The following is a very insightful article from Vickie Perry Barker of Full Service Support.

In case you have not heard, the virtual assistance industry is exploding, growing by leaps and bounds. Virtual assistants (VAs) are partnering with solo attorneys, solo entrepreneurs, and small business owners to assist with virtual paralegal, administrative, internet marketing, social media marketing, and blog design services.

Virtual assistants can write and submit press releases, develop and manage article marketing campaigns, monitor your social media profiles, write SEO-friendly content, design and maintain your blog, “scrub the internet” for you, and complete other tasks that seem to swallow up the solo professional’s time.

Virtual assistants with legal experience provide on-demand paralegal services and legal administrative assistance exclusively to solo attorneys and small law firms.

Here are 9 good reasons every solo professional needs a virtual assistant:

1. A virtual assistant can develop and manage an effective article marketing campaign.

What is the benefit of writing an article or press release no one gets to read? Writing a great article is just the first step in delivering your message. The next step is publishing your content for your target audience to find.

One of the most effective ways to get your articles syndicated is through effective article marketing. There are several websites and article directories in constant search of relevant, well-written and informative content.

Let your virtual assistant research your target audience, develop your article marketing campaign, write your article content, manually submit your articles to the top directories, and market your articles using social media tools and resources.

2. A virtual assistant can develop, update and monitor your social media profiles.

In recent years, the internet has expanded exponentially, and the same is true for online marketing tools and resources. There has been an influx of social media web sites. Among the most popular are LinkedIn, Digg, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, YouTube and Plaxo.

If you cannot find time to manage your social media profiles along with everything else on your plate, let your virtual assistant manage them for you. Your VA can develop and update your social media profiles, upload your photos, stream your video and audio, manage your RSS feeds, update your content, repair broken links, and monitor your accounts.

3. A virtual assistant can professionally design your newsletter or ezine, and distribute it as needed.

Do you have a newsletter or ezine that you love to publish but have a difficult time staying on top of? Maybe you are someone that has an interest in publishing a newsletter or ezine but just cannot find time to get it out there. Well, you are not alone.

Delegate the entire ezine project to a virtual assistant. A VA can design your ezine, help you brainstorm ideas for new content, update your ezine as frequently as you’d like, distribute the ezine, and promote your ezine through online directories and social media websites.

4. A virtual blog assistant can design, update, and optimize your personal and professional blogs.

Yes, you heard me correctly. Some virtual assistants are master bloggers with experience dating back to the days of GeoCities. Whether your blog is hosted by Typepad, Blogger, Wordpress.com, or self-hosted on your server, a skilled virtual assistant can manage your personal and professional blogs.

If you cannot find time to write content for your blog, hire a virtual assistant to write the content for you. If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, hire a virtual blog assistant to convert your blog into a content management system, and host it on your own server.

If you are looking to enhance your blog and online presence, hire a virtual assistant that provides search engine optimization services.

5. A VA can help you get the most out of your email marketing.

A VA can set-up your autoresponders, upload your email lists, manipulate images, run tests, finalize and schedule you email blasts for distribution to your mailing lista.

6. A skilled VA can design HTML gift guides and announcements for you and your clients.

Many virtual assistants are experienced and certified in HTML, CSS, PHP and MySQL. A VA can design HTML gift guides or other marketing materials, and distribute them for you.

7. A virtual assistant can proofread and edit your writings to prevent embarrassing grammatical mistakes.

It’s quite simple…”two pair of eyes are always better than one.” Draft your marketing or sales plan and let your virtual assistant proofread it for you. Draft an important email, and forward a copy to your VA to review before sending it out. If you prefer, dictate your press release, article or correspondence with your digital recorder, and email the audio file to your virtual assistant for transcription.

8. A virtual assistant can handle the tasks you simply do not enjoy.

I am sure there are tasks essential to your business that you have absolutely no interest in completing. You cannot afford to ignore these tasks, but you would rather not dive into them yourself. Those are the tasks you should delegate to a virtual assistant.

Time tracking is arguably one of the least-preferred tasks, but one of the most important when it comes to generating revenue for your business. Virtual assistants are familiar with several on and offline applications that can make managing your time a breeze. With your VA tracking your time, you will witness an increase in billable hours and revenue.

9. Partnering with a virtual assistant will cost significantly less than hiring an in-house assistant.

The affordability aspect is last on this list, but first on the mind of the average solo professional. VAs are more affordable than your typical in-house assistant. Aside from the fact you do not pay taxes or provide benefits to your VA, you will also save on the cost of providing office space, furniture, equipment and training. Over the years, the virtual assistance industry has evolved. Virtual assistants continue to develop their skill sets, and are catering to a wide range of solo professionals and small business owners. If you are ready to stop handling everything on your own, and you are not thrilled about the idea of hiring in-house staff, consult a virtual assistant so you can begin to take your business to the next level.