Businesses owners hire Virtual Assistants to take on supplemental and administrative tasks, such as editing and proof-reading webinar presentations, sending thank you notes to customers and scheduling appointments, freeing up time for to increase profits and enjoy success with friends and family.

The Virtual Assistant community is a group of professionals who are largely former corporate employees committed to the highest level of service and quality. Becoming a Virtual Assistant is not an entry level role. Virtual Assistants bring years of administrative experience and knowledge who already “know the ropes” as opposed to a full-time employee who may be new to the business world.

In doing a cost/benefit analysis to compare a Virtual Assistant (VA) to hiring a full-time employee (FTE), you may look at the per hour rate and on the surface think that you can hire a full-time employee more cheaply. A Virtual Assistant rate is typically from $35 – $50 per hour based on the time worked. A full-time employee is typically paid for 40 hours per week at a rate of around $15 – $25 per hour plus overtime.

Click here to read full post by Tracy Smith with Tracy Smith Consulting Services, LLC. Tracy Smith offers a wide range of Virtual Assistant Services that include website and blog design, presentations, and social media.

Nowadays it seems that having more than one computer at home is the standard rather than the exception. And for those of us who either work from home because we own our own business or because we take work home (that’s yet another blog) we need to share files.

For small businesses who have a shared server, the virtual space may, believe it or not, ‘run out’ and it may be too costly to acquire more. Small Business can benefit from Dropbox and use this dynamic software as a cost-efficient business solution. And let’s not forget your Virtual Assistant (VA). As a business owner, you can establish a folder that is shared with your VA for simple and efficient file sharing.

When a shared server or VPN connection is not an option, the question becomes, “What are your options for file sharing?” I recommend Dropbox – www.dropbox.com, it’s FREE and FANTASTIC. Not only are you able to share your files, you can also access them online by signing into your profile. So no matter where you are, for business or personal files, as long as you have access to the internet, the files you have saved to Dropbox are at your finger tips (couldn’t help the cliché). Dropbox is also compatible with MAC and PCs, plus it works just fine with Vista (I have Vista and love it, I know.) Once you have added or updated a file on your desktop, your other desktop or laptop will show via a pop up that “ABC” file has been added/updated – allowing you and your fellow file sharers to stay up-to-date.

As a Virtual Assistant with a laptop, desktop and IPhone – I use Dropbox to keep myself organized, up-to-date and prepared for my own files and more importantly those of my clients. I encourage you to read up on Dropbox as well as other file sharing such as www.box.net, www.4shared.com, filehippo.com, etc, so that you can compare and make an informed decision. If you should decide to sign up for Dropbox, please feel free to use my referral link. By clicking on my referral link we both get more space and then you can share with your colleagues, friends and family.

DROP BOX LINK FOR AVENTURAVBS ~ https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTMxNzQzNDY5

About the Author: Sybel J. Flores is an emerging entrepreneur and business owner of AventuraVBS, Virtual Assistant

I signed up for my Threadsy account fully expecting to be unimpressed. As a busy Virtual Assistant who manages multiple emails and social media accounts, I already use the top-rated tools out there. However, I found that Threadsy has some elements that are really interesting.

Email

Like all email applications, Threadsy does pull in emails and folders from multiple accounts. It shows them in one stream, much like Google’s Gmail. However, there is the option to view one email account stream at a time. Once an email is open, one can easily get back to the email stream by simply scrolling down, rather than using a back key or extra click somewhere. This simple feature removes a step, which is always an A+ in my opinion.

My first gold star goes to Threadsy’s email signature feature. After incorporating Twitter and Facebook accounts into Threadsy, one can easily add Facebook and Twitter icons under their email signature that click through to their profiles. It is a very clean and professional extra that is completely enjoyable.

When adding recipients to an email, Threadsy pulls in the email contact’s “profile” with a picture (if available), adding them in a list down the left side of the email. It is an unnecessary, but fun, feature that sets it apart.

The email stream on Threadsy includes Facebook and Twitter steams as well, but it feels a bit redundant since there is a box to the right for viewing social media streams only. However, the feature allows archiving of social media posts which is very exciting.

Social Media

As promised, multiple Twitter and Facebook social media profiles can be added into Threadsy and viewed in a social media box to the right of the email stream. Threadsy wisely allows a drop-down feature to be used for viewing one profile at a time.

When posting to social media profiles through Threadsy, typical options apply, such as posting to several accounts at once and a url shortener (bit.ly). The coolest thing about Threadsy’s shortener is that it works automatically with no extra step of clicking “shrink.” Another saved step makes me happy.

My second gold star goes to Threadsy’s option to manage your Twitter retweets. No more auto-posted retweets with Threadsy. Feel free to comment, revise and add friends if needed. Thumbs up, Threadsy, for not cutting us short on that feature like the real Twitter did.

Threadsy has added a bio feature for learning more about fans and followers in your social media stream. When a fan or follower’s pic is clicked, a box pops up with a wealth of information including latest posts by the person. The best part about this is that it works for Facebook too, which is something I haven’t seen before. On a side note, this feature “works” with email profiles as well, but don’t expect to see much bio info pop up. Email security settings are too high for much info to get through.

My third gold star goes to a groovy feature that allows for one to go past the standard “I like this” thumbs-up feature that Facebook provides. Threadsy has taken this to the next level by allowing for either an “I *heart* this” or “I dislike this.” Trying to remain as positive as possible on social media, I would never use the dislike feature, but the *heart* feature is really fun.

Customer Service

I will give my fourth and final gold star to Threadsy for customer service. Not only was it easy to find contact information to their customer service department, but I received a reply within a couple of hours. Then, just to test the service a bit more, I replied back to the first response and received my second reply almost instantly. Way to go, Threadsy!

Drawbacks

As much as I love Threadsy, I must point out some glaringly obvious omissions.

1) Facebook Business Pages are not accessible.
2) Changes made while working in Facebook and Twitter don’t sync with Threadsy.
3) No scheduling Facebook and Twitter post for future dates and times.
4) No option to upload a picture to your Facebook and Twitter post.

As a Virtual Assistant who manages several of my own and client’ social media accounts, these four absent features were a deal breaker for me. However, I think Threadsy is a well-tuned and fun tool for the average social media user. Also, while Threadsy’s email features are fun, I prefer to keep my email and social media separate. Otherwise, I would be forced into a multi-tasking frenzy on a daily basis. Keep up the great work Threadsy, the masses need you.

RESOURCE: Threadsy is currently in beta and it is free.

About the Author: Julia Lilly is the owner of 360 Admin. She is a professional Virtual Assistant who assists small to mid-sized businesses with their social media presence by providing start- up consultation or daily account management. Visit her on the web at www.360admin.com.

According to the Newsweek article Social Media Trends for 2010 social media is still on the rise. Twitter alone has over 7 million unique users and growing monthly. The biggest trend predicted for 2010 is the increased use of social media in corporate marketing structures. The small business sector is not excluded from these trends. Researchers from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth show that small businesses are utilizing social media more than their larger counterparts.

These studies clearly show that social media is here to stay and should be added to your marketing plan in 2010. Here are a few easy steps to get your social media presence started.

1) Get Started. Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In are considered the top three social media sites. Set up accounts on each of these three sites to get your social media presence started. Make sure your profiles are set up professionally including a professional profile picture and company logo, company mission statement, full contact information and links to your website, blog and other social media sites.

2) Build a following. The easiest way to jump start up your social media following is to invite your current contacts to follow your new profiles. Most social media sites allow you to easily upload your email address book and will automatically locate your contacts for you. Once you have a small following, start sharing quality information such as company news, upcoming events or links to useful articles. It is equally important to contribute something back to your followers. Be sure and comment on their post or share their posts with your contacts when possible. By following these few steps your social media reputation and following will soon blossom.

3) Measuring your success. Setting goals and measuring your progress will help your social media message stay on course. Once you decide what you would like to gain from your social media presence, such as increased web traffic or a certain number of quality followers, find the program you need to measure it. Simple, free tools such as Facebook Stats, Twitazlyer and Google Analytics will get you started. Check your stats monthly to see if you are reaching your goal. If not, use the information to change your message and how you interact online.

4) Get Help. If setting up and starting your social media accounts seems too overwhelming or you just need help managing it all, look into hiring a social media experienced Virtual Assistant. A quality Virtual Assistant can become a true partner in your company’s success online.

Article by Julia Lilly, Owner of 360 Admin. She is a professional virtual assistant who assists small to mid-sized businesses with their social media presence by providing start- up consultation or daily account management. Visit her on the web at http://360admin.com.

Printed sales collateral is a staple for most Virtual Assistants. Your printed piece provides more information than a business card, and (if held in hand) is more immediate than a website. But which is better? Brochures or Flyers? Let’s start with a definition:

Brochure: A folded leaflet with an advertising or promotional message. Typically a high-quality piece with a stylized layout, typography, and illustrations. Can also be bound and have two or more pages.

Flyer (aka circular or sell sheet): an inexpensively produced circular used for promotional distribution.

Or, more simply put: brochures contain more of data ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS and can be used over a long period of time, whereas flyers contain less data about your business and are better suited for SHORT-TERM PROMOTIONS. Use a flyer to generate requests for your services, direct potential clients to your website, or promote a special offer.

Flyers are usually less expensive to produce because they can be one sided, unlike brochures, nor do they require folding. I like flyers for networking events/trade-shows and brochures for leave behinds on one-on-one sales calls.

One last consideration – brochures are easy to DISPLAY in an acrylic holder, while 8 1/2 x 11 flyers only stack….and not always very neatly.