When you look at how you are marketing your business, what do you see?

Is there rhyme and reason to it, or do you just ‘fly by the seat of your pants’?

If that sounds like you, don’t worry – you are definitely not alone.

Many VAs I talk to don’t really have a plan in place to market their business. But if you don’t plan, it’s a bit like throwing spaghetti at a wall – you put it all out there and just hope something sticks. It’s not a really effective plan.

Marketing strategy isn’t difficult – it just takes sitting down and thinking about what you want to do, why you want to do it, and what results you expect to get.

Here are a couple of tips:

1. Know your goals – You need to plan the goal of your marketing in order to be able to effectively set up your strategy, and also to monitor the results. You need to set some goals – both short term and long term – of what you want to get out of your marketing efforts. Whether you want to build your list, get more clients, expand your network, gain expert status in your industry, connect with others, or sell products, you need to look at each goal individually and then figure out how you are going to strategize to make it happen.

2. Know your plan – Once you decide what you goal is, then it’s important to strategically decide how you are going to achieve it. Things to think about include what combination on online and offline marketing you will use, what parts you can/will automate and what needs to be spontaneous. Also, don’t forget about planning to give yourself enough lead time to successfully market what it is you are focusing on.

3. Know your content – The words you use to get your message out are always key. You need to be able to plan what you are going to say, and how you are going to say it. Figure out what kind of messages your audience will hear from you – whether that is in the form of blog posts, articles, audio, video, or whatever – and then provide the information you want them to have in that medium.

4. Know your Call to Action – Finally, with every piece of marketing that you put out there, be sure to have a clear call to action. Ask your prospect to do one thing – whether that’s to direct them to your website, ask them to opt in for your freebie, or purchase your services, be clear about what it is you want them to do.

Making time to plan your marketing strategy will save you time and money. A little planning goes a long way, and by just considering the few steps above, you can make sure that your marketing efforts will be working for you.

For more information and tips on how to market your VA business, visit my blog. I’d love to hear your comments on this article!

by Tracey D’Aviero
Virtual Assistant Trainer & Mentor