I need to look at my social networking strategy, but I’m… at a loss. I want to be engaging and have a conversation. I don’t just want to spam retweeted VA links. I don’t want to be constantly on sale, so to speak. I think Social Media is just that – “Social.” It’s about relationships.

But I look at my HootSuite dashboard and constantly lurk. I click, I read, I lurk. I don’t participate. Same as forums. I lurk.

Do I think I have nothing to say? Ok, forget what I think – maybe I really don’t have something to say? Am I terrible at tooting my own horn? Maybe. So, my next business-growing related activity is participating more. Saying something. Being in it instead of looking at it.

What say you? How do you participate in Social Media?

I have kids to schlep, a business to run, elderly parents to care for, a marriage to nourish, and a home to maintain.  Every day I get up at 5am and runrunrun until 10:30pm or so, just to keep my head above water.  There isn’t a lot of “me time” in there.  I try, but the truth is, since my husband works nights, I feel like I’m “on call” all the time.

I decided to do something about it.  On Sunday evenings, I take a tap dancing class.  It has absolutely nothing to do with my family or work.  It’s strictly focused on me having fun, without me having to be in charge.  I’m having a blast.

It’s so hard to leave business where it belongs when you’re a business owner who works from home.  Find something!  Anything that is enjoyable and will force you to leave your responsibilities behind for just a little while.  It’s so refreshing to your mind.  I come back on Mondays raring to go!

Here’s where I admit something pretty terrible.  I don’t have a written marketing strategy.  I have nothing to track.  I simply haven’t gotten around to thinking/planning my marketing in a linear fashion.  But what I’m doing works for me at the moment.

I have both project clients (one-offs I’ve done without ongoing support) as well as ongoing daily/weekly/monthly clients.  The four main areas I connected with them are:

• Friends – Make sure you connect to your friends via the usual ways (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)  If they know you’re in business, they’re likely to work with you if they need your services because they already know what kind of person you are.  A word of caution, though.  Keep your best practices in place.  That means you still need a contract, you still need to stick to your rates, you still need to have due dates for your fees.
• oDesk – This is  a site that connects contractors with companies.  It works along the same lines as eLance with the contractor bidding for jobs.  When you’re working with one of these clients, you use their Timekeeping interface.  The client pays you through oDesk.  As a contractor, there is no fee to list with them or bid on jobs, however, they do take a cut of your fee.  I have definitely gotten ongoing clients through this platform.  The bidding/culling process can be pretty tedious, though, as there are many Indian and Philipino contractors bidding at $1 an hour or less.
• Solvate – Solvate is another company that connects contractors with companies.  They, however, are not a bidding site.  It is free to contractors, but they don’t accept everybody.  You agree to a particular hourly rate for each project, and they add a certain percentage to that, which they recoup from the client when they’re billed.  Either clients can browse through the “talent” (contractors), or Solvate will take their project information and match it up to a contractor.  The contractor and client hash out the details and the work, but Solvate stays involved.  If you’re having trouble with a client, they’re happy to mediate.  I’ve been with them from the beginning, and I really enjoy working with them.  Contractors keep track of their own time and then enter it into the Solvate interface.  The contractor invoices Solvate one a month.  I have several regular clients through them.
• Hire My Mom – It may be a corny title, but it works.  This is basically a directory/RFP system.  The contractor pays an annual fee ($100 the last time I paid).  They then receive all the new RFPs each day, and they can then respond directly to the potential client.  I normally don’t like to pay for listings (too close to Work at Home Scam material) but this is a real site.  They have quality clients who are serious.  These are not people who are asking for the contractor to “speak English and don’t bid over $1 an hour.”  I highly recommend their clientele, I was very impressed with the quality of clients.  While I’m not currently on the list, I highly recommend them.  They are worth the money.

So, tell me… How do you manage your business/work related responsibilities when your life is tossing you clogged toilets, car breakdowns, and the last minute project due that your child didn’t tell you about until today?

• Elementary Schools
• Online Magazines
• Authors
• Entrepreneurs
• Start Ups
• Executives
• Moms

They all are individuals, so of course the way I work with them changes.  That’s part of being a virtual assistant – adapting to the needs of my client.  That’s the way it works if you’re good at what you do.  That being said, there’s a couple things that would make life a LOT easier for your virtual assistant if you keep them in mind.  And frankly, when any of this becomes an issue with a client?  I drop them.  I simply don’t have the time and energy to deal with it.

• Be prompt in your communications about tasks.  Usually, if the VA has responded or contacted you about something, and it isn’t an expressed FYI, or “just so you know,” they probably need your feedback.  If they DO need your feedback, then they’re probably at a standstill on the task.  You see, us VA’s are notably independent.  We won’t ask unless we cannot do it without the information.
• Expanding on the above, it’s common courtesy not to expect the task done within 10 minutes of your sending a response.  Especially when the VA has been waiting a week for you to get back to them.
• We are business owners.  Please don’t treat us in a dismissive or demanding tone.  We’re colleagues.  We pay small business taxes.  We have business licenses.  And most of all, we have more clients than just you.  When you pay our whole salary, benefits, and process our income taxes, THEN you can have a monopoly.  Just sayin’.
• Don’t micro-manage.  No, really… Just don’t.
• Listen to us.  Odds are,  you hired your VA to take things off your plate and help you become more efficient in doing your work – not the busy work.  If your VA has a suggestion, or asks you to do things in a certain way, they probably have a very good reason for it.
• No I can’t get your coffee.  Yes, that’s really been asked.

What it really comes down to is this: respect us as a colleague, not an employee.  Respect us as the business owners we are, not as a minimum wage clerk.  We usually give 110% – and our work goes mostly unseen in the background.  That’s the way it’s supposed to be.  Just don’t assume that because you can’t see it, it doesn’t count, or wasn’t, you know, work.

The Great BlissDom Conference Package Giveaway

One2One Network is kicking off a HUGE contest to bring you bliss! We are going to be giving away conference passes to three lucky One2One bloggers for BlissDom’11 in Nashville, TN January 27-28. There are three levels of prizing and all include a full conference pass ($399 value).

BlissDom is the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online. Speakers and panels feature the best blogging, public relations and social media pros gathering to mentor new and old friends alike.

This is Blissdom’s most exciting year, with even more incredible content, events, networking and surprises scheduled than ever before. This year’s mantra – Think Big. Be Bold. Create Your Bliss. Whether you are a blogging newbie or maven, BlissDom’11 is designed to superserve everyone!

BLISSDOM’11 PACKAGE GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Contest runs Tuesday, November 9 through midnight (EST) Monday, November 29, 2010.

The PRIZES:

GRAND prize: Full conference pass (includes Wisdom Workshops), 3 nights at the Opryland Hotel, AND airfare/travel to the conference (up to $500)!!! (~$1500 value!)
FIRST prize: Full conference pass (includes Wisdom Workshops), 2 nights at the Opryland Hotel!! (~$800 value!)
SECOND prize: Full conference pass (includes Wisdom Workshops) (~$500 value!)