Those who know me will tell you that I am always up to something … continuously looking for ways to expand my skills and further improve the quality of services I provide.
But, when it comes to keeping up with the ever changing technology, it’s a challenge for everyone, even for me who has been working with computers for over 25 years. With the release of sophisticated iPhones, iPads, social media networks and the like, it’s a wonder anyone can cope with changes that occur at the speed of light continuously piling up to our information overload!
Do we really need all of that new technology to operate a successful business? Yes and no … it depends on the type of business you run, what and where your target market is and what works for you. Some will tell you it’s an absolute must, that you won’t survive if you don’t join the bandwagon, but I’m not totally convinced. One thing you need for sure is a website!
Website content management systems (CMS)
Several clients have been asking me to convert their website to CMS (content management systems) so that they could update their websites themselves instead of having to ask me for minor changes all the time.
It makes good economic sense, as if you have to pay a webmaster every time you need a few lines of text changed or a new image added, it can amount to quite a bit. It is worthwhile investing a bit more upfront to save on annual maintenance fees down the road.
So, I thought I’d better convert my own website to one of the world’s most popular CMS systems (WordPress) before making any recommendations or starting to convert clients’ websites. I did a short training with a WordPress expert and must admit, it’s one of the best investment I’ve made. This new website was created in WordPress and I find it very easy to manage. Plus WordPress offers tons of free and other inexpensive plugins that you can add which cut down on programming time considerably as your business needs change.
Medium Club Best Website Award 2010-2011 - Hawaii District 5000
I know what you are thinking … you are scared you won’t be able to manage your site yourself and that it will be too complicated. A skeptical client recently told me “easy for you but not so easy for someone like me”. Well, that isn’t quite so. WordPress is user-friendly and you don’t need to be a computer guru to understand how it works. With simple graphic instructions that I provide to clients, including the official WordPress PDF instruction manual, anyone can do it. I recently upgraded the Rotary Club of Kahala Sunrise website to a WordPress system, and even Gloria, the current webmaster and Past President of the Club who claims to be computer illiterate, is managing the site very well!
The key issue here is, you have to make sure you take the time to update your website regularly and be disciplined about it.
So, if you’re interested in converting your site to a WordPress system,
I am ready to help you! Call me.
The social networking issue
A few months ago, my 28 year old daughter urged me to keep up with the times and set up a Facebook and Twitter account. So, I did … grudgingly, I must admit. I kept reading about the fantastic results some virtual assistants were achieving by marketing their business through those social networks, and I was naturally curious to see how it worked and how it would impact my business. Some clients were also asking me about the value of social networking, so I thought I’d better start researching and finally set up my own social network to understand a bit more about how it functions.
Here are my thoughts based on my own results … It’s not for everyone! For the record, I have sinced closed my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Here is why.
Apart from virtual colleagues checking out what I was up to on Facebook and Twitter (and I didn’t tweet every little thing I did or thought of just for the sake of being active), not one prospective client has approached me through those networks. Having said that, I have not actively been promoting myself either. Guess I’m not that socially inclined, not to mention I’m way too busy to start tweeting every two minutes!
The way I see it, I personally prefer it when prospective clients are referred to me from existing clients or acquaintances. ‘Word of mouth’ is still the most powerful marketing tool when it comes to ‘trustworthiness’! Because, not only do clients have to find a reliable virtual assistant, but, we VAs also need to work with ‘good quality’ clients who are interested in working with us on a long term basis. Some say that those social networks are same as ‘word of mouth’ referrals but 10 times better … I’m still skeptical.
