Happy Holidays

 

I wish all my readers a Happy Holiday season !

Plan now for a more effective 2011: Outsource non-core tasks !

by Sarah Santacroce

As a small business owner you constantly have to wear different hats: the Marketing Hat, the Social Media Hat, the Administrative Hat and many other hats. Honestly, sometimes you forget what your actual core business is. When things get really out of control, you even trespass the sacred personal time: you skip your daughter’s ballet audition, postpone date night for the third time and cancel the gym membership – because who has time for that, right ?

But this was 2010 – let’s focus on 2011. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could outsource some of your tasks to a helping hand ? Someone who could wear some of those hats for you ? Guess what, that someone exists and is called a Virtual Assistant.

There are numerous benefits of working with a Virtual Assistant (short VA). Here are 5 of them:

• Benefit Nr. 1: with a Virtual Assistant you do not waste precious time on training. If you choose the right VA, she comes highly qualified, experienced and skilled in her field of expertise.
  
• Benefit Nr. 2: if you hire a Virtual Assistant you don't have to pay fees to a temp agency. Let's say your business goes through a tough time and you need immediate help with your administrative tasks. If you go through a temp agency, you always pay a certain fee to help you find an temporary help. Just hire a Virtual Assistant and you can save yourself that fee.
  
• Benefit Nr. 3: Have you ever had an assistant that serves the net all day and makes too many personal phone calls? If you work with a Virtual Assistant you only pay for the time she spends on your project!
  
• Benefit Nr. 4: Since VAs work in a virtual world, place and time no longer matter. You could work with a Virtual Assistant who lives thousands of miles away, even in a different time zone. In fact, different time zones can actually work to your advantage. Your VA works while you sleep!
  
• Benefit Nr. 2: a Virtual Assistant is not affected by bad weather conditions, traffic jams & public transportation strikes

Now that we know some of the benefits, let’s look at how a Virtual Assistant could help you with those hats:

The Marketing Hat:

1. Add a press page to the company website
   Every website should have a press page. A Virtual Assistant can create a press page, and add links to articles in which your company appears on a regular basis.

2. A VA can post your company videos on Youtube
   Youtube and video branding becomes more and more important. Did you know that Youtube reaches 1 Billion views per day? You will have to agree that it would make sense that your company’s videos get posted and marketed on Youtube. A VA can set up an account for you, post the videos, send out links on Facebook and Twitter or embed them on your website.
   

3. Help you distribute your press release and articles on various directories
   It’s very important to write regular articles and press releases. But it’s even more important to distribute them online so people actually read them. A VA can help you distribute them to various directories online.
   
   

The Social Media Hat:

1. Create a Social Media Strategy
   You have made the decision to give Social Media a try – but you don’t know where to start. A Virtual Assistant can help you with that too. Together you will define your business objective, target audience and from there she will create a tailor made Social Media Strategy for your business and will help you implement it.
   
2. Update your Linkedin Profile
   Did you know that your Linkedin Profile is like a mini website and should be treated as such ? Many business owners get new leads through Linkedin, but only because their Linkedin Profile is complete and updated with their product brochures, links to their websites, keywords and even videos.
   
3. Create a Facebook Page for your business
   In my opinion every business who has a website should also have a Facebook Page. A VA can help you take full advantage of this marketing channel, customize it and teach you how to use it.

The Administrative Hat:

1. Organize venue arrangements: seating, meals, beverages, flowers etc
   Next time you have to organize a big event, why don’t you hire a VA instead of trying to prepare your speeches and organize everything at the same time? A VA can get in touch with the venue provider and arrange seating, meals, beverages, podcasting etc.
   

2. Setup an online backup system for your computer
   Honestly, when was the last time you backed up the data on your computer? A Virtual Assistant can arrange an online backup system so that you’ll never have a nightmare about loosing all your files again!

3. Enter the business cards you collect into your contact management software or database
   Is your desk drowning in piles of collected business cards ? Your Virtual Assistant is equipped to scan those cards and easily import them in your customer database. You really don’t have time for that !

These are just a few ideas to show you how a Virtual Assistant could help you make 2011 more effective than ever. You can find a more complete list here.
Plan for your outsourcing needs now, you will not regret it.

Sarah Santacroce helps small business owners with their administrative tasks, Internet & Social Media Marketing. You can contact her by sending her an e-mail to sarah@simplicityadmins.com

Newsletter Marketing - Tips

by Sarah Santacroce

This is the third and last post of a 3-post series about Newsletter Marketing. You can find the first post that explains the benefits of Newsletter Marketing here and the second post that features Newsletter Marketing Tools here.

So by now we know why it makes sense to write a regular newsletter and we have have chosen the tool to do so. In this post today I would like to give you some additional tips that will help make your Newsletter Marketing campaigns a success.

Ask for feedback
Since the success of your newsletter is entirely in your audience’s hand, don’t forget to ask them for feedback. You can ask if there is a specific topic they would like you to cover in the next edition, you can simply ask them what they think about a tool, product or service you are using (and have them post their comments on your FB wall) or you could add a poll and discuss the results in the following edition. Whatever you do, involve your readers !

Promote your newsletter
There are two moments to promote your ezine: before you send it and after.
Before you want to make sure that you have a pretty sign-up form on your website, your blog and your FB page. This way people will be added to your list.
After don’t forget to use Social Media to let your network know that you have just sent out a newsletter. Tweet about it, post it on your FB wall, tell your Linkedin friends, add a link to your e-mail signature, refer to it on your Skype status.

Archive previous newsletters on your website
If you sign up for a magazine or a paper you usually want to look at a couple of their editions before you commit, right ? The same goes for newsletters. People like to get an idea of what you are writing about, that’s why it’s good to give them that option – on your website. Create a specific page which explains the benefits and content of your newsletter. Below the sign-up form you should have links to your archive of previous editions, so they can browse through them before trusting you with their e-mail.
This is also beneficial from an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) point of view. The search engine spiders love regularly updated content on your site and will therefore come visit more often !

Measure your success
Don’t forget to measure the success of your newsletter. The online tools which we discussed last week come with handy reports. You can see how many e-mails have been sent, how many have been opened and how many people have clicked on your links.

Treat your “unsubscribers” well
You will also be able to track your “unsubscribers”. If they leave you a comment on why they unsubscribe, I think it’s a good habit to write them a short e-mail. Say that you are sorry to see them leave, answer their comment and learn from their feedback. Remember that 1 unhappy customer used to tell 3 others – nowadays with Social Media he might tell 3 Million.

So there you go, you should now have all the knowledge and tools to write your very own first newsletter. If you would like some help from my side, send me an e-mail to sarah@simplicityadmins.com.

To sign up for my newsletter simply fill in your name and e-mail in the form to your right.
Thank you.

Newsletter Marketing – Available Tools

by Sarah Santacroce

This is the second post of a 3-post series about Newsletter Marketing. Find the first post about Newsletter Marketing Benefits here. Come back soon or subscribe to my RSS to be sure to get the last article next week.

Which tools are available ?

This week I would like to show you which tools are available to simplify the newsletter edition and management for you. The truth is there are lots of  E-Mail Marketing tools on the market. But some of them are better than others. Below are my picks for small businesses.

Mailchimp

• Free Forever Plan for 1’000 subscribers
• Unlimited e-mails sent
• Cost per month: 15$
• Recommended for: Small businesses with limited ecommerce needs
• Special Feature: Can upload existing list
• Little extra: very funny interface

If you have a pre-existing list that you want to import, you will either have to choose Mailchimp or Contant Contact. However, since your readers have not actually subscribed to your newsletter, I would mention this in your first mailing and give them the option to unsubscribe in the first paragraph.

Aweber

• 1$ for first month
• Unlimited e-mails sent
• Cost per month: 19$
• Very complex reports
• Special feature: Blog integration
• Little extra: great customer service, very good videos

Constant Contact

• 60 days for free
• unlimited e-mails sent
• Cost per month: 15$
• Special Feature: Can upload existing list
• limited reporting features

Personally I have never used Constant Contact yet. But according to other reviews I have read, it is very easy to use. However their reporting features are not as advanced yet as the ones I know from Mailchimp and AWeber.

To summarize:

If you are a small business owner who tries e-mail Marketing for the very first time I would recommend you try the free version of Mailchimp. If however you think you will rapidly reach 1’000 subscribers and then also need more advanced reporting features, I suggest you take a pick between AWeber and Constant Contact, AWeber definitely being more complex.

Are you using another tool ? Tell us about it in the comments !

 

Next week I will give you some final tips before you start creating your own newsletter !

If you would like to start exploring this marketing technique but don't know where to start, contact your Virtual Assistant or send me an e-mail to sarah@simplicityadmins.com.

To sign up for my newsletter simply fill in your name and e-mail in the form to your right.
Thank you.

Newsletter Marketing – Benefits

by Sarah Santacroce

This is the first post of a 3-post series about Newsletter Marketing. Come back soon or subscribe to my RSS to be sure to get the next articles.

Did you know that e-mail is still the number 1 sharing method for content ? After Facebook and after Twitter ? Think about it… Do you know a person who does not have an e-mail account (Grandparents don’t count). Not likely… Do you know a person who still resists Facebook and Twitter ? I know quite a few and I’m sure you do too !

That’s why Email newsletters are still an essential part of an effective Online Marketing Strategy. Newsletters are a good way of building relationships with your existing customers and network. They are very targeted and effective and with the available tools also very measurable. But let’s look at what other benefits a well prepared newsletter has to offer:

Benefits

It creates trust
Receiving a regular Ezine (which is another word for Newsletter) creates a feeling of trust in your customers. They feel like they know you a little bit more with each edition and when the moment comes, where they need the services or products that you have to offer, they will think of you first.

It shows your expertise
If choosing the content of your newsletter wisely, you can demonstrate your expertise in your area of activity. So don’t just try to sell your product, act as an expert, give advice and consult your readers.

It offers continuity
Compared to other marketing channels, a newsletter offers continuity. Your subscribers know that they will hear from you every week, month or quarter. They will start to look forward to your e-mail.

It increase referrals
Every newsletter should have a “Share with a friend” button at the bottom. This way the subscriber can forward your e-mail to someone else who he thinks might be interested in your news.

It increases traffic to your website
I mentioned before that the point is not to just sell in your e-mail, but every once in a while it’s ok to slip in a special offer, coupon or just feature one of your bestselling products or services. And by default the footer of your letter will contain a link to your website, so chances are that your traffic will increase.

It increases sales
Let’s be honest here: we are not just writing newsletters because we are nice people and want to help the rest of the world. In the end our main goal is still to increase our sales. And this will happen if you apply all the above suggestions :-)

What do you think ? True or not true ?

Next week we will have a look at 3 of the best e-mail marketing tools on the market which will help you create a nice newsletter.

If you would like to start exploring this marketing technique but don't know where to start, contact your Virtual Assistant or send me an e-mail to sarah@simplicityadmins.com.

To sign up for my newsletter simply fill in your name and e-mail in the form to your right.
Thank you.

Perfect team work: a coach and her virtual assistant

by Sarah Santacroce

I like to work with different client profiles, that’s what, in my opinion, makes the job interesting. But if I had to describe my ideal client, I would probably choose an independent coach. I think that coaches (or public speakers) benefit the most of the skill set that a Virtual Assistant has to offer: marketing and self-promotion, organization and administration.

If you think about it, a coach has quite a lot in common with a Virtual Assistant. Both run their own business, usually as a solo-entrepreneur, both are responsible for their own marketing and both work with clients on a one on one basis.

In order to “walk the talk”, coaches should focus their energy on what they do best (and what produces income) and delegate the rest. There are many tasks which a Virtual Assistant can manage and by doing so, free up time for the core business. Below are a few examples.

What can a VA do for a coach ?

Marketing

• Blog Design & Maintenance
• Website Design & Maintenance
• Search Engine Optimization
• Facebook page Design & Maintenance
• Social Media Set Up & Management
• Powerpoint presentations
• Welcome Package Creation and Management
• New Client Questionnaire Creation and Management
• Event promotion (via offline and online marketing)
• Autoresponder Set Up & Maintenance
• Monthly newsletter creation
• Article Submission and Management

Administrative tasks

• Venue research and reservation
• Registration of exhibitions and fairs
• Contact & Database Management
• Email Management
• Survey Creation & Management
• Travel Arrangements
• General Research
  

These are just examples. Every coach has his/her own specialties and the corresponding tasks.
In most cases a Virtual Assistant will be able to help.

Are you a coach and new to the idea of working with a Virtual Assistant ? Would you like to start delegating some tasks but are not sure yet how this works exactly ? Please have a look at our website or contact me, I’d be happy to answer your questions.

Are you a Virtual Assistant? Who is your ideal client ?

How do I get found on Google?

by Sarah Santacroce

…that was the question somebody asked me at a networking event last Thursday. Hmm, I had prepared my Elevator Pitch, but wasn’t quite ready to answer this complex question in 30 seconds ! Instead I said: “I can help you, give me a call and we’ll discuss it”. In order to prepare for that call, I thought I’d write a blog post and share it with my readers.

As most of you know, I’m not a professional Search Engine Optimizer, but I can share my tips and tricks with you, and I know that they work. Just Google “bilingual Virtual Assistant Switzerland” and have a look at the results.

So let’s start with first things first:

Submit your website and company info to website and local directories

It’s not the most interesting task, but there is no way around it. You will have to spend some time (or money if you have it outsourced) and submit your website to major website directories. The main one is the dmoz directory, which is free. Then there are thousands of other ones, some free some not, some general some industry specific. You can find them all here. All submissions take at least 4 weeks until they are confirmed. So you need an extra dose of patience …

I also recommend you submit your company info to local directories such as Google Places, Yelp, Yellow Pages etc, especially if you are a brick and mortar business. Research which ones are the most relevant in your area and submit your company info.

Good online content

Content is king ! The Search Engine spiders are hunting and crawling through your pages in search of good content. So if you want to make the first page of Google, you will have to supply good online content. There are many ways how to do that:

Write regular blog posts

In blog posts you can share your expertise about your industry and create trust towards your company. Blog posts are very well indexed on Google and if the blog is hosted on your website, they create big traffic to your site. If on the other hand you are using a hosted blog version (such as blogspot.com) there’s less direct traffic to your site but it does present an advantage from the link building point of view.

Write a monthly press release and distribute it online

Today press or news releases can be used even by small companies, and the whole wide world has access to them. By distributing your press releases online (for example on pitchengine.com) you will be reaching out to a huge audience and therefore increase your website traffic (and hopefully your sales!). Don’t forget to create a “Media Room” on your website and also post your releases there. The spiders love new content on your website !

Submit articles on article submission sites

Another great (and free) resource to increase traffic to your website is via article marketing. You write compelling, informative articles (or repurpose previously written texts) and post them on article marketing publisher’s sites (such as ezinarticles.com). They get free content that can be employed by others looking for great information to post on their websites. Every article contains a so called “author resource box” where you post a short bio and a link to your website or a free e-book.

Scribd, Slideshare and Posterous

You can upload your content in pretty much any format: PDF, Word or Powerpoint and share it with the world’s largest community of readers. Those sites are ranked highly in Google searches.

Social Media

The use of Social Media is also recommended to complete your online presence and increase your chances to figure on the 1st page of Google’s search results. Social Media content is instant and it’s everywhere. If somebody “googles” your name to find out more about you, he/she should find at least those 5 links with your name: the “about” page on your website, your Facebook Page, your Twitter profile, your Linkedin profile (and/or Xing and Viadeo) and your Google profile. So how many of those do you already have ?

Keyword optimization and SEO

As I mentioned before, I’m not an SEO specialist. What I do know though is how to target specific keywords and implement them on your website and throughout all your internet marketing strategy. So before you start with the SEO, take some time to brainstorm and come up with at least 3 very specific, very targeted keywords or key phrases. Once you have done that, move on to the SEO:

Use unique title tags (containing your keywords) for each page

When you look at your website in a browser, you’ll find the title tag on the top left hand side of the screen. Each page should have a unique title tag that tells the search engines what that page is about.

Create a unique meta description for each page

The search engines index the meta descriptions to learn what your page is about and some will display your description in the search engine results. The meta description should not be more than 150 characters.

Use Alt text for images and integrate your keywords in the image file name

When inserting images into your website, make sure you use your keywords in the Alt text attribute and in the image file name. Example: if I upload a portrait of myself I would name the file:”Sarah Santacroce, bilingual Virtual Assistant” and put the same text in the Alt attribute.

That’s all, folks. I hope you have found value in these tips. Don’t forget to leave a comment (they also increase your online visibility !)

I have also created a free e-book called “21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Website Traffic”. You will find the above and more information in a handy pdf format. Get it here !
Or just subscribe to my RSS Feed to receive all my blog posts directly in your preferred feed aggregator.

7 Ways to Use Social Media to promote your offline events

by Sarah Santacroce

Planning an event, whether it is a networking event, public seminar or a personal tea party, can take a lot of time and energy.
In order to make each event an absolute success, there are some great Social Media tools you can use for your Event Marketing.

1. Blog
   
   Write a blog post about your upcoming event. Introduce topics, speakers, prizes etc. This will encourage people to register and
   spread the word about your event.
   
   
2. Facebook
   
   Facebook has it’s own Event application. It’s pretty easy. You just create your event listing and then decide who can see the event.
   
   Make sure you select “Show the guest list”. It’s always easier to participate if a friend of yours is already on the guest list! And don’t
   forget to invite all your friends. Read this post on Mashable for more details on how to post an event on Facebook.
   
   
3. Twitter
   
   
   Prior, during and after your event you can use Twitter to create buzz around your event. I recommend you create a specific hashtag (#). Go to hashtags.org to find out if your specific hashtag is available. Choose a short and easy hashtag. You will have to constantly remind your attendees of the hashtag by mentioning it during the event, on your website, on Facebook etc. You can even create a widget which only displays the comments concerning your hashtag. Create it here.
   
   
4. Email Marketing
   
   Don’t forget to inform your list about your upcoming event ! With Email Marketing tools such as AWeber, Constant Contact or Mail Chimp you can create separate lists for each event and even create a webform where people can RSVP. If you add a “Share this” button at the end of your e-mail you maximize your outreach even more. Read this blog post from AWeber.
   
   
5. Linkedin
   
   Linkedin is another great platform for event marketing. Go to Linkedin.com and you will find the events under the “more” tab on the right.
   From there you click on “add an event” and enter all your info. Make sure you click the “add more details” button. You will then be able to enter your website url, a short description of the event and most importantly some keywords and job titles of people who should attend the event. If it’s a virtual event, check the “this is a virtual event” box. Once you are satisfied, hit the “Preview” button and then hit “Publish Event”. For more details, read this post from “Market Like a Chick”.
   
   
   
   
6. Xing
   This is another option, mostly for my European readers. Same idea as Linkedin, so just login to your xing account and then follow the steps to create your event. Find more info here.
   
   
   
   
7. Evite for personal events
   This one is not really for professional events, but I think it still deserves a spot on this list. From birthday parties to housewarmings, you can easily create an invitation and send your friends and e-mail. You have the options of asking them something to bring, indicate how many kids are attending and even display your personal profile with photo etc. I use this for all my private parties !
   
   

After the event, don’t forget to:

• post pictures on your Facebook page, Flickr, Twitpic and Evite
• send out a Thank you e-mail via Email Marketing
• send out Thank you message to your Twitter hashtag

Did you like this post? Why not subscribe to my rss feed ?

Increase Your Online Visibility with Press Release Marketing

by Sarah Santacroce

Before web2.0, press releases were just for journalists and only big company changes were announced to the press. Today press or news releases can be used even by small companies, and the whole wide world has access to them. By distributing your press releases online (for example on pitchengine.com) you will be reaching out to a huge audience and therefore increase your website traffic (and hopefully your sales!)

Below you will find benefits, tips and tricks in a bullet point list.

Benefits of the new web2.0 Press Releases:

As mentioned above, the main benefit of the new approach of sending press releases, is that they don’t only reach a small bunch of journalists, but a vast audience of potential clients.

• people are informed about what’s going on in your business
• when somebody searches for you on Google, they will find your press releases
• press releases are indexed fast on Google
• press releases are a non-static part of your website which increases your chances of getting indexed by Google

What and when to write a news release:

It is key to commit to a regular schedule of press releases. If you decide to send a release every other month, than stick to that schedule. There are many reasons to write a release, including :

• the addition of new services or new products
• the reception of an award
• new staff
• the introduction of a special offer
• a publication of a free e-book or a whitepaper
• the publication of survey results
• a company event
• your point of view of an exposition or a fair you attended
• etc.

Tips:

You can find free samples of press releases on Google. It is important to:

• use your keywords
• include special offers
• post links to your website

Where to post it:

There are many Press Release Distribution Sites (see list below). Don’t forget to also post your releases on the media room on your website. This is a specific page on your website usually entitled “Media Room” or “Press Releases”. You would post the title of the release with a link to a pdf document.

• PR services (such as pitchengine.com or prweb.com ) Check out the full list of free Press Release Distribution Sites in this blog post from nakedpr.com
• Scribd.com
• Slideshare.net (not just for slides anymore!) and it’s linked with Linkedin!
• Your Social Media Accounts (Linkedin, Facebook Page, Twitter etc.)
• Media room on your website

If you found value in this checklist, you might be interested in my free e-book “21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Website Traffic”. You can download it by clicking on the picture below:

Free E-book helps you increase your Website Traffic

by Sarah Santacroce

Dear Fellow Entrepreneurs,

Imagine there is a great party, but nobody knows about it. The organizers spent a lot of money on the venue, the decoration, the hors d’oeuvres and the DJ. With excited anticipation they open the doors at 10pm but – only 23 people show up. The party is a complete flop!

See where I am getting at? A website is like that party. One can have the fanciest website on the market, but if nobody knows about it, it won’t get any traffic.

But don’t panic, I’ve got you covered. I wrote a report that should come in handy. In it you will discover some of the most important tools and tricks to increase your website traffic, attract more potential clients and boost your sales

- with your Blog

- with Link Submissions

- with E-mail, Press release and Article Marketing

- with on page Search Engine Optimization

- and with Social Media!

Are you ready to get this party started? So hurry and click on the picture below and then fill in your name and e-mail and you’ll receive my report immediately.

Send me a tweet @sarahsantacroce and give me your feedback ! Or just leave a comment below.

I appreciate your input !

Use your avatar (profile picture) as a marketing tool

by Sarah Santacroce

In a previous post I have written about the benefits of commenting on other blogs. If you have been actively doing that, you must have noticed that some people have a nice profile picture (a so called avatar) next to their comment, and some don’t. Which ones did you prefer? Obviously the ones with the picture. A picture gives every comment a human touch, we feel like there is a real person behind the text. A faceless or worse, an anonymous comment, leaves the impression that the person is trying to “hide” something.

A nice avatar actually increases the trust in your person and therefore your brand. So in my opinion, it’s one other little thing that you should add to your Internet Marketing “to do” list. And that’s where Gravatar.com comes in.

What is Gravatar?
Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. It’s basically a little icon, that represents your brand and will be displayed on every blog comment that you write.
Signing up with Gravatar is fast and easy, and most importantly it’s totally free. You can add your blog and website links and social media icons so when a person clicks on your avatar they get the full information about your brand. Below is mine to show you an example.

A few tips on your Gravatar

1. use a good quality photograph
2. don’t use your company logo, it’s too impersonal
3. I recommend you use the same picture as on your other Social Media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc.) This way people easily recognize you and associate you with your brand

That’s all there is to it.
How about this? You register with Gravatar and then show off your new avatar by leaving a comment below? I’m looking forward to it…

3 ways to work without a fax machine

by Sarah Santacroce

If you are like me, you don’t really see the point in owning a fax machine anymore. Faxes are history, right?
But I admit that even in my virtual business, I sometimes work with clients who still prefer to work with faxes.
Did I buy a fax machine? No, I looked for other ways. Here is what I found:

1. Scanr

This is a great application for the iphone. It basically turns your phone into a scanner and fax machine.
You take a picture of the document you would like to send. Your camera turns into a scanner and scans that picture. Then a message asks you if you want to send the document by e-mail or fax. If your client prefers a fax, you just type in the fax number (works in over 90 countries) and off it goes ! Neat, isn’t it? Oh, did I mention that you can also use it to print ? In my opinion worth the price of $29.99.

2. e-Fax

E-fax is an online application which lets you send and receive very cheap faxes. You will get a local number where your customers can send you their faxes.
You then get them by e-mail. I like this option especially to receive faxes.

3. Echosign

This is my favorite one. If you work with contracts, you will love this one! Echosign gets rid of the back and forth between the two parties who need to sign a contract. You draft the contract, upload it to the echosign online interface and then send it to the other party. They will receive an e-mail, inviting them to e-sign the document. It is convenient because they can sign wherever they are, even from their iphone.
They offer a free services for up to 5 signatures per month. The basic services costs $14.95 per month, for unlimited signatures.


Find out more about the legal aspect of electronic signatures.

Now it’s your turn. Do you use any cool and practical ways to avoid fax machines? Share them in the comments !

Did you like those time and money saving tips? Subscribe to my RSS Feed to get regular updates. Thanks!

How to manage a multilingual Facebook page

by Sarah Santacroce

Even though English is usually the common language for international business people, most non native English speakers still prefer to read their daily information and communication in their mother tongue. The same goes for Facebook. And according to Facebook, 70% of their users are outside the United States. Once a user sets his/her preferred language, he/she will see most of Facebooks site in that language.

Which are the two main reasons to have a multilingual Facebook page ?

1. You live in a country where there is a big majority of people who speak an other language (in America 10.7 % speak Spanish, in Switzerland 63.7% speak French, 20.4% speak French and 6.5% speak Italian, in Canada 21.6% speak French etc. )
   
2. You do business internationally and your target audience is multilingual

If either one of those reasons applies to you, you might want to start managing your Facebook page in multiple languages. You will see that you will get much more return (comments, likes, interactions) from people, if they get to read your content in their own native language. You could even go a step further and personalize the content with country specific information. For example: in the USA a majority of people uses Linkedin, in France Viadeo is more popular and in Germany it is Xing. So if you post an update about this Social Media tool, you would post Linkedin for the Americans, Viadeo for the French and Xing for the German speaking members. For more details on localization you might find this post about website localization and multilingual SEO interesting.

So now that I have convinced you that a multilingual Facebook page is the way to go, I’ll show you quickly how easy it really is to do:

1. Go to your Facebook page, write a status update and click on the custom button

2. Define your audience by choosing the location and the languages

3. Share your update and recognize the customized posts by the little “custom” icon

That’s it, that’s all there is to it. Of course you have to be fluent in the other language, since grammatical mistakes are not very sexy :-) If you’re not, hire a bilingual Virtual Assistant to help you !

If you found this post helpful, consider joining a growing international community on my Facebook page (and let me know by posting a message in your mother tongue on my wall) or signing up for more helpful small business tips by subscribing to my RSS Feed. Thanks for reading!

How can a Bilingual Virtual Assistant help you?

by Claudia Amendola (IT), Sylvie Guiziou (FR) and Sarah Santacroce (CH)

A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is an independent entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office.

A virtual assistant can help you with your daily tasks that need to be accomplished in order to run your business successfully. She or he can work on both short-term and long-term projects without becoming your employee. You can save money by hiring a virtual assistant as the costs will not include the usual ones related to having a permanent employee (equipment and rental costs, payroll, taxes, benefits and non-productive hours).
A bilingual VA who speaks and writes at least two languages fluently is highly beneficial for a firm which does business in those languages.

Below you find a non exhaustive list of some tasks that you can delegate to this administrative partner.

Administrative tasks:

A bilingual virtual assistant can organize and manage your correspondence or an email campaign for your business. She can manage your database, updating and entering new information. If you need travel arrangements, calendar management, email data research, date entry, transcription or other administrative services in two languages, a bilingual virtual assistant is the person that can solve all these things, while you focus on more lucrative work. All you need is a computer, a phone and an internet connection to stay in touch with a virtual assistant and delegate the tasks to her or him.

Marketing:

Some virtual assistants are specialized in Internet and/or social media marketing. They can help you set up an article or press release marketing campaign, improve the SEO of your website and give you other helpful tips on how to increase your client base trough Internet marketing. They are also experts in how to use social media to increase your leads: create a business blog, set up an engaging Facebook page, help you how to use Twitter and other trendy social media tools.

Customer Services:

If you are looking for customers worldwide, a bilingual virtual assistant can help you communicate with your clients in countries whose language you do not speak fluently. A bilingual virtual assistant can connect with your prospects or customers in their native language and help you develop your business.

Translations:

Bilingual virtual assistants can translate your website, articles, press releases or Powerpoint presentations to their native language or to another language they are fluent in. Human translations are always better than machine translations and a bilingual or multilingual virtual assistant can offer you a level of translation that will take your business to the next level. A virtual assistant is more involved in your business so the translation can be more accurate and more focused on your needs. Certified translators usually charge more for the same translations.

Internet Marketing and SEO:

A bilingual virtual assistant can also perform SEO for the targeted language, which is more than translating the text word by word. He or she will know which keywords are relevant in the target language so that your translated site will be better ranked in Google or Bing.
The efficient, cost-effective solutions offered by bilingual virtual assistants allow you to devote more time to your core business, increase productivity and save money.

***

Italian and Spanish native speaker, Claudia Amendola of MTvirtualassistant is a multilingual virtual assistant (it-sp-en) specialized in bilingual customer services, website translation and travel concierge. htpp://www.mtvirtualassistant.com

French national, Sylvie Guiziou, of Optim Office is a bilingual (fr-en) virtual assistant dedicated to working with small business owners and individual entrepreneurs to help them focus on strategic activities that require their full attention. Sylvie delivers virtual assistance in general administrative services, bilingual En-Fr services, transcription, copywriting, data entry, Internet research and much more at http://www.optimoffice.fr

Swiss national, Sarah Santacroce runs Simplicity Admin Solutions, a virtual assistance business working with small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to help them dedicate their precious time to their core business. Simplicity Admin Solutions offers tailor made virtual administrative solutions, Internet marketing support, translation service and much more at http://www.simplicityadmins.com. All services are available in English, German and French.

Website localization and multilingual SEO: a bilingual Virtual Assistant can help you

by guest blogger Claudia Amendola of mtvirtualassistant.com

What’s the key of a successful international website?

Over the past year, many of my clients with international websites have been asking me for an easy and fast way to optimize their sites for each country or the European market. That’s the reason why I wanted to make this post and share with you my thoughts. Please feel free to share yours too by leaving your comments ,-) .

You may know already that an “international” website is a website for an international audience. In order to reach an international audience you will need to Translate and Localize your website in other languages. English is the most common language but that doesn’t mean that everyone on this planet speaks and understand perfectly English. Only 37 percent of the world’s online population speaks English as a first language.

Translate your website in other languages such as Spanish, Italian, French, German ect will assure you a niche of market you will never get if your website is only written in English.

But translating your website is not the only thing you will need to do in order to reach multilingual audiences. Your website needs to be localized. WEBSITE LOCALIZATION is the process of modifying an existing website to make it accessible, usable and culturally suitable to a new target audience. It is a multi-layered process needing both programming expertise and linguistic/cultural knowledge as well as marketing knowledge. If a website is only translated to a different language, the chances to reach a new market are lower.

The website localization process comes normally first. Followed up by the website and content translation. At least this is what I normally do as I prefer to search and focus first on the market and audience niche. It is important to study the right words, the target audience age you are communicating with, the society class as well as your competitors in that particular country. In the majority of cases it is the lack of linguistic and cultural input that lets a website localization down.

Last but not least is: INTERNATIONAL or MULTILINGUAL SEO!

Multilingual SEO is an important component to an effective global Internet marketing strategy. Some search engines are better than others and work differently, too. Google results, for instance, may differ from country to country. Just because you’ve achieved a certain rank for targeted keywords for the U.S. doesn’t mean you’ll achieve the same results for Italy or Spain, for instance.

So, these are some tips you may take in consideration for your multilingual marketing:

- Know Your Audience first

- Modify Web Page Code for your new market

- Choose the right Domain or Domain Extensions

- Always use the Native Language

Claudia Amendola, Multilingual and Travel Virtual Assistant successfully provides an outsourcing alternative for clients who typically do not have the time, space or budget for in-house staff, but have the same need for bilingual and travel assistance. Claudia speaks and writes 3 languages fluently: English, Spanish and Italian. She can be reached at info@mtvirtualassistant.com or on Twitter @italianmtva

For French or German services contact the author of the blog, Sarah Santacroce at sarah@simplicityadmins.com or on Twitter @sarahsantacroce

Article Marketing: A Great Free Marketing Tool

Since I’m still in the middle of the big move (for those who are new to my blog: I’m moving from California to Switzerland) I continue my series of guest posts. This one is

by Jodi Crosby (@SmartVAforU)

Doesn’t everybody need more activity on their website? And wouldn’t it be great to find this activity through a free resource? Well, there are several free resources, but one of the best is article submission. You take the time to write a compelling, informative article and post it to the article marketing publisher’s sites. They get free content that can be employed by others looking for great information to post on their websites. The article publisher’s readers are then given the chance to click through to your site and your additional content. This additional traffic to your website should provide you with more opportunities to help out those clients.

Another aspect of article marketing is you get to provide informative content to help “Brand” yourself as an expert in your field, show your style, and provide a foundation for building trust. Most importantly, when writing articles or any other content be you, be consistent, and be authentic. The best way to build loyal followers is by being genuine and trustworthy.

What are some of the ways you can boost traffic and, in turn, revenue?

1) Remember to include a link to your site at the end of every article.

2) Provide the reader a little bit of information about your background and knowledge.

3) Give a short explanation of the benefits of visiting your site.

4) Inquiring minds want to know, so leave them a little curious about what you can do to help.

What if an ezine publisher picks up the article to be published in their newsletter? This provides an opportunity for thousands of the ezine’s readers to view your article and click through to your site. When someone publishes your article, they should include your entire article, including the information about you and your site.

The more click-throughs to your site the higher placement you will receive on the search engines.

If you continue to add to the number of articles submitted and where these articles appear, the number of links back to you and your website increase accordingly.

As you increase the number of links to your site, the search engines will give your site higher rankings. Your click-through rates will soar as you appear higher in people’s searches, and you will receive even more opportunity to help new clients.

The general consensus is, if you can get your website up to the top 6 for your search terms or keywords, you will create a lot more traffic on your site. Article marketing can make the difference and help you reach this goal.

Here are a few of the top article marketing publishers:

http://ezinearticles.com/

http://www.articledashboard.com/

http://www.goarticles.com/

http://www.articlesbase.com/

http://www.articlecity.com/

http://www.articlemark.org/

http://www.articlealley.com/

http://www.isnare.com/

http://searchwarp.com/

http://www.ideamarketers.com/

Each of these sites has different rules. Please take the time to understand their rules prior to submitting any articles so you don’t waste time having to edit your content. Submission to multiple sites is critical to a successful article marketing campaign. A Social Medial Virtual Assistant has the skills and knowledge to submit your article quickly and efficiently to the right sites for the most return on investment.

Jodi Crosby, Smart Virtual Assistant for You, is a mom and an entrepreneur committed to working with small business owners. My goal is to enable you to accomplish your goals while leaving the administrative tasks to a professional. I understand that being in business for yourself, while very rewarding is also very challenging. Smart Virtual Assistant for You can help. Visit http://smartvaforu.com. Follow Jodi on Twitter @SmartVAforU

How to use your e-mail signature as a Marketing tool

by Guest Blogger Michelle Mangen

Wanting to have a fancy email signature for your Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail or AOL email accounts?

Come on – you know you want it! Up until now it’s never really been that easy to add an HTML signature to your Gmail account.

Several weeks ago I did a post on How To Add A Twitter Icon to your email signature for Outlook 2007. Since I wrote that post I came across “WiseStamp” which allows you to create the same type of signature for some of the free email services.

The steps on how to do this were quite easy and I was really pleased with the result.

and then….I realized that it wouldn’t work with Outlook and I don’t want to actually log in to Gmail in order to have my kickin’ new social media icon laden email signature.

So I figured out how to have the best of both worlds. For the ones of you that use the web-based email programs for Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail and AOL email you will only have to set up Wisestamp and in a few minutes you will be ready to blast off emails to everyone and their mom showing off your rockin’ new signature.

For the ones of us that still use Outlook you will have a few more steps but in the end, trust me, it will all be worth it.

Do you use the web-based email programs? If so, hop to the end and leave a comment.

If you use Outlook 2007 use these steps to add your Twitter, your Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Skype, etc. icons into your email signature.

1. Set up WiseStamp (they have directions so I won’t bore you with them)
2. Sign into your web-based program and send yourself a blank message
3. Log into your Outlook and open the message you just sent yourself
4. Right Click in the body of the email and chose “view source”
5. This will bring up a text document with all of the HTML of the email signature
6. Copy that into a free HTML editor (I use PageBreeze)
7. View the new “page” in “normal mode” (PageBreeze instructions)
8. Copy the “normal” looking page
9. Open your signature box and create a new signature (see my previous post for instructions on how to do edit your Outlook signature)
10. Go test it….are you now sporting a rockin’ new signature?

Michelle Mangen, Your Virtual Assistant, specializes in Social Media and Bookkeeping and will work with you to take your business to the next level. Find her on Twitter @mmangen

How to write a blog post with screenshots

by Sarah Santacroce

When writing my last post about Yahoo update changes, I realized that it would be way easier to explain the changes that Yahoo recently implemented by having some kind of visual support for my readers. As the old saying goes: “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Basically whenever you write a “how to” post, I think a screenshot of the different steps to follow will simplify your instructions and grab your reader’s attention.

The best screen shot tool I found is called Aviary. Aviary is a FREE Firefox extension that is installed in a couple of clicks. It then gives you the choice of either:

- capturing only a certain region of a page
- capturing the visible portion of a page
- or capturing the entire page

Once you made your selection you can easily save it to your desktop as a .png file. Choose a customized title for your image, this will help you with your SEO. 

When using screen shots or any other picture on your blogs, make sure you also take advantage of the ALT attribute, using your main keywords.  One of my favorite bloggers who uses frequent screenshots is Ching Ya and her blog Social @ Blogging Tracker. Check out this post on “How to import Twitter Favorites to Facebook Page” and see for yourself how she engages her readers with a very interactive and colorful article :-)

Now it’s your turn! Do you know about an other great screen capturing tool that you want to share in the comments ?

 

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Understanding Yahoo!’s recent update changes

by Sarah Santacroce

A friend of mine recently kindly informed me that her Yahoo e-mail homepage was getting swamped with my updates. She didn’t exactly know where all these updates were coming from and neither did I, because I was sure I didn’t send her any e-mails. So I decided to investigate. Here is what I found out:

A couple of weeks ago, Yahoo expanded their “Updates” section and now also acts as a Social Media aggregator. What does that mean? It means that when you login to your Yahoo homepage, you now see your “friends” Yahoo status updates as well as updates on third party services (such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Stumble Upon etc.) that they have added to their Yahoo profile. Before, both parties had to “agree to be friends”, but in the new version the mutual follow is no longer a requirement.

So, to get back to my story: my friend received an update for each single tweet (and I tweet a lot!), each status update on Facebook and every blog post I published! Obviously she was slightly bothered by my invasion of her Yahoo account! And I’m so glad she told me so I could solve this issue! In order to avoid this situation for you, I decided to write this blog post and show you in 3 simple steps what to do:

Step 1 – Update your profile
While you’re at it, you might as well update your profile. Go to http://pulse.yahoo.com/, click on Profile and hit “Edit”

Step 2 – Manage your Settings
Go to http://pulse.yahoo.com/y/settings and you’ll find the following screen. From there you can update your Privacy settings, your Updates, your linked Accounts and your Notifications.

Step 3 – Manage your Updates
If you click on “Updates” you’ll see the following screen:

On this screen you will have to choose, which updates you want to share with your friends. If you are on Twitter, I recommend you don’t share your tweets, because you will end up swamping your friends’ homepage like I did. I decided to share my Blog posts, my Stumble Upon bookmarks and my Yahoo status updates. Up to you, which notifications you want to share…

I hope you found this post useful. Let me know your thoughts on Yahoo’s update changes…

I post other useful tips on my Facebook page. Why not join me ?

2 x 10 things (a personal post)

by Sarah Santacroce

If you read my blog on a regular basis (if you don’t, consider subscribing to my RSS :-) you know that I’m moving back to Europe at the end of the month. In an earlier post I wrote about the professional implications of this big move: what it means to be a Virtual Assistant in Europe. This time I’d like to share some more personal reflections, looking back at those 3.5 years living in California. While waiting to pick up my older son from school (the younger one was sleeping in the back of the car), I came up with this list of 2 x 10 things: the first list summarizes the 10 Top things I’ll miss most about our life in California and in the second list I put down the 10 things I look most forward to when thinking about going back to Europe.

They are not in order of importance!

10 things I’ll miss the most :

1. Sunshine !
2. Avocados
3. The Beach
4. Convenience of shopping whenever I feel like it
5. Friendliness and positive attitude of people
6. Our community pool
7. Eat out without spending a fortune
8. Mexican food
9. Calling people by their first name
10. Did I mention the sun?

10 things I look most forward to:

1. Family and friends
2. Mountains
3. Grocery store and school within walking distance
4. Home made food at dinner parties
5. Clean air
6. Different types of music on the radio, not just English!
7. Weekends in Paris, Florence, Barcelona…
8. Long summer nights (in California it get’s dark at 8 even in July)
9. The feeling of fitting in, being home
10. Good looking guys (sorry, Americans are just not my type :-)

There you have it :-) Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with my list :-)

Getting to know your future Virtual Assistant

by Sarah Santacroce

A couple of weeks ago, Christine Bearse, a fellow VA and champion for the advancement of the Virtual Assistant industry, asked me a couple of questions about myself and my business and posted the interview on her blog, VAProfiles. When choosing an assistant in the “real” world, you get to meet her in person, see her style, hear her voice and discover her hobbies. In the virtual world we have to work a little harder at getting to know the human being behind the gravitar. So Christine decided to start this blog to profile VAs with a bigger focus on their styles and personalities rather than on their rates and services. So in case you are looking for a Virtual Assistant, VAProfiles is a good way to start. Browse away and get to know your future VA.

Here’s an extract of my interview:

When I first “met” Sarah, she was living in California. Since then she has moved back to Switzerland where she has taken her VA business with her! Another great benefit of running a virtual office. Sarah Santacroce is the sole proprietor of Simplicity Admin Solutions. One of her unique talents is her ability to work in three languages (French, German and English). Her niche is multi-lingual assistance such as translations (English to German or French and vice versa) and internet marketing for small businesses or individual entrepreneurs. I asked her some questions about herself and her business, please see what she told me. Also be sure to check out her blog, I found lots of great information there.

Why did you become a VA?

I loved the idea of more flexibility, being able to be available part time for my kids, choosing the people I get to work with and just running my own business.

How do you prefer to communicate with clients? Phone, email, chat, combo?

I like to work with Skype and e-mail.

How do you stay organized? Do you have any organization tips?

I’m all about lists: to-do lists, task lists, priority lists, grocery lists…

How would your friends describe you?

Positive, good listener, usually in a good mood, very Swiss (meaning: on time, reliable, organized, picky about her chocolate)

How would your clients describe you?

Efficient, innovative, always finding better and faster ways

How do you feel about social media?

A must for small businesses! Social media offers small businesses so many free marketing opportunities which didn’t exist before. I’m thinking of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. It would be a pity if a business with a small marketing budget didn’t take advantage of them! Of course Social Media requires quite some time, so sometimes it makes sense to outsource these tasks to a Virtual Assistant.

To read the rest of the interview, click here.

Christine, thanks again for this great opportunity !
If you are a Virtual Assistant and would like to be get a profile on Christine’s website, please contact her through the e-mail on her site.

Related items:
- Find out more about Sarah Santacroce
- Why rocks? - Explaining my logo
- Learn German on Twitter – Find out why I’m posting one German word per day on Twitter
- Subscribe to my RSS Feed

Review of “Internet Marketing Specialist Class” by VAClassroom

by Sarah Santacroce

When I was researching the courses offered by VAClassroom, I was desperately looking for reviews from past class members to find out if this class was worth my money and time. I found some, but not as many as I’d hoped for. So this post is for YOU, who are considering to invest in yourself and attend one of VAClassroom’s high quality, intense content and very interactive classes!

Ok, so the class I’m attending right now (I’m in the 5th week of a 5 week long class) is called “Internet Marketing Specialist”. If you visit VAClassroom’s homepage, you’ll find a very detailed description of the lessons. Each lesson is not just a boring document to read at home, but a video presentation. It feels like you’re attending a private class in which Craig Cannings, co-owner and facilitator, talks to you in his lovely Canadian accent (eh!) and really wants you to understand all the details. You get 4 videos of average 30 – 40 minutes a week, plus 1 – 2 bonus demos of online tools. You can pause the video any time, review it as many times as you want, skip a part etc. On top of that, Craig gives you all the resources you need to implement and offer these Internet Marketing Services at your own business. Spreadsheets, checklists, links to online services, tips on how to charge for the services… you name, he has it. As if that wasn’t enough already, by signing up you also become part of the Internet Marketing Specialist Club, a community where members can connect, share ideas, ask questions and get feedback.

I won’t go over the details of each lesson, you’ll find those on their homepage, but here are just a few of the things that I’ve learned (and will soon be offering to my clients!):

• Develop a Marketing Strategy and Action Plan
• Create a Competitor Analysis Report
• Provide a Website Assessment
• Do keyword research and provide basic SEO on page guidelines
• Offer Link building services
• Article and Press Release Marketing
• E-Mail Marketing

So as you see, it’s very content intense and it will take you a while to not only watch the videos, but fully understand and implement all the services into your own business.

Once again, I’d like to summarize the benefits of this class:

• good value for your money
• high quality content through video lessons
• resources in form of spreadsheets, checklists etc
• demos for Online Tools (Google Analytics, AWeber, 1Shoppingcart, Market Samurai etc.)
• membership of the class community where you can ask questions
• “Internet Marketing Specialist” badge to promote your newly expanded skills on your website (can’t wait to get mine!)

I’m very happy that I decided to attend this class.
This is a very honest review and at the moment of writing it I’m not affiliated in any way with VAClassroom (it’s something I might consider in the future though, because I truly believe in their classes).

Now it’s your turn? Have you attended one of their classes? Please share your feedback in the comments!

Affordable translations provided by a bilingual Virtual Assistant

by Sarah Santacroce

Here’s the situation: you need to translate your website and have requested a couple of quotes from certified translators. But when you saw the prices, you had to sit down and after some thought, decided that it just wouldn’t fit in your budget for the moment. I’ll bet you any money that you haven’t received a quote from a bilingual Virtual Assistant!

Here are 6 facts you need to know about translations provided by bilingual or multilingual Virtual Assistants:

1. Compared to other cheap oversea translators, bilingual Virtual Assistants usually translate in to their native language, or a language they are VERY familiar with.
   
   
2. You get a human translation, not one created by a machine (such as translate.google.com)
   
   
3. You get a translation from somebody who is interested in your business and will be asking you questions about specific words, terms or meanings on your site or document
   
   
4. You get to ask for references of previous clients
   
   
5. Some bilingual Virtual Assistants are also specialized in SEO and internet marketing and won’t just translate the text, but also give you advice on how to market your site to the new target language. What’s the point of translating your site, if the potential clients of the added language don’t find it on Google, right?
   
   
6. Finally translations by bilingual Virtual Assistants are usually more affordable than those done by certified translators. Some VA’s charge by the hour, others by the word, but either way, you most likely get a better deal!

So, did I convince you to give it a try and hand your next translation job to a bilingual Virtual Assistant? Just ask for a quote and the VA will contact you to discuss your needs. Here are some contacts:

- for English to German translations (or German to English)
- for French to English translations
- for English to French translations
- for English to Italian or Spanish translations (or Italian and Spanish to English)

Please remember, most bilingual Virtual Assistants are not certified translators. So if you are looking for a more technical translation or just want perfection, I recommend you contact a certified translator.

Still not convinced about bilingual Virtual Assistants ? Find out more in these related posts:

- What exactly is a Virtual Assistant?
- How can a bilingual Virtual Assistant help you ?
- 5 benefits of working with a Virtual Assistant