Technology today can be daunting for any business owner looking to market online. Even for the mostly technically minded, taking the time to learn a new system can take precious time away from what you should be doing – why you became self-employed in the first place.

But you have to admit it, to be able to sell online, collect subscribers or broadcast an ezine, takes integrating technology into your business plan. Using a system such as 1 Shopping Cart will help simply your marketing efforts. The good news is that a technically minded Virtual Assistant can take this task of your hands lickitty-split!

Here’s how a VA can help:

1.       Set up the Cart: Face it, if the idea of filling in all the correct boxes within a shopping cart makes your head spin then look to a VA for help. A VA can set up your shopping cart profile and upload your header to extend your online branding.

2.       Add an Opt in Box: Social media is great for gaining new contacts but email marketing is still a solid marketing tactic. Rather than fiddle around with html editors, have a VA create a custom opt in box to collect subscribers for your free pdf document, newsletter or e-course. It’s a synch to create.

3.       Create an Ad tracker: If you are not using ad trackers in your sales pages or ezines then you are missing out understanding the consumer behaviour of your subscriber or customers. Ad trackers are special url’s that track the number of “click through’s” to a specific url, website, order form or sales page. It’s an easy 1, 2 step process for a VA to set-up but a powerful tool for judging success for your online campaigns.

4.       Format and Broadcast Your Ezine: Staying in touch with your subscribers is paramount in keeping them engaged and excited to hear from you. If you write the copy, a VA can format your newsletter in an html editor and upload it to your shopping cart through the broadcast feature. With a click of a button, your fully formatted html newsletter is sent to your list. What a feeling!

5.       Make the “Buy Now” Button Come to Life: Those great “Buy Now” buttons look so professional on a website don’t they? A VA can create your product in the shopping cart, insert the appropriate taxes, shipping and add the html code to your website to make the button live. You can now accept payments from your website through your cart; what a streamlined way to do business.

6.       Draft those Automated Messages: Just don’t have time to write the autoresponders needed for the products and services in your cart, have a VA draft them for you. Sometimes it’s easier to adjust the final product when someone has done the ground work for you. Once drafted, a VA can forward the drafts to you for your input and final approve. If the VA has a knack for copywriting, you may not have to approve the autoresponder at all… what a time saver.

7.       Spam, it’s Inevitable: As an online marketer you’re bound to have some spam enter your shopping cart but don’t be alarmed, a VA can take 1 hour a month to check your bounce stats in your cart and delete the spam. You can sleep soundly knowing your subscriber base, that you worked so hard to build, is kept clean.

Face it, technology today is a necessary evil when it comes to establishing yourself online. Having a fully automated shopping cart/email system can help streamline your marketing endeavours and increase your profits. By hiring a VA to set-up and maintain your shopping cart, you are ensuring your time is well spent on what YOU do best.