Yesterday’s exclusive Members Hour discussion was all about marketing to attract new clients, be that as a new Virtual Assistant or one who has been in business for a while.

The beauty of these Member’ Hour discussions is that there are differing points of view expressed, none of them wrong, but they raise a concept you perhaps hadn’t previously considered. I really noticed this last year when I did a webinar with Jonathan Senior and Sigrid de Kaste, answering the common questions raised by Virtual Assistants. I think that for every question asked, the three of us had a different answer. None of the answers were wrong, but the fact that we each interpreted the questions so differently, and gave such differing solutions was quite enlightening .

It’s the same principle as our intelligentVA coffee mornings; it’s an informal discussion with other people who actually understand your business and the little quirks associated with it. There’s no better way to collaborate than for like-minded people to put their heads together.

It wouldn’t be fair to the Members to share with you everything that was discussed, but here are a few of the highlights:

• Don’t be too quick to send direct mail; if you do send it make sure you have really targeted the message, considered the cost of the campaign, and are sending it to the right person. Then follow it up with a phone call; don’t wait for them to call you.
• You don’t have to include an SAE when you want a response; they are often wasted, and if someone is serious about contacting you the lack of an SAE won’t prevent them from doing so.
• Do you really need to give it away free? Offering an introductory hour is a good idea, but don’t do it for free; make a nominal charge that will stop the time-wasters taking advantage, but still make it an attractive proposition for your prospect. Try an hour of my time for a fiver! Even if you charge £1 it still requires more determination and thought to take up than something that is free.
• Think about the type of client you want before you start marketing, then write your marketing message in their language; sell them the solution to their problems rather than writing a generic message.
• Use case studies on your website; show them what you have done for others. Potential clients will identify with this rather than with generic skills .
• Don’t splash the cash; 1000 pens with your company logo on are all well and good, but the money would be better spent on a more focused marketing message that actually tells the recipient what you can do for them, rather than just being a pretty coloured gizmo with your name and phone number on..

These are just some of the topics we covered in this members hour, our next Members Hour will be  covering ‘Writing for your Website’.  Don’t forget these hours are exclusive to our members, as well as a host of other benefits so don’t hesitate, become a member today and give  your Virtual Assistant business the tools it needs to grow and flourish.