Whether you are just launching your startup business or going into the next stages of its growth, you might need some extra help by your side. Here is where virtual assistants will be helpful. But as it turns out, VAs run the gamut. So, which ones should you get for your needs? Let’s break down the common types and what each can bring to your business.
A Short Note About Virtual Assistants
It is worth noting that virtual assistants tend to be flexible in their work. That is because clients often expect them to do various duties. Thus, it is not uncommon to see VAs combining several different types into one service.
That is very useful for your startup business. You don’t have to sign up for too many agents. Additionally, their flexibility means they can readily adapt to your business’s changing needs. Nevertheless, there are some reasons why you would want to get a more specialized VA.
Expertise
While virtual assistants are experts at different tasks, specialists take it further. They have more intimate knowledge about the subjects they focus on. That is helpful if the work involves a lot of things that are beyond the usual VA work.
Better Focus
Generalist VAs often have to juggle several tasks together. If there is one task that requires greater attention, it can disrupt their work on the other ones. By letting a specialist handle that work, your generalist VAs can work on the other tasks.
Go-To Person
Having a specialist virtual assistant in your team also gives you a go-to person for repeated tasks. Because of that, you don’t have to search your roster for someone to handle the task. That also lessens the stress you experience in organizing everything.
The Common Virtual Assistants For Your Startup Business
Now that you know the reasons to get a specialist virtual assistant, let’s look at the common ones you might employ. Note that there are still more types of virtual assistants available. But many of them are very specialized niches that you will encounter now and then.
Virtual Administrative Assistant
These are the ones that you associate most with the word virtual assistant. As their name says, these VAs focus on handling administrative duties for your startup business. Those include such tasks as:
- Scheduling appointments
- Responding to emails
- Creating your to-do lists
- Managing business calendars
- Creating presentations and reports
Aside from these general tasks, administrative VAs can also handle more specialized work as needed, such as social media management and research work. Because of their versatility, these VAs are the ones that a small company like yours will often hire first.
Virtual Bookkeepers For Your Startup Business
Managing the cash flow of your startup business is one of the core tasks that often require your continued attention. But if you are already dealing with other matters, it can be hard to monitor everything. This is where virtual bookkeepers come in.
Their primary role is to document all your financial records. The work includes:
- Preparing balance sheets
- Organizing financial statements
- Manage employee reimbursements
- Managing data entry for your bank processes
These tasks would often make the bulk of their work, as they need to accomplish everything daily. They will also be able to provide you with a report on your current financial standing.
Beyond these, virtual bookkeepers can handle more advanced financial work. For instance, they will be able to do tax management and ensure that you get updates on how much you need to pay. The VA can also handle the payment process for this and other bills. With that, you don’t have to worry about missing deadlines.
E-Commerce Startup Business Virtual Assistant
If your startup business has an e-commerce aspect, you will often need an extra hand to manage daily operations. E-commerce virtual assistants focus on these tasks and will help you run your online store more effectively.
Image from Business News Daily.
Their main work is managing your online store’s inventory. That includes adding new products to the list and updating stock status. They can also manage and maintain your e-commerce site if needed.
Besides backend management, an e-commerce VA can also help you with storefront work. In particular, they can help develop marketing materials for posting on the site and elsewhere. They can also provide some degree of customer support should your team need some extra hands.
More Specialized Virtual Assistants For Your Startup Business
The next set of virtual assistants covers more specialized work. They are a great option if your startup business cannot yet hire a full team for the specific work involved. Here, you can get one or two to fill the role you need.
Social Media Marketing Virtual Assistant
With social media becoming one of the major marketing channels for startups, you would definitely want to maintain a presence on it. A social media marketing VA can help you here by being the one to run your accounts in the background.
Their most basic task would be to post the latest updates about your business across your different accounts. These agents are so skilled that you can leave the work entirely to them. They will even be able to develop a content calendar that would best suit your social media strategy.
Additionally, social media VAs can identify and engage with the right target audience for your business. This is indispensable, as it can often be hard catching up to changing social media trends on your own. The VA can even mount follow-up campaigns to capture that audience.
Blog Management Virtual Assistant
Social media may be the main avenue for online customer engagements, but blogs are still relevant. However, if you do not have the time to run your startup business blog, you can also hand it over to a virtual assistant.
Image from Search Engine Journal.
These blog management VAs take care of creating and posting new content on your blogs. They will build a content calendar based on your requirements. These VAs can also write different content based on the calendar. The work may also include managing media assets that you upload on the blog.
Rounding up their work, blog management VAs can handle the promotion of your blog. Many can also do search engine optimization work. That ensures that your content is readily searchable on the Internet. Additionally, they respond to the volumes of comments posted on each article.
Bringing The Right Virtual Assistant For Your Startup Business
At Virtua Solutions, we know how important having the right virtual assistant is. Thus, we guarantee that your startup business can get any type of VA it needs. Our team members are experts in various common niches. Sign up with us and bring the best virtual assistants to your team.