When I’m asked how I got my start online as a virtual assistant, I often tell the story of offering any and all services that I could think of to provide, and then eventually settling on general transcription.
Once I was able to really narrow down what I did and the type of clients I enjoyed working with, my marketing became easier and I was able to sign on steady clients.
Today, when I coach virtual assistants, I often help them through this process as well—figuring out what they enjoy doing most and who they love to work with.
And then I’m often asked by VAs if I think offering general transcription services would be right for them. This article is my response to that question.
How do you know if general transcription is right for you?
First, you need to consider your skills. You want to make sure that you are:
- A fast and accurate typist
- Good with spelling, grammar and punctuation
- A great listener
Then you want to consider a target market.
Who needs general transcription?
There is not one definitive type of client, but here are a couple of industries to give you an idea:
- Business and life coaches
- Health & wellness experts
- Speakers
- Authors
- Church and ministry industry
- Journalists
- Internet Marketers
What do you transcribe?
While I believe it’s difficult to earn enough income in your VA business by solely offering transcription services, I do think it’s a great complement to other services.
For example, if you offer your clients any type of assistance with content management, it might be a good fit for you. Perhaps you already help them with social media management or blog posting. Where are they getting their content?
Repurposing audio that already exists is a great way to find “new” content. Think about the audio or video that they already have:
- Interviews
- How-to videos
- Speeches
- Sermons
- Coaching sessions
All of these things can be transcribed and used as written content.
What do you do with the transcripts?
Here is where you can get really creative and offer different kinds of services to your clients. You can turn the transcripts into written content that your clients can use as free or paid products.
Here are just a couple of ideas:
- Blog posts
- Social media snippets
- Format for Kindle, other ebook or in-print book
- Checklists or templates
- Re-structure for an ecourse
- As a bonus or bundle with existing products
Do I have your wheels turning? Do you want to know more?
Then I have a great, free resource for you.
Check out my webinar and find out what you need to know!
Success as a General Transcriptionist: 7 Things You Need to Know Before You Get Started
I spill all the secrets about making money and getting clients with your general transcription services.
Click here to sign up for this free webinar today and get your answers!