3 Top Reasons To Hire a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

by:  Susan Sheehan

The busy season is right around the corner and the time crunch is already starting.  New listings, new clients, social media, a long to-do list, open houses, mailings, Craigslist, and so much more.  Feeling that time crunch at some point, many successful agents have turned to outsourcing instead of hiring an assistant.  Why?

Many agents just don't need full-time help, so flexible outsourcing works.  A few hours every week, a task here and there, or just during the busy season.  I'm sure you've heard of a Real Estate Virtual Assistant but do you understand how they can help you move forward?

I bet you're skeptical, right?  First, decide what you're good and what you don't like (or don't know how) to do.  As an agent you should spend as much time as you can on dollar generating activities, establishing, and maintaining client relationships.

What I like to do is solve your problems.  I ask my clients to tell me what their biggest problem areas are and then formulate a plan to effectively solve them.

I've done 100's of tasks for my clients but they can basically be broken down into 3 areas:

Administrative Support

• setting up and confirming your calendar
• many contract to close duties
• document library
• CRM management
• schedule appointments and inspections

Marketing Support

• social media
• fliers
• blogging
• newsletters
• video and slide share creation
• Craigslist

Sales Support

• staying in touch with clients
• follow up calls
• getting FSBO info
• researching expired listings
• increase contact and sphere of influence
• drip email campaigns

The possibilities are endless.  I've done these tasks before so I'm already trained and ready to hit the ground running.  Let me give you the luxury of more time in your day.  Now is the time to take your real estate business to the next level, let's get it organized and efficient.  I'm also a licensed MA real estate agent with my CEU's completely up-to-date, which increases the tasks I'm allowed to help you with.  Send me an email and we can start talking about your business.

26 Tips to Enhance Your Social Media Profile

by: Susan Sheehan

This is a great post by Social Media Examiner, "26 Tips To Enhance Your Social Media Profiles."

Not only does it give some great tips but it has some excellent links in the article too.  Like a cheat sheet for your profile pictures and banners for each social network. (tip #1)

Having really just started blogging I've not yet linked my blogging with Google Authorship but I'm going to.  (tip #12)

Maybe I'll get to some multimedia content this year but one thing at a time, lets see if I can keep up plain old blogging.  (tip #21)

Click the link above and give it a read.

Oh and please check out MY social media links below and I wouldn't complain if you like, join my circle or follow me!

    

Quick Guide: Calls To Action

by: Susan Sheehan

Uh oh, another thing to learn.  That's how I felt when I saw the letters CTA for the first time.  I had just started my Virtual Assistant business and had SO much to learn all at once.  But never fear, this one is fairly easy to get going.  Don't get me wrong, if you Google "calls to action" you will find that there is an entire science behind this but you can get your own CTA going on your website or in social media today.

I've noticed that many, no make that most, of the Virtual Assistants I know completely skip a CTA on their websites and I'm not sure why.  But a CTA isn't just for a VA... everyone should have them on their websites and use them in their social media.  So let's get started.

 What exactly is a Call To Action (CTA)?  Simply put, a CTA is an image or line of text (or both) that encourages your visitor or customer to take action. To click on something specific, to download something, to sign up for a webinar, get a coupon.  Believe me, we all see a bazillion Calls to Action every day.

If you're still unsure, here are a few examples:

So why would you want a CTA on your website?  What if your not ready to discount services, haven't written an ebook, and don't have anything to sign up for?  My answer to that is: Get Busy!

When a website visitor interacts with you they are 1-step closer to being a customer.  They didn't just look at your website and click off to something else.  They actually spent time on it and have some interest in your services (or products).  So don't let them go.  Give them something of value and they will be even closer to working with you.  And more importantly, for them to get that "white paper" you wrote they have to give you their email address so you can deliver it to them.  And once you have that from a potential client you can stay in touch.

Sit down and write a white paper on something a prospective client might like to know.  In the case of a Virtual Assistant it could be:

5 Steps To Having a Great Relationship With Your VA.
6 Things Your VA Will Ask You To Do and Why.

Or give them a free service of some kind:

Free Social Media Assessment
Free 15 Minute Consult

It could be as simple as:

Sign Up For My Newsletter
Share This With Your Facebook Friends
Leave Us Your Comments Below

But once they follow thru with your CTA you have a potential lead and all you have to do now is move them along.  A website visitor wouldn't be on my website reading about Virtual Assisting if they didn't have some interest.

Here is a quick checklist of things to think about and include in your CTA:

• Have an eye catching design for your CTA.
• Think about color and test out the same CTA but in different colors.
• Use language that will motivate them:  Buy, Donate, Subscribe, Register, or Free.
• Create a feeling of urgency: "1 week only," "expires on January 31," "Sign up today and receive a free gift."
• Think about size and placement of the CTA on your website.
• Provide a bit of extra information, make your CTA hard to resist.
• Have your CTA take them to a specific landing page for your offer that has a picture, more info, and a signup form.
• Follow thru!  Make sure you give them what you offer and keep in touch.  You just might end up with a new client.

Here is a CTA on my website:

Here are a few great things from Hubspot to get you going on your first CTA:

Free Download: 50 free CTA templates

Free Ebook: Intro to CTA's

BTW, please share this post with your friends (use the buttons below)!!

What is a Virtual Assistant worth?

by: Susan Sheehan

I read this great blog post today about what Virtual Assistants charge and why.  I was going to write a blog post about this but this one did it for me.  It's a great post, How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Charge?

If you have any thoughts about the article please let me know!

Virtual Assistant / Cape Cod Social Media Links

by: Susan Sheehan

Find us on Social Media.  Please like us, follow us, friend us, tweet with us!

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Quick Advertising Ideas...

by: Susan Sheehan

Here is a really quick rundown on some ways (new and old) to advertising your business:

• your local paper
• direct mail
• direct targeted email
• newsletters
• write an article about your business/industry
• sponsor a local event
• sponsor a local team
• coupons
• flyers
• placemats (popular on Cape Cod)
• business cards
• local professional and business organizations
• vehicle signs
• trade shows
• Twitter
• Facebook
• website
• Happy Birthday coupons
• get an mailing list
• networking events
• local radio ads
• ask customers for a referral and reward them
• teach an adult ed class in your field
• partner with another business
• door hangers on door knobs
• t shirts
• airplane banner ads (often done in beach communities like Cape Cod)

We can help you with any of these ideas, either get you started or do them all for you.  

Basics for Small Business Owners

by: Susan Sheehan

I owned my first small business, a flower store, when I was in my 20's.  I was a great florist and felt I'd make more money running my own business.  Wrong (at least at first).  I had no idea how to run a business and I found out the hard way.

This time around I'm a little smarter.  I'm keeping books, records, and customers.  I actually have a business plan.  I can promise you this, the effort involved in keeping books is worth the payoff at tax time (or when the IRS comes knocking).  However, around here we have a lot of seasonal businesses.  And if your business is seasonal you need to work like crazy "in season."  And that leaves very little time for anything else.  

You can't put off accounts receivable / payable and payroll.  You must keep your current customers and  you'll need to spend some time developing new ones.  This is exactly where a VA comes in handy.  Give us the jobs you hate doing, the busy work, so you can concentrate on the parts of your job you like and are good at.  We can help you an hour a week or 20.  Try us and you'll be convinced.  

While you are at it take a quick read of this article, "7 Things a Small Business Owner Should Know" it sums up the basics.