Yearly Roundup: Best Articles of 2021
10 articles for virtual assistants and businesses hiring virtual assistants that defined 2021
2021 is drawing to a close, and with it, another year of insightful and valuable content for those looking to work with or hire a virtual assistant (VA), as well as virtual assistants who need to keep up-to-date on the latest trends and industry news.
We’ve compiled a list of 20four7VA’s top articles from this year, ranging from tips for businesses looking to hire a virtual assistant to advice for virtual assistants on how to increase their productivity and market their services.
In no particular order, here are 10 of the most popular articles from this year on the 20four7VA blog:
1. The 17 Biggest Offshore Outsourcing Blunders To Avoid (2021)
Offshore outsourcing is becoming more and more popular for businesses, but understanding what to avoid can make all the difference between outsourcing success and failure. This article provides 17 important points to remember when a company finally decides to outsource business tasks to remote offshore workers or virtual assistants.
An excerpt from the article:
“It’s important to remember that before you outsource anything in your business, you should first make sure that you’re doing so for the right reasons and that you’re prepared to work with an offshore partner.”
2. How to Write a Virtual Assistant Cover Letter [Examples + Free Templates!]
The cover letter is the first opportunity for a virtual assistant to make an impression, and it allows the VA to elaborate on any experience that makes them stand out from other applicants. Basic writing skills and a good grasp of the English language aren’t enough to draft a stellar cover letter. To impress a potential client, a VA must know exactly what to include and exclude in their cover letter. This article gives VAs a few useful tips to keep in mind when writing their cover letter, along with a few example cover letters and templates to get them started.
An excerpt from the article:
“While it is tempting to put your whole career and life into a single page, it is best to curate and highlight the best stories. It gives the reader a more concise and clear idea of who you are as a future employee, what you can do, and the value you can bring to the organization.”
3. 11 Key Reasons SMBs Should Hire a Creative Virtual Assistant
Creative virtual assistants offer unique skills and services that can be extremely valuable to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Since creatives are critical to the success of any marketing strategy, businesses need to include content writer VAs, graphic designer VAs, video editor VAs, and other creative VAs in their remote team. This article dives into 11 reasons why SMBs should consider hiring a creative VA to help with tasks such as social media, content marketing, and even customer service.
An excerpt from the article:
“Hiring a creative virtual assistant can make all the difference in improving your productivity and freeing up more time for what really matters: growing your business.”
4. How to Start Your New Work From Home Career as a Virtual Assistant
This article is perfect for virtual assistants who are just starting out in their remote careers. Some people think that transitioning from a typical office-based job to remote work is incredibly easy, but that’s not always the case. Many who shift to VA work struggle with issues they didn’t have to face in an office setting — from making choices as simple as the right work chair to more complicated situations like setting boundaries between their work life and home life. This article provides a step-by-step guide on starting a successful work-from-home career as a VA, including tips on setting up an efficient home office, building a client base, working with an agency, and more.
An excerpt from the article:
“To successfully switch careers and become a work-from-home virtual assistant, you need to have skills, work experience, and training in line with the requirements of the role you’re applying for.”
5. 15+ Questions You Should Ask About Outsourcing (with Answers)
Today, millions of businesses are outsourcing some or all of their work to third-party companies, freelancers, or virtual assistants. Unfortunately, many people buy into the hype without asking the tough questions first. Failure to ask a few critical questions can lead to disappointment with outsourcing and failure to harness the true value of this hiring and staffing practice. This article provides business owners with 15+ questions they should ask before outsourcing tasks or processes to VAs or third-party service providers.
An excerpt from the article:
“As a business owner, it’s important to research outsourcing agencies or service providers you are interested in to ensure they are the right fit for your business.”
6. Virtual Assistant Contract: Why You Need One (Plus A Free Template!)
A virtual assistant contract is an important document that outlines the expectations, terms, and conditions of a working relationship between a business and a virtual assistant. This article provides an overview of why businesses and VAs should always use a virtual assistant contract, along with a free template that VAs can use to create their own contracts.
An excerpt from the article:
“Whether you’re about to take on your first role as a virtual assistant or have been doing this for many years, you need to make sure that every business transaction is as straightforward and painless as possible. A virtual assistant contract provides a framework for doing business and keeping both parties accountable to the terms of their agreement.”
7. Do You Need to Take a Virtual Assistant Course to Become a VA?
There are many online courses available to potential virtual assistants that teach everything they need to know about remote work, including the basics of how to work with clients, time management techniques, and specific industry skills. This article provides an overview of some of the most popular VA courses on the market today, as well as an explanation of whether or not taking one is necessary for VAs.
An excerpt from the article:
“Those who are considering becoming a VA often wonder if taking a virtual assistant course is necessary. This article will answer your questions about virtual assistant courses, training, virtual certification/classes, diploma programs, and more.”
8. Need a VA? Why You Should Always Hire from a Virtual Assistant Agency
There are many benefits to hiring a virtual assistant from an agency, as opposed to finding and hiring your own VA. The ease of hiring, for one, is the most important benefit for many business owners. Not having to deal with the intricacies of posting on job boards, reviewing each applicant’s resume, and setting up interview schedules already removes so much of the hassle for business owners, and reputable agencies offer so many more benefits on top of these. This article provides 10+ reasons why businesses should hire a VA through an agency instead of looking for VAs independently.
An excerpt from the article:
“Not all virtual assistants are created equal. Some are more skilled or remote work-ready than others. The difference in virtual assistant quality is often dependent on the source. “
9. Beginner’s Guide on How to Start Your Own Social Media Marketing Agency + Insider Tips!
Starting a social media marketing agency can be a lucrative and rewarding business venture. But it’s also quite difficult to get started. By utilizing an offshore outsourcing staffing model, however, launching a social media marketing agency becomes a lot easier, not to mention more profitable. This article provides an overview of how to start your social media marketing agency, including tips on building a client base, creating a pricing model, and more.
An excerpt from the article:
“The demand for social media marketing has skyrocketed, and the right agency can provide knowledge and expertise on the best way to create a strategy for your brand.”
10. 12 Tasks to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant Property Manager
For the past few years, the real estate industry has been relying heavily on offshore outsourcing to tackle various tasks and roles in brokerage. One role that is becoming more popular to outsource is that of a property manager VA. The role of a virtual assistant property manager can be quite challenging, especially if the VA is managing a large portfolio of properties. This article provides a list of 12 common tasks that companies or entrepreneurs can delegate to a skilled property manager VA.
An excerpt from the article:
“More and more companies are realizing the need to outsource jobs that were traditionally done in-house and on-site. In the real estate industry, desk-bound property managers are increasingly relying on assistant property manager VAs for help with their daily tasks.”
Thank you for checking out our top articles of 2021 roundup! We hope you found this list useful. For more great content, please subscribe to our blog or newsletter.
