Are you considering a career as a Virtual Assistant but don’t know where to start? Luckily, Virtual Assistants can be employed in nearly every industry for a variety of services. If you’re about to launch your own freelance business as a Virtual Assistant, you’re probably going to want to determine where you would like to focus in your career.
Choose Your Niche
Let’s start things off with a question. What interests you? Is it bookkeeping? Blogging? Social media? Data entry? Your niche will determine the services you offer as a Virtual Assistant. There’s a wide range of services that Virtual Assistants can offer but most choose to specialize in one or two areas. Some of the most popular speciality areas include:
- Social Media
- General Word Processing
- Spreadsheet Development
- Phone Answering
- Transcription
- Website Design + Maintenance
- Bulk Mailings
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Proofreading
- Calendar/Email Management
- eCommerce Support
- Online Marketing Support
- Enhanced Word Processing
- Certified Professional Resume Writing
- Desktop Publishing
- Graphic Design
- Database Maintenance
- Mail Merging
And the list goes on…
Try find 2-3 areas of interest that most appeal to you. If you have an interest in the task, then you’re likely to be better at it. Our best work is often the result of what we’re really passionate about. If we don’t enjoy the task at hand, then we’re more likely to procrastinate. If you are working as an employee for a company, this might not be so bad. But if you’re working for yourself, only you can hold yourself accountable to your clients’ expectations. It’s imperative that you base your niche on what interests you the most. Find what you like doing and focus on building those skills even further, carving out your specialty.
Your specialities don’t need to chosen from the list above. They can be anything that you enjoy doing. What is it about the career that makes your passionate? What inspires you to work? Once you find that answer, it’ll be easier to determine what areas you can choose to specialize in.
Find Your Industry
While Virtual Assistants don’t necessarily need to limit themselves to one specific industry, it’s helpful to have an idea of where you’d like to focus. Nearly every industry imaginable employs Administrative Assistants in some capacity. As a Virtual Assistant, you’re doing the same job, but with the advantage of choosing what you’d like to do. VAs are common in industries such as:
Real Estate
Virtual Assistants are great assets to any real estate firm. VAs can manage listings, manage social media accounts, set and manage appointments, post ads, and provide general information to prospective clients.
Marketing
Marketing firms often outsource tasks like blogging, social media ad management, article syndication, and design to Virtual Assistants.
Information Technology
Virtual Assistants in the IT sector can assist with data entry, programming, technical support, and more. IT is one of the largest industries that employ Virtual Assistants. Given the nature of the industry, outsourcing work digitally is a no-brainer.
Accounting and Finance
Virtual Assistants can work in accounting and finance industries doing tasks like data entry, bookkeeping, calendar management, and payroll. If you have a background in accounting, you can definitely take advantage of those skills and carry them into a career as a Virtual Assistant.
If you haven’t yet discovered what most interests you or what kind of industry you’d like to work in, don’t worry. You don’t need to find a niche or industry before getting started as a Virtual Assistant. After some time and experience, you will eventually discover an area or industry that appeals to you the most. However, it’s important to have a good idea of what type of tasks interest you the most.
So what is it that interests you? If you were to launch your Virtual Assistant business at this very moment, which services would you offer?