Virtual Assistant Forums | Work from Home

jnix612 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Hey guys. I have gone 2 full months with no paychecks. My unemployment is in the appeals process. A mistake was made and now I have to wait. I've been waiting for 6 weeks now for the appeals to contact me. But they are backlogged. So I'm a little down. Here is my real problem.

There are some good opportunities for virtual assistants on Craigslist, yet I don't think my marketing message is working. What should I do? I'm not a marketing major and all I know is that I believe my message is not working. Or it could be pure volume and the people are not reading my emails. Right now I have to assume it's my message and I need to change it.

On some instances I have to type a quick note to them because if the problem is volume then I'm trying to beat the masses and get my email to them within the first 15 minutes of the opportunity posting.

Thoughts?

Dawn At Your Service · #2 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Hi Jessica,
Sorry to hear that you're feeling discouraged. What other methods of marketing are you using? How long have you been in business?

I have been in business since April 2008. It took me 3 months before I got my first client (off of Craigslists coincidentally). I utilize several other marketing strategies such as direct mailings, forum participation, attending networking events and work hard to get decent traffic to my website. I have gotten several leads form Craigslist, but only one client.

I've had my posts flagged previously on Craigslist for using the word "Virtual Assistant". Perhaps it's the moderator in my area or someone flagged me, but I see a ton of other VA's post Virtual Assistance Services on Craigslist.

My point is, I have found only a small benefit from Craigslist. I would never put all of my eggs in one basket. I also know regular clientele takes a very long time to build. (MY SBA counsoler told me it takes 3 years!) It requires patience and motivation.

I know the experiences on sites like guru and/or Elance have been reported to be more good than bad, but in desperate measures, working for pennies may be worth it if it puts a meal on the table or keeps the heat on.

Keep checking the RFPs and Services Required here on VAF.

Really dig into this general marketing portion of VAF and come up with a fresh list of ideas and tactics. Take your lemons and make lemonade. Take your feelings of discouragement and turn them into focus and determination.

The possibility of being successful is there. It's up to you to make it happen.

Best wishes,
Dawn

McCaul Assistance · #3 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Hi Jessica,

Don't give up. Make sure you market yourself in other areas in addition to Craigslist. I've found that most of the ads on CL are not even legitimate - even though they may sound and look it. When I do contact the "good ones", (because there are some on there), I will send a nice letter describing myself and my skills and most of the time never even get a response. I've gotten a response about 6 times in the last year and a couple of them have turned out to be clients! Don't think it is how you're marketing yourself. Remember that it does take time! I wish you the best of luck - hang in there...it will happen for you soon!

Also, you could always subcontract with other VA's. There is a webinar tonight at 8pm EST on just how to do that. I'll see if I can find the post for you - it was posted a couple days ago by Megan Barber.

jnix612 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

I'm trying not to do all my marketing on Craigslist. I market on the social sites and right now I'm unemployed and no income coming in and I can't go to networking events right now. (dept of labor screwed up my paperwork and now I'm in long appeals process and they are back logged). I'm managing food on the table, but I don't have any room to spend on my business so it all has to be free. I'll do some of your suggestions and see what else I can come up with.

jnix612 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Oh thank you about the webinar. I don't think I saw the email for this or may have deleted it before I actually read it. I got the last webinar message.

Originally Posted by McCaul Assistance

Hi Jessica,

Don't give up. Make sure you market yourself in other areas in addition to Craigslist. I've found that most of the ads on CL are not even legitimate - even though they may sound and look it. When I do contact the "good ones", (because there are some on there), I will send a nice letter describing myself and my skills and most of the time never even get a response. I've gotten a response about 6 times in the last year and a couple of them have turned out to be clients! Don't think it is how you're marketing yourself. Remember that it does take time! I wish you the best of luck - hang in there...it will happen for you soon!

Also, you could always subcontract with other VA's. There is a webinar tonight at 8pm EST on just how to do that. I'll see if I can find the post for you - it was posted a couple days ago by Megan Barber.

katekindred · #6 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Hi Jessica, It can be really frustrating at times, getting clients, especially when you need the $$ coming in.The best advice I ever got about marketing was to "always have three methods of reaching out" to find clients. Some cost only time, not money, but you need to be able to invest one or the other. Working on your web site so that your site appears in search results costs nothing but time and willingness to learn about it. I remember feeling something close to despair as months went by and my web site did not appear in search results. The biggest bang I get from craigslist is that the ad shows up in google and a few people have found me that way. It's not likely that someone will actually plow through all the spammy craigslist ads to find me. It gives me a search engine boost, but before I realized that I felt like I was cheapening my business by putting an ad there with all the hoaxes and spams. I have another business that I have never spent a single cent advertising for and just get the search engine boost by using several free classifieds.

tg180078 · #7 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Jnix ,

I am in a similiar situation. So thanks for posting this and also to the people who responded. I think we should invest more time, since we do not have the funds, to improve marketing efforts.

jnix612 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Thanks everyone and Tia you are welcomed. I figured I better get some advice now before I get too far and still nothing. It was good to hear the time frame it took some to secure 1st clients. The advice will give me something else to do because without clients I was running out of work. But I see I still have some work to do.

katekindred · #9 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Jessica, one more thing. Give your web site a title, preferably one rich with key words people will type in when looking for you. You web site shows "home page" for the title. This won't help you one bit search engine wise. I do not claim to be any kind of a SEO expert, but I know from my own trials and errors that you need a good title. This will help your site appear in search results. I have a pdf I found online called seomadeeasy.pdf It helped me a lot. I don't know how to go about posting it here but can email it to you if you would like.

Kathleen Kindred

MegBarberVA · #10 (**permalink**) 01-29-2009

Hi Jessica,
Here is the link to that free teleclass on subcontracting. http://www.officedeva.com/teleclasses.html There is one tonight at 8pm EST and then she is doing another one on February 5th at 2pm EST.

Try not to get too discouraged. There are people that have gotten some real clients out of Craig's List. In fact one person who posted today over in the real estate category snagged a HUGE client from CL.

Sometimes in CL it is hard to weed through the spam and the scams. But you don't need to give up completely. Also, if you are posting ads of your own, you can perhaps use a little html to dress them up a little to stand out, by using something like a free version of vFlyer to make your ads.

And then think beyond posting CL ads. Are you active in your social networking? There are a lot of social networking resources that don't cost anything but your time in using them. And that's another good way to get word out into the world about your business. Do you have a Facebook profile and page to promote your business on there? Do you have a blog? Have started to tweet on Twitter? Those are just some ideas.

Hang in there!