In a poll conducted by Smart Insights, they asked readers to give their views on which digital marketing technique gives them the most profits to their businesses in 2016.

This graph shows the results of the survey
(as of 8 February 2016).

We’ve gathered six broad online marketing trends you be watching out for to continue into the rest of 2016.

6 Digital Marketing Trends

1: Mobile Usage Is A Must

For those who are not aware, a “responsive” website is one that adjusts to fit the width of the browser, making the viewing experience optimal for any device it is loaded on.

It’s reported that the number of mobile users worldwide is predicted to exceed 2 billion in 2016.

So, undoubtedly, the use of mobile marketing and responsive websites will continue to increase for the rest of this year and the next year to come.

What this means to your business:

It’s definitely a time to build responsive websites and landing pages, as well as invest into mobile advertising. If mobile-specific content is a thing to mobile users in mind, then more and more websites should take action on becoming responsive.

In all your marketing efforts, you should always ask, “Will this look good on mobile?
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2: Content Marketing Continues to Dominate

Content marketing is a growing force in the online world. Research shows that 80% of decision makers in businesses will most likely get information about a company from articles rather than from advertising.

When Buzzfeed became one of the biggest Internet sites of 2013, it was known that interactive content is one of the most effective marketing strategies. Buzzfeed had a series of quizzes such as a personality quiz. They were able to turn it into a viral activity that whenever someone would take a quiz, it would stimulate them to share their results and encourage their friends to take it as well.

As Amanda Maksymiw of Content Marketing Institute puts it: “Traditional advertising shouts at prospect customers whereas content marketing talks with them.”

What this means to your business:

The demand for more content is hotter than ever. Your move is to create landing pages with keywords and phrases a reader might search for so they know they’re in the right place. Once they’re onboard, continue with a strong marketing message offering useful content like eBooks, demos, free trials, and How-To articles or videos.

3: Social Media and Real-time Engagement

Businesses are going more and more social. In 2015, marketers spent an estimated $8.3 billion on social media advertising alone. The marketing trend now is personalization across all social media channels.

People can deliver targeted messages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, as well as Pinterest. Virtual Reality (VR) technology goes mainstream and everyone starts to connect and engage in real time.

Top 4 social media trends to utilize:

• Live Video – two of the biggest sites are Periscope and Facebook Live
• Real-time Engagement – customers and prospects expect a fast response time
• Go Mobile – people use social media on their phones 82% of the time. Make sure your website, Facebook ads, and posts are interesting on mobile.
• Data Driven Decisions – nowadays people don’t have to guess on what’s working. Let the data guide you. Analytics tools are there to help you out.

What this means to your business:

Maximize the power of real-time engagement on your social networks. Make them contextual and personalized, and always respond to customer inquiries.

Websites can also offer a virtual brand experience from creating virtual stores to guiding visitors through virtual representations of real estate offerings, etc. This will help convert landing page leads and turn them into customers or clients.

4: Live Video Streaming

It is proven that videos are able to engage users at a much higher rate.

Live video is becoming a much bigger content platform. It’s like having your own reality show.
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What this means to your business:

With over 10 million users and 2 million being active, Periscope is just one of the platforms that you can try out. Facebook Live is another. In this way, you can gain more followers and  build trust and loyalty by showing your authentic side.

5: SEO Isn’t Dead

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will continue its shift to content marketing. What was once seen as a shady practice is now evolving into what many marketers are calling “Content Marketing”.

The search engines algorithms become more advanced, and they are constantly filtering what content you have published and what is truly useful for the users.

6: Necessity of Design and Speed

How many times do you have to leave a website and look for another just because it took ‘too long’ to load on your screen?

Yes, design and speed matters. A poorly designed website with heavy graphics and videos can affect the overall user experience. The websites that get more visitors are not just those that provide the best content but also the most effective and efficient way possible.

The way your pages are designed and how quickly they load determine whether the visitor becomes a lead.
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One’s goal should be to provide useful content that is visually attractive and quick to load on the end user’s screen (whether viewed using mobile or desktop).

Online marketing evolves at a rate everyone could hardly keep up. But it happens and will continue to happen so the best time to act is NOW. Let’s do the best we can in the remaining months of 2016 and watch out for the digital marketing trends in the coming year.

Resources:
http://www.inc.com/dan-scalco/5-digital-marketing-trends-to-watch-for-in-2016.html
https://instapage.com/blog/3-online-marketing-trends-to-follow-in-2016
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-monster-social-media-trends-you-must-pay-attention-2016-gremaux
http://www.smartinsights.com/managing-digital-marketing/marketing-innovation/marketing-trends-2016/

However, as a startup you often don’t have the space or resources available to hire that extra employee you badly need. That’s why the number of small business owners using a virtual assistant (VA) to do daily tasks has increased in recent years.

VA’s or remote workers are also an affordable investment in the growth of your business—especially if you outsource to countries like the Philippines where rates are lower compared to hiring locally. See  what these entrepreneurs and startups have to say:

Why Should My Startup Use a Virtual Assistant?

Outsourcing to a virtual assistant will dramatically reduce the time you spend on administrative tasks, and increase the time you can commit to growing your business.

The value proposition of a VA deals with how you monetize your time. If you monetize it at $50/hour and you can pay a VA $6/hour to handle administrative tasks, this frees up time for you to create real value in your business by developing new features or expanding marketing efforts.

My VA’s have saved me literally hundreds of hours over the past few years.

–  Jason Cohen, asmartbear.com

Virtual Assistant is a Startup’s Secret Weapon

Virtual assistants aren’t just for executives anymore. For many startups and small business owners, VA’s offer an obvious benefit. They are a big time saver during a phase in a company’s growth where it may not be viable to have a full-time employee.

Don’t limit your scope to just personal assistant tasks — startups and small businesses use VA’s for things like bookkeeping, social media, design, web development, email management, marketing administration and so much more.

– Renée Warren, entrepreneur.com

I Was Bogged in Repetition

I knew I needed a VA when I found myself doing a lot of repetitive tasks on a daily basis. I’ve worked with a number of VA’s over the years and I found the relationship most beneficial when I could outsource time consuming, yet simple, repetitive tasks. You want to avoid spending too much time explaining or reviewing projects so that you can maximize the time savings of having a VA in the first place.

– Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net

Avoid what you dislike

There are certain things that, no matter how hard we try to accept, somehow we end up avoiding them, and then avoiding them some more, and then it becomes a huge problem that we wish we just handled in the first place. Why not let your VA handle it? She is there to assist you so you could do your job better, and that should be a good-enough reason to want to hire one.

…And there’s someone to rely on

It’s a very uncertain period of your life and nothing is constant. Things are changing, people are coming and going, new ideas are being brought to the table while others are discarded… Hiring a dependable assistant can mean the world to you right now. It could possibly be the only person you know you can rely on to help you handle everything. And right now, that’s a big thing.

– techbloke.com

Get your productivity back by letting go. Hiring virtual assistants can help you focus on the bigger picture. Grow your business by doing the core tasks and let others take care of those you shouldn’t be doing.

If you need help or not sure how to start, contact us at our main number 1-866-596-9041 (510-400-8006 local). We have client representatives on standby from 8am to 9pm EST to assist you with any questions.

This economic impact of minimum wage hikes to phase in over the next six years (2022) has also met opposition from business groups who claim that it would reduce employment opportunities for low-skilled Americans.

However, some economists argue that businesses can still adjust for higher costs through improved productivity at work, reduced turnover, and price increases.

One of the ways to cut on labor cost is to utilize and hire an online remote worker or virtual assistant (VA) for businesses and professionals.

Using a #VA is a cost-effective solution—saves you 70% on labor cost.
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Think about it. VAs don’t need your office space, power, or equipment because they are working from their homes. Plus, you get rid of the need for payroll taxes, overtime and vacation pay, health insurance, and other employee benefits.

Outsourcing your business processes not only reduces your own costs but also your workload, increase your sales, and gain more customers. Virtual assistants can handle back-office tasks for as low as eight bucks per hour depending on skills and experience.

Tasks VAs Can Help You With:

• customer service
• appointment setting, telemarketing, sales
  administrative or personal assistant
• real estate agent / investors assistants
• accounting, bookkeeping, QuickBooks
• online marketing (social media, SEO, ads posting – Craigslist, etc.)
• web design, programming, web maintenance, system administration
• transcriptionists
• create marketing materials – videos, flyers, newsletters, promos, etc.

Now that the cost of labor is so high, it would likely be very difficult to run a profitable business for the years to come. The $15-per-hour minimum wage sure provides raise to some workers, but also puts businesses at a disadvantage.

As Michael Saltsman, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, stated:  “When you talk about these really massive jumps it’s no longer an impact at the margin, it’s the sort of thing that could be the difference between a business staying open and closing.”

As the minimum wage escalates year after year, it will be harder for employers to afford to pay workers. In order to survive,

Businesses need to be smart in hiring workers w/out sacrificing quality output.
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References:
www.ibtimes.co.uk
www.ibtimes.co.uk
abcnews.go.com

John discussed the Emerging Trends in Virtual Markets and Workforce Management as a guest speaker at the ENP forum, where he gave participants an overview of the evolution of outsourcing, recent facts and figures of the industry and the global outsourcing market forecast.

“The recent advancements in technology have allowed outsourcing – particularly online outsourcing – to be available to anyone.” John shared, “This has made outsourcing available to, not only big businesses, but to start-ups and small to medium enterprises – the ones that could really benefit from outsourcing.”

Maximizing his years of experience in recruiting and managing a virtual workforce, John also shared the recent advancements in virtual workforce management.  “The common obstacles in workforce management can be narrowed down to these 3 areas: Communication, Connectivity and Collaboration.” John stated, “But these can be easily resolved through the use of the right tools and resources.”

The panel explored various topics that include a highly connective, interactive and collaborative session – key topics:

• 2014 Global Market & Talent Forecast – who is hiring and new customer growth sectors.
• Doing business internationally – what you need to know about partnering.
• Thought leader panel share global business implementation strategies.
• Emerging trends in virtual markets and workforce management.

The partner organization – global business contributing panelists include Eric Fullilove, Chief Financial Officer, World Vision International, Tommy Joe, President of DEX, Meghan Glidden, Senior Director, Belkin International, Andrea Tyndale, Talent Executive, Disney, Peggy Smith, CEO & President, Worldwide ERC and Lew Jaffe, CEO MoviMe.com.

The event featured thought leaders representatives from over 35 global companies including Disney, Taco Bell, Dex, World Vision, B of A, Turkish Airlines, Experia, GALLUP, Mattel and many others.

“With technology and globalization moving at the rate that it is now, there is a push for leaders to acquire new skills and best practices to lead their organization to the next level,” shared John.

In his upcoming speaking engagement on Next Practices in Workforce Leadership, John will be talking about how to effectively utilize virtual teams and resources for companies to face the global efficiency challenge.

Related: Why People Turn To Virtual Personal Assistant Service

A report by the Global Workplace and Analytics and Telework Research Network, published in Forbes Magazine, reveals that although big companies such as Yahoo and Best Buy have removed the option for their employees to work from home, many companies continue to offer this, because they have found that they can get more high-quality work done quickly, without the need for in-house employees to complete the tasks onsite.

“The latest developments in communication, project management and other collaborative tools, as well as the ease of internet access worldwide, have made virtually any place in the surface of the earth an office.” John pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter if you are working with a team of outsourced individuals working in another country or local employees working from the comforts of their own home.

The key to becoming a globally effective leader is how to bring your virtual team together.
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…and knowing how to utilize the virtual resources that are available.” John will be sharing his knowledge and experience in managing a Virtual Team in replacing basic administrative tasks to critical work in the areas of marketing and other niche specific tasks in his presentation about Virtual Teams and Resources.

Interested parties may visit the GlobalBusinessNews conferences page for more information about the event.

About GlobalBusinessNews

GlobalBusinessNews is owned and operated by COMARKETING PARTNERS, an independent management consulting firm that owns and operates communications channels and is also actively involved with a variety of partners who are expert in their respective practices.

About Executive Next Practices

Executive Next Practices Forum is a unique organization comprised of mid to large market C-level to functional leaders and trusted advisors (Board members, CEO, CFO, HR, CMO, COO, and ICO). This ongoing collaboration, conducted in a non-traditional format, is focused on the latest “Next Practices” leadership and business strategies. Conducted in major corporate and academic “safe havens” the sessions are non-solicitation and formatted to deliver fresh, innovative and relevant approaches to leaders and their executive teams.

About John Davern, Jr., MBA

John Davern, Jr., MBA is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Virtual Assistant Talent, LLC (VAT), a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company that provides professional services to businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals through the use of Virtual Assistants (remote & home-based workers).

With over 18 years of experience in corporate human resources, working for Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric (GE), Harris Corporation, The Home Depot, and a Toyota/GM Joint Venture, John has acquired extensive knowledge and hands-on experience through the various human resources and recruitment positions he has handled.  In his career, he has recruited and trained thousands of office-based employees and hundreds of home-based/remote workers.

John holds a M.B.A. in Human Resources from Duquesne University, an internet Technology Webmaster Certification from Illinois Institute of Technology, Certificates in Business Practices/Problem Solving & Toyota Production System, and a B.A. in Labor & Industrial Relations from Pennsylvania State University.

Online stores, virtual offices and virtual assistance are sprouting everywhere around the globe, and the need to contract virtual assistants is gaining popularity in the virtual world and the demand is increasing each year. As the demand increases so does the skill set and job description of a virtual assistant. As the demand increases so does the skill set and job description of a VA.

Virtual Pharmacist: One of the most recent additions in the virtual world.
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Yes, you heard it right.

“Virtual pharmacist” is earning a reputation in home-based jobs & virtual pharmacies.
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In an ordinary pharmacy setting, a pharmacist is usually the face or the person behind the counter. They play a vital role in keeping the pharmacy run smoothly, organized; medicines, medical supplies and stockings shelves updated, assist customer’s prescription enquiries, answer phone enquiries, and administrative work to name a few.

A virtual pharmacist, one of the virtual assistant packages available today, is a professional and certified pharmacist who remotely provides prescription processing, report to pharmacist team leader or directly to the hospital or healthcare company.

A virtual pharmacist’s responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assess, analyze and enter medications for dispensation
• Assist with seeking approval for prescription alternatives
• Accommodate failed claims
• Help in information on reimbursements
• Answer patient prescription enquiries
• Update patient records
• Provide health advice

Related: When to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Qualifications of a Virtual Assistant Pharmacist:

• A degree in Pharmacy or any medical or allied health course (Medical Transcription, PT, OT, Nursing, etc.)- Pharmacy experience
• Understanding of generic and branded drugs
• Can comprehend medical abbreviation in prescriptions
• A high degree of computer literacy
• Above average skills in both verbal and written communication
• Superb typing skills
• Excellent mathematical skills
• Basic knowledge in Pharmacology

Many US-based healthcare companies are now outsourcing virtual pharmacists from the Philippines.
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Since virtual assistant pharmacists are always on the phone answering queries and supporting patients and customers, and may sell medical equipment, they should create a friendly atmosphere; possess a good customer relationship impression, and must be very professional in every manner.

Then, it’s time to revisit your business and how it was doing the past months.

• Is it really doing well?
• Did your business grow?
• Were you able to get hold of your target market and
• Achieve half of your goals for the year at least?

If you answer NO to any of these questions, you have to rethink and ponder – what went wrong? Do I really need someone to assist me? The answer is a big YES. You can’t run your business alone. You need an assistant who can work on those tasks that you don’t have time to do.

Related: Benefits of Having a Virtual Assistant

A VA can do a variety of things that doesn’t require her or him to be physically present like:

1. Making calls on your behalf
2. Appointment setting
3. Read, screen and respond to your emails on your behalf
4. Manage your social media accounts
5. Travel arrangement bookings
6. Post payments and create invoices
7. Research
8. And again, things you don’t to do at all.

Not all the time business is at its peak.  And there are seasons wherein your personal finances are smothering your room for growth. You need to do something without sacrificing your business.

You really need to hire a #virtual #assistant when…
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1. You need to focus more on important things and be productive.
2. Are overwhelmed with overdue accounts, unanswered emails from customers and others.
3. Have due backlog reports.
4. Can’t afford to hire a full time office staff.
5. Cannot do with all those administrative work.
6. Call for help to set and confirm your appointments.
7. Someone who can arrange your business travel bookings.
8. Want to de-stress and go for that dream vacation.
9. Don’t want to put up a physical office, as it will add up to your expenses.
10. No time to manage your social media accounts.
11. You have to hire a web developer and designer to create a good website that will eventually turn leads into cash.
12. Want someone to write blogs, eBooks or contents for your website.
13. The one who can project and manage your business.

Hiring a virtual assistant is not as easy as ABC. You would also need to employ from a reliable outsourcing company that provides a pool of highly talented and hardworking online VAs.

Sometimes, it will take you forever to find the right virtual assistant for your business, one whom you can trust and be comfortable working with. But, when you finally found the right assistant who you think is reliable—then you have your backbone. So, are you ready to take the plunge?

However, anyone interested in this kind of job should be more careful, as there are many online opportunities that in reality are scams and not legitimate jobs.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies are sprouting in the Philippines. In fact, a study conducted by Tholons, a service globalization and investment advisory firm for IT-BPO Outsourcing reported that Cebu City, Philippines (formerly at No. 9) went up one rank and pushed Dublin, Ireland from the 8^th spot. This presents opportunities not only for call centers but also for individuals who are working remotely from home.

Data entry opportunities are common in BPOs but several of these companies engage in third-party outsourcing. The common outsourced talent is home-based data entry encoder, though there are companies that require applicants to undergo assessment and training or online test and training.

Once all the requirements are complete and the virtual admin assistant passed the test and training, the data entry encoder may work on location, or may be eligible to work from his or her home.
Related: How to Become a Virtual Assistant

Data entry VA’s necessary skills

1. Typing speed of at least 40 wpm.
2. Excellent at 10-key typing
3. Keen to details
4. High degree of accuracy
5. Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

Qualifications

1. A degree in secretarial or related course
2. At least college level
3. Training in specialized programs for medical transcriptionist

Home Data Entry Scams to avoid

Most often than not data entry work is usually offered by BPOs and legitimate virtual assistant companies.

Though there are a lot of legitimate data entry works from home found online, numerous offers are actually scams. There are a lot of sites that ask for money up front, in return for a training package.

Don’t get fooled by these unscrupulous proposals online. It’s uncommon that any credible company would ask for money for such material. Verify the integrity and standing of the employer offering data entry work from home jobs.

The offer may be enticing and sounds good but shelling out money from your pocket in return of a training package is just so absurd. Think not just twice but thrice before you apply for an online job.

Several employers and small businesses have come to realize that…

Outsourcing office paperwork is profitable for businesses.
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Outsourcing data entry from home service or from legitimate outsourcing companies allow these businesses to save on maintenance costs and the opportunity to employ more of virtual office assistants at a minimal cost compared to having a physical office.

With Virtual Assistant Talent, you can never go wrong. Hire a VA today and see the difference. We have all the services you are looking for and the top-notch experts in various tasks.

You may ask what a technology specialist is. Technology Specialists are mostly professionals with a degree in computer-related fields or certificate programs for general IT skills, highly skilled and trained individuals and are well versed with core technologies such as JAVA, HTML, PHP, mobile application development, flash and a lot more. Most of this computer geeks build or upgrade computer systems, design and create the technology that we often use like computers, tablets and smart phones.

Technology specialist virtual assistant / agent performs the following but not limited to:

• Web Programmers: Web Programmers create, design and modify all aspects of a website, diagnose issues, make adjustments and trouble shoot problems.
• Tech Support Agents: Virtually troubleshoots customer’s computer related issues and concerns, and  restores computers, wireless routers and other tech devices.
• Software Developers: Software Developers design, create the programs and applications that we use on our computers, tablets and smart phones.

Don’t let your business suffer because of the obsolete programs and soft wares you are keeping and using for ages in your computer and no knowledgeable person to support, update and upgrade your system.

Be competitive. Be at the edge. Call our hotline number at 1.866. 596.9041 and discuss with one of our dynamic Virtual Assistant Talent client representatives your business need and how to boost your online presence.

Hire your virtual assistant from the best virtual assistant company in town – Virtual Assistant Talent.

We are proud to be a Better Business Bureau Accredited Company (bbb.org).

Turn leads into sales, existing clients into more sales and bring in more prospects and get that soaring revenue for your company.

Related: What is Virtual Assistant

Your appointment setter agent is the backbone and front liner of your business. The appointment setter can make or break a deal, so you have to find the right agent that is knowledgeable in lead generation and online marketing.

What are the tasks of an appointment setter agent?

• Secure real-time appointment, re-scheduling and cancellation
• Identification and use of database
• Qualify lead generation
• Cold calling
• Telemarketing
• Deliver customized sales scripts based on business’ products and services
• File and categorize names, addresses, purchases, and remarks of prospects contacted
• Customize strategies based on business’ products and services
• Electronically access to schedules and calendars
• Enable simultaneous accessibility to calendars and schedules by multiple users
• Educate customers on products or services and prices
• Respond queries from buyers
• Encourage and convince potential end users to purchase a product or service
• Secure customer information such as name, address, payment method, and record orders into database.

Need an online appointment setter/scheduler agent?
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The above list is the major and minor tasks a VA should be able to do when he or she applies as appointment setter agent.

Appointment setting services include:

• Real Estate
• Financial Services
• Insurance
• Outside Sales Teams
• Business Coaching Companies
• Consultancy Firms
• Home Improvement Companies
• Solar energy companies
• And more

Skills and talents of appointment setters:

• Highly motivated
• Professional phone sales agents
• Outstanding communication
• Smart, articulate go getters
• Friendly and pleasant phone voice
• Excellent computer skills
• Highly organized and extrovert agents
• Attention to details
• Strong customer rapport

Ready to get started? Hiring a virtual assistant to be your appointment-setting agent is a great way to handle both your sales appointments and schedule reminder communications.