Second Self Virtual Assistance

Your website is an extended business card that, in many cases, may be the first introduction a potential client has to you and your services.  That is why it is important to make sure you have your site set up properly.  Here are a few business website mistakes you should avoid:

Don’t…

1. …add video or music that automatically starts when your page loads.  This can be hard on the ears if someone’s speakers are set high and they aren’t aware of it.  Instead, set up video and audio clips so that they can be turned off and on at the visitor’s request.
2. …add flashing or flickering images.  This can be hard on the eyes and can cause headaches or even seizures in some people who are sensitive.  This is NOT the first impression you want to make!
3. …use dashes in your domain name if you can help it.  Many people will forget where to place the dash.  If they can’t find you, they aren’t going to use you.
4. …make your page go live before you are ready.  “Under Construction” signs are a turn-off and will send your visitor to another web page that is ready to go. 
5. …add tons of advertising to your site.  Lots of advertising makes your site look like a billboard instead of a professional website.  A few well-placed ads are fine.  Too many ads makes the site look too cluttered and can be confusing.

Think of your website as a home you are trying to sell.  Just like a house, your site’s curb appeal is important.  If you don’t have an appealing presence, potential clients are going to move on to the next site.  By keeping these business website mistakes to avoid in mind when you set up your website, you will be one step up on the competition.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn’t Enough of You to Go Around

Are you feeling overwhelmed and need some help?  You are the perfect candidate for a virtual assistant.  However, I have two words for you when you decide that you want to outsource your work: “Buyer Beware“.  What do I mean?

While doing research to find the right virtual assistant to handle your affairs, you may come across ads promoting VA services for as little as $4 per hour.  When the standard for an experienced US-based virtual assistant is much higher than that, $4 sounds like a steal.  That’s less than minimum wage.  How can they afford to charge so little?  Because companies like this outsource to places like India, where they pay their employees pennies a day.

For the most part, the companies that outsource their virtual assistant work to other countries only do so for basic data entry jobs.  If you need more extensive work, such as website management, SEO or social networking expertise, you need someone who can think “outside the box” and not simply recite from a script.  There can be many approaches to an issue or project.  You need someone who will know the best way to support you and can provide the proper guidance in tackling your goals.

Just this morning, I found that one of the widgets on one of my clients’ websites was no longer valid because the website that it originated from had been shut down.  Not only did I inform the client that this was the case, but I did the research to find her a few options to choose from to replace the widget.  She was unaware that there was an issue on her website, chose the widget she wanted to go with and thanked me for being so vigilant.  That’s not the kind of service you get from someone reading a script.

Since you entrust your personal information to your virtual assistant, ie logins, passwords, credit card info (in some cases), you want to be wary of where that information is going.  While there is just as much of a chance of someone stealing your identity in this country, you have legal recourse to go after the thief here.  And that can be a long and arduous process.  When you throw in the fact that the identity thief lives and operates in another country, that takes identity theft to a whole other level.  (This is not to say that all foreigners are thieves.)

Finally, you have to understand that when you hire a VA, you are paying for experience, not just time.  Sure, a college student may be able to do some of the virtual assistant work you require for less than an experienced VA.  But, they will only be able to do exactly what you tell them.  A qualified virtual assistant can tell you that there may be a better way to approach it and give you four or five options at the same time that may be even better than what you thought of in the first place, giving you a better rate of return.

Consider this: if you pay $4 per hour for a virtual assistant, you’re only going to get $4 worth of work.  If you pay an experienced virtual assistant to do the work, your return on your investment is much higher.  You get a partner who has your best interest in mind…someone who will work with you to accomplish your real estate business goals.  Remember this when outsourcing: Buyer Beware.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn’t Enough of You to Go Around!

Today’s edition of “Connecting the Dots with Carra Riley“. First of all, we at Second Self Virtual Assistance have to give a hearty “thank you” to Carra Riley, the Countess of the Cosmic Cow Pie. We were privileged to be intereviewed by Carra on her BlogTalkRadio program. We were flattered that she recognized the value of what a virtual assistant can do for real estate professionals. As usual, Carra was very complimentary and generous. The time just flew by. There was so much to cover in such a little time. You can hear the entire interview by clicking the play button below.

Highlights of our interview included:

SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means adding keywords and descriptions that utilize key phrases you want to optimize for people looking for a Realtor® in your area. The keywords are what people type in the search bar of Google, Yahoo or Bing to find exactly what they are looking for (for example, kingwood real estate, homes for sale in colorado springs, etc.). After your site is optimized, we submit it to the search engines and a list of directories that Second Self has personally compiled over the years to help increase your SEO. We also link all your social networks, blogs and websites together so that you can increase your “Google Juice”, sending you to the top of the search engine rankings.

SOCIAL NETWORKS
With the use of social networks simply exploding over the last couple of years, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with your social networks. Second Self Virtual Assistance can create and optimize Facebook fan pages to help you capture the attention of potential clients with a personalized landing page that links to your website, blogs, etc.

Second Self was happy to procure an exclusive deal with HousingStorm.com, a new social networking site. The purpose of HousingStorm.com is to combine the best traits of Facebook and LinkedIn, with the added benefit of a blog thrown in. For any new account set up through Second Self Virtual Assistance, HousingStorm.com will offer a free one year upgrade to a Premium account. This is a savings of $300.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Trying to keep up with social media is an ongoing process. In an effort to stay on top of changes in social media, Second Self Virtual Assistance is currently enrolled in Social Media Marketing classes that teach the latest and greatest methods to market yourself via social media.

If you’re in need of a real estate virtual assistant, feel free to contact me. For a limited time only, if you mention that you heard our interview on BlogTalkRadio, we’ll give you a discount on your first month’s services. I look forward to hearing from you.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance

We all know that content is king.  That will never change.  However, it is interesting to learn how Google ranks page speed when considering the value of a website.  While a higher loading page with little to no content will never outrank a page that is full of great info that happens to load at a slower speed, Google can give a little more weight to a page that loads faster than one with similar content but a lower load speed.

So, how do you keep good content without sacrificing page speed?  Don’t overdo it.  You want to keep your site easy-to-use and not hard on the eyes.  Using too many widgets, videos, slideshows, etc. bogs down the load time.  Not everyone has high speed internet access.  And even those that do can find some pages taking a long time to load because of all the info the program has to read first.  Focus on the key elements you want your viewers to see and direct them to another interior page to get more details.  If a person gets antsy waiting for your page to finish loading, they will head on over to the competition that won’t make them wait.

Google’s goal is to rank the most relevant information highest in their search engines.  How quickly or slowly a page loads doesn’t affect that at all.  However, making your website both user-friendly and quicker will not only keep your audience engaged, it will also help you stay above your slower competition in Google.

In the end, how does Google rank page speed?  It’s not more of a priority than relevant content.  But, it is something that should be considered in your website’s overall design.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn’t Enough of You to Go Around!