My Virtual Assistant Forums Blog

My Virtual Assistant Interview at Virtual Assistant Forums

Darlene

http://www.dvictoriava.com

Podcasting is a great way to market your business and establish yourself as an expert in your chosen niche – much like article writing and blog posting. Some people just don’t have the skill for the written word, but are great with public speaking and expressing themselves vocally rather than on paper. If you are this type of person, podcasting is for you! If you are good with the written word, but want to reach a larger audience or just wish to share your knowledge in a different sort of way, podcasting is a great choice.

Isn’t podcasting only for tech gurus and online entrepreneurs? No!

Any business can have a podcast, it doesn’t matter if you are a business that functions mostly offline. The odds that your customers use the internet often and/or listen to audio on an iPOD or MP3 player are pretty good. Therefore, producing a podcast in which you can provide knowledge your customers would enjoy and find useful is a great way to connect with and market to them. Having a hard time determining how a podcast can benefit you and your business?

I have compiled a short list of just some ways offline businesses can utilize podcasting to connect with their clientele:

Dog Trainer: Show prospective dogs and their owners (yes, I did just say show dogs and their owners– dogs are perceptive too you know) just what they will learn when taking one of your dog training courses. A short 5-10 minute video podcast sharing a training tip just might do the trick. Speaking of which, cute dog tricks never hurt either.

Florist: Produce a 5-10 minute audio podcast sharing your knowledge of all things floral. From how to keep your bouquets alive longer to wedding floral arrangements advice.

Non-profit organization: Share your organization’s goals, mission, highlight some of your outstanding volunteers, and interview some of the people your organization serves. Real-life stories and inspiration really hit home.

Restaurant: Everyone likes a good cooking show. How about a video podcast showing how you cook a specific dish that is on your menu? A great way to showcase your food and your cooking skills too!

So, you see, the possibilities are indeed endless and the outcome is always positive.

Yes, you should be podcasting. So, what are you waiting for?

Unsure of what a podcast is?
Check out my podcast titled: Podcasting 101 to learn more.

All the Best,

Darlene

http://www.dvictoriava.com

Here is some back story about myself and my love for all things multimedia:

My love of creating stories and productions began when I was a teenager. I received a video camera as a Christmas gift at the age of 16. I began creating my own Saturday Night Live type segments. I would recruit my friends and family for the videos too.

Fast Forward to 2001…the year I learned that I could create multimedia productions on the computer. I had decided I wanted to create a piece of memorabilia for my brother and sister-in-law in the form of a music video. I taught myself how to use Director (a program recommended to me by my husband) and set out on creating a video using numerous photos of my nephew (their first son–who at the time was 1 year old). The project was set to a popular song at the time.

Then, in 2005 as Office Manager of a non-profit organization, I assisted my employer with the creation of a 30 minute instructional video for the membership base of the organization. We traveled by train to and from the Fashion Institute in NYC every day for one week. Myself, along with two of my co-workers also spent long hours creating a time log of the video to be used for the production.

During production, we shot additional footage for the video on the streets of New York. I spent most of my time assisting my employer with typing up copy for the video. While also providing recommendations and input.  Just being involved was something I truly enjoyed. The experience was amazing (albeit extremely exhausting) and confirmed to me that creating videos and multimedia productions is what I wanted to do and ultimately where my true passion lies.

The video in this blog post was created using iMovie on my Mac (one of the main reasons I bought a Mac) and clips purchased from a stock image/video website.

Enjoy watching the video. There will certainly be more to come.

I believe in continuing education; no matter what your situation is. That is why I am offering a Free Training Series called “Mastering Microsoft Office 2007.” Business owners can sign-up for my free course and learn some new skills, tips and tricks for using Microsoft Office 2007.

Master just some of the skills needed to create well formatted documents and materials.  Just because your business may be on a budget, doesn’t mean your documents and marketing materials have to look like it too!

Learn more about this free training course now.

I also have an iPod touch (think iPhone without the phone). I ended up getting the iPod for free. The downfall, it does not have the new software, but that is ok; for a mere $9.95, I can upgrade the software (which I am going to do). Anyhow, the main question at hand is…will having two new snazzy Apple products cause me to convert totally, sending my PC to graze in the pasture? Only time will tell. I know this much though…work has never been so much fun!

It really is amazing how many things can occur in just six months. We live in a world where your life can change in an instant just by the choices you make. Many of the choices I have made have led me to where I am today, a Virtual Assistant on the rise, with many interests, talents and someday, a force to be reckoned with.

These past months have been filled with many great firsts for me and for my business. Including a writeup about my business in the local Sunday newspaper, my first business networking meeting, my first client (always the most exciting first) and the launch of my very first podcast.

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those people that have made it possible for me to follow and fulfill my dreams… These people include, my friends, my family, all of the motivated and talented VAs that visit The Virtual Assistant forums for their support(Tess, you rock!) and lastly, but most importantly, my clients. The working relationships I have formed with my clients are ones that cannot be duplicated. Thank you!

I have accomplished so much in just 6 months and I have no intention of stopping. In fact, I have only just begun!

A Virtual Perception – 30-60 Seconds to Wow Them

Luckily, I don’t fly by the seat of my pants any longer. That’s not to say I have run out of interesting or inventive ideas, I just have the sense to take them in, let them settle and act on them if they truly indeed are good ideas!

The point is, if you have an idea for your business that may seem silly or lame, or flat out ridiculous, don’t let it go! Get a notebook and start jotting down any and all of your latest ideas. If you are anything like me, then you get a new idea almost every single day. Before you know it, you will have a notebook full of ideas. Of course, they are just that, the ideas are not going to jump off of the page by themselves. When you think your business needs a boost or you need some inspiration, take a look at your idea notebook. Pick out one or two ideas that interest you the most; then make that idea into a reality!

Remember, electricity was just an idea in the beginning too. Now THAT was a bright idea.