Virtual Assistant – an administrative assistant just like any other assistant, secretary, etc… that you are use to seeing work at someone’s office. Maybe you have even had a administrative assistant before. The virtual portion means we work using technology to complete your assignments, we don’t physically come into your office and work from a desk there. We work from our offices. Usually which are located in our home.

How we work? We can:

• remotely connect to your office computer (if necessary) to complete your assignments.
• complete many tasks, such as your newsletter via Constant Contact, 1shopping cart, etc…
• maintenance your website, blog, etc.. via the web.
• type your letters, emails, design your brochures, press releases via our computer.
• make follow up phone calls, send your emails, schedule appointments, etc…
• maintain your social networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

We complete all of these tasks using some type of technology, usually related to the Internet. We just need a high speed Internet connection, your assignment and we are set to go.

How does a virtual assistant save you money? You do not have to pay for:

• office space, office equipment, printers, Internet connection.
• payroll taxes, health insurance, vacation, sick pay and holidays.
• wasted time spent on breaks, at water coolers and personal phone calls.
• time to train new staff.

If you want to save time and money by utilizing the services of a Virtual Assistant do contact me. If I can’t help you, I certainly know some great virtual assistants that can.

All virtual assistants have a specialty or passion, mine is Social Media, I help my clients leverage social networking applications, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to grow their brand and brand awareness. However, I also do many other tasks for my clients from typing, creating newsletters to scanning business cards.

What I recommend if you are considering hiring a virtual assistant:

• Define what tasks your virtual assistant can complete for you.
• Determine what area most of these tasks fall into.
• Find someone that specializes in that area.
• Make sure they can also complete the other tasks for you.

Virtual assistants do charge a higher fee in most cases than having someone work for you in your office, however, as mentioned above they are absorbing the cost for all your savings. You are hiring a 100% professional, highly dedicated assistant focusing on you and you alone for the allotted time you pay for. We are not focusing on anything or anyone else for the time we are set to work for you. Tasks get accomplished faster, with accuracy and professionalism.

Do feel free to email me or call if you would like to discuss my services further, or if you need a recommendation for a specialist. I am the organizer of the Virtual Assistants of Dallas Fort Worth Meetup group. Our members range from specializing in transcription, accounting, writing, social media to organizing your junk drawer.

Some VAs only complete certain tasks and not others, do make sure when interviewing a potential virtual assistant you get all the facts, so you can have a one stop shop, vs. going to many assistants for many different tasks!

1. Don’t use an automated welcome direct message and if you’re going to use an automated direct message, don’t share a link, etc… Submitted by @VickiBerry.

Submitted by @julialilly: Use an auto-reply message for new followers. Make sure the message clearly states that it is an auto-reply and that you will get back to their bio soon. Don’t try to be sneaky about it. The trick to making this work is that you actually do get back to the new follower. Set aside some time each day or each week to go back and read each new followers bio and reply to all that are not spam. All real people should be acknowledged, even it just a simple reply such as “Jim, thank you again for the follow. I hope you enjoy my posts”.

My perspective: I use an automated direct message, but tell the people I’m connecting with that it’s automated. If you don’t want to receive automated DM’s follow @optmeout on Twitter, follow their directions and you’ll be opted out of receiving automated direct messages from social oomph users.

2. Do not autofollow Twitter users. Be selective and make sure they are a fit for your interests and needs. Submitted by @mikedmerrill!

Again, another tip I don’t follow. I do autofollow users back. However, I do vet them as they appear in my Twitter stream. (I can always unfollow those that are not interesting to me or send spammy direct messages.)

3. Remember to check your @yourname replies/tweets so you don’t miss something said about or to you. Respond accordingly. Submitted by @iPresort

Great tip here! I do this and would like to add to this, if you use a TweetDeck run a search for yourname, sometimes mentions will get overlooked in the @mentions, but not as often in the search option!

4. Businesses – a high percentage of your tweets should be relevant content to your company, but don’t just tweet company ads. Submitted by @iPresort

Another great tip! Your tweets need to be content, articles, interesting information, etc… related to your industry. Keep your self promotion down to occasionally! Use a 1 to 6 ratio!

5. Make your #FollowFriday recommendations one at a time, with info on “why to follow”. Keep using multiple Twitter id’s to a minimum. Submitted by @evolutionfiles!

I don’t always follow this tip! I do some of both! I do like to give #FollowFriday with by industry.

6. Keep using quotes for your tweets to a minimum. And if you do post a quote, make it relevant to your target audience. Submitted by @evolutionfiles!

I agree! Right on with this tip! Quotes are inspiring, but you can only handle so much inspiration in one day, right?

7. Basic one – “at” people to engage and connect. Then connect in real world if possible. Don’t just tweet your pitch repeatedly. Submitted by @evolutionfiles!

I love this part of tweeting! Having a conversation online one on one is the key to developing relationships, taking an online relationship offline to become strategic partners or even gaining a new client!

8. Instead of, or in addition to, thanking tweeps for #FollowFriday, Retweets & Mentions… *Reciprocate* by Retweeting them back or giving #FollowFriday back. Submitted by @evolutionfiles.

I agree with this tip and actually use this strategy often. However, if someone retweets, #FollowFriday’s or mentions me that doesn’t have good content, I kindly just thank them and skip the returning the favor part.

9. Follow LOTS of peeps. But check their weblink and quality of their content first. Unfollow most who don’t follow back after 1 month. Submitted via @evolutionfiles.

I agree totally! Don’t try and look good on Twitter by having lots of people following you and you following no one. It makes you look like “You think you’re to good to follow back”. Who wants to develop a relationship with this type of person! Not me!

1o. Use a Twitter tool (ie Tweetdeck, Seesmic, etc) to manage followers and your tweets. Submitted by @anitasantiago.

11. Go for quality instead of quantity when it comes to followers. If you provide quality to your followers, quantity will come on it’s own with time! Submitted by @anitasantiago.

Nothing to add here! Right on, Anita!

12. Try to avoid Retweeeting yourself (tweeting with your own username in the tweet). Submitted by @evolutionfiles.

I actually follow this tip for the most part! I do retweet someone that has mentioned my Twitter id sometimes, if I feel they added some value, however, I remove my Twitter id for the most part!

13. Help me to retweet you. Make your tweets 120 characters or less. Submitted by @billhurlbut.

I sent Bill a direct message after sending this tip and asked him if it was a hint! I know this rule, recommend it to others, but don’t always follow it!

14. When modifying someone else’s tweet to fit within the 140 character requirement, add a P for partial in front of the RT! Lets the readers and the person you are retweeing know that you modified their tweet. Submitted by @pattyfarmer.

15. Make sure if you use a tweetdeck to manage your Twitter accounts, don’t forget to log into your Twitter account through your Internet browser occasionally and check for retweets. Users that retweet your through the browser don’t also show up in the tweetdeck @mentions column. You sure don’t want to overlook thanking someone. Submitted via @pattyfarmer.

Here are my Twitter tips (@lissaduty) to add:

16. When you are adding comments to someone else’s tweet, add your comments at the front before the RT! Not after. If you place your comments after, it looks like the original Twitter user posted the comments.

17. Secrets to Shorten words to meet the 140 character requirement: i.e. for use 4, to use 2, great use gr8, about use abt, forward use 4ward, see use c, before use b4, Thanks use Thk or Thx, with use w/, without use w/o.

18. If someone mentions you, retweets you, etc… in the public stream Thank them in the public stream. If they direct message you a request, respond via direct message. If you answer a question for them via direct message, but want to share the answer – write the message as a tip and share publicly, without using their Twitter id in the public stream.

19. Be a generous retweeter. Twitter is not just about you sharing interesting content to make yourself look good and knowledgeable. It’s about helping your friends on Twitter look good also! Retweet them, mention them, etc….

20. Don’t SPAM! Everyone includes this as one of their Twitter tips, so I thought I would add this tip also.

Realizing, most of you that read this post don’t plan to spam on Twitter, however what you view as not spam, another will. Keep in mind when sending a tweet or direct message, is this relevant to my followers. Am I trying to sell them something or share a success. Sometimes spamming is all in the wording!

I highly recommend you follow and connect with all the Twitter users that contributed to this post! As they are excellent at following the tips listed above! Happy tweeting! Please feel free to add any of your Twitter Tips and Twitter Etiquette in the comments section!

I better get busy blogging some predictions to show my expertise to everyone.

After a few days of dwelling on this topic, I thought better and decided it’s better for me to focus on the present, while keeping the future in mind. I am not psychic and can’t predict the future of social media. There are too many developers out there way smarter than me making new and inventive social media tools, networking sites, etc . . .on a daily basis. 

Here’s my take:

• My expertise is leveraging the developers’ social networking tools to build my brand and my clients’ build their brands. (I thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction I feel when I have helped a client get Retweeted, #FollowFriday or comments made on their status updates.)
• I enjoy teaching my social media consulting clients how to use the great tools developers have made to make social networking easier.
• I focus on advising my clients on proper etiquette, tactics and strategies for social media marketing.

With all this rambling on, my point is…

Focus on what you know! Build your brand! Develop a great strategy! Be a great person in the PRESENT and the FUTURE will take care of itself!  Do have goals and a business plan for achieving want to be in the FUTURE, but live in the NOW!

I do want to encourage you to post any comments, tips and your advice on this post! I love to learn from others and feel everyone has a value to add!  Thank you for an awesome 2009!  Let’s welcome in 2010 with a clear FOCUS and ACTION!

The 1^st tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me:  Know your Brand and Have a Strategy!

The 2^nd tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Write on your Blog to show your Expertise!

The 3rd tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Use sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to Implement Strategy!

The 4th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me:Use SocialOomph, Ping.fm, Hootsuite and Twitterfeed. They are FREE!

The 5th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Now have the Secrets. Get Busy!

The 6th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Follow these experts, as we all agree! (@chrisbrogan, @adamostrow, @mashable, @guykawasaki, @sethgodin and don’t forget @giovanni)

The 7th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Welcome new friends with Integrity.

The 8th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me:  Retweet your Friends, Share great Information and Don’t be Salesy!

The 9th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Check your Twitalyzer score, make note of your Influence, Signal, Generosity, Velocity and Clout score.

The 10th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Study the other cool Twitter tools like:  Tweetdeck, Twellow, Twitpic, Twitter Karma, Twtvite, Tweetboard, TweetBackup, TwitBacks, TwitterGrader and don’t forget Twitlonger.

The 11th tip of Social Networking the geniuses said to me: Don’t be Intimidated by the Experts, Now you know some of what they Know Too!

The 12th tipof Social Networking the geniuses said to me: You’ve Learned a lot, now Share with Your Friends and Help them Get a strategy!

A special thank you for this inspiration and my work goes to these @pattyfarmer, @careerdesign, @dorothybeach, @tonycecala, @mikedmerrill, @shama, @stephaniec2c, @jimibratt and @cyberdivaVA. Your are all awesome! I have many more friends I’d like to thank, but it is too many twitter id’s!

Thanks everyone for being great friends! Love you dearly!  P.S. Be thankful I didn’t sing this to you (@lissaduty)!

©LissaDuty.com 2009

Frankly, I am tired of reading others blog posts, articles etc. . . .saying don’t tweet or update your status with what you are eating, how you are feeling, etc. . . I guess the authors of those posts where tired of reading these type of updates and decided to send their network an indirect heads up.

I think we all have common sense and know what we want to share with our network of friends, followers, connections.

If I decide to share the fact I am eating my favorite meal (Spaghetti or Cheese Enchiladas, double rice no beans) on Twitter or Facebook then I will do so. And I bet someone would comment on the update. It’s not so much what you share, but how you share it! See examples below:

I am sitting down to eat spaghetti that my sister @jimibratt prepared. She makes the world’s best in my opinion!

My purpose here would be to make my sister feel good and also let all of my followers know her Twitter id in case they want to connect with her.

Excited! Just met with a new client @careerdesign. They are working on revamping their website http://careerdesign.com!

My purpose here would be to let everyone know I was excited and why (i.e. new client), my client’s Twitter id in case they would like to follow and also about their website. Someone in my network may know a great connection or have some advice or words of wisdom for my client.

My point with all this rambling is:

It’s not so much what you share! It’s how you share it! In other words, Write it creatively! Make it interesting! Have a purpose! The little pieces of information you share about yourself is how you connect to your network and how they connect to you. Personal Branding after all is in essence who you are and what you want your network to know about you! Just be yourself, share great information and you will grow personally and professionally.

Personal Branding is a strategy you use to share information and your knowledge! Don’t let it intimidate you and by all means don’t let some other blog author tell you what you can and cannot share on Twitter, Facebook, or whatever social networking sites you like to use.

Please share your comments with me and the readers of this post! Everyone has a great perspective and advice to add to make us all better at Personal Branding!

Details are below:

Gathering of local Twitter/Facebook users that would like to network, mix and mingle in person with connections that were made online!

We are not reserving a room for this event. We’ll be networking casually in the bar and restaurant area. Bring your twitter id and business cards if you would like!

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2009

Location:

Fox Sports Grill
5741 Legacy Dr
Plano, TX 75024-3690
(972) 312-1369

Time: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. or the fun ends!  Whichever happens first!

You can email lissa@lissaduty.com or twitter me @lissaduty for details! Please RSVP on Twitvite or Facebook Event !

“5. You are an ensemble player, not a diva. There are some giant egos in the social media business, a lot of self-proclaimed “gurus” who amass a lot of Twitter followers and land numerous speaking engagements. Many would make lousy social media managers because they see themselves as superstars or saviors. A good social media manager freely gives out credit for successes to teammates and accepts blame for failures.”

Social media is like an ensemble, you could even say orchestra.  You share knowledge, wisdom, information and ideas with others and in turn they share with you.  You work together instrumentally retweeting each others great content, give mentions, props and kudos.  This grows interest in you and them, plus a trust relationship starts to build.  Eventually they DM you with honest critique and advice and in turn you do the same.

Beware of all the self proclaimed experts (actually many have been called experts by others because they have written a book or have lots of followers, etc. . .).  Beware, all that means is they are popular and great at branding themself.  Ask them to speak with one of their clients’ or get testimonials on their achievements, successes and failures. Remember, you want the good, the bad and the ugly when selecting who manages your social media campaign.

Unfortunately, he is right about this. You will probably still exist on some level, someone could possible Google your name and find your phone number or were someone else might have mentioned your name. Better yet, another person with your same name might show up. I don’t know about you, but when someone Google’s my name I want to be in the running to pop up, vs. who knows might show up with my name, but they may represent something I wouldn’t want to be associated with. Just a thought for you to consider . . .

Pete Cashmore also says “We’re living at a time when attention is the new currency: With hundreds of TV channels, billions of Web sites, podcasts, radio shows, music downloads and social networking, our attention is more fragmented than ever before.”

Which is why we must regularly go to Google and other social applications and see who is out there (1) using our identity and (2) talking about us. We can’t defent ourself if we don’t know what they’re saying.

“Those who insert themselves into as many channels as possible look set to capture the most value. They’ll be the richest, the most successful, the most connected, capable and influential among us. We’re all publishers now, and the more we publish, the more valuable connections we’ll make” is the statement he made that really triggered this blog post for me.

This is exactly why I have designed my Standard Social Media Package, which focuses on the major Social Networking sites that everyone is currently using.  I have other packages I customize for my clients, but I always keep in mind that branding is my major objective.  I want my clients name to be recognized when someone hears it and I want them to think that person is really smart and shares great informaton.  I need to learn more about them.

My advice to you to stay up with the times is:

• Follow others that use and study social media via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (and any other social network you like).
• Attend social media events when your schedule permits
• Network with social media people
• Retweet the expert’s post so they want to read more about  you

I have one other thing to add:  If you want to secure your social networking reputation across all the platforms I would recommend you go to NameChk.com and reserve your username on the Social Networking Platforms before someone else gets it and isn’t as honorable as you are when using it. (A special thanks to @AJ_Wood for teaching #DFWSM Meetup about NameChk.com)

Please leave your comments on this post and any added thoughts.

I sent out a Tweet to show them the strategy I use with marketing my clients and then started talking with them about using Ping.FM (a free application) to feed their updates to their Twitter, Facebook and Myspace, vs. only their Twitter account.

Mike with Buffalo Rome and one of his other band members started using their internet browser on their cell phones searching for Ping.Fm. Mike registered an account and then I said “Let me log out of Ping.Fm on my laptop and we will use my computer to finish setting your account up, I am sure it’s easier than using a cell phone browser”.

We logged into his Ping.Fm (http://ping.fm) account and clicked Add Networks, selected the social media websites he uses Twitter (http://twitter.com/buffalorome), Facebook (http://facebook.com/Buffalo-Rome) and Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/BuffaloRome).

This was a very easy step and pretty self explanatory for someone experienced in using a computer. Have you set up your Ping.Fm account to feed to your social media networks? Do it now! It’s easy. If you have difficulty, feel free to email me and I’ll help you out.

Saturday November 14th

9:00 am to 5:30 pm

Registration Fee: $200.00

The Social Media revolution is not a passing trend, but a growing marketing and direct sales opportunity for intrepid business owners.

Do you want to get involved with this potential billion dollar-plus market, but are befuddled by the tools, techniques and business applications for your company or organization?

Do you need to learn how to use these applications for your job search/personal use? Fear the unknown no more – this is a fast-start Social Media Crash Course is for for you!

Hands-on learn how to post updates, reply to messages, join groups and build your network on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

This course includes: Detailed Profile setup on one social media website (attendee’s choice). Basic registration on the other websites included in course.
Bring with you: Laptop with Wi-Fi capability, Notepad and Thinking Cap!

Registration limited to 10 attendees. Register now while space is available.

Click here to view the Social Media Crash course flyer.

Advance payment $200 required via Check or PayPal. If you wish to pay via PayPal click here to process the payment then email lissa@lissaduty.com or fax 972-278-7092 the form below.

Name ______________________________________________________

Email ______________________________________________________

Phone #____________________________________________________

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