Virtual assistants are going mainstream

Virtual assistants are online business professionals who work with other entrepreneurs and small businesses to support them with marketing, bookkeeping, administrative tasks, and more.

Having partnered with several in our own business, and served quite a few more as customers of our online project management software, I’ve developed an appreciation for the industry as a truly valuable resource.

Until recently, though, when I asked other entrepreneurs if they were familiar with virtual assistants, I’d get a blank stare.  More and more, I now hear things like “Oh, my cousin is a virtual assistant”, or “I use a virtual assistant myself”.

Certainly books like Tim Ferris’ 4 Hour Work Week helped raise media awareness, though perhaps in a way the industry wasn’t particularly thrilled with (a discussion of overseas virtual assistants making $10 per hour was not well received).

And with increased media awareness, naturally there has been more coverage in blogs and online news sites.

But I think the reasons the industry is going mainstream are twofold.

First, the uncertain economy is making existing businesses hesitant to hire full time staff.   But there is still work to do.  There are also still new businesses being created, and those entrepreneurs want support without needing to hire full time staff and training them.  This is creating tremendous opportunities for skilled professional virtual assistants who can help right away.

Second, a trend I’m noticing in particular is the so-called “social media assistant”, who can setup a presence, monitor online reputations, post entries across the ever-growing range of social media websites, and even guide clients along the path of making an impact.

With major television networks trying to outdo each other in their mentions of Twitter, and confused entrepreneurs trying to figure out how to get a handle on the latest technologies, virtual assistants who specialize in social media assistance are finding more and more eager clients.

When the shine wears off of social media though, I think the value that virtual assistants bring will no longer be a mystery to entrepreneurs.

And that’s how the industry will bridge the gap from the obscure to the mainstream.

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