Email Newsletters and how they can help your brand

Email newsletters are a critical part of any email marketing campaign. Email is the most efficient and effective way for a business owner to grab the attention of customers and prospects and a newsletter is a useful tool for leverage the power of email marketing.  A newsletter is a chance for business owners and entrepreneurs to engage with their supporters, customers, or prospects. It allows an individual to share content, update customers on new initiatives or products, invite people to events, and send blog posts to your email list.

What is a newsletter?

A newsletter is a scheduled email that goes out at a specific time and date in a repetitive cycle. A newsletter can be sent on a weekly, bimonthly, monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule, depending on whether you have the relevant content prepared to be sent out according to your schedule. Newsletters frequently contain information such as, but not limited to: call to actions, sale of products or services, relevant industry updates, new business announcements, invitation to events or webinars, and blog posts.  It’s a chance for you, as the business owner, to grab the attention of everyone on your email list and remind them about your business. It’s also a great opportunity to build up your brand. Newsletters can make or break a company due to its ability to influence your marketing efforts or your brand perception.

How do I effectively use Newsletters?

The first step to effective newsletter management is to establish a consistent schedule for your newsletter. People appreciate consistency and if your newsletter comes to their inbox at the same time of the same day on a reoccurring schedule, then it’s easier for you to build up a dedicated newsletter reader base. The corollary of that is that if your newsletter scheduling is inconsistent, then people will forget about your newsletter. 

The second step to effective newsletter management is to create compelling content. People are bombarded with emails every day. The easiest way to create loyal readers is to create content that interests them. Compelling content revolves around creating value for individuals. Remember that, as a business owner, what you believe is valuable to readers doesn’t necessarily mean that it is valuable to them.  It’s important that you occasionally ask for feedback from your readers to see what types of content they enjoy so you can gradually improve your content. 

The third step to effective newsletter management is to identify what time and day is best for improving open and click through rates for your emails. Email marketing open rates are an indicator of how many people on your list open your email. It is an early indicator of how successful your email newsletter campaigns. Click through rates are an indicator of how many people, who have opened your email already, are clicking through any hyperlinks inside your email newsletter. This statistic shows a business owner how engaged your readers are with your content. High click through rates and higher open rates imply that your newsletter is successful in engaging with your email lists. Identify which times of the day and what day is the most successful in driving high open rates and high click through rates. You may have to experiment to figure out what works best for your prospect demographic, but the rewards are worth it. 

How can a VA assist me with my newsletter?

An experienced Virtual Assistant has the requisite experience and knowledge for creating compelling email newsletters. A Virtual Assistant can: assist in creating the content, design the newsletter, create systems and schedules to streamline your newsletter campaigns, and analyze and improve the open and click through rates.  Virtual Assistants can manage your email lists by: adding or deleting subscribers identify unsubscribes or delete bounced email addresses, and segment your email lists into hot or cold leads.

If you have any questions on email newsletters and what they can do for your business, please don’t forget to schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me! Email newsletters are a powerful tool for any marketing department or individual, so schedule a consultation and learn more about how to effectively use and manage newsletter campaigns!

iVirtual Business Services is your Operational & Administrative Solution…
because you deserve work/life balance. 

75 Tasks that a Virtual Assistant can help you with

A virtual assistant can help entrepreneurs and business owners with a great variety of administrative, operational, marketing, and sales tasks. Owners and entrepreneurs have many responsibilities yet have limited time so it’s important for them to learn the importance of delegation. It can be difficult to delegate accountability of tasks to other people but it is integral to the growth of your company that you do so. Here is a list of 75 tasks that iVirtual Business Services can assist you with:

Create and set up monthly newsletters

Write and post your blog

Create Social Media Profiles (i.e Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn)

Research and set up a CRM to effectively manage all of your contacts

Set up workflow automation

Post status updates to Facebook and Google+

Manage your Twitter followers and LinkedIn and Facebook add requests

Invoice your clients and collect all Accounts Receivable

Create and send an email campaign to prospects and leads

Create letters to send to your clients, and help with mail merge, print, labeling and post envelopes

Manage Online Marketing Ads

Create systems to streamline your business

Assist with Data Entry

Create a website

Register you for meetings, seminars and conferences

Manage your Accounts Payable

Research and book your travel (i.e. flights, hotels, car service)

Make business and personal appointments for you

Proofread your deliverables to clients

Provide you with travel itineraries

Manage your email by responding

Design marketing flyers and post cards

Write newsletter articles

Research your competitors

Create, edit, format documents, spreadsheets and presentations

Create flowcharts for your business procedures

Create a processes manual

Book caterers for your meetings

Plan all of your events, including venue, caterer, print materials, etc.

Sign you up for webinars

Ensure you’re registered for any CPE requirements

Sync your calendars

Create content for your website

Create a PowerPoint Presentation for deliverables or projection

Optimize SEO on your Website

Manage your calendar and remind you of your appointments

Manage your Projects from start to finish

Type up handwritten notes

Create meeting agendas

Research and set up a Project Management system

Send handwritten birthday cards to your clients and associates

Convert documents into PDF

Help you go paperless

Order your print materials

Proofread your marketing materials

Create Pay Per Click Ads

Set up a timesheet system for your employees

Create Banner Ads

Manage your Payroll

Create Surveys for your clients

Create an eSignature for your documents

Set up an e-fax for you where faxes arrive as a PDF attachment via email

Send thank you letters to the attendees of your meetings/workshops/seminars

Design and order business cards

Purchase client gifts

Mail out holiday cards

Create and manage a pipeline report

Confirm all of your appointments

Check your Voicemails daily and advise you of them via email

Translate documents from Spanish to English or English to Spanish

Post your events on different sites for exposure

Create your event materials

Make dinner reservations while you’re in town or traveling for business

Do online research

Help you with Google AdWords

Assist in running a Webinar

Help you manage your time

Set up auto responder emails

Design a logo

Process client orders

Order business supplies

Help you manage your QuickBooks account

Set up an automated answering system

Provide monthly maintenance to your website

Respond to all Social Media posts

This is just a preview of our abilities. We can create custom solutions to meet your dynamic requirements. For more information, please schedule your free consultation with me on my time trade solution!

iVirtual Business Services is your Operational & Administrative Solution…because you deserve work/life balance. 

What can an Audio Recording App do for you?

Audio Recorder Apps offer voice recording functionality for your Android or iPhone. If you're in a business that requires dictation, audio recording apps allow you to leverage your current phone as a portable voice recorder. In the past, audio recording functionality was specific to audio recorders and individuals were forced to buy them in order to reliably record audio. Those old recorders didn't do much other than record, but new recording mobile apps allows for unbelievable functionality at the touch of your fingertips!

Here are some additional functionality that you can use from your mobile  phone:

1. Share your recordings easily by email or text 
2. Transfer recordings by USB or Wifi 
3. Unlimited recording length 
4. Search, Sort, and Filter your recordings 
5. Save your memos in a cloud storage environment (DropBox, iCloud, Google Drive) 
6. Combine or splice recordings 
7. Re‐record memos to erase mistakes 

Not all recording apps have a variety of functionality so it's important that you do your due dilligence to find the audio app that best fits your needs. Some recording apps allow you to record phone calls, others allow you to transcribe your recordings and send them through text. Depending on the level of functionality, you'll have the choice of downloading a recording app for free or paying for it.

If you'd like some more information on audio recordings or would like some professional transcription services for your recordings, please schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me! You can make an appointment for a suitable time with my time trade solution.

iVirtual Business Services is your Operational & Administrative Solution…because you deserve work/life balance. 

5 Simple Steps for Effective Time Management

Time management is a familiar term for any small business owner or entrepreneur. Everyone carries the same amount of time in a day, 24 hours. It’s something you have in common with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk. The question that everybody should ask themselves is, “Where are we distributing our time?” It seems like an obvious question to ask, but people spend time inefficiently. We are humans, after all. However, being mindful of how you prioritize your time will free your potential beyond any limits. If you’re looking for ways to manage your time, below you will find five steps to help you on your journey

#5) Get Organized 

When I was young, my mother used to tell me that a disorganized room symbolized a disorganized mind. It took me a while to internalize that message, but once I did, I realized that she was right. There is a little secret about organization and it is “simplicity”.  How many objects in your room are handled by you multiple times in a single day? If you know that there’s things on your desk that are there for the purpose of taking up space, it’d be best to place it away from your sight in a place where it belongs. Try to take an hour a week to clean your work environment and dispose of the unnecessary. Think of it as an organizational exercise for your mind. You could be surprised by what it can do for you.

#4) Dispose of Distractions

Technology has done some incredible things for society in the past 20 years. With the advent of the internet age, people have had access to untold amounts of beneficial information. All that information comes at a cost. And the price we pay for having all that information comes at the expense of our attention spans. Our focus is constantly distracted by the notifications, likes, and emails that are omnipresent in our lives. Dispose of those distractions while you are working so your attention is fully focused on the task at hand. An exercise I use is the 45/15 rule. Try spending 45 minutes absolutely focused on your tasks and save the last 15 minutes of the hour as a reward. Those last 15 minutes can be spent however you see fit, but when the 15 minutes are done, its back to another 45 minutes of focused work. Try it out for yourself!

#3) Learn to Delegate

Every business owner and entrepreneur has a streak of individualism running in their veins. You wouldn’t be in your position if you didn’t believe that you had the necessary ability to run a business. But there will always be a time where you’ll feel overwhelmed by your growing responsibilities. To prepare for that moment, you should learn to delegate. Your time is valuable and should be spent on tasks that directly affect your bottom line. Anything else, you should consider an Online Business Manager or an Executive Virtual Assistant. 

#2) Don’t Procrastinate

Nike had it right when they released their “Just Do It” campaign. It’s that simple.

#1) Make Time

A determined and motivated mindset will always make time. If it’s that important to you, you’ll make time for it. That’s a question you’ll have to ask yourself

If you're in a position where you'd like some assistance with your operations or your workflow, don't hesitate to schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me! Click here for access to my time trade solution. 

iVirtual Business Services is your Operational & Administrative Solution…
because you deserve work/life balance. 

Scanning Apps and what they can do for you

Have you ever needed quick and easy access to a scanner? A scanner allows you to read QR codes, barcodes, receipts, documents, and images.  With the rise of mobile technology, developers have created scanning apps that turn your cellphone into a bonafide scanner! Now, instead of worrying about purchasing and maintaining a POS machine, you can turn your phone into a scanner with a couple taps of your finger. With a scanner, you can: check into appointments by reading a QR code, log receipts for your records, scan barcodes to check prices, and scan QR codes that trigger adding a contact to your contact list.

Below are some recommended scanning apps that I think can change the way you network or do business!

Smart Scan for Apple is a free app which allows you to scan and manage barcodes and QR codes straight from your phone’s camera. Not only can you save these codes, but you can also share them as well! You can share them and use them to compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. And that’s just one of its capabilities. Smart Scan allows you to compare prices nationally and internationally! It is also integrated with social media; it allows you to share QR codes and barcodes via twitter, SMS, email and more!

Smart Scan Express is another app compatible with Apple products. This app has more features than the standard Smart Scan and is priced at $0.99 for a one time purchase. Smart Scan express allows users to scan, edit, crop, e-mail, and save paperwork such as, invoices, receipts, checks, bills and more! You can save and categorize your documents right on your cell phone with the Smart Scan Express App.

For Android users, the Smart Doc Scanner App is highly recommended by the tech industry. With this app, you can scan and organize your receipts, convert files into PDF, sync invoices and contracts, and convert a jpeg file into a PDF. That’s just a preview of its functionality and the only way to find out the rest is to try it out yourself! Smart Scan Doc Scanner is recommended by the People’s Choice Award and by the CES Mobile Apps Showdown.

If you are looking for an app that can help take care of your scanning and saving with quickness and efficiency, click here to email us and we’d be more than happy to make some recommendations. Each individual can gain value from these apps so it’s only a matter of figuring out what your needs are. There are many great apps out there and it can get rather overwhelming. These options are listed to help you on your path to efficiency in your daily work endeavors. I hope you get as much value from them as I’ve experienced myself.

Don’t forget to schedule your Free 30 Minute Consultation session by clicking here!

iVirtual Business Services is your Operational & Administrative Solution…because you deserve work/life balance.