The Virtual Assistant hard skills that are in demand and highly paid are all related to Digital Marketing services. I know this because online business owners contact me almost weekly asking if I know any skilled professionals that offer these kinds of services. That’s why today’s blog my skills series is about the top in-demand hard skills.
This post is part of The Ultimate VA Success Guide: The VA Skills You Need That Nobody Tells You About. Below you’ll find an overview of all blog posts it includes:
Specialize On One Or Very Few Virtual Assistant Hard Skills
Many people start out by trying to be a “Jack or Jill” of all trades. (Also known as a Generalist). This is when you offer everything but the kitchen sink to your clients. It sounds good in theory, you know the more I offer the more successful I could be. But it’s actually the opposite. First, it’s not about QUANTITY it’s all about QUALITY. In fact, the more services you offer the more confusing it can be for your audience. They’re not quite sure what you do – or what you do well.
If you’re struggling to get clients or market your services, you might want to start by looking at how many Virtual Assistant hard skills you’re offering. Is it clear what you “specialize” in by looking at your list of services? If it’s not clear to you – then I can bet it’s not to your potential clients. Start by cleaning up your list of services. Go through them one at a time and ask yourself if you actually enjoy doing it. If you don’t like it, then don’t do it. Remove it from your list of services.
That’s the beauty of having your own business – you only have to offer what you truly enjoy doing and nothing else. When you shift your focus to specializing in just a few Virtual Assistant hard skills something happens. It becomes easier to market your services, for potential clients to understand what you do and to earn more money. You want to be a specialist NOT a generalist. Plus specializing in specific Virtual Assistant hard skills makes it easier to scale your Virtual Assistant business!
It’s Time To Leave Admin Services Behind + Move On
If you’re offering only administrative-type tasks – it’s going to be harder to get clients and make good money. Why? Because the VA Industry is flooded with EAs, PAs, and AAs. Now, don’t get me wrong, having admin skills is a great asset to you.
However, clients don’t want or need just admin skills. What they want and need is help with the systems and tools that run their online business. The Virtual Assistant hard skills that help them be successful. You’ll need to move away from offering all admin-type skills and move towards the skills that clients need. The ones that are in demand and can earn you up to twice as much as admin skills (not a guarantee).
How To Choose Which Virtual Assistant Hard Skills To Focus On
Well… you can specialize in one of the services that you already offer, or you can learn one of the top in-demand Virtual Assistant hard skills clients want. In general, that’s all things Digital Marketing. It is the hottest set of skills right now in the industry. Here are some ideas. They are in no particular order, except I would say Digital Marketing is the one most people want and need help with.
- WordPress Websites and Management
- Project Management
- Digital Marketing Skills
- Copywriting
- Graphic Design
- Systems and Processes
I’ve detailed a few more as well as broken down what Virtual Assistant hard skills are considered Digital Marketing in my FREE Top 10 Skills Ebook. You can use it to help you move from Generalist to Specialist.
Click here + download the Free Top 10 Skills To Have Ebook
The Best “Starter” Virtual Assistant Hard Skills: WordPress + MailChimp
MailChimp is a tool that many new online business owners use for email marketing and it’s easy to learn and use. It is one of the most in-demand Virtual Assistant hard skills I get requests for!
And, WordPress is a great skill to have since 95% of your clients (and potential clients) either have a WordPress website or need one. You don’t have to know how to build a website in order to help your clients – you can learn how to manage it for them.
In order to be successful, you need to have the Virtual Assistant hard skills that clients want and need. If you don’t, you’ll struggle with getting clients and earning money. It’s all about supply and demand.
What do you think? Please let me know in the comment section – I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading – Susan
P.S. If you want to specialize in in-demand skills, learn how to package and offer them as a service to become a known Specialist and get those higher-paying clients, I recommend you have a look at my TechieU Training. You can try it for 5 USD for 5 days and see if it’s for you!
Hi Susan,
Just signed up for your Project Manager course. I currently have two clients, one I’ve been working with since July, the other I just started. I’m excited to get systems in place to help me manage my business and help me move out of the role of admin. Neither client has systems in place for customer retention, onboarding new clients, etc. I’ve been feeling my way around in the dark. I need a system so I can help my clients have systems. Looking forward to starting soon. I hope I picked the right course, as I’m a admin. now but would rather move to a different role. One client is getting ready to launch a website, ebook, coaching program…but she’s a one woman show and she brought me on to keep her on task.
Hi Michelle – it sounds to me like you’re in the right course. Looking forward to working with you!
Hi Susan – I am a returning to the workforce mom after being home for 19 years. I have an admin background and ran my own photography business for the last 15 years. I have recently stopped doing photography except for headshots in my home studio. The idea of being a VA is very appealing to me but it feels like I have nothing to offer at this point. Are there some classes or certifications I can get without going to college forever?
Hi Michelle, thank you for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it. You don’t need a certification to be a VA and most of us start with ZERO experience. We all have skills we can offer to get us started. What types of admin skills do you have? And college is NOT necessary either. Have you looked into my Action Plan – it’s an affordable step by step plan to guide you thru the set up + launch of your business and part of it goes over skills you have now that you can offer. You can find our more at https://www.iwanttobeavirtualassistant.com/sales
I have done PM in the corporate world. But as a VA, I have taught myself how to use Trello and Asana. Who is my ideal client? Maybe as Susan, what would you outsource to a PM virtual assistant? Real life scenario.
Linah, product launches as common projects that business owners need help with. Launching of an ecourse, ebook or something similar as well as membership sites, etc. You would manage all the moving pieces as well as help implement the systems + technology. I have a course that teaches all of this since it’s quite a bit different than corporate PM.
Thank you for the clarity. It just dawned on me that I`m missing something, and that means missing out on the ideal client. I am so glad I asked.
I’m curious. When people ask about Project Management, is there any one type of project that they are needing help managing more than others?
Yes… great question Shari. Most people who need PM help are looking for help launching new or updated products + services. It’s not the same as
“corporate” type projects. Let me know if that make sense.
Yes, Thank you.