Software Tools used by a Virtual Assistant (VA)
The list below is just a sample of software that a Virtual Assistant may use. It is advisable to purchase software only as it is required.
These are not recommendations and it is your responsibility to check the features and align the best product for the task you want to perform.
There are so many free trials available so why not try the software before you buy it.
Email Marketing Software
TigerTom's Bulk Email Software
iContact
Constant Contact
Aweber
Remote Login
PDF Conversion
Audio Transcription
Express Scribe
Express Dictate
Email Marketing Software
It is possible to send out mail-merged emails using Word and MS Outlook, dependant on the version you have. This can be used to send out regular email newsletters for clients. You can set up distribution lists within MS Outlook. You will need to check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) on the number of emails you are allowed to send out at once. If you are going to exceed this amount, you need to decide whether to send them out in batches or to utilise a software package such as 1ShoppingCart, Constant Contact or AWeber.
Some considerations you need to think about are:
- Check your spam laws. It is advisable to have an opt-in and opt-out system. You will then have the necessary permission to send out the newsletters and offer the receiver the option to stop receiving the newsletters.
- Do not enter more than one address in the To: box, think about data protection !
- Personalise the emails by using the merge function to add the first name of the recipient within the email.
TigerTom's Bulk Email Software is a mass email client. It can be used on PC's running Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP.
Advantages:
- Simple to use.
- Each email can be personalised with the subscriber's name.
- It's stable and will not crash.
- It's free !
Disadvantages:
- Each email will contain a small two-line advert for TigerTom.Com at the very bottom.
- Emails are sent one at a time and it is therefore slow.
iContact is an email marketing service that has over 300 email newsletter templates. You can track your email blasts with charts and graphs updated in real time. iContact also has features such as surveys, autoresponders, and RSS feeds. iContact states a minimum monthly fee. There is a 15 day free trial available.
Constant Contact is an email marketing and survey service and offers a free 60 day trial. There are live demos available at their website. The email marketing service includes customer email marketing examples, more than 300 email marketing templates and tools to build a permission-based list. The SM Survey service includes the ability to perform online polls to gain feedback from online visitors, more than 40 online survey templates, and free online resources. Click here for the pricing. The pricing is a monthly fee depending on the size of your email list.
AWeber offers free online tutorial videos and guides. It appears to be the most popular email marketing tool utilised by VAs. The pricing structure is easy to understand and there is an online calculator to work out how much you will pay.
Click below to sign up for Aweber.
Remote Login
It is possible by utilising remote access tools to manage a client's email.
LogMeIn - there is a free version of LogMeIn that may be adequate for your needs.
GoToMyPC - Click below for a free trial.
PDF Conversion
There are a number of free software products that create PDFs.
Pdf995 offers three products Pdf995, PdfEdit995 and Signature995. These are all free to download but will display a sponsor page in your web browser each time you run the software. You can pay for the software and the sponsor page will not appear.
PrimoPDF is another free PDF converter. It claims to be free of ads. The free version only allows you to convert documents to PDFs. In order to edit the PDFs you would need to upgrade to nitroPDF Professional which you will need to pay for.
Adobe Acrobat is the most renowned PDF converter/editor and possesses greater capabilities. It has the capability of creating pdf forms for a client to fill in and return to you.
Audio Transcription
Express Scribe is free audio player software for PC, Mac or Linux designed to assist the transcription of audio recordings. It is easy to download. It can be controlled using a transcription foot pedal or using the keyboard (with 'hot' keys). It has the ability to play most audio file formats (including encrypted dictation files).
Express Dictate is a computer based voice recorder that works like a dictaphone. It allows a client to send dictation to a VA by email, internet or over a computer network.
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Definitions
Autoresponder
An autoresponder is classed as an email marketing tool. An autoresponder is a computer program that will automatically answer an email sent to it. Autoresponders can be set up to send a drip emailing campaign i.e. to send one email per day for a number of days.