5 Strategies for Successful Advertising on Facebook + Free Ad Template

By Jennie Lyon / March 21, 2017
5 Strategies for Successful Advertising on Facebook

For small businesses on a tight budget when it comes to advertising, it’s important to only run ads which successfully bring in new clients. Ubiquitous ad blocking software and general marketing oversaturation makes potential clients far less likely to see or click on your online ad. That’s why Facebook is currently one of the best places online for small businesses to do their advertising. Because ads show up in the newsfeeds of Facebook users just like any other post, and often get viewed on mobile devices where ad blocking is less commonly used, you can get far more eyeballs on…

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How to Automate Your Social Media Presence + Free Social Media Calendar

By Jennie Lyon / March 14, 2017
JLVAS How to Automate Your Social Media Presence Free Social Media Calendar

Staying on top of all your business’ social media accounts can be extremely time consuming. Luckily, much of your social media presence can be automated for a “set it and forget it” experience. Automating various social media-related tasks eliminates the need for spending a sizeable part of each day on small, fiddly tasks that take up your valuable time. Your social media presence is only valuable if it is consistent. Automation helps with this! Click To Tweet As a virtual assistant who specializes in social media marketing for small business, I have quite a few strategies for streamlining these tasks!…

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How to Decide Which Social Media Platforms Your Business Should Use + Free Checklist

By Jennie Lyon / February 25, 2017

Social media gives a small business the opportunity to get noticed like nothing else before it in the world of advertising. Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram offer multiple ways to promote your business. Free options abound, like posting status updates and photos for your followers to see, and if you’ve made them really compelling, share with their followers. Social media platforms also represent one of the most effective places to spend your advertising budget, thanks to their sophisticated targeting algorithms. I always recommend making social media marketing a pillar of any small business’ plans for attracting new…

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Still Haven’t Made Goals for the New Year? A Virtual Assistant Can Help!

By Jennie Lyon / January 10, 2017

The start of a new year always gets people motivated to make changes in their life, work on personal and professional development, and try new things. Unfortunately, a lot of people struggle to stay on track with their resolutions, and most get broken or forgotten by the time February rolls around. Maybe you broke them already? The last thing you want as a small business owner is for your new business goals to meet the same fate as that resolution to lose 5 pounds or eat more vegetables! It’s a new year, full of new opportunities to grow your business.…

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Put Yourself First this Year and Your Business Will Soar

By Jennie Lyon / January 3, 2017

If you make just one resolution this year, let it be to put yourself first. Too many small business owners work themselves to the bone, burning the candle at both ends, sometimes for years at a stretch. Your body and mind need time to recover from a hard day’s work, and there’s no shame in taking care of yourself. I know how tempting it can be to try and “do it all” when you’re in charge of everything about your work. Trust me when I say I have been there before. I have learned to resist the urge to spend…

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Steps to Make the Coming Year the Best Business Year Yet

By Jennie Lyon / December 20, 2016

Well, we’ve almost made it through another year! I hope it was as good for your business as it was for mine, although I have some great suggestions if you didn’t meet all of your business goals this past year. The perfect time is coming up, in the lull between holiday gatherings and the new year starting in earnest, for you to take some steps for envisioning your next year in business. Come up with concrete plans and goals to make the New Year, your best year yet! Click To Tweet One of the key practices you should adopt if…

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Don’t Forget to Take Care of Your Clients This Holiday Season

By Jennie Lyon / December 6, 2016

With the holiday season in full swing, your focus should be on offering clients the same great, reliable service you give them year-round, to help reduce the stress of this time of year. For most small businesses, the last two months of the year can be very busy. However, they’re also one of the best times to show your clients how invaluable you are to them, and how much you appreciate their business. By taking a bit of extra time to ensure that your seasonal client care is top notch, you’ll be sure to avoid ending up on any “naughty…

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It’s Almost a New Year: Build Your Virtual Team Now

By Jennie Lyon / November 29, 2016

Do you have the right team in place to support your business and meet its needs for the coming new year? When considering your goals for the upcoming year, they probably involve the growth of your business; taking on new clients, expanding your services or product line, tackling more and larger projects, etc. No small business owner wants to get stuck in a rut or have their business stagnate. However, growth means more work, and more work means you’ll probably need to hire at least one or two part-time team members in order to accomplish everything on time. A lot…

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Are You REALLY Hearing Your Clients? How to Listen Well as a Business Owner

By Jennie Lyon / November 15, 2016

Do you know how to listen well as a business owner? Really, I’m not asking this facetiously; a lot of people don’t actually have well-developed listening skills, and that can hold them back in the world of small business ownership. Communication is the key to running a successful business, and listening should be the bulk of your communication! In a world of constant distractions, where we’ve been taught to multi-task as often as possible, many people have difficulty keeping their attention focused on a single conversation for any length of time. This can be a huge source of miscommunication between…

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Showing Client Appreciation is Essential and the Holidays are the Perfect Time!

By Jennie Lyon / November 8, 2016

Clients are the heart of your business, and you can’t afford to take them for granted. Without your clients, your business wouldn’t exist, so you always need to be considerate of their needs and appreciative for their patronage. The benefit to showing clients your appreciation is that it builds a strong connection with them, encouraging return business and making it more likely that they will refer others to you. Good client care is fundamental to the success of every business! While there are actions you can take year-round to let clients know how much you appreciate their business, the holidays…

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