Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about what your very best marketing strategy should be: be yourself!
Today’s Quote: Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Too many virtual assistants struggle with marketing because they feel like they have to present themselves in a certain way – like they have to be polished, super-professional, or more like someone else in their industry.
But really, your best marketing strategy is authenticity. When you show up as yourself, you attract the right clients – the ones who actually align with your values and work style.
In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about why authenticity matters, how to apply it to your marketing, and how being yourself can actually make marketing and attracting your best clients easier. I’ll also give you some tips to take action on right away to help you market your business in a way that feels natural and comfortable.
First, let’s talk about why being yourself can be such a game-changer in your VA business and your marketing in particular.
Trust and Connection – People will do business with those they know, like, and trust. That includes your clients. Working virtually with people there is often a sense of anxiety or lack of confidence, and it’s your job to make sure your clients feel connected with you and trust you before they start working with you. When you show up authentically, you create an actual, real, connection with potential clients. They get a better idea of who you are, what you stand for, what you value, and and whether you might be the right fit for them.
Uniqueness – The VA industry is always growing, and there are new VAs coming on the scene all the time. Your skills and experience matter, but will always make you stand out is you. You are a service professional and you are the product that your clients are buying when they decide to work with you. Your personality, your approach, your unique way of solving problems. These are things no one else can replicate or duplicate. They are what makes up YOU.
It’s Easier – When you market yourself authentically, there’s also no pressure to keep up a façade. You don’t have to remember what you said to someone, or how you acted with them, or what your business VA persona told someone, more likely. You are just being you all the time, and it really does make it easier to just be!
Attracting the Right Clients – If you try to be someone you’re not, you’ll also likely attract clients who don’t align with your work style, values, or personality. I’ve worked with plenty of clients that weren’t a good fit for me. I get it. When you find clients that are a good fit, you will get it! Marketing yourself authentically will allow you to naturally attract people who are a good fit for you.
I once brought in a client who I knew was not a good fit for me. He was an ADHD Coach and I honestly didn’t know much about working with someone with ADHD, which he himself also had.
But he was a nice guy and I knew I could help him, so I said yes when we had our discovery call. We actually got along quite well, he was a part of that big coaching group that was the community I was a part of.
As you can imagine, things did not go – as well as they did with some of my other clients.
He was indecisive, he needed us to walk through a lot of what we did together on phone meetings, and he changed his mind. A lot.
Of course that wasn’t his fault – but I was not equipped to help him manage these things. Which meant that I was frustrated when anything that I considered out of the ordinary happened.
I used to groan when I saw his name come into my inbox. I used to get angry when he would rewrite his newsletter three times at the last minute when I had already set it up to send out.
I was NOT the best VA for him, but I tried to be. It wasn’t authentic. I wasn’t authentic.
I had to let him go. He was upset naturally because he felt that I was helping him, and then abandoning him, which felt worse to him. I helped him find a new VA – there are loads who specialize in supporting business owners with different needs – ADHD or not.
The moral of the story is just simply to be authentic. It makes everything easier!
Be More Authentic in Your Marketing
Now that we know why authenticity is so important, let’s talk about how to put it into practice.
1. Define Your Brand Voice
Your brand voice is the way you communicate in your business. Are you casual and friendly? Are you more formal and polished? Do you have a sense of humor, or are you more no-nonsense?
The key is to make sure your brand voice reflects your personality, not what you think it “should” be. If you’re naturally warm and chatty, don’t force yourself into stiff corporate-speak. If you love a good GIF or meme, use them in your content!
I use jokes and laughter in everything I do. It’s very authentic and it makes me at ease, which seems to make the people around me at ease too. If someone doesn’t like using humour in business, they are not the right fit for me. And that’s okay!
2. Share Your Story
People connect with stories. Your potential clients want to know who you are, how you got started, and why you do what you do. Sharing your journey, both the wins and the challenges, makes you relatable and builds trust.
You don’t have to share every personal detail, but offering some insight into your background, values, and mission will make you more memorable.
One of the things I advise VAs to do is to not be a logo – meaning use a photo of you in your networking, tell stories about how you have helped clients, more than what your family did over the weekend if you feel more comfortable doing that, but share stories.
3. Show Up on Video (or Audio)
Written content is great, but nothing builds trust faster than hearing your voice or seeing your face. Whether it’s Instagram Stories, LinkedIn videos, or a podcast like this, putting yourself out there helps people feel like they already know you before they even reach out.
If the idea of video makes you nervous, start small. Maybe do a quick intro video on your website, or try a few Instagram Reels. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll get.
Focus on what you feel comfortable doing – talking head, teaching demos, voiceovers, they are all effective.
There are VA coaches who do a lot of personal stuff – get ready with me, walking the dog, cooking in the kitchen … that is not me. So, I don’t do those things. But I do a lot of talking head stuff because that IS me! And of course I do my podcast, which I LOVE doing! Audio is my thing.
4. Speak Directly to Your Ideal Client
When you’re authentic in your marketing, you don’t need to appeal to everyone. Instead, focus on speaking directly to your ideal client. Think about their struggles, their goals, and the way they like to be communicated with.
When you write a social media post, email, or piece of website copy, imagine you’re talking to just one perfect-fit client. This will help you sound more natural and relatable.
It also makes it easier to make sure that you are focusing on your clients, and not yourself, when you use the word YOU in your content. It’s a conversation, that’s it!
5. Be Honest About What You Offer (and What You Don’t)
One mistake VAs often make is trying to be everything to everyone. They take on work they don’t love, say yes to projects they aren’t excited about, and stretch themselves too thin.
It is really easy to say yes because you want the money – but many times it will come back to bite you because you will not be doing the things you truly wanted to do in your VA business.
Being authentic means owning your strengths and setting clear boundaries. If you don’t enjoy bookkeeping, don’t offer it just because you think you “should.” If you love working with coaches but don’t enjoy working with real estate agents, focus your marketing on the right audience.
Just because you know how to do something also doesn’t mean you need to offer it. A lot of VAs tell me “I can do a lot of things”. Sure you can. So can I, but what do I want to be doing all day every day? That list is much, more shorter.
It’s how I made the decision to start teaching and coaching full time. It’s what I love most, and I’m so glad you are here learning from me!
Let’s wrap up with some quick, actionable steps you can take today to bring more authenticity into your marketing:
- Review your website and social media profiles. Read it from an outsider’s perspective – does it sound like you, or are you trying to be Tracey the professional VA?
- Write a social media post that shares part of your journey. Maybe a challenge you overcame or why you love what you do. Actually hit publish – it helps you get where you are trying to go!
- Record a short video introducing yourself. By short I mean like one minute. Not an elevator pitch. Just a ‘Hi, I’m Tracey, I’m a virtual assistant who helps business coaches with their marketing. I’m here to answer your questions about the things that you struggle with when marketing your business.’ Post it on your platform of choice!
- Evaluate your current clients. Are they the right fit? If not, how can you adjust your marketing to attract better ones? And the big question, do you need to let any of your current clients go? It’s okay if they are not the right fit.
- Give yourself permission to show up as you are. You don’t need to be “perfect”—you just need to be you. YOU are amazing. Believe me, I know you are.
Being yourself in your marketing isn’t just about making things easier for you. It’s about building a business that feels aligned and attracts the right people. The clients who appreciate you, respect you, and want to work with you specifically.
So, what’s one way you can start showing up more authentically in your business today? Send me a message or comment—I’d love to hear from you! And if you are ready to get help with your VA business, definitely email me or DM me. I’m here to help.
It’s the only reason I’m here at all – to help you become a ridiculously good VA.
And I wanted to leave you with a remind of today’s quote: Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. You are unique and you are amazing.
There are clients out there that you are a perfect fit for – there are clients who really value you and need you. Go find them.
Do You Need Help?
And if you need support in building your confidence and finding the right clients, I would love to help. I am here for one reason only, to help you become a ridiculously good VA. Send me an email or DM me to chat about what you are struggling with, and talk about what your next step needs to be to move forward.
Thanks for tuning in, I’m Tracey D’Aviero, Confidence Coach for VAs and I’ll see you next time!
If you found this episode helpful, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. And if you’re looking for more strategies to build your VA business with confidence, check out my coaching programs and resources at YourVAMentor.com.