What is the Best Ways to Make Money Online
According to financesonline.com, there are about 1.1 billion freelancers all over the world. A big percentage of this number are virtual assistants who work for big companies, small business owners, or even private clients to help them with their businesses.
What makes freelancing and virtual assistance an ideal job for many is the fact that it allows you to work on flexible hours and in the comfort of your own homes. In fact, a lot of corporate employees who lost their jobs during the pandemic ventured into freelancing because there are a
lot of job opportunities online, the pay is somewhat higher compared to their former jobs, and they can have a sense of comfort and safety working remotely.
The rise on the demand for virtual assistants is also a result of the pandemic as most businesses transitioned online or needed to boost their online presence in a higher level. One particular platform where business owners launch their brands and need VAs to handle work for them is Etsy. In this blog, I will share with you how you can earn online by being an Etsy virtual assistant.
If you are fond of online shopping, you might be familiar with Etsy. Etsy is a well-known e-commerce platform where you can buy and/or sell almost any product, tangible or not, under various categories from business owners and to anyone all over the world. It is almost similar to Amazon but a little more personal and specific in such a way that most sellers in Etsy are independent or small business owners whose products are mostly handmade, personalized, and vintage. What makes Etsy stand out from other e-commerce platforms aside from it being the household name for the kind of products mentioned above is how it allows the sellers to express and establish their brand fully through their profiles and the buyers to critically examine the brands behind the products they purchase and build a connection with them.
To set things straight, let's first define what a virtual assistant is. Virtual assistants are freelancers who work for clients and help them with various administrative tasks. Such tasks can be about anything related to the business but are mostly under operations, management, marketing, and sales. Since Etsy is an e-commerce platform, an Etsy virtual assistant, therefore, is someone hired by business owners who sell products in Etsy to help them manage their Etsy business account and market their products. Specifically, Etsy virtual assistant can be assigned to do tasks like social media marketing, search engine optimization, customer service, listing products and writing product descriptions, product photography, bookkeeping, and inventory management.
There is no specific step-by-step guideline on how you can be an Etsy virtual assistant but there are a lot of ways to get hired as one. However, the first thing you should ensure before you can start looking for clients or applying as an Etsy VA is your personal education which encompassed both your knowledge about Etsy and how it works and your skills as a virtual assistant. This doesn't mean that you can not be hired if you did not enroll in a VA course or if you do not yet have experience. What I'm reminding you about is to invest in your profile as a freelancer and make sure that you have something valuable to offer to your client. Here are some ways you can look for possible clients online:
This is probably the most popular way to find clients online. There are a lot of freelancing platforms like UpWork, Fiverr, and Freelancing.com where you can build an account and market your skills as a freelancer through your profile. All you have to do is scan over the job postings for Etsy virtual assistants, select those which suits your schedule and preference, and submit proposals. Once you get selected, you can now start working with your client. Just keep in mind that most freelancing platforms require a certain membership fee or cut from your monthly earnings so make sure to check their policies first.
This would be easier for those who already have experience working as an Etsy virtual assistant or as a virtual assistant in general. You can use your knowledge and testimonials from your previous clients to establish your credibility and start offering your services as an independent freelancer. What makes this a better choice is because you no longer have to abide on the policies of most freelancing websites. However, finding clients might be harder than before since you have to be more efficient when it comes to seeking them and marketing your services.
Whether you are a freelancer who get clients via freelancing platforms or is an independent freelancer, LinkedIn is for you. LinkedIn is a professional networking and career development platform where you can build a professional profile and connect with other professionals all over the world. Most of the time, freelancers find their clients or clients find their employees here through searching for people who are in the same industry.
Being a virtual assistant will require your time and resources as some tasks may be heavy and time-consuming depending on your job responsibilities. However, the job pays well depending on your experience, how you negotiate with your client, and the kind of client you have. Etsy virtual assistants can work part-time or full-time and can be paid at an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly rate depending on your contract. Most of the time, your clients will tell you about their salary budget but you can also decide on your own rates and negotiate with them. An Etsy virtual assistant can earn as low as $3 per hour and as much as $500 per month (or more) depending on your level of experience and job responsibilities.
There are a lot of ways to earn online and being an Etsy virtual assistant is just one of them. If you are well-versed on accomplishing admin tasks and the other job responsibilities of an Etsy virtual assistant, then it might be for you. A lot of independent and small business owners who do not have enough time to focus on all aspects of their businesses are looking for people like you who will help make their tasks easier and bring their businesses into a higher level.
However, planning to be a virtual assistant or even a freelancer in general requires your investment in your knowledge and skill set in order to offer value and attract more clients. There are also a lot of clients who take good care of their employees as long as they are responsible with their jobs. In fact, there are even employees who consider their employers as mentors and learn from them about business. Who knows, you might be managing someone else's business now but will be running your own in the near future.