The world of marketing is a challenging and chaotic one, but also rewarding. Every second counts, your client pool is a constant balancing act, and things always seem to be in the fast lane. In addition, there are continuous updates and developments in Google and various digital platforms that you need to keep ahead of. Growth is a good thing, of course. But you will eventually find that you just don’t have enough time to accomplish all the to-do’s necessary for scaling your agency. Co-founder of Outsourcing Angel Linh Podetti’s advice to any budding marketing agency is to chase growth but also prioritise hiring people with the requisite skills and attitude. Hiring a virtual assistant can help you expand your business while being cost-efficient. Watch her video and learn how to successfully hire the best virtual assistant for your marketing agency.
In this blog, Linh shares four of her best tips to those who are looking to hire their first virtual assistant.
1. Analyse the Job Position
Before hiring a virtual assistant, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of personality and character traits do you want your virtual assistant to have?
- What skills are they required to possess?
- Which software or apps do they need to be familiar with?
- What tasks do you want your virtual assistant to do?
- Who will train and manage him/her?
At the same time, you’ll want to make sure that you maximise having a virtual assistant in your team and use the free time to do higher value tasks that will produce the highest ROI.
2. Outsource to the Best
Steve Jobs said that the secret of success is to go to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world. So where can you find these people? Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are places where you can source virtual staff for project-based jobs, as well as Onlinejobs.ph where you can hire virtual assistants based in the Philippines. While these are legitimate sources of skilled online staff, you will still be doing everything yourself. You will post the job, go through hundreds of candidates, interview them, and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll have to do it all again.
Linh herself made the mistake of hiring people from freelancers offering services for cheap, but she only ended up being ripped off by people who couldn’t do the job. The best option is to hire through a reputable agency like Outsourcing Angel. Linh’s vision is to help growing businesses get access to great talent without so much as lifting a finger when it comes to recruitment and HR matters.
3. Start Small
When hiring a virtual assistant, Linh recommends initiating a test job first to make sure you’re happy with the way your new staff is doing the task. Don’t make the mistake of dumping a huge task on your virtual assistant right at the beginning. The best thing to do is to get them started on small tasks and then scaling to much bigger jobs. For instance, have your virtual web developer start with easy website tweaks first and then slowly guide him/her into big, website development tasks. This way, you can minimise risks by making sure you are overseeing their work. Also, it is important to always check their work first before allowing them to deal directly with your clients.
4. Ongoing Mentoring and Training
Like any local staff, virtual assistants need your continuous mentoring and training. They want to know that you care about them and their future by investing your time with them. This will also help you in the long run as your virtual assistants will prove to be valuable assets in your marketing agency. Providing opportunities to learn and sharing advice with your virtual assistant will only make them happier to work for you. Your goal is to hire the right staff and keep them the longest. If your virtual assistants stay with you longer, they will learn more about your business and this will enable them to help serve you better.
Outsourcing Angel’s team of virtual assistants are not only skilled and knowledgeable in modern digital marketing practices but they are also responsible individuals who care about your business and who will greatly contribute in your agency’s growth mission. Follow these tips from Linh Podetti so you can master the art of outsourcing and take your business to greater heights.
Download a copy of our Outsourcing Angel Roadmap today.
VA Writer: Jamie S. Ayque
VA Position: Digital Marketer
