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Testimonial

Nikki and the team at Nota Bene were fantastic at helping me take care of Pinterest weekly pins and monthly newsletter posting.It was awesome knowing that I had regular posting going out and she helped set up lots of add ins to my other social media platforms. She is patient with explaining how social media works and goes the extra mile to ensure these went out according to my content creation plan. I highly recommend any busy business to hand over your content creation to Nota Bene.Sarah Parry ...

Why No One Should Do Business Alone (even now)

Yes, even in these particularly hard times. Now more than ever. While it's tempting to believe we can handle everything on our own, the truth is that having a support network is crucial for success. That's where having a reliable team, whether it's staff or outsourced contractors, comes into it. Even in times of financial uncertainty, investing in help can be a game-changer for your business.I used to feel huge pride in saying “I’m a one-woman band, I do it all” like it was a status t...

Avoiding Burnout

Let's be honest. Burnout SUCKS. I was super sick in 7th Form (Year 13) and my body never really recovered fully. I get run down and sick easier than the average person, and I need to remember that. Burnout....I've been there a couple of times in the past, and both times I ended up not taking a break until my body forced me to stop and I ended up being sick for months afterward. Never again, I said. 🤣Through those times, I learned to listen to the signs my body gives me and I'd been ...

Why AI Shouldn't Write Your Entire Blog Post (written by AI)

I've been writing a few blogs lately for clients, which I always love doing. Today, though, we tried something a bit different. We got Chat GPT to write the blog, and then I went through and "de-robofied" it. Made it sound human, and also made it sound like more a New Zealander. It came out pretty good, but it definitely required the human touch. So, once that was done, I got it to write ME a blog. On why they shouldn't be used without some serious editing and personalising. The below ...

Testimonial

Nikki has been managing the social media accounts and monthly newsletter for Atlas Direct Off-Road Caravans for the last few months.Already she also taking on blogs and email nurture sequences that have been in the 'one day' pile for far too long!She is proactive, organised, and up-to-date with the latest online business tools and keeps things ticking along so we can focus on daily business operations.I would highly recommend Nikki to anyone looking for a Virtual Assistant.Michele Hunter - Atlas...

Testimonial

Nikki is FANTASTIC to work with! She keeps me up-to-date with where things are at, shares ideas and suggestions about improvements and opportunities, and keeps me on my toes by reminding me of agreed timelines! Just what you need when you're a solopreneur. I value Nikki's easy-going, professional approach and appreciate the positive impact she's had in my business.Tracey Hancock - Life Coach...

Testimonial

Nikki is a fantastic VA. She is extremely flexible and accommodating and a delight to work with. She brings fresh ideas to the table and makes collaboration a breeze. Highly recommended!Moana Bywater - Good Together Health...

Testimonial

We hired Nikki to help us with social media scheduling, email marketing, content repurposing and event planning in our business. Nikki has such a willingness to get stuck in and help wherever support was needed.She found us pressed flowers at short notice during lockdown for our event awards and she always had brilliant ideas about how she could make something happen!She ensured that our content went out across all our platforms and helped grow our following. We loved how reliable Nikki was and ...

Testimonial

Nikki has been helping me take on my workload for almost a year now. She is AMAZING! best decision I made, she listens to what I want done and always completes it on time. Plus she is always giving me helpful advice when it comes to marketing, I highly recommend Nikki 200% !!!Steph Wood - Sol Goods...

Then and Now: A Nota Bene Reflection

As my Nota Bene birthday month winds up, when I look back to June 2020 when I first started working as a Virtual Assistant, it really is crazy to see the changes. It's easy to sit here today and think I've not come very far, or I'd like to be earning more money or have more clients, but if you compare June 2020 and June 2023 what you see is completely different.I started out on $25 an hour and I was amazed that people would even pay me that! That quickly moved to $30 an hour, and I was even more...

Why Virtual Assistants NEED To Be On Pinterest

When I was thinking about who our target market was going to be when I launched my Pinterest Management plans, I didn't really consider other Virtual Assistants, but I did think about coaches, course creators, bloggers, and other online service providers. Why was that? Why did I not consider my own people?As I was thinking about it this morning, the most inquiries I've had so far have been from Virtual Assistants/Executive Assistants wanting to know how it could work for them. I think I had...

10 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Pinterest

Pinterest is an amazing platform and it can help businesses of all sizes to reach new customers, increase their online presence, and drive traffic to their website. By incorporating search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies into your Pinterest strategy, you can improve the visibility of your content and increase the likelihood of it being discovered by the right people. Below is 10 ways Pinterest can help your business, with a focus on SEO to get the best results:Direct traffic to your we...

10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs An Email List

Let me start by saying this. Don't get me wrong, in 2023 I firmly believe all businesses should be on social media, purely from a brand awareness perspective. You want to stay top of mind with your clients and potential clients.  But you probably hear people talking about how you must have an email list, and you have to contact them regularly, and it is very much true. Do you already have an email list, or is it one of those "I'll get to it one-day" type jobs?Despite always offering se...

What is User Generated Content? (And How Can It help Your Business?)

User Generated Content (UGC) is content that is created by people, rather than brands/businesses. It's created by your clients and ambassadors or brand reps. It can be anything from reviews and ratings to social media posts and videos, to blog comments and forum threads. UGC is invaluable to businesses because it provides an authentic, honest, and unbiased look into the experiences people are having with their products or services.Does It Work?When used correctly, UGC can help businesses build t...

Why It's Not Ok To Do Everything Yourself

Stop trying to do everything yourself! If you are, you can probably feel it in yourself already why you need to stop. Burnout is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. Ever been there? I have. 0/10, do not recommend. You Don't Have To Do It All!That constant feeling of exhaustion, even if you aren't flying from place to place doing all the things. Sitting at your desk trying to do everything yourself is just as overwhelming and exhausting! Just five more minutes, just one more li...

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Virtual Assistant

You've signed on with a Virtual Assistant, you're all ready to go. What next? How do you make this a valuable, productive relationship? This year Nota Bene is all about increasing productivity and efficiency, so this is an important topic. Here are our top tips.1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!Don't waste your (or their) time fluffing about trying to decide what you need from them. Go into any calls or emails with a clear idea of what you want to be done. Where possible, provide the information you know they...

Testimonial

We approached Nikki originally to offload our Blog, Newsletters and Social Media, whilst navigating our way through an extremely busy time in our business.We are so glad we did, she is extremely down to earth, willing to go the extra mile, thorough, organised and has great communication.We would have no hesitation in recommending Nikki to any company looking to outsource particular tasks, I'm sure they will soon see the value in investing in her skills and wish her all the best for a busy 2023Ch...

What To Expect When You Start Working With A Virtual Assistant

Sometimes the unknown is enough to put you off taking a big step in business. Your business is like your baby, and handing it over to someone for certain tasks can be more than a little terrifying!! So I thought I would write a quick post on what to expect when looking to hire a Virtual Assistant or Freelancer.I will use my own process as an example, but most Virtual Assistants that I know use a very similar process. The Discovery CallWhen you first book a Discovery Call with me, this is ou...

Testimonial

Thank you, Nikki, for being my Virtual Assitant this year. You often went out of your way to help.You understand technology like Metricool and Airtable to make life easier in running a business.You are happy to teach those of us like me who are somewhat technology phobic! For those who want to hand over their day-to-day social media organisation, Nikki is the person.Allison Fisher - Change Coach...

Testimonial

I have been working with Nikki for a while now and I can say that engaging her services have made my life as a business owner easier. Nikki helps take the stress of running a business away. I can give her a variety of tasks to do and she accomplishes them in a timely manner. Nikki is a great communicator . If she is not sure about something she will get in touch and is only too happy to offer ideas if I'm stuck. I feel at ease knowing shes in charge of certain things.Jenny Latto - Jenny Latto Ar...

Testimonial

Nikki has been such an amazing asset to my business. Social Media is somethingthat I was doing very ad hoc within my own business, taking up far more timethan necessary and was often left on the ‘to do’ pile. Having Nikki look after it for me means I only need to spend a short time planning my month of socials and then hand it over, knowing it will be done on time, consistently and professionally! Nikki cares about my content and is proactive in making suggestions to help engagement and gr...

Testimonial

Nikki has been a great help to me. Always willing to give it a go and try something new. She is bubbly and positive and very receptive. I’m looking forward to seeing her go far as a Virtual Assistant - Cherie Stevenson - Stellar Creative Marketing....

Testimonial

Nikki is an integral part of the Good Line Creative team and has been for over 6 months. Since the start she has shown passion, determination, attention to detail and warmth to not only myself but also other team members. Her skill set in writing and producing engaging content is of the highest calibre and I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone. I personally love having Nikki as part of the Good Line team and hope our relationship lasts for a long time to come...

5 Reasons NOT To Hire A Virtual Assistant

As much as I think most businesses need a VA in their life, not everyone does. Maybe.....🤯 You LOVE being stressed out. It could be your jam? That constantly on edge feeling that comes from trying to plan and schedule your social media or get a newsletter out. Some people like to live on the edge. 🤯 Maybe you just HAVE to do it all yourself? The short time it takes to teach a skilled VA how you like things done isn't worth it. It's just easier to do it all yourself (Or, more to the point, ...

Social Media Package - What Does That Actually Mean?

It's all very well for me to say "I do social media". That doesn't always mean much to people. So I thought I would take some time and put it out there - what it is that I actually DO for the social media package. This is not exclusive. More often than not, prospective clients want a more personalised package. Something with more posts, less posts, or for me to also do newsletters, blogs or other tasks, in which case I would go away and put together a bespoke plan for them. But th...