The 9 to 5 job is not for everyone. A great alternative to this lifestyle is working online. There has been an increase in companies going remote as companies start to see the benefits of working remotely.
If you’re looking to dictate your own schedule, becoming a Virtual Assistant (VA) could be an excellent option for someone who is starting off in the online world and wants a bit more freedom.
As a Virtual Assistant, you get to choose what services you offer and who you want to work with – you get to be your own boss!
With a new workspace comes new work-related issues you may face. It can be daunting when you start applying for jobs in the online world.
You might find it hard to find job postings, or you may be discouraged at the number of people applying.
So, how do you get clients as a Virtual Assistant?
There are a few things you can do to ensure you are standing out amongst the rest.
Before You Apply For Virtual Assistant Positions
It’s great to be a jack of all trades, but you should try and find the few tasks that you excel in. As a Virtual Assistant, it is better to do a few things really well than do a lot of things, just okay.
Having an area you specialize in will help narrow down what jobs you will be applying for. Hopefully, you won’t be as overwhelmed by the vast amount of job opportunities once you can narrow them down a bit.
Likewise, you should find your niche. Do you love all things health and wellness? Are you looking to help life coaches grow their businesses? Or maybe you want to focus on travel bloggers and influencers.
You can learn more about services offered by different assistants in our complete guide to understanding the types of virtual assistants.
Whatever you’re interested in, try and focus on getting clients in this industry. As a VA, you can pursue the areas that interest you.
You shouldn’t be doing work for a client if you find it mundane or you don’t care for it – you have the power to change that!
Lastly, if you want to work online, you need to have some sort of online presence.
An online presence can be in the form of a Facebook account, an Instagram account, a website, etc.
Working online is a bit strange, as you may never actually meet the people you work with!
Your communication will be in the form of emails, video calls, and however else you or your client like to communicate online.
Clients will want to see that you are a person that actually exists, and having an online presence will confirm just that.
You’ve narrowed down your services, found your niche, and your Facebook profile looks better than ever.
So, where do you find virtual assistant clients? There are a few ways you can find clients online as a Virtual Assistant.
How To Find Online Virtual Assistant Jobs
There are multiple ways to get clients as a virtual assistant. In this section, we’ll give you tips on the best job sites to help you land more clients but also other tricks well-known in the digital world.
Job Sites
There are numerous job sites dedicated to remote jobs. Some will be limited to applicants of specific continents, and some are open to global applicants.
Some companies will want you to overlap with the other employees, which is why specific continents/time zones will be preferred.
Here’s a list of websites you can browse to find a virtual assistant job:
You can sign up for weekly emails, subscribe to job alerts for specific fields, or receive all the job postings.
Having a niche as a Virtual Assistant will make your job search more manageable, as you can subscribe to Design jobs or Admin jobs, for example, and browse through the postings that interest you.
Otherwise, if you’re still not sure, have a look at everything that is posted and see if something calls to you.
Facebook Groups
There are Virtual Assistant Facebook groups that have daily or weekly job postings. Likewise, there are many digital nomads, remote work, and entrepreneur-focused groups you can join.
This is a great way to stay up to date with the latest jobs and connect with like-minded people.
Many of these groups have dedicated days to post about your business or upcoming projects you might have. This can be an excellent opportunity to connect with potential clients.
It’s important to remember if you are talking to potential clients through Facebook, make sure your Facebook is up to date and is okay for a potential client to look through!
Network + Pitch
Networking can play a huge role in landing a job in the real world, and it also helps with finding clients when applying online.
You can network with any companies or individuals you know that could benefit from a Virtual Assistant.
Many people don’t know what a Virtual Assistant does, so your role is to educate them on how you can help them and their business.
A lot of people don’t know what they are missing out on! Likewise, you can network with friends and family who might know of someone needing a VA.
Next comes the pitch. You can reach out to potential clients via email, Facebook, and even Instagram, where appropriate.
In your pitch, you need to tell them what you can do for them and how a Virtual Assistant will make their lives easier.
You need to sell yourself and your services. You can look at the benefits of having a virtual assistant to help you create your pitch.
Lastly, you might follow a dream client on social media or have one in mind and want to offer them your services. If you see a need for it, you should!
As mentioned before, a lot of times, clients won’t know they need your help until you tell them what you can do for them – dream clients included.
Final Thoughts On Finding Clients As A Virtual Assistant
Finding a new virtual assistant job is a full-time job in itself, both online and in person.
Finding clients as a Virtual Assistant can seem discouraging at first, but there are so many job opportunities if you look in the right places.
To recap, three great ways to find clients as a Virtual Assistant are…
- Job Sites
- Facebook groups
- Network
Free Virtual Assistant Training
- ☑ Discover if virtual assistance is right for you.
- ☑ Learn how to find potential clients.
- ☑ Learn how much you can make as a virtual assistant.
If you’re utilizing all three of those resources, you should be able to find the clients you want and start loving what you do. And one more thing – you should pitch and increase your visibility every day.
Whether you’re networking in Facebook groups, on Linkedin, or in real-life – do it every day. Make sure that you’re showing up at least once a day. It will be easier to attract new clients as a virtual assistant.
That said, remembering all these places where people look when they wish to hire a virtual assistant is also a great place to start.
Want to learn more about finding clients as a freelancer?
Read our tips to help you land your first client as a freelancer.
