There are many free online marketing opportunities for your business. For now, let’s talk about Twitter.

Using Twitter, you can communicate with other people through messages containing 140 characters or less. If you want to be up-to-date with social networking sites, you MUST have a Twitter account and learn to use it properly.

Following are some tips that will help you on Twitter.

Your Twitter profile:
•    Fill out all of the information on your profile. This move will help people to get to know you and your business. Also, share your website address so people can visit your website if they’re interested in your products or services.
•    Put a professionally-made picture on profile. You could also use a logo of your company, but usually people like to communicate with – and see – a “real” person. Whether you choose a picture of you or your logo is up to you –, just don’t leave that brown square on your profile!
•    Put a unique background on your account. You can create one by yourself  that represents your company. Another option is to find a background template on the internet; you can find really good backgrounds for business accounts if you just do a little research. Your picture on your profile plus a logo and short description about your business on the background will work together to help your business make a great first impression to other people on Twitter.

What to tweet:
•    First, think about what you would like to read in other peoples’ tweets. Do you like to know what they are eating or watching on TV? Or are you more interested in seeing links to interesting articles and tips about marketing? Tweet the things that are interesting for you, and they will be interesting for your readers too.
•    Tweet about your business, share new ideas, give advice. Don’t spam; if every tweet tells them what to buy or how to make more money online, you will lose all of your followers.
•    Try to respond to all of the people who tweet specifically to you.
•    Did anyone share a good article? Retweet it for your followers by copying and pasting the info or link. Be sure to make it known that you’re retweeting by starting the tweet with a RT and the original tweeter’s profile name.
•    Try not to use all 140 letters if you have a good tip to share. Your followers will probably want to retweet it, and leaving about 20 characters free will allow people to easily pass your message along.

My last suggestion is to use Twitter Search to monitor what people are saying about you and your business on Twitter.

Did you like my tips? Get even more by following me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JadeLT.

1. Write down what tasks you’d like to delegate to your VA

2. Think what skills are MUST to complete these tasks

3. Then do research on Internet for the Virtual Assistants that have these skills

4. Look around their websites and choose the top three that you like. How is the spelling and grammar on the website? Design? Does it looks that they are taking their VA business seriously?

5. Check out their blogs and/or read what are they talking on Twitter. That is very important as you’ll see who are they as the persons, what they like/dislike, how do they communicate.

6. Choose one and contact, tell what your expectations are and ask questions. More clearly you’ll say what you need – makes easier to find out are these services available and will it be possible to meet deadlines.

Did you expect more steps? Well, here are a lot of skilled VAs, you just need to find one that you’d like to be business partners with :) And you won’t find out that without communicating.

After working for 10 years (a full decade!) for others, I decided to start my own Virtual Assistant business and offer services that I really love to work on. I also like to learn new things, and I learn quickly. So, if you have special programs you want me to use, it’s ok – I’ll be able to quickly learn the basics and hit the ground running!

I am very excited to launch this brand new site for my business! I closed the old one as it was a static webpage, and I want to communicate more and to share my thoughts about small business, Virtual Assistants, Twitter and just everything that is going through my mind these days!

I officially announce that Jade’s Virtual Office webpage is open!
… and the opening was one of the 10 tasks on my to-do list for 2009! YAY!

Feel free to comment and ask questions, if you have any!