertising can be very expensive and not necessarily have a good rate of return. Communicating and connecting with people, either through speaking or writing, is much more effective in getting your message across and conveying passion, excitement and confidence. Let's take a look at how you can write to bring you exposure and as a result increased income.

What should I write about?

First of all you want to write about something you are passionate about or have an area of expertise in. This will make it much easier for you to accomplish your goal. You also want to make sure it is something people will want to read about, especially your target market. Put yourself in your potential client's shoes and ask yourself what information would you find of value.
What if I'm not a good writer?

I believe writing is a skill that most people, if it does not come naturally, can develop just like any other skill. If this isn't one of your strengths or something that doesn't come naturally think of a topic and start out with an outline of the main points you want to cover. Then look at the points you want to make and think about what else you know or would like to say about them.

When I am writing my newsletter I start with an idea or topic and sometimes the questions come from the content of the section I am writing about and sometimes the question comes first and the content comes second. I just start typing. I can then move it around so the newsletter flows.
How do I come up with new topics?

Initially, as you start out, you will probably be able to come up with ideas fairly easily. Keep a list of these ideas. Anytime you experience something that helps you or you learn from add it to the list. Chances are someone else may benefit from this information as well. If the well starts to run dry pay attention to the challenges, solutions or discoveries of other people in your circle of influence. Also pay attention to what is going on in technology or the business world. Add these to the list.
What types of articles, or options, are available?

The most obvious one is a newsletter. It can be your own or someone else's newsletter. Check the local paper and see if they have a business section. See if you can submit freelance articles to them. If they don't have a business section find out if they would be interested in having one. E-books are another option growing in popularity. You can write one to either sell as an additional source of income or give it away free as a way of getting exposure. You may also want to consider writing a book to sell to the public. All of these ways will potentially bring you exposure and increase your bottom line.

How do I get exposure for my articles?

Hard work and persistence! Research all the potential places where you could write an article then develop a relationship with the person making the decisions about the content. Talk to other authors about how they created opportunities for themselves. Keep trying even when you get discouraged.

If you are doing a newsletter or e-book make sure you have links to that area on your web site or subscription information. Make old editions available for anyone who wants to access them. Be a resource of information and ask others to pass it on to someone who may be interested. This newsletter started out with just a handful of people and since September of 2002 it has grown to over 400 subscribers. Thanks to all of you have made it a success!!

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Mary-Lou Ashon successfully launched her Virtual Assistant company in 1997 and holds expertise in organizing information, creation and implementation of administrative procedures and marketing. She has proven that dedication, communication, loyalty and a flare for marketing are keys to developing successful client relationships. Mary-Lou has a keen desire to promote awareness of VAs as a career option both internationally and at home in Canada and has developed a cost effective, convenient and high quality training program which you can locate at http://vatp.ca/.