When you need an extra hand

The Difference Between a Virtual Assistant & a Virtual Specialist

If you’ve gone through my site, you’ll notice I use the wording ‘Virtual Specialist’ instead of ‘Virtual Assistant’. Were you left wondering what that even means? Well, let me explain:

 

Virtual Assistants

Virtual Assistance is usually from an individual or sometimes and agency or team of VA’s (for short) that perform basic to moderately complex tasks. They will help you save time freeing up your (or your essential employees/contractors’) time by doing tasks such as data entry, email inbox management, gather research, make reports, some more advanced VA’s even do setting up of social channels, social media posting and writing.

They’ll also help you save money from having to hire an employee before you’re ready for the financial and legal commitment. All businesses or personal brands grow at their own pace, but my philosophy is that spending the resources in a way that puts the money where it’s more likely to make a difference is the best way to go no matter the stage.

Problem they solve:

General admin duties are bogging you down, taking up your time and increased workload which dilutes your focus, seems to be stopping you from driving your business forward.

Looking for a VA? Here are some great tips for finding one that fits your needs:

• Know your budget first hand
• Don’t skimp on investment, you get the quality you pay for 
• Know the exact tasks and goals you need accomplished
• Join Facebook Groups with Virtual Assistants
• Be weary of insanely cheap prices or scams online
• Make sure the VA speaks and correctly writes your desired language(s)
• Keep time zones in mind
• Asking for resumes from a VA is not the industry norm, instead you can ask for a website, reviews, testimonials or case studies
• Be ready to sign contracts and assume tax responsibilities (if you invest more than $600 in the full year)

At first I started as a Virtual Assistant, while studying Business Administration/Marketing and working full-time in corporate. As my experience widened and developed expertise through 3 degrees, certifications and strategy development, I slowly moved more towards specializing in Growth Strategy and business development.

Now let’s get into Virtual Specialization.

 

Virtual Specialist

These are harder to find, due to the nature of the work being more specialized and strategic. What I mean by this is instead of simple, one-off tasks, they focus on the end goal, gather the information needed to draft up a strategy, then execute the work, all while measuring the effectiveness and reporting results along the way to achieving successful outcomes for you.

Problem we solve:

A certain level of stress from desire for new growth opportunities thus holding you back from growth and stopping momentum –questioning if you’re doing something wrong.

Examples of specialized work to put it into perspective for you: Graphic & Website Design, Brand Identity Refining, Customer Experience Development, Marketing Strategy, Business Planning, Coaching or Consulting, Social Media Communication Plan, Growth Strategy, etc.

If you’ve been doing these on your own as a business owner or are part of a team that has been getting by without one designated person in charge of this, it’s likely that you could benefit from teaming up with a Virtual Specialist to get the most from your current efforts.

Not only does it still save you time since you can focus on what you do best and have a specialist focus on what they do best to give you better results, you can still benefit from not having to bring this higher-paid role in-house as an employee.

Teaming up with a Virtual Specialist will help you:

• Find out what’s working and what’s wasting time/money
• Be right where your audience needs to find you
• Establish a well-crafted, custom brand that people will love
• Increase brand visibility online and on social media
• Improved customer satisfaction from a better overall experience
• Be more productive with your time
• Engage with more clients, in the most effective ways
• Respond to new sales inquiries faster
• Measure, Optimize and Increase conversion rates

 

After 10 years in Sales, Marketing and Business Development, I’ve established myself as a Strategic Growth Specialist that works with Visionary movements to create ideal experiences people love to interact with. Anything from Graphic and Web design, Business or Non-Profit Development, project management, event planning, and even assistance in applying to grants.

 

It’s inspiring and fulfilling work with movements such as innovative startups, philanthropic non-profit organizations, small businesses, and people looking to build their personal brands or careers. Some of the names I’ve worked with are Kaiser Permanente, UFC Gym, Simbi, The Hungry Lab Startup Incubator and a market-leading Financial Institution.

 

After reading this, do you feel ready to partner up with a Virtual Specialist?