What is a Virtual Assistant?

What does a Virtual Assistant Do?

I can’t tell you how many times in the last two years I have been asked “What is a Virtual Assistant? What do you actually do?” Most of my work is Social Media Management and Website Maintenance, but there are so many options for Virtual Assistants now.

Already on the blog, I have interviewed a VA who specializes in helping leaders in the direct sales industry, a VA who focuses solely on her client’s email inboxes, and a  VA who does general office work and makes house calls! The type of work a Virtual Assitant does depends on the skills they already have or are willing to learn.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

“A Virtual Assistant, or VA, is an administrative professional who provides immediate professional support, services, and skills to busy entrepreneurs and business managers via the Internet.” – VAnetworking.com

Any work that can be done over the internet can be done by a VA. And actually, some of them even do work that can’t be done over the internet, like mailings, organizing paperwork, creating files, etc.

A Virtual Assistant can work for many different types of businesses. Some specialize in Real Estate or Law, some focus on artists and creatives, and some perform tasks for a variety of companies.

Virtual Assistants can work on retainer for a long period of time or be hired to complete one job, it all depends on what the client is looking for. I have some clients on a set monthly package, some I bill by the hour and a few come to me with one off projects that I quote ahead of time.

Who hires a Virtual Assistant?

There are many, many kinds of businesses that hire VAs. Some solopreneurs hire them to keep the smaller tasks off their plates so they can focus on what actually makes them money. Some small businesses have work that needs to be done but not enough to justify an employee.

As a self employed professional, virtual assistants are able to provide administrative services for less than hiring, training and retaining an employee. This makes it very cost effective for many small to medium businesses.

RELATED: How to Score Your First Virtual Assistant Client

How much does a Virtual Assistant make?

This is a tricky question to answer. It depends on the type of work, where the VA lives and they types of clients they take on. I have seen as low as $15 and as high as $100 per hour. The average is between $25 and $40 per hour.

If the VA has special training or skills that allow them to perform specialized tasks they can charge more, just like a trained employee. Also, many VAs increase their hourly rate as they gain experience and regular clients.

RELATED: How to Price Your Virtual Assistant Services

What Tasks can a Virtual Assistant Do?

1. Social Media Management
2. Website Maintenance
3. Editing/Proofreading
4. Calendar Management
5. Email Inbox Management
6. Answering Phonecalls
7. Tech Support
8. Database Design/Management
9. Market Research
10. Event Planning
11. Travel Planning
12. Transcription
13. Meeting Minutes
14. Creating Powerpoint Presentations
15. Reply and Manage Blog Comments
16. Booking Clients
17. Client Followup
18. Bookkeeping
19. Real Estate Document Management
20. Creating and Mailing Client Documents
21. Preparing Webinars
22. Creating Landing Pages
23. Copywriting
24. Managing Facebook Groups
25. Writing and Sending Newsletter or eNewsletters
26. Graphic Design
27. Project Management
28. Secretarial Services
29. Word Processing
30. Product Launch Mangement
31. Creating Ads for Social Media
32. Video Editing and Uploading
33. Podcast Editing
34. Client Invoicing
35. Public Relations

How can you get started?

If you want to get started as a VA consider taking the free course from Gina Horkey. She has been working as a VA for a long time and created an awesome course that covers the basics of getting started. If you want to know more about Gina, make sure to watch our interview!