Meagan Goepferich explains how a virtual assistant can help busy bloggers and shows best practices for a positive working relationship/

1. DO YOU
NEED A VA?
What every VA wishes you knew

2. DO YOU NEED A VA?
Are you overwhelmed with deadlines?
Do you have tasks you hate doing that distract you from more important
projects?
Are there things you HATE about blogging that someone else could take over?
Would hiring someone to complete tedious tasks free you up to focus on things
that could grow your brand and make you more money in the long run?
How much is an hour not doing that tedious task worth to you?

3. KEEP APPOINTMENTS
& BE RELIABLE
If you are hiring a VA they are making time for you. If you are unreliable they
may become frustrated and choose to stop working with you. Avoid frustration
by making and keeping appointments. If you have to cancel, give as much notice
as possible.
If you are working with your VA on a continuing basis it can be good to establish
a time each week to speak with your VA and assess how things are going.
Keep in mind that your VA will probably be working with other clients as well.
When you hold them up that can cause a problem for the rest of their day.

4. PAY FAIRLY!
When you hire a VA it can be tempting to try and snag the best deal
possible. Savings can work against you, though. You are trusting this
person with your brand. Make sure to pay them equivalent to the job.
Remember that all VA’s should be pulling aside self-employment tax
of at least 15%. That means they are making about 15% less than the
hourly amount you see. They will also pay a small PayPal fee in order
to use PayPal to receive payment. Make sure to account for these when
agreeing on a salary.

5. KNOW HOW LONG
THINGS TAKE.
If you are going to hire a VA to work for you on an hourly basis instead
of by job it is important to know how long a job takes.
Before hiring someone set a stopwatch. Start the job from the beginning.
By the beginning, I mean logging in, pulling up the job, and doing the
actual job. Look at what that time is.
Your VA will be logging in to your accounts. They may not be able to do
that job from their phone like you do or use the same method you do.
Get an idea of how long the job takes before hiring your VA.

6. OUTLINE EXPECTATIONS
It is important that you know exactly what you want before starting a
job with a VA. There will be some flexibility here depending on the
job but it helps to go into an agreement knowing what your
expectations are.
Do you want your VA posting at specific times in the day?
Are there things that do not fit your brand and will not be accepted?
Will your VA be expected to contact you every time a job is completed
or less frequently?
When will you be able to pay your VA? (Weekly, Per Job, Bi-Weekly)

7. GET ORGANIZED
Most VA’s will have an organized way that they do business.
This could be a Google Drive document or through other
formats.
Decide what works best for you and communicate that clearly.
I have one client that prefers to e-mail me tasks every day. I
have another that would rather send me a Facebook message.
Find what works for you and keeps things simple so that the
work can get done.

8. DECIDE HOW MUCH
ACCESS TO ALLOW
Depending on what you hire your VA for you will have to give them access
to the back-office of your business.
It is important to decide how much access you want to allow.
Will they be allowed in your e-mail?
Will they have their own login for your blog so they can ghostwrite for you?
Will all posts have to be approved as a draft before going live?
Are you going to give them access to your personal Facebook?
Look at the tasks you are hiring for and understand that access will be a
part of that. This is why it is very important to hire a quality VA with a great
reputation.

9. HOW MUCH FREEDOM
WILL THEY HAVE?
Not only will you have to decide on how much access they will have,
you will have to decide how much freedom they will have.
Will you provide the social media links they post?
Will you be setting times for social media?
What are they allowed to post on your behalf?
What things are not a part of your brand? (Alcohol, Cursing, Any No
Competes)
Which e-mails are not to be touched?

10. EXPECT TRAINING TIME
When you hire a new VA there will be a time for training. Even if you
hire the best of the best, they will still need to learn your brand and
your expectations.
This can include:
Issues with how long a task should take
Posting something the wrong way
Posting the wrong content
More frequent contact with you. (Ironing out problems and clarifying
expectations.)

11. RESPECT THEIR TIME!
While a VA can be a huge asset to your business it is important
to remember that on the other end of the computer is a
person. They may be able to handle your last minute project
but they may not. Unless you have a specific agreement about
covering last minute tasks make sure to give your VA a break
if they can’t do it. You will have a better relationship if you
respect their time.

12. GIVE NOTICE OF TIME OFF
If you hire a VA on an ongoing basis they are
counting on that income. If there is going to be a
week when you will not be using them, let them
know in advance. This will give your VA the
freedom to find another job to cover that week or
plan for a change in finances.

13. VA VS CONSULTANT
It is very important to look at the difference between a VA and a
consultant.
Kim Vij, for example is a Pinterest Consultant. Her job is to tell you
how to make the most of your Pinterest strategy and grow your reach
there.
With a consultant, you are paying a fee for advice about how best to
run a specific area.
A VA is basically a virtual secretary. Your VA may bring knowledge to
the table that will help your brand but their job is to assist you in doing
what you want to be done. When hiring a VA it is important to have a
strategy in place already that you are expecting your VA to complete.

14. CONSIDER BEFORE
HIRING A VA
Does the VA have a good reputation? - You are trusting this person
with your brand and your private information.
Does the VA have a safe way to store login information?
How much can you afford? - Plan how much you can afford before
looking for a VA. Most VA’s will work with your budget and let you
know what they can offer.
How much experience do they have? - Not all VA’s are created equal.
Different people have done different things.
How does the VA remedy mistakes? - When you work with a VA there
will be mistakes. Does the VA have a plan in place for remedying
mistakes? Will you get a partial refund? Will they repair it free?

15. What is their privacy policy? - When dealing with a VA they will be
working with other clients as well. They will need a policy for keeping
your information private from other clients.
What is their self-promotion policy? - There are VA’s out there who
are also bloggers. I have seen some use the client’s reach to promote
their own blogging content. It will be important to find out their policy.
I don’t promote my content on the outlets of my clients unless
specifically invited to.
Do they know and comply with legal guidelines and policies? - When
working with a VA it is important to know that they know where to
source images, content, and how to disclose. You don’t want to deal
with legal issues because they don’t know the rules.

16. QUESTIONS?
For a question I didn't answer here please feel free to e-mail
me at morethanahomeschoolmom@gmail.com or see me
after the session.