How a Virtual Assistant could help your business

A blog about blogs

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Fri, 06 May 2022 16:37:43 GMT

Why blog?

If you have a website for your business then you probably have the option to add a "blog" to it and wonder whether you need to. Having a blog on your website can have numerous benefits. Adding a blog to your website gives you a free and powerful marketing tool to promote your business and your services. Having a blog allows you to:

Keep your website updated and active

An up-to-date "blog" section will show your audience that your website is up to date and well maintained.

Share news and information

You can use your blog to share news and information about your business. It's a quick and easy way to showcase your work, share promotions, introduce new team members, share news and generally keep your audience updated with any changes you make.

Improve your SEO rankings

A blog is a great way to improve your SEO rankings. If you regularly update your blog with topics and news relevant to your audience then it will have a positive impact on how your site performs with search engines. Think about the key words and phrases you want search engines to pick up on and repeat them throughout your blog. For example, I wanted to improve my site's ranking when someone searched for "virtual assistant Leicester" so I have made a conscious effort to use this term on my site and in my blogs. Doing this has meant by website is now on page 1 of Google for that search. My other key phrase I am trying to improve on is "freelance communications Leicester" so again I am trying to include this phrase more within my website and blogs. So far, I have managed to increase my ranking up to page 3 on Google.

Drive traffic to your website

An up to date blog will drive traffic to your website as it will optimise your site for search engines. Each blog will give your website a new page and it will tell search engines that your website is active.

Creative new social media posts

Every time you create a new blog, you can create a social media post pointing your audience to that blog and taking them to your website. This will help to drive your audience from your social media channels to your website.

How to blog

If you would like to create a blog but don't know where to start, here are some simple tips for writing a blog:

identify your key audience
think of the 2 or 3 words or key phrases that your audience would be searching for on google
establish some topics which relate to your key words and write a blog repeating your key words and phrases throughout.
keep your blog between 500 - 750 words in length

Let me help

If you would like a blog on your website but do not have the time to do one yourself then why not outsource the work to me? I offer a blog writing service and have two packages depending on the frequency you require. Please visit my "Rates" page to find out more.

What's in a Name?

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 18:39:43 GMT

Why the Creative PA?

I often get asked why I have called my virtual assistant business The Creative PA. There are a number of reasons why I chose that name. My background is marketing, communications, events and public relations (PR) and with every role within those areas I always did a lot of admin too. I wanted to create a business which reflected that experience. I set myself up as a virtual assistant in January 2020 after toying with the idea of a communications based business for some time. It made sense for me to offer admin and freelance communication services as that is what I have always done! I wanted my business name to reflect both the admin side (personal assistant - PA) and also the communications side (creative). As well as remote admin tasks, I offer freelance communication services like copywriting, content writing, research, blogs and article research and writing. When I set up my business, it was really important to me that I could utilise the experience I have in communications.

As a virtual assistant, it is easy to offer everything to everyone in hope of getting more work but actually creating a niche for yourself makes marketing yourself so much easier. Most of my communications roles in the past have been working for a communications director where I "assist" them with communications activities and I wanted to recreate that role on a freelance basis which is why I have recently re-marketed myself as a "virtual communications assistant". As a virtual assistant specialising in freelance communications, I offer the following services (as well as general daily admin tasks):

Copywriting
Blogs
Newsletters
Website content
Articles
Social media
Document writing
Case studies (research & write up)
Website content
Research

My aim is to support freelance communication professionals and small businesses with their communication activities. This might be writing a blog once a month or regular support on a weekly basis. I offer retainer, pay as you go and blog packages. Please click here to find out more.

Busy Vs Productive

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:55:20 GMT

Be busy or be productive - you choose!

BE BUSY OR BE PRODUCTIVE…

Outsource your communication and admin tasks

There’s a big difference between being busy and being productive! We all have days where we don’t stop and yet do not feel like we have achieved anything! Your admin and smaller communication tasks will always need to be completed and they will certainly keep you busy, but is it the most productive way to spend your time? It is so easy to get bogged down with the small (yet important) stuff making the bigger, more strategic tasks harder to get a handle on. My aim, as a virtual communications assistant, is to support communication and marketing professionals as well as small businesses with admin and communication tasks so they can focus on the big stuff.

I offer freelance communications support such as blog writing, research, newsletter writing, website content, writing articles and social media content. These are all important parts of a communications package but by outsourcing some of your communications tasks to a virtual assistant, you free up more time to focus on the bigger tasks and grow your business.

Finding communications support that works for you

There are a couple of ways you can outsource your admin or communications tasks to a virtual assistant. If you know how many hours of support you would like then you can buy a retainer package (min 5 hours a month) or if you are unsure, you can just “pay as you go” until you get a better idea of what works for you. I also offer blog packages if that is the only support that you require.

The benefits of a virtual assistant

Outsourcing your admin and smaller communication tasks to a virtual assistant can save you time and money and there are no long-term commitments or overhead office costs; you just pay for the hours worked. I am based at my home office in Leicester so I have my own office space and equipment. Whether you need one hour of support a month, or several hours a week, we can work together to find the right amount of support for you and your business. You can start with “pay as you go” and then move to a retainer package when you have a better idea of the admin support your require.

Working with me

I have been working as a virtual assistant since January 2020. I enjoy a mix of admin and communication tasks. I have a BA(Hons) in Communication and my background is in PR and communications. The best thing about being a virtual assistant is the variety of tasks – no week is the same! Send me an email at claire@creativepa.co.uk to find out how I could support your business.

How can I share documents with my virtual assistant?

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 18:06:02 GMT

A question I get asked often...

I often get asked how I can share documents with clients. Sending edits back and forth via email can be time consuming and confusing. It is also hard to keep track of the latest version of a document. With so many free file-sharing services available, the solution is simple.

I personally like Google Drive the best as it is so easy to use. Google Drive is always my preference if a client asks me to set up an account for sharing files. I like it because I can have a Google Drive for each client, and it keeps everything separate and secure.

There are, of course, other sharing services. I have a client who prefers DropBox as a quick way to share documents and another who likes Microsoft OneDrive. These are also easy to use and free to set up.

For help with your admin please send me an email claire@creativepa.co.uk

What Tasks can you Outsource to a Virtual Assistant?

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 19:40:08 GMT

Outsourcing your admin...

Would you like to outsource some of your admin to a virtual assistant but you don't know which ones?

Below is a list of some of the tasks you could ask a virtual assistant to do for you:

general admin tasks
data entry
inbox management
travel arrangements
copywriting
blogging
typing/editing documents
website enquiries
diary management

Most virtual assistants offer retainers so you can buy a set amount of time each month which will be dedicated to the tasks you outsource. I offer retainer packages and also an ad-hoc service if you're not sure how many hours you will require.

If you would like to find out more about how I could help you with your admin please contact me for a free, no obligation chat or zoom call.

An organised 2022

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 19:24:08 GMT

Is 2022 the year to hire a virtual assistant?

Is your admin pile already sky hire? Are you spending more time on admin than other parts of your business? Do you need some remote admin support but don't know how much? Why not hire a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant can do your daily admin tasks, freeing up your time to focus on other areas of your business.

I have been working as a virtual assistant since January 2020 and I can help you with any aspect of your admin, from daily admin tasks such inbox and diary management to one-off projects. Have a look at my " Services " page to see the kind of tasks I could help you with. I am based from my home in Leicester so I don't need any office space or equipment and I only charge for the hours worked. This might be one hour a month or several hours a week. I offer admin retainer packages if you know how many hours you require from a virtual assistant, or I can do ad-hoc work if that is a better solution.

Please contact me if you would like to find out if a virtual assistant could benefit you in 2022.

Five Reasons to Hire a VA

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 14:52:44 GMT

If you have ever considered hiring a virtual assistant but don't know if you can justify it, take a look at these top five reasons why it is a great idea!

Could a virtual assistant help your business?

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 13:26:11 GMT

Do you want some admin support but don't want the overhead costs and commitment of employing someone? Maybe hiring a virtual assistant is the answer...

A bit about me...

cmpackwood@hotmail.com (Claire Packwood) — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 19:21:30 GMT

About me....

If you are thinking about employing me as your virtual assistant, then it is important that you know a bit about me and what I do. Most things you need to know are on this website but below is a quick round of the key points.

Is it time to hire a Virtual Assistant?

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 17:03:43 GMT

Buried by paperwork?

Do you spend far more time on admin tasks than you want to? Are you being buried in paperwork? Do you wish you had more time to focus on other parts of your business? If the answers are yes, then maybe it's time you thought about hiring a virtual assistant (VA)! A VA can help you to tackle your inbox, chase outstanding invoices, make travel arrangements, enter data, manage your diary, liaise with clients, organise meetings and so much more . You'll wonder how you ever coped without one!

With a VA, you have the flexibility of only paying for the hours worked, with the added bonus of not having to pay holiday, sick leave or any employment taxes. A VA usually works from their own home office with their own equipment - saving you money and resources.

Whether you need help for one hour a month or several hours a week, the beauty of a VA is that you can choose the hours that suits you and your business. Most VAs also offer a bundle package where you can buy a set number of hours in advance which usually works out slightly cheaper.

VAs generally work remotely, so you don't necessarily have to find one from your local area. Most have a website, Facebook business page or Instagram account so finding one is pretty easy. After you have done your research and found a VA that you think would suit your business, make contact and set up a discovery call. Most VAs offer this free of charge and it's a great way to explore expectations and to see if you are the right fit for each other. Before the call, it is helpful if you write a list of all the work you would like a VA to do, it does not have to be a definitive list, just a rough outline. This helps the VA to plan their time and it will give you an idea of how much time you will have to pay for.

The best thing about hiring a VA is there is no long term commitment. You can agree a small amount of hours or a specific task initially and add to this over time as you start to feel confident in their skills. Delegating the admin tasks which were taking up your valuable time will mean you can focus on other areas of your business and use your time more productively.

For more information about the services I offer as VA please click on any of the pages above or email me at claire@creativepa.co.uk