Thank you so much to everyone who shared their questions in our recent survey. What stood out most was just how many capable VAs are sitting on skills that are far more valuable than they realise.
(Quite a few questions were around how to actually set up in business, how to get paid, how to onboard clients/do operations/set up systems, how to feel confident and ready and so on… this email is not about “pitching” it, but this is covered in great detail in our FAB VA Programme… we even have an ENTIRE course on how to develop your confidence that people rave about, for example. So please have a look at that if you’ve “set-up”-type questions.)
There were a few recurring themes:
- How to package and price services
- What services to offer (and which ones make money)
- How to get clients and leads
- How to develop the skills, and…
People also wanted to know a bit more about digital marketing in general, and what it can mean if you’re a VA who wants to generate income, so in this first email, let’s start there.
The phrase “the digital revolution” is so common, we sometimes forget we are only in the very early stages of it.
In particular, digital marketing – by which we mean helping businesses get more visibility, more leads, and more customers using online tools like social media, email, websites, and automation – is a huge and growing market.
If you’re saying “but I’m not a marketer” – bear with me, as we get into that below – but look at the opportunity in the UK:
- Online marketing spend is growing and UK businesses are investing heavily – online ad formats made up 78% of all UK ad spend (~£28.7 bn) in 2023 (source: IAB)
- Most UK small and medium-sized businesses use digital marketing – around 60% use paid digital ads, and 67% use free digital tools (source: eConsultancy)
- Nearly half of UK companies outsource at least some marketing work – this is especially true in business to business (source: Full Mix Marketing)
That means lots of activity, lots of spend, and lots of demand for help. This is ideal for VAs who can offer support with execution.
Rob Tyson, who I have worked with for many years and who has been working in digital marketing for over 20 years, working directly with and training small businesses, explains:
“There are tons of small businesses who need help with this. It’s a growing market – and there’s actually a gap in the market that VAs are in an ideal place for.
Just about every small business owner I’ve ever dealt with feels they need to be doing more marketing, and wants to do more. Generating more interest through marketing gets the cash till ringing. It isn’t like more general VA work which can maybe be looked on as more of a cost. And, in my experience, small businesses who want to do more aren’t expecting “the moon on a stick”. They just want some reliable help to move them to the next level, and as long as they sense benefit, they want to keep going every month, and do more.
At the same time, getting into very high value contracts with a marketing agency is scary for them. So, actually, a VA who comes to them and says: I can offer small, clearly defined services initially, so you can test the water, and build up, sounds very attractive to them. Most agencies have large overheads and so the maths don’t really work for them.
Having run a marketing agency with staff, I can tell you: it is really not worth your while unless a business can invest perhaps £3000 per month at absolute minimum. There are huge numbers of businesses at the stage where that is too big a commitment but starting at £500, £1000, £2000 a month is not. That leaves a huge gap in the market for a VA who can do simple things.
The marketing of a lot of small businesses tends to be quite basic, or patchy. Most small business owners don’t consider themselves “marketers” and they often don’t really know where to start. Their business is typically based on their own personal relationships or location or maybe one or two “reliable” marketing methods they have, such as a directory listing or professional association. That gives them a “baseline” of business, but they are very aware that a) they are missing out, and b) they are vulnerable if their “usual” channel dries up. What this means is that a little goes quite a long way with these businesses.
Of course, clients want to see a return. But at the small business level, clients aren’t creating massive spreadsheets to track every click or page view. It’s usually much more “gut feel.” So they are very likely to invest money in things that help with a few things:
1 – Do I finally look professional and consistent online?
Don’t underestimate this one! This is a big one for a lot of small businesses. People feel like they’re behind competitors, inconsistent, disorganised, often social media pages are untidy, out of date, or using poor imagery. A VA can do a lot here, just coming to things with fresh eyes, and psychologically it can give clients a big boost. If a social media page looks neglected or abandoned, it can affect the confidence of prospects. Just by posting once or a few times a week consistently, a VA can help a lot with this and the business owner knows it’s taken care of.
2 – Did this bring me more enquiries, leads, interest, sales, or bookings?
3 – Did this give me time back so I can focus on higher value work?
And of course, marketing is one of those key things that lends itself to ongoing business in a big way, because it gets the cash till ringing for clients. When clients feel they’re getting value, and if you’re reliable, my experience is they will stay for years and years, and ask to do more and more with you.
Because many are starting from a low base with this, you can do some fairly simple stuff, and they see the value, and feel good about it.
There are also lots of free and low-cost software tools you can use that will help you. Most VAs will be pretty familiar with working with various online tools these days if they are doing admin. For example, as a VA you may already use an AI tool to help with writing or research, so it isn’t a huge leap to have it help you create certain things. But of course, those tools aren’t always reliable, and marketing is an area where accuracy is vital so the human judgment and touch will always be needed. And, if you just start with simple templated services, you don’t need to be some kind of ‘genius marketer.’ The first task with marketing messages is just to communicate clearly. As an ‘outsider’ who doesn’t normally work in the business, you actually have an advantage there.”
I’ve asked Rob to create some more material for us on this, and we’ll have more to share soon, around what some of the most popular offerings for small businesses tend to be.
Look out for that, and please let me know if you’ve any questions in the meantime.
Sarah x
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