Improvements in 2015

Just a few short months ago, we were going through the holiday season – a season I call the crazy times. I’m not a cynic of the holidays, particularly – I’ve waited until well past the holidays to talk about them in a less than favorable light – but can I hear a Hallelujah now that they’re over and it’s spring?

They say that if you are still working on or have accomplished your New Year’s resolutions 1 month past the new year, you are in the very small minority. For the rest of us, however, don’t feel discouraged. We are entering the 2nd quarter of the New Year, and I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a fantastic year!

If you’re a business owner, I’m guessing your New Year’s resolutions included improvements to your business – whether or not you called them “resolutions.” It’s what we business people do – constantly look for ways to improve ourselves, our businesses and find ways to balance our busy lives. Marketing is always part of a successful business and finding ways to improve it every year is just plain smart. With social media, the world has become very small, and marketing isn’t what it used to be. It can be extremely overwhelming, and knowing where to turn for help can be daunting.

Entrepreneurs and business owners have mad talents – that’s why they’re business owners. But no one – and I mean no one – can do everything, nor should they be trying to do everything. And I’ll let you in on another secret as well: even if you have the time, you shouldn’t be doing all of your marketing for your business yourself. Why, you ask? You know your business inside and out – the way YOU know your business. Because of that, your view of your business is jaded and may not be how your prospective clients and customers are seeing it. It’s easy to miss an opportunity to be heard by more people – the people who don’t know your business.  Yet.

I was recently speaking with a very smart guy, and we were having a discussion about the environment. I mentioned to him how hiring a virtual assistant can reduce your carbon footprint. He asked me how, and I was taken aback for a second. How could he not know how? It made perfect sense to me. Of course it did – I understand what I do because I live it. And there are probably a lot of little things about your business that you take for granted and feel everyone knows – and that’s what makes hiring someone outside of your business to discuss and help manage your marketing invaluable.

Of course the type of marketing that you need depends upon your business and your goals. Take a social media strategy to help market your business. Should you concentrate your efforts on Facebook? The answer is, it depends. Twitter? Google+? Pinterest? LinkedIn? Should you blog? Be on Tumblr? Instagram? The short answer is yes, but it depends on your business as to which should take precedence in your overall strategy. How often should you post? When? Again – it depends on your business and your clientele and there is no 100% generic right answer.

Do you have the time to manage all of that? The answer is no, if you’re running and growing your business as you should be. You should also be doing some type of SEO and updating your website often. SEO is its own beast, and your business needs to make sure SEO is part of your strategy – whether it’s making sure your website and posts are properly optimized, or whether you’re going for the full SEO, long-term results that will – if done properly – raise your Google rankings and allow you to be more easily found by the search engines.  If done on the cheap or improperly – your site could get banned for 5 years or more.

I’m not sure if you realize all the time and energy everything above will take: we’re talking about a social media strategist and potential manager, a website manager, content writer, blogger, SEO specialists … even if you had the knowledge – can you do all of that and still run your business?

I’ve mentioned this countless times, and here I go again: Does the CEO of a large company do everything him or herself? Of course not! They have learned the art of delegating and you can, too. Believing that you can do it all can stall the growth of your business, and by learning to delegate tasks you shouldn’t be doing anyway, you will have more time to focus on generating income. Delegating, or outsourcing, has long been seen as a strategy reserved for big business, but today’s technology has made it a more accessible tool for small businesses and firms, making a powerful impact on their growth, productivity, and bottom lines.

Once you break the bonds of that dreaded affliction, ICanDoItAllMyself, think about speaking with a virtual assistant. Or better yet, speak with a multi-virtual assistance company and ask them what their team’s expertise encompasses. By working with admins and project managers to website and social media experts, you could find yourself with a bunch of time to concentrate on your expertise, grow your business and maybe even have a life outside of your business!

Nickey Hollenbach

Personal Touch Concierge Service, a Multi-Virtual Assistance Company

info@ptconciergeservice.com