Let’s put on our marketing hat and talk about social media – a technological “MUST” for Administrative Professionals to understand, especially if there is no one else taking care of that task in the office. Let’s talk about the strategy for managing social media for your workplace.

According to the 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Michael A. Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner, “A significant 86% of all marketers we surveyed indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses. Increased traffic was the second major benefit, with 78% reporting positive results.” Traditional methods of marketing businesses like billboards, commercials, and sponsorships are now commonly accompanied by social media marketing strategies. 

Since this is a relatively new practice for established companies, Executive and Administrative Assistants may be asked to do this on their own. In a way, the person in this position already knows more about the inner workings of the company than most employees do because of his or her ability to work closely with the Executive. By learning, practicing, and honing your skills in content creation, marketing to a specific audience, and using both SEO and analytics, you will be able to successfully use social media to reach consumers, increase a following, and increase sales.

Read moreEvolving: Keeping up with Modern Tech

This year I think we could all agree that things are looking a little different around the office. Some of us have gone back into a quiet building, spaced accordingly and masked, while many others are working remotely from their home offices. Even still, we deserve a holiday gathering of sorts, to spread cheer and connection – perhaps we deserve this even more this year! The fact remains that whether you are working at a physical location or are safely tucked away in front of your screen at home, one party option proves to be the safest: Virtual Parties. 

Now this could sound like a bit of a bummer, but if you dive into these helpful tips we believe that your virtual holiday office party could be an absolute hit, and an incredible morale booster to the rest of your workplace community. We have put together this little guide to planning and executing the best virtual party “…this side of the nuthouse” (reference from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation).

Read moreThe New Office Holiday Party: It’s Not Too Late to Throw a Virtual Holiday Bash

Give yourself the gift of education this year and prepare yourself for 2021 by curating a list of workshops, tutorials, and events to participate in to stay up-to-date and ahead in your industry. 

Change is inevitable and all around us. This year has thrown a few curve balls at all professionals, administrative or otherwise. We have had to educate ourselves about the latest teamwork, document sharing, and communication applications with work becoming almost completely virtual. Americans are now anticipating changes made within the government for the next four years, which can impact businesses. With all this change, it is important to stay knowledgeable in your field and become the most efficient Executive Assistant you can be. Many careers mandate continued education, so why not make it a priority in yours? 

Read moreInvesting in Continued Education For Your Role

The stress of 2020 can be a bit overwhelming, and as an assistant it may seem like you are running in a million directions to keep everything organized, but taking control of your work/life balance is the greatest gift you can give yourself this year.

All full-time professionals can benefit from a healthy balance in their workplace and home life even in a time without COVID-19. According to Ellen Kossek, a professor of human resource management and organizational behavior at Michigan State University, “It’s a partnership, but management has the bigger responsibility for admins’ work-life balance, because how work is structured affects the ability of admins to have balance.” There are several ways to ensure that the Executive you work for prioritizes your time management, a major factor that goes into a healthy work/life balance as an Executive Assistant.

Read moreThe Balancing Act: Organizing Your Work/Life Time Management

So much is changing and evolving, it is enough to make anyone’s head spin – even a powerful CEO. Now is the time to have a steady and confident partner to be at your side supporting you flawlessly.

At the end of the day, the main goal for an Executive Assistant is to give the CEO the gift of time to do things that are important to him or her outside of work. To make this possible, EAs must fully understand the Executive’s professional priorities. With hundreds – often thousands – of people depending on a CEO to make the correct decisions to keep his or her company afloat and progressing, most Executives feel enormous amounts of stress daily. Now, with COVID keeping them at home, responsibilities outside of work blur together with means that must be met when (?) leading an entire company. Two out of three of the suggestions from chiefexecutive.net in an article called How Not To Burn Out In A Time Of Crisis instruct CEOs to “delegate with trust” and “listen to your people.” Delegated tasks begin with the Executive Assistant, who must keep business running smoothly during the current crisis by using communication and thinking outside the box.

Read moreStaying Relevant: Keeping CEOs Sane

Robots just don’t have the same warmth that a human being has. Is there even an app for boosting morale? In these times of remote working, it is more important than ever to find ways to connect with your team, support them and boost the positive morale in your digital workplace. 

We are all experiencing the negative effects of living in a world of COVID for six months straight now and a big one involves the effect it has on depression and anxiety. According to an online article written by William Wan of The Washington Post, “A federal emergency hotline for people in emotional distress registered a more than 1,000 percent increase in April compared with the same time last year.” This spike in the above hotline, “run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,” is an obvious display of the negative mental health effects of quarantine including fear, economic instability, and isolation. The team of an Executive Assistant is most likely feeling the effects of isolation due to the lack of interactions he or she is used to when working alongside coworkers in the office every week. Now more than ever, finding ways to keep your team’s morale on the upside is incredibly important.

Read moreStaying Relevant: Morale Boosting Maven

Networking has taken on a new form these days, but the effort is more important than ever before. Leaving the networking research and connections up to your EA is the best way to make those connections happen in an Executive’s busy schedule.

Current circumstances surrounding the global pandemic have changed the landscape of connecting with others because of the new limited ability to travel, whether it’s downtown or to another state. Technological advances have now given Executive Assistants ways to conduct networking through Virtual Networking Events, resulting in an even more preferable medium to many. 

Participating in these events is beneficial to the Assistant in many ways, instilling confidence in the value of their role. Executives will benefit from the connections the Assistant makes, opening doors to new business relationships – vendors, potential customers/clients, peers and business partners. So how do you take the first step into the virtual networking world? 

Read moreStaying Relevant: Networking Extraordinaire