List love? What’s she talking about?

I mean building a list of followers for your virtual assistant business. Let me explain with a little story.

I was in a virtual assistant forum that I frequent the other day and saw a comment that went something like this.

“I need help deciding between these two list management services for a client of mine. They are working on list building with a weekly newsletter. I don’t have a need for these services myself so I was wondering if any of you have experience with either of them.”

Here’s the thing.

It is fabulous that she was reaching out to her fellow VAs and asking for advice on a product. But the big problem here is that she didn’t see the need to utilize these services for her own business. I wanted to leap through the computer, shake that VA and tell her why she should already be working on a list for herself!  Since I can’t really do that, I’ll share that info with you. Let’s go over some reasons why it’s so important and ways that you can stay in touch with the list that you create.

Why A List?

Research has shown that it takes people seven to nine touches before they decide to make a purchase or utilize someone’s services. You may have done your SEO homework and have people stopping by your website. But what’s getting them to come back there? What if they don’t need a virtual assistant at the moment but they might in a week or a year? What will make them remember you at that point as opposed to all of the other stuff they look at online every day?

Here’s the secret. Show up consistently in their inbox! This is still one of the most effective ways to reach people and market to them. You don’t want those potential clients to visit your website and then just go away. You want to get their permission to be in contact with them on some kind of a regular basis so that you stay top-of-mind.
This is true even if you’re just starting out with your business—especially if you’re just starting out, in fact! It doesn’t matter if the first two people who sign up for your list are your mom and your best friend. You will have established a sound business practice and that list will grow over time.

Let me tell you right off the bat that besides word-of-mouth referrals, the biggest way that I get new clients for my VA business is through the people on my list.

What Do I Say?

One of the biggest stumbling blocks that virtual assistants come across is how to get people on that list and what to talk to them about once they are there. Trust me, I felt that way when I started out, too. But I learned that it doesn’t have to be a big complicated thing.

You want to offer a potential subscriber something of value that will make them interested enough to give you their email address in exchange for this freebie. Try to keep in mind that the focus should be on solving a problem for them.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started on what to offer as an opt-in for your list sign up:
• A free report about the benefits of your services
• A discount or coupon for your services
• An audio or video tutorial teaching them step-by-step how to implement a particular process or service that you provide

Now you’ve given your subscribers a reason to hand over their email address.

What next? This is the important part. You want to keep in touch with them.

How often? That really depends on what works for you. As long as you’re consistent with the schedule that you set, you will be on the right track.

For instance, you could offer them a free weekly or monthly newsletter where you share tips and best practices related to their business and the services that you offer. You can share articles of interest or your blog posts. You can also use this newsletter to announce new services you might be adding to your VA business, holiday specials or when you have openings to accept new clients.
Just keep your target market in mind when deciding what to write and stay on a consistent schedule, whatever that might be for you. Over time, your list will grow. Keep at it and one day you’ll wind up with an email in your inbox that says, “I’ve been receiving your online newsletter for about six months now and I noticed that you help people with their social media accounts. Can you help me?” Yay for a new client!

Alicia Jay is a WAHM virtual assistant who loves to help other women along their VA journey. She is constantly working to perfect the fine art of running online businesses while changing diapers and wiping noses. Alicia specializes in and teaches general transcription. Join her for General Transcription Bootcamp, your quickest way to a career in general transcription!