Top 5 Skills for Technical Virtual Assistants in 2010

One of the things that I enjoy most about being a virtual assistant is learning new skills and how to use new technology.  I invest a large part of my business budget in keeping my skills fresh.  I was reviewing my budget for 2010 and here are my predictions for the top technical skills virtual assistants who assist internet marketers  will need to know in 2010:

1. Social Networking Systems Integration Beyond just posting for clients on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and You Tube — the tehcnically savvy VA will be able to weave them all together so that the right messages go to the right networks.  If used properly, your message can reverberate across your friends networks.

2. E-Commerce In order to make money online you need to be able to take money online.  Clients often rely on their virtual assistants to manage the e-commerce part of their businesses.  Technically savvy VAs know the different options available from Paypal to 1shopping cart to infusionsoft and recommend them for their clients.

3. Virtual Event Management Holding a teleseminar or webinar is a great way to get a product launched.  Clients can record the call, have it transcribed and then do countless things with the content.   A good virtual assistant can facilitate the whole process from obtaining a bridge line, to promoting the class to recording and transcribing the content.

4.  Basic Website Development No, I'm not saying that virtual assistants should be web developers or that clients ought to rely on virtual assistants to get their websites done inexpensively — but managing someone's online presence requires at least a basic knowledge of html and the ability to set up a simple product registration page.

5. System Development It is becoming more and more clear to entrepreneurs that repeatable systems are a must for a growing business. A virtual assistant who can take a process and make it into a repeatable system is worth her weight in gold.

Of course, VAs are administrative experts not web designers — so a good VA may not know these skills herself but needs to have the resources to gets these done for her clients.

Most important, of course, is the ability to keep on top of new things in the online works.  Your VA is your go to person — he or she needs to know how to get it done for you - with new ideas and new products coming out all the time –that in itself is a skill to perfect.

What skills do you think VAs need?