Marketing

Every business, whether bricks and mortar, or internet, must do marketing.

For the bricks and mortar type of business, it is easy to see the instant gratification of opening your business. You order a banner with"GRAND OPENING" in huge letters, flyers, postcards, giveaways, etc., etc.

With an online business, it's a little tricky. When you first open for business, you also have a "GRAND OPENING". The Grand Opening is your webiste. The website is your "storefront". Without a website, you have no business.

So how do you do a "GRAND OPENING" banner for your online business? You advertise!

For Virtual Bankruptcy Assistants, the best place to advertise, (FREE), is Craigslist. I have been very successful on Craigslist. My first attorney found me there. I expect lots more attorneys will find me since I post and re-post my services every few months.

As a VBA, you must think "virtual". Your business is an online business. Also, keep in mind your target group. This is key.

In the virtual world, you must advertise ALL THE TIME for anyone to see you.
If you had a bricks and mortar type of business, wouldn't you advertise all the time? Of course you would! It's the only way to have people come back to your store.

So with an online business. If you have no website for your target group to look at, how do you expect to get contracts? You cannot have a business if you have no website.

Marketing online is different than marketing a bricks and mortar business. Nevertheless, you must do marketing. Probably more aggressively, definitely more often.

If you're not spending at least one hour a day on Craigslist or online marketing your business, guaranteed you will never get an assignment. That's the absolute minimum, one hour a day. But, you must have a website.

For myself, I spend at least 30 hours a week marketing AAVBA. I also set aside some time to look at who's marketing online. While doing that, I've seen a few VBA's names and businesses online. If I see you, guaranteed, bankruptcy attorneys see you.

I know being an Independent Contractor is difficult. You need money to get started. There are expenses. Most times, before you even make any money! Believe me, I've been there.

But it can be done on a shoestring budget. The downside of the shoestring budget is that you have to do everything yourself.

I'd like to ask if anyone out there has a website hosting company they could recommend that will not break the bank for our new VBA's, please pass the information to them through the VBANation GoogleGroup. All AAVBA members should have received an invitation to this group since it is open to AAVBA members only. By request through our AAVBA members.

And advertise on Craigslist! Seriously folks, if you want to work, you must get on Craigslist. And again, if something is working for you and getting results, please pass this information on through the members only AAVBA GoogleGroup, VBANation.

AAVBA advertises on your behalf. All the time. We are always marketing. We want to see everyone working. It's our passion, our goal and our motivation for this organization.

If an attorney chooses your name on the AAVBA website, clicks on "View Complete Details", clicks on your "URL", will they see your VBA website? Is there a "URL" where there should be one? If not, then, sorry to say, but you're not open for business. And if you're not open for business, the attorney is going to go to the next VBA who does have a website (storefront) and is open for business.

The website is your storefront. You must keep this in mind. If you have the URL but have not built your website, this is the first thing you must do. Open your storefront for business, build your website.

I never guarantee work. From the beginning, I have always said, "AAVBA does not guarantee work, we are not an employment agency". As independent contractors, you are responsible for your own businesses. What we do at AAVBA is market on your behalf.

But you must do your part. And a major part of your business is having a website. And marketing. Being online, everywhere and anywhere an attorney might see your name.

If AAVBA finds a way to market your business without costing a lot of money, believe me, we will pass this information on to you. We want you to find work! But we can only do so much. Without a website, you won't be doing any work, that I can guarantee.

Aside from marketing AAVBA and for its' members, I also market my own VBA business. At least 20 hours a week. I recently revamped my website. Something I do every 3 months or so. The way I see it, it's my storefront, so I want my storefront to always look fresh. I redo the wording, I add graphics, etc., etc.

It's a lot of work, I know. I try to squeeze every minute out of my days. Believe me, sometimes, 24 hours is just not enough.

I want you to know, I'm right there with you. I've said this before in our Webinars. I'm doing just as much work as you. Believe me, I know what you're going through.

When you get your first assignment (and believe me, once you have a website [your storefront], you will get an assignment), you will know that all the work you've put into your "storefront" was worth it.

My hope is that everyone will have a VBA website by the time we go to the NACBA Fall Conference in October. When we're at these Conferences and Conventions, we like to show off our VBA's websites all weekend and tell attorneys how to find you!

We hope to see your "Open for Business" sign soon!

Wishing you wildly successful days!

Vikki

AAVBA is on the move!

AAVBA is on the move!

As many of you know, AAVBA had an Exhibit at the Annual NACBA Convention.
We're still reeling from the great publicity and also from the assignments that have resulted from our presence at the Convention.

Now we're on the move again.

We have decided that since our exhibit was a success, we will attend every NACBA event.

But we're going to change it up. Instead of AAVBA Directors manning the exhibit booth all weekend, we are offering 5 AAVBA members the opportunity to attend future NACBA events.

One AAVBA Director will attend the Workshops and Conventions along with the 5 AAVBA members.

NACBA hosts at least 4 events per year. With each event, we will choose 5 AAVBA members to attend.

The next event planned is the NACBA Fall Workshop in Hilton Head Island, SC on October 2,3, and 4, 2008.

This opportunity will allow our 5 AAVBA members to market their businesses as well as market the AAVBA organization and industry. They will also be expected to highlight fellow AAVBA members' websites as well.

As we continue to grow, we hope to bring more opportunities where more AAVBA members can attend.

AAVBA believes in the Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant and their contribution to the the legal community.

We're on the move and we're taking our members with us!

Vikki