Buffett helping Obama…Starbucks saying veto to campaign contributions….Oh my!

Buffett saving Obama? Starbucks vetoing political supporting? WOW! It was too much to take in. When I did process it though, I begin to understand. It is crazy. Let me walk you through my conclusions.

Here goes the summary, ready? Starbucks CEO decides to help Washington to refocus on relevant matters that will help America become better. He decided to hit them in their bank books. No more contributions till they basically ‘grow up’.  To make sure everyone was listening, he started to recruit other CEOs for the band wagon. So the stakes go up? Of course they do. However, his cause is noble because he wants to help the American public.

Now, we have another respectable businessman trying to help as well. Warren Buffett is a man I have come to respect, which says a lot considering I am so particular. He is basically begging to be taxed by the Government. He is saying stop with the special treatment and relieve the tax burden on regular American folks. He went as far as to call Congress ‘billionaire friendly’. How can you argue at this point? Well, let me give you a little bit more of the story.

Buffett wants the income and investment taxes increased on individuals that are making more than $1 million annually. Uh oh Scooby! This means wealthy individuals would carry more of the burden tax wise. When Buffett explained that he only paid 17% of his taxable income in taxes, it seemed like quite a bit of change. However, he states that people in his company are paying 30% or more of their taxable income. I begin to see what he means.

Here is the more interesting part of the stories lately. Obama is getting a fundraiser sponsored by Buffett himself. Without emotion I can say this, is that really wise? I can understand having Obama around for another term would help with the leadership stability. However, would it no be better to have someone else that could do a better job?

So will higher taxes for the wealthy make our recovery even slower? I believe that the need for money to be spent to survive and make more money would not hinder economic growth. Money is a necessary evil that you can't do without.

Will Starbuck’s CEO rallying for stronger leadership be heard? Oh I think having a 100 CEO’s behind you may get someone’s attention in Washington.

I can conclude this:

• Having big business show they care about what is happening with America’s economy is encouraging.
• Having Washington do something other than argue makes me hopeful.
• Having Warren Buffet host fundraiser for Obama makes want to wait and see what happens with their relationship.

Overall, we are all in the same boat. I know that there are some out there that don’t have life jackets if our boat does a Titanic. So I think I will make sure to have my life jacket and two more, just incase someone floats by.

Graphic Design: Passion or Insanity?

Well, I have to say that graphic design is something I have been studying a lot lately. I started it because I thought I had no sense of structure when I did desktop publishing or web design. Now, I know that in some ways I was right. What I wanted to discuss today is what graphic design is and maybe how it has application in virtual assistance.

Briefly, graphic design is a ‘creative process’. It begins with a want/need for an idea to be put in physical form. After some consultation with client and designer, a plan of action comes into existence.  During the process stage, sketches are drawn up and another consultation about the final look for the project is agreed upon. The end result is a picture, sign, letterhead, business card or even a website.

Pretty involved process, right? What seems to be left out are the artistic content that goes with the process. There are always so many things to consider when doing a project. The actual putting the idea on paper deals with so much more.

Some of the artistic principles deal with shape, spacing, coloring, and even typography. Being able to see how something can be pleasing to the eye, it is a definite plus in graphic design. Keeping this in mind we begin to see how involved this is.

When a virtual assistant is fulfilling roles through different projects, being a graphic designer is one of the hats we wear. We have to have a process to accomplish the wishes of our client,

The following is a brief look at how graphic design is incorporated to a virtual assistants duties:

• Research and brainstorming—consultation with clients, who present their ideas and what they are expecting. We look at the history of business, market trends, and the product/service in question.
• Sketching—put some ideas of what the client presented. Here is where we apply the principles of design. Strong representations of the project begin to emerge.
• Rendering—transfer the sketches into actual end products. Using software like Adobe, Photoshop or Inkscape helps produce a presentable product.
• Presenting product and finishing—after meeting with the client, they will either like it as is, or have revisions.

The virtual assistant not only has to have some concepts of design, but be able to present a workable product. Just one of many hats that a virtual assistant can and does wear.

Blogging: Basics and practice

Blogging essentially is where people can share commentary with regular entries via video, written word or audio. Translation, anyone who wants to shout can be heard via the internet. There is more to this process. Blogging is also a legitimate tool for your business because you are able to share your knowledge and market your skills. So we plan to look at how you can do this successfully and provide tips on how to find inspiration.

There are many sources of information about blogging. They can say the same things, but in different ways. So lets get you started first.

To begin, you have to start with a subject that will be of interest to you. This will always give you inspiration to write about. Once you have the topic, you need to find a home for your blog. I personally can say I use Wordpress and Blogger. Set up an account with a free or paid service, its up to you. From there, we get creative. You can step through some tutorials for designing your blog and get to writing rather quickly.

Now that you are staring at your scree, you are thinking of what to write, correct? Well, before you start your blog, let us consider a few things. To be successful you want to make sure your entry will be relevant and give something to the reader. By doing this, you avoid the blog being about you and the details of your life. It will become more of a sharing of things you have learned and current events. This is where a little brain storming and research will help you have good content for your blog.

Now that you have your blog set up and have content for your first blog, here are a few things to remember:

• Grammar and punctuation—they are auto featured in most word processing programs
• Spell Check—a must to fight those typo demons.
• Blog consistently
• Market your blog by being socially active online. Leave comments and join discussions.
• Take time to read other peoples blogs.
• Be patient and they will come
• Remember everyone has an opinion, so allow a little leeway.
• Have fun.

These are just a few tips for you to remember. Happy blogging.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-life-and-times-of-a-young-republican/2011/06/how-to-be-successful-at-blogging-lesson-1-the-basics/

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2007/09/24/how-to-build-a-somewhat-successful-blog-16-lessons-i-have-learned/

The tools of a Virtual Assistant…smartphone or superphones?

As I process more tasks for starting my VA business, I am relying more and more on my cell phone. When I got the phone, the sales person described it as a computer in my hand. I knew it was meant to be, and I bought it.

I can do many things on my phone. I can check emails. I can scan a document (once I figure out the application ) I can use messenger and text. I can check my Twitter account, Linkedin, and Facebook accounts. I have a reliable extension of my office. As a virtual assistant, being able to keep in touch, market my business, and network is not just a benefit. It is the life blood of my business.

On the horizon, it is a ‘superphone’. It is the smartphone, but it can run the world with this thing. Superphones have up to 2GHtz of processing speed and can handle HD video. It sounds like a laptop that can dial. Physically, the phones have larger screens, better recording mikes, and 8 megapixel cameras. In fact, superphones have the physical hardware of a good computer. I know that means software and applications to go with it.

It is because of these phones that new chips and new software are needed. If there is a need, there has to be ways to fulfill it, right? If that is the case, jobs and growth are the results. Economically, it is a good thing.

The economy gets a shot in the arm, and I get new tools that make me more efficient as a virtual

Website Traffic

I have been working on my website since yesterday. I realized that it could be better because I was confused as to what I wanted to convey to visitors. As a result, I was tweaking most of the afternoon. I was wondering what it was all for and I thought why do I want people to come here again? The answer is for my business. I want to briefly look at why traffic is necessary for a site, how we get it, and provide some tips.

Web site traffic is necessary because it is the life blood of your internet business. Without people knowing about your site, you will not have customers. People will not know that I can help them with business related needs and will find someone else. So with that fact resonating in my mind, I began to see how I could generate more traffic.

There were several things that came up while I researched. The first was ever present SEO. I had applied the meta tags and such. However, it is still not generating that much of a buzz. There is also blogging, which I seem to like. There is also article generation to get your name out there, and something I have not tried yet, social marketing.

While it can be daunting to consider all of the information of what I could do to make my site have more traffic, here are a few tips to remember:

• Make sure you added your key words to your tags
• Add a good description that is displayed on the search engines
• Create an email/newsletter list
• Sign up for the social networking sites—Twitter, Linked in, Facebook
• Use Google Adwords
• Consider hiring someone to help you.

---

http://ezinearticles.com/?Website-Traffic-and-How-to-Get-It&id=4238463

http://www.tigaline.com/how-to-get-targeted-web-traffic/

http://www.tigaline.com/how-to-increase-web-traffic/

Nature of the Administrative Services

I was working on some things this morning and had a fleeting thought of how I define ‘administrative services’. I can say that it covers a lot of territory. So what I wanted to do was to introduce everyone to how I would define it. I will introduce you to what administrative services is, discuss if everyone has these services, and how that impacts a virtual assistant like me.

Administrative services needs to be broken down. Administration side of the definition deals with the process of organizing people, equipment and other sources toward a common goal. The service side comes from the processes that go into achieving that common goal. They can range from managing people, schedules, faxes, filing, researching, emailing, or answering phones.

A person that is designated to do this has many names. This person can serve as support to departments, executives, and even celebrities. There are also specialized providers called secretaries and executive assistants that handle the more sensitive side of administrative services. Not to be left out, there are the assistants that handle the phones, the general errands, and picking up the dry cleaning.

It is obvious that most of individuals and businesses have these needs that can be considered administrative. A virtual assistant is just like the assistants that you find in the office pouring coffee or walking a dog. The biggest difference is that we have our own office and we are not considered an employee. The biggest benefit is saving money and time.

A virtual assistant is able to still fax, file, schedule appointments, manage tasks for projects, email, be a desk top publisher and even provide presentations that you have due by noon. However, the coffee and pooch may need some personal attention from the boss. We take advantage of technology to be the remote extension to the office.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative

Be Your Own Public Relations Manager

Ever wonder if you would take on the role of PR manager? When I was starting my business, I didn’t think about how to tell people about my newest endeavor. I did a research for days and still was not comfortable doing it. I just want to share a few things I picked up. I always start with the basics:

• What is a press release?
• What is its function?
• Can I write my own?
• What are some things to keep in mind when writing a press release?

A press release is a printable or recorded announcement that we provide to the press. It is provided whenever people or companies have some new thing happening. It is also a tool used in public relations and marketing.

As a small business, I can wear many hats. One of them is PR manager. One main goal for my company is to get people aware of my existence. I want to tell people I am here and can help them. I can use the press release as a form of marketing for my company to start the process. A press release is fairly easy to implement and can have no cost associated with it. I generate a buzz in the world and start to work some public relations to generate some customers. It’s a beautiful thing.

Can I write my own press release? Of course you can. First, there is always a format. The format follows:

• Headline
• Dateline
• Introduction
• Body
• Boiler point (the about section)
• Close (###)
• Media Contact information

Next, you have to set your mind set, become a reporter. Think about who will be reading your release. Some will be very general and not your target market. However, you still need to write your release according to where your target is. As a virtual assistant, I would focus on small business and people that don’t have enough time to finish their work day. Once that is in mind, we have to think about what exactly news worthy about our business opening and how it benefits the readers.

After press release is written, submitting it to reporters and other publication possibilities can be simple. There are many free sites that will post the press release.  A search on Google can point you in the right direction.

Some tips to keep in mind are:

1. Keep target audience in mind—use simple and clear language, be specific with information, and tell the audience how they will benefit from your business.
2. Follow the format—there is a format for a reason. It is easier to submit if the reporter does not have to correct your format. It also will look more professional if you have the basics down.
3. Proofread—edit, proof, revise. Repeat if necessary.

 

About AGD Business Services: Angelic Davila has spent 10 years finding solutions to business problems. She works as an administrative and clerical service provider. For more information visit www.agdbs-virtualassistu.com

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_release

http://pressrelease.lifetips.com/faq/97416/0/why-do-i-need-public-relations/index.html

http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

http://www.press-release-writing.com/10-essential-tips-for-writing-press-releases/

Search Engine Optimization your nightmare?

When you decided to go into business, you had everything planned and lists of everything that needed to be done. One of those tasks was your website. If you were like me, you knew you could create a decent website. After all, we are ‘jack/jill of all trades’. After the site looked presentable, the search engines eagerly accepted your site submission. The next day, you and I wondered why there were no contact submissions and the reports said there were no visitors. At this point, the phrase search engine optimization reared its ugly head. The focus today will be learning what SEO is, if your site needs it, how you can apply SEO, and evaluate if you need to hire help.

Search engine optimization is simply improving the visibility of your site with in a search engine. This is important because most people that use search engines look at the first page of search results. If your site is not ranked high enough on the search engine index, you are probably on the second page. This means less traffic to your site. As a new business, it is your official duty to apply SEO principles to market your company effectively on the internet.

Application of SEO principles is not rocket science. However, you do need a little information about how search engines work. Some basics are:

• Search engines are text driven.
• Based on your site content search engines assign words or phrases that describe your site. This is called indexing.
• Based on the indexing algorithms, you get ranked in the search engine database.

In leman terms, having original copy will help your ranking. Including key words in the content of your sit will also help get your site listed on the first page of search results. Now that you have an idea of how it is important for your marketing plan, how do you do it?

Well without getting too in depth, you need to consider a few tips to get started:

1. Optimize all the important pages that you want your visitors to find. Be they product/service pages, resource pages, or latest company news pages, they will optimize your site for the search engine if you have the right content.
2. Pick a domain name. One that captures the name of the company or what the company does would be a good idea.
3. Pick the best hosting company that your budget will allow.
4. Pick your key words carefully. This is how the people will find your site when they are looking up your niche or services.
5. Make sure your meta tags and descriptions are set up on all of your pages that you want visitors to notice.
6. Set up links that point to your site and have quality links to good resources.

When you are done applying all that you have learned, sit back and really evaluate your progress. It may take you’re a few weeks to see what traffic is going to your site. However, it will offer information your are looking for. Run your reports and be honest about the results of your efforts. If they are not what you were expecting, try hiring out the task. Someone experience can tell you more to improve upon or show you how to do it better.

 

 

 

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

http://www.webconfs.com/seo-tutorial/introduction-to-seo.php

http://www.wordsinarow.com/seo.html

Persuasion and Marketing

Have you ever heard someone speak and afterwards, you felt fired up? I have always thought that speakers like that were a special and talented people. The really good speakers grab my attention right from the beginning and weave a subtle journey where I am inclined to believe like they do. As a virtual assistant, learning that you need this skill when it comes to marketing my business. I have to persuade people why they want to do business with me. This thought lead me to todays topic, persuasion. I wanted learn three things: what is persuasion, why it could help people, and how to do it.

In short, persuasion is trying to convince someone that your viewpoint is correct by ‘appealing to their reason and understanding.’ There are so many roads we could take here, but we are going to keep it simple. How persuasion can be interpreted is through actions, speech, and conduct. Let’s face it, you and I are always observed by family, friends, and even strangers. It is just part of our social make up. It is when we concentrate our effort that we can label it as persuasion.

When applying to marketing, the main goal is to persuade customers/clients that you can provide services they need. Saying and doing are two different ideas and not the easiest to implement. If I have to appeal to reason and understanding, I have to help customers’/clients’ explore problem areas. This begins with a discussion of where the problems exist. Being able to show and tell how those problems can be solved is a step in the process of persuading them. Explaining how it will benefit your customer’s/client’s life and business, opens the door of you convincing someone that you are correct.

There are a few things that will help you refine your art of persuasion. Practice a few at every opportunity. They are:

• Remember that you don’t have to convince everyone your right.
• Whenever you persuade, make sure you know what conclusion you want your audience to come to.
• Resistance is a given.
• Confidence is a credibility builder

When you pick your moments of persuasion, the results can be beneficial. Clients will be thankful for your insight. Family will come to value your opinion. Marketing your company becomes easier.

 

---

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/persuade

http://www.ehow.com/how_2096429_be-persuasive.html

30 Seconds Just Started….Go!

 

“And you are?” the words of my nightmare. I usually panic at this time and wonder why I cant answer that question. As a representative of our company, we have an obligation to make a good first impression. This can be hard due to the panic button, you know that ‘flee or fight’ syndrome. Well, I am a victim of hitting the button and stammering my way through an introduction. Today, you and I look into finding out what a 30 second introduction is, explore if it is necessary, and if it is necessary, how you can have an effective one.

The 30 second speech should not be an opportunity for panic. It is a tool for you to use when you are networking or introducing yourself. Think of it as a mini presentation of who you are and how you can help the person you are talking to. The main thing to remember is you are generating interest and telling people the benefits of your company. Simple and short.

As a business owner, you need to be able to do the 30 second speech well. This will be the source of clients. Face it, people are not interested in the life story. Usually, they want to know how you are going to help them and if its complicated. Now, we look at how to break the speech down and some tips to make a good one.

The format of the speech is straight forward:

1. Introduce your self
2. State your position
3. Sell your professional abilities/experience
4. Emphasize how you can help

Simple format can lend it self to a complicated situation. The thing to remember is that a lot of detail is not necessary, unless they ask. You are just getting your name out there and generating interest.

As you begin to write, keep in mind who you are speaking to. This could be potential clients, meet and greet at a gathering, or even the president of something. Identify the challenges that your audience will be facing. For example, I consider things not getting done because there is a single person handling all of the office duties. Focus on how you can solve those problems for them. Keep in mind:

• Use language that will generate an emotional attachment to your audience.
• Focus on them
• Don’t talk about yourself

The last thing you want to keep in mind is to practice. The practice will give you the comfort level you are looking for when presenting.

It is a good start for the 30 second speech. I know that I feel a little more confident from doing the research. Now…Go!

 About AGD Business Services: Angelic Davila has spent 10 years finding solutions to business problems. She works as an administrative and clerical service provider. For more information visit www.agdbs-virtualassistu.com

---

Sample Intro Speeches

Audio information for 30 second Speech

Outstanding 30 Second Speech tips

Adding Video to Your Website

Video is an essential tool to use on your websites and for marketing your company. It shares information about your company, what your services are, and why you can help the visitors to your site. Before you get into adding the video to your site, consider the the message you want to share, how to make a video, and determine if you need the help of a professional.

 

Audience and The Message

There are always questions to answer before you start learning how to make a video. The basic one is what do you want to say in the video? If the video is providing information, it is pretty straight forward.

First, consider the audience you wish to get information to. This is where your research for the target market comes in. To reach the people that need your  service/product you want to make sure your message is in their language. Ask yourself:

1. Who are the visitors that are coming to my site?
2. What do they want to know about my company?
3. What do they want to know about your services?
4. How can your company help them?

Second, get their attention. From the open, grab their attention and keep it. Ask a question, tell a story, or even share some statistics. The tone, pitch, and timing of your voice will help them stay with you in the video.

Once it is clear who you are talking to and what you want to say, you are ready to consider how to make the video. We will consider the easiest way to get started with making the video.

How To Make A Video

Since there are many ways to make your video, I will only mention the basics here. The things needed for this is your script, a video camera, and a video host.

The basic steps for creating a video:

1. Write your script
2. Shoot and edit your video
3. Posting it to your site.

When writing the script keep it clear, concise and to the point. One mistake to avoid is to overdue the information. this will lose your viewer and make the video useless. When you shoot the video, consider the background you want in the video, your equipment, music, and audio. The biggest challenge for someone unfamiliar with using this type of media will be transferring it to your PC. One software package that is user friendly is Windows Movie Maker. I would recommend this for editing in that it makes it easy to add effects and audio.

Once the video is edited and passes your critique, posting to the site is your goal. There are considerations to think about like bandwidth and where to host your video if your site doesn’t have that service. There are many free sites to host the video, such as YouTube.com. There is also coding involved with HTML tags and script that will need to be added to your site. However, the editor of your website or your webmaster could take care of that for you.

Hire a Professional?

This is where you have decide if the video is getting the response you want or need. I would invite some of your friends or family to view it. See if there is improvement needed, or if you missed the mark completely. If the video is good enough that you are comfortable with it, the video is a winner. Ask the tough questions, did your contacts increase after you added the video or did you have negative reactions?

Another consideration is going to be the budget for your project. I would consult some online production companies to see if they could quote you a price or suggest what you could do next. Video is definitely a must have for marketing your company

 

About AGD Business Services: Angelic Davila has spent 10 years finding solutions to business problems. AGDBS is a remote provider of administrative and clerical services provided to people who need a simple solution.

---

Resources:

“How to write an article in  20 minute,” by Jim Estill

“How to Make a Promotional Company Video,” by Ann Rountre

Adding Video to Your Website

So Why a VA?

Well, I wanted to try working from home. I was excited when I noticed that I could perform some of the services offered by most virtual assistants. I have previous experience from working in an office at a telemarketing company. Although it was pretty fast paced at times, I still felt that I was able to contribute something to the company.

Now, I realize that three things. One I do know enough to start a business, with a little fine tuning. Two, there are areas that interest me  more than others. Lastly, I think there are things that I can share that can help others that want to get into this line of work or just learn something new.