I’m writing this post from a local hotel. Free refreshments are laid on, along with free wifi internet access. My laptop and paperwork are spread out before me on a large table and I’m sitting in a comfy armchair propped up with a stack of pillows overlooking a country garden view and…rain. Well, it is August in the UK, after all!

Why am I telling you this? Not only because it describes one of the benefits of virtual working, I have set up my Virtual Assistant business so I can work from anywhere as long as I have a computer and internet access (it doesn’t even have to be my computer) as many (but not all) of the programmes I use are internet based. However, it is also a cautionary tale: I would be having a very different day had it not been for a programme called Carbonite – an online data back up system.

Yesterday, my shiny new desktop stopped working. Damage caused by corrupt software created a heap of problems which, in the end, meant a system rebuild. So here I am, fairly stress free while my desktop PC is being brought back to life by @WeWillFixIT. My relaxed mood is all because of Carbonite. An automated online back up system that is simple to use, cost effective and backs up your files in such a way that you wouldn’t even know it, until you really need them, like I do now.

Had I not had a back up system in place, I would have lost all of my files. Everything to do with my business and personal files including a 5 year historical documentation of my life in photos and music. It would have been very hard for me to continue my business without the biggest of headaches, practically having to start from scratch. It doesn’t bare thinking about. In the past I had the opinion that ‘it wouldn’t happen to me’, but with a business to run and being responsible for information regarding my clients’ businesses, I needed a back up solution that suited my requirements. Carbonite matched them all:

Easy of use
One you have installed a small Carbonite application on your computer and it’s backed up all the data in the first instance, you don’t even know it’s there until you need it. It runs automatically in the background. No need to remember to manually back up or initiate the process. Retrieving your backed up files is easy and convenient too: there is Carbonite’s simple website interface or you can access your files with the iPhone or Blackberry smartphone application.

Online
Being online means it can be accessed at any time from any computer. If your computer is out of action or stolen, you can still access your files. It makes perfect sense to store your backed up data away from where your computer equipment is kept. That would be akin to keeping your pin number with your credit card. As Carbonite is online, you don’t need to worry about an external hard drive or discs to keep safely.  Also, your data is encrypted before being stored at their data centre so your files are completely safe.

Value for Money
Many online back up systems restrict how much data you can store which can make them expensive. Carbonite allows you unlimited storage at a fixed, low cost fee of £41.95 a year ($54.95). It also has a 14 day free trial so you can test it out before you buy.

Most of the time, you don’t get to really test a backup system until you face a problem. Carbonite stood up to that test. Carbonite is the reason I’m not hiding from the world under my duvet right now.

If you don’t back up the data you have on your computer, I strongly urge you to put a system in place and can recommend Carbonite as a starting point.

You can follow @Carbonite, @AbsolutePA and @WeWillFixIT on Twitter!

In a previous post I discuss the importance of internet article marketing and its benefits as a free and simple way to drive traffic to your website, build back links and increase exposure for your business. Many article marketing directories are free to use making it an ideal choice for start ups or small businesses where marketing budgets are small. But how do you get started? Here are 6 steps to get  you up and running.

1. Sign up with an online article directory. Choose one that has a high volume of traffic and good page rank. Ezine Articles is the most popular with millions of unique visitors every month.
2. Optimize your account by adding your bio and photo. These will be included on your author page and is your opportunity to tell the reader more about you. Remember to also include your social media account information so your articles are automatically published to your social media profiles increasing your reach even further.
3. Create a relevant resource box.  This is where people can read more about your business and is one of the most important steps when creating your account as the information here is published with every submitted article. Including a call to action and a link to your website or blog will greatly improve your chances of increased web traffic (one of the main purposes of article marketing) and building back links (improves your site’s position in the search engines). Alternatively, you can direct readers to a squeeze page sign-up for a free giveaway – a great list building strategy.
   
4. Craft an article on your chosen topic. This should be something relevant to your business and target market, ideally 400-750 words in length. You can re-purpose a blog post or newsletter but ensure you don’t copy it word for word. Remember to use keywords. Every article you publish will be indexed by the search engines and you have a better chance of people finding your article if you include relevant keywords in the body and title. Make your article informative and share your expertise, do not submit promotional sales copy or a press release.
5. Create a good, catchy title that will entice people to want to read on. This is one of the most important parts of your article and will determine its success so make it keyword rich.
6. Remember to include, yep you’ve guessed it, keywords (again!), a summary and category for your article before you submit!

Article marketing isn’t a one-off process. For the best results you should submit a number of articles. This will not be a problem if you are producing content in another format or have done so in the past. Think good, relevant content and consistency, and put a plan in place to keep track of your submissions. If you want the rewards of article marketing but don’t want to spend your time on the submissions, outsource to a virtual assistant who can manage your activity as part of their virtual assistant services.

One of the best ways to increase your website traffic and boost your credibility is through internet article marketing. These days, having a website or blog is probably your most important marketing tool but that doesn’t mean the right people will see it. You have to let people know about your business and get it seen among the millions of others on the internet!

Submitting articles to an internet article directory is one way to achieve that. Free to use, it places your content in front of a potential audience of millions, driving them back to your website eager to find out more. I’ll explain how…

An internet article directory is a content provider. A source of pre-written articles where others can find content to publish on their own websites, blogs and newsletters on any given subject. This is a strategy used by many magazine style websites (or e-zines) looking for relevant, well written content on a regular basis.

By submitting your articles to these directories, you are giving permission for your content to be used by other publishers. This means that not only is your content available to read by visitors of the article directory, but if it’s picked up by other websites too, it will be read by their readers  – essentially expanding your reach even further.

Sounds great but how do they know it’s my article?

All article directory submissions include a resource box. This is an area where you can tell readers who you are, what your business is, and leave those all important links back to your website, blog or other chosen resource such as an e-book or white paper. The resource box is included with your article which must be re-published in its entirety accrediting you as the author. When you use the resource box correctly it increases the number of important back-links to your site and allows readers to easily find out more about you and directs them back to your website via your published article.

Article marketing is a great way to quickly increase exposure and build credibility. Thinking of writing a book? Article marketing is an ideal way of letting people experience your talent and building trust before you publish.

But I haven’t got the time to write more content!

If you are already writing content in the form of a blog or reports on your website, these can easily be repurposed for submission to article directories. And, if you use an Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant, they can manage this process for you as part of their online marketing service.

This video details statistics on social media growth and how we use the internet in the UK.

If you’re a business based in the UK, this video brings the compelling argument for using social media marketing closer to home and provides useful scale to those US statistics.

At this time the source of these stats aren’t clear. The research was carried out by The Oxford Research Agency and I hope at some stage Simply Zesty, the PR firm behind the video, will reveal them. Here are some of the stats featured:

85% of the UK population is online, 25% write blogs while 60% read them.

64% own a profile on social networks.

25% of adults use the internet on their phone.

78% of internet users look for information about goods and services online.

1 in 5 adults prefer surfing the internet than watching TV with social networking being the most popular pastime.

70% of online users trust recommendations from strangers online over advertising banners.

90% trust recommendations from people they know.

20% tweets contain reference to a product or brand.

As a social media virtual assistant and self confessed Twitter obsessive I get asked the same question by business owners who are yet to discover the many business benefits of Twitter:

How do you find the time for Twitter?

The answer is simple: I make time.

Twitter has provided me with useful resources, business connections, clients and timely information that would have been much harder to come by, if at all, had it not been for the micro blogging site. What’s more, observing the positive business results my clients achieve through strategic use is further proof that a little effort (and a plan) can make all the difference.

Here are 5 ways to make Twitter work harder for you.

1. Schedule. Twitter, when used for business, needs to be included in your schedule. No need to be tweeting all day, and if you’re not careful, it’s pretty easy to get lost in a Twitter time-wharp. 15 minutes a day is enough once you know you’re way around. Plus with tools like Hootsuite (a professional social media dashboard used to simplify your online networking) you can schedule your messages, so if you stick to a strategy and have keyword optimised tweets, they can be planned a week or two in advance.
2. Tools. There are countless tools that make using Twitter easier and more efficient. They can organise your follows into categories, schedule tweets, alert you when your @name or keyword/search term has been mentioned, shorten your url links, save tweets, track popularity of your tweets – the list goes on.
3. Use dead time. Twitter (along with a host of third party applications) is available to download to your smartphone so you can keep in touch while on the move. You know, when you’re waiting for a meeting; on the train; in the supermarket queue. Perfect time to whip out your phone and see what’s happening. If you haven’t got time to read the attachments sent with the tweets, use the favourites option and save them to read later.
4. Create a Tweet bank. Somewhere to stash tweet ideas for use on those days when you’re uninspired or extra busy. I use Google Docs for this purpose as I can access it anywhere. Repurpose those tips you gave during your presentation, or answer the question your client asked yesterday. Over time you will create a huge resource of valuable tweets to use again and again (but not too often).
5. Get some help. Hire a virtual assistant to assist your Twitter activity. They can keep an eye on your account, find interesting people to follow, look for conversations, create your tweet schedule and monitor your reputation and search terms. Leaving you to follow up and build those important business connections.

So now you’ve got some ideas on maximising your Twitter use. If you’re new to Twitter, why not take a look at my previous post: Twitter Guide in 140 characters to get you started. When you’ve signed up, remember to come say ‘Hi!’ – @AbsolutePA

Being a Virtual Assistant passionate about internet marketing and social media, I know that blogging is a great way of reaching out to prospects. Targetting your blogs to your audience as part of your online marketing strategy can improve brand awareness, establish credibility and provide a platform to build loyal relationships with your prospects. In addition to these great benefits, blogging can help you gain further exposure through the use of relevant keywords and creating fresh content (which the search engings love) pushing your blog or website further up the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages).

Most business owners I meet have no trouble creating good content. They are brilliant at what they do and passionate about their area of expertise, happily spending hours talking about it. Often, by not blogging efficiently (if at all) they are missing an ideal opportunity to get their ideas heard by a wider audience and establish themselves as experts because they lack the time, or interest in doing the ‘techy detail stuff’. That’s were a Virtual Assistant can help. I’ve listed below 12 ideal blogging tasks you can outsource to an Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant:

1. Setting up your blog – whether hosted, self hosted or integrated in to your website
2. Help create a blog action plan and schedule to keep you on track
3. Upload, edit, proofread, format and schedule your blog posts from written text or dictated for transcribing into written word – especially useful if you prefer talking than writing
4. Embed video and podcasts – a great alternative if you prefer verbal communication, it also provides variety of content for your audience
5. Source and add appropriate images to include in your blog
6. Brainstorm interesting headlines to get more people clicking through and reading your blogs
7. Optimise the content for SEO, by adding keywords and anchor text
8. Categorise your posts, add tags, description and title page tags – all great for SEO
9. Post your blogs through blog directories (including podcast and video directories), social networking and bookmarking sites to maximise exposure
10. Approach other bloggers or niche websites for guest post opportunities
11. Moderate blog comments to create an interactive blog where people return again and again
12. Repurpose your content and submit to article distribution sites for greater exposure

Blogging doesn’t have to be an everyday activity, but it does need to be consistent. This is often the hardest part (I know this from experience often leaving months between blog posts, but that’s now in the past!). Having an Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant helping you manage your blog can help focus your activity and take the pain out of the blogging process while you reap the rewards and focus on growing your business opportunities.

Following on from my post on the social media marketing tool Google Search Stories – a really simple online video creator, I’ve found another fun tool, thanks to @UKSalesMentor, Steve Clarke.

Let Me Google That For You is not an official Google application, but an idea dreamed up by a bunch of coders one day over lunch. Driven to provide a service ‘for all those people who find it more convenient to bother you with their question than Google it themselves‘, they created an easy way to share information while poking fun at time wasters who ask a question when the answer can easily be found through Google.

You simply type the search term into the Google box on the website, it then creates a shortened url linking to the Google page with all the results of your search term. The link provides a nifty video clip demonstrating the search and results. Steve, being a sales and marketing expert, immediately saw this as a perfect opportunity to promote a brand or service online. You could use it to create buzz around an event or as an online calling card by sharing the link through your social networking profiles, email signatures, blogs and websites.

See the video in action and what happened when I searched Absolute PA

So, what does Let Me Google That For You say about you?

Take a look at the short video I created below on the topic of using a Virtual Assistant for your business, then I’ll tell you how it’s done.

First, write your story.

There are seven sections to input your search terms (or short sentences) with a selection of result ideas in which to tell your story, such as Google images; Google maps; news search, product search and standard Google search. These result ideas will provide the images to communicate your search terms.

Enter your search terms in the appropriate section and select the best result idea to communicate your search. You can view your selection in the preview pane to check the images suit your story.

Next, choose your music from the selection provided. Then Google will quickly create your 30 second video.

Lastly, preview your video. Here you can choose to edit it, change the music or start from scratch. Once you’re happy with your video, add your title and description, and upload to YouTube.

You can then embed your video to you blog or website, post on Twitter and Facebook, or send your video by email.

Simple as that!

So what will your search story be?

Finding a Virtual Assistant who specialises in a business area where your strengths may not, or who can relieve you from time intensive tasks can give you the space to concentrate on driving your business forward, generating more income and business opportunities.

Online marketing is one of those areas, and with e-mail marketing being a highly effective way to keep in touch with your contacts and build a list of loyal fans for your product or service, it’s not an area you want to neglect. Not sure how your Virtual Assistant can help with your email marketing? Here are 10 tasks you can ask an Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant to do for you:

1. Research and advise on the best email broadcasting system to suit your needs
2. Help you devise a strategy for your email marketing programme
3. Set up your email broadcasting account
4. Edit and manage your auto responder series ensuring they comply with best practices (you want to keep your subscribers happy!)
5. Set up a web sign-up form on your website so visitors can subscribe to your e-newsletters or free online product
6. Design a professional looking e-newsletter template to match your brand
7. Manage you e-newsletter distribution: editing, formatting, updating and appropriate scheduling to your subscribers and social media profiles
8. Brainstorm headline grabbing subject lines to entice your subsribers to open
9. Assist with content, include relevent anchor text links, images and social media links to make the most of your marketing opportunities
10. Track the effectiveness of your campaigns by recording opt ins, opens, unsubscribes, click throughs and other important metrics

Having a strategy in place will help you get the most from your email marketing activities, and when implemented correctly can achieve great results. Delegating your email newsletter tasks to an Intenet Marketing Virtual Assistant who understands the components behind a successful email marketing campaign, can give you one less business task to worry about. What’s more, you’ll be keeping in touch with your contacts and wowing them with your expertise with minimal effort. Now, wouldn’t that be nice?

It seems that Summer has finally arrived in the UK – just in time for tennis at Wimbledon. For once, the Glastonbury Festival won’t be the inevitable muddy washout of previous years and we can get out our summer clothes and enjoy some fun in the sun! It’s also a perfect time to stretch your mind and enhance your business! So let’s do BOTH!!

VAClassroom has just announced the launch of it’s Summer Skill Camp 2010 – an amazing opportunity for Virtual Assistants and Online Professionals to build 10 new skills and ultimately 10 new income-building opportunities for your virtual business.

It will offer an easy and profitable way to develop the right in-demand skills at the right time to hit the ground running in your virtual business for the last half of 2010!

Here’s what skills they are offering:

1. Develop the right system for creating a profitable, in-demand Facebook Page Service
2. Receive an easy-to-follow blueprint for building an effective online newsletter or ezine
3. Discover proven techniques for designing a winning WordPress Blog
4. Uncover and implement the right kind of WordPress plugins to ignite traffic and results for you and your clients
5. Learn how to leverage a freebie offer or information product to attract and win new clients
6. Discover a simple formula for crafting and delivering top-notch social media presentations to your clients and community
7. Master a proven system for seamlessly organizing your many social networking activities
8. Learn how to effectively measure your client’s Internet Marketing results and success
9. Receive an easy formula for writing articles and press releases that produce results
10. Develop a winning squeeze page or landing page that converts for you or your clients.

10 in-demand skills over 10 weeks. What could be more perfect?

I’ve attended a number of VAClassroom events and training courses, recently certifiying in their Internet Marketing Specialist 2010 programme. The structure of the training, additional support and wealth of information they provide is fantastic. It has given me the skills and knowledge to confidently add in-demand internet marketing and social media support to my virtual assistant services, adding value to my business and my clients businesses too.

VAClassroom’s Summer Skill Camp 2010 will begin on July 6th. And, right now they’re offering an early bird registration special so get your skates on!