Facebook Groups Are Out— Here’s What’s in!
My hope is that today’s blog will help give you a little direction if you are someone who is already a virtual assistant, or maybe you are starting out your business as a VA or you are thinking about it and just wondering how the heck you get clients.
So the virtual assistant industry has been around for years and years, which means there is advice that is out there that is also years old as well. And some of the advice still stands today, and some of it changes and becomes outdated and I think it is a good thing right?! Like in business and, I mean, the world evolves, then knowledge and education around it evolve as well.
And it doesn’t even take years to change either, nowadays, things can change in months or even weeks with how quickly technology moves!
When I first started my business as a VA, so many people were saying that Facebook groups were a great place to find clients, so what did I do? I joined a few Facebook groups and wow, was I overwhelmed.
Someone would post they were looking for a VA, and sometimes they would include what tasks they wanted them to help them with, and sometimes they wouldn’t, and then 200+ comments later…. They would have some people to choose from, to say the least. A lot of times in situations like that, not every situation by any means, people are looking for the person with the lowest rate, not necessarily the person who might do the best job.
Do you know what it reminds me of? You know the movie, Finding Nemo? And there are all the seagulls and they are going, “Mine, mine, mine, mine”.... Yeah, that’s what the comment section of a lot of those posts seems like lol.
Now, I do have some students from The VA Roadmap that have found some great clients in Facebook groups, so I am not saying it doesn’t work because it can. I am pretty sure even in one of my very first podcast episodes I talked about it being a place you can find clients as well.
But more often than not, you are going up against a ton of other VAs, with very little knowledge of what the work actually is, and all the potential clients know about you is what you put in your comment. I find this practice very hard for you to connect to your ideal client, so my hot take? Facebook groups are out. Building your own brand is in.
So what does building your own brand mean? Well, I think it can mean a lot of things but to me, it means creating a business that sets you apart and attracts your dream clients to you, instead of just trying to work with anyone and everyone. To me, that is a recipe for burnout. Again, I am not saying it’s impossible to find great clients in groups, but I think that the groups are just oversaturated, and could take a lot more time and effort to not just find a client to work with, but find your IDEAL client to work with.
When it comes to building your own brand, you are putting out what you want to attract. You are providing value to people so that instead of you feeling like YOU have to beg them to work with you, they are LINING UP to work with you.
Okay so let’s talk about a couple of tips I have for you when it comes to building your own brand:
Figure out who your ICA and speak to them
Your ICA is your ideal client avatar, so the ideal person that you want to work with.
This is something we go pretty in-depth with in The VA Roadmap, but some questions you can start asking yourself are:
❋ What are the characteristics of my ideal client?
❋ What problems or challenges does my ideal client have?
❋ What values does my ICA uphold?
❋ Where are they at in their own business?
This is different from a niche. You can have an ICA and not have a niche. So keep that in mind.
Then once you have your ICA in mind, and you have figured out what challenges they have, solve them through your services and the content you put out to help them and ultimately build that trust with them.
Get your brand visible
You want people to be able to see your brand and know what you have to offer, and I would recommend doing this by using social media. I know this isn’t ideal for some people – but hear me out. Social media is probably the number one way to get your brand visible these days. Everyone and anyone are on social media, and your ideal client likely is among them! Online business owners are using social media as a marketing tool, it’s a FREE marketing tool!
I think what holds people back from using social media is they don’t want to post all the time or share a lot of their life and I think this is why being a virtual assistant is so great because you don’t have to do that like you maybe have to if you were a more personal brand like an influencer or content creator. But even then I would say, you have control over what you share on social media. If you don’t want to post your day-to-day life, you don’t have to! There are ways to be personable without sharing personal things.
But social media is a great tool for people to not only discover you but learn from you! It’s a place you can share really valuable content with your ideal client and help them solve the problems they may be facing.
And then my third and final tip:
Define what your UVP (unique value proposition) is, and set yourself apart
There is a huge market for virtual assistants, and with the increase of online businesses especially since 2020, they are needed more than ever.
However, what makes you different? What makes you unique?
Are really good at time and project management?
Do you have a knack for visual/graphic design?
Do you have experience in certain platforms or with certain services already that you can duplicate for others?
You want to use this not only in the services you offer but the value you put out there when it comes to marketing as well!
And if you are thinking well shoot, I don’t know what sets me apart – I promise you there is something. And the best part is you can always gain more knowledge and education that will make you stand out! Being a fast learner is even an example of a UVP!
So all in all, Facebook groups can be an option to find clients, but I don’t think it should be the first, second, or even third place you look.
In today’s world, I think it is wildly beneficial to build your own brand as a VA and essentially position yourself as an expert, the go-to person that people think of when they think of your services. It’s only going to help you build a solid foundation for your business and in turn, help you as you continue to grow with your clients as well!
There are so many different ways to market your business and find clients, and while some things may work for some people, they might not for others, and I think it’s important to remember that and also continue to grow and change as the world of business evolves around us.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about starting your own business as a VA but there are some things holding you back… Take a peek at our signature virtual assistant course, The Va Roadmap! Learn about the investment here.
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