9 In-Demand Virtual Assistant Niches That Can Pay Up to $34/Hr

If you’re a highly organized person in search of a way to make money from home, you may want to look into becoming a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants are often used to perform administrative work for a business, as many businesses have found that outsourcing administrative tasks to independent contractors can save money on operational costs (not to mention time).

On average, a virtual assistant can earn about $27 an hour for work that can include customer support, bookkeeping and managing email, social media marketing, website and e-commerce storefront management.

However, some virtual assistants can make even more than that — up to $60 an hour.

Unlike general virtual assistants, having a virtual assistant niche means you offer a more granular service that requires in-depth skills — and that means you can charge more. If you’re a graphic design pro or a web design guru, you can offer those services and ask for more money in exchange.

9 Virtual Assistant Niches That Pay Well

Not sure what niches are out there? Check out this list of virtual assistant niches and see if any of them fit your skills and abilities.

1. Administrative Virtual Assistant

Repetitive administrative tasks can be time-consuming to business owners, and that is where a virtual administrative assistant — also known as virtual office support — comes in handy.

These VAs handle tasks like customer care, calendar management, billing and accounting, making and receiving phone calls, managing emails, handling data entry, coordinating travel and lead management.

Pay: Average of $25 an hour, according to Glassdoor.

2. Transcription

Can you type fast, listen well, do research and write and speak well? If so, you can offer transcription services as a VA.

A transcriptionist specializes in converting audio to text. You can niche down and choose between general transcription, medical transcription and real-time transcription.

This guide will help you get started as a transcriptionist.

Pay: The mean hourly wage is $17 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter.

3. Graphic Design Virtual Assistant

A graphic design virtual assistant helps businesses with logo creation, business cards, website images, social media graphics, infographics, flyers, brochures, image editing, animation, book covers, ebooks, and print design.

Here’s how you can get started in a career as a graphic designer.

Pay: The average base rate is $21.82 an hour, though graphic designers average $64,500 a year.

4. Virtual Digital Marketing Assistant

Digital marketing is dynamic, and new trends come up every day. And since most businesses these days use the internet to generate leads and sales, a savvy digital marketing VA is in high demand.

A digital marketing specialist’s responsibilities can include blog management, and marketing via email, search engines and social media platforms. Or you might exclusively be a social media virtual assistant.

Pay: $34 an hour, on average

5. Technical Virtual Assistant

A virtual technical assistant focuses more on the technical parts of running a business. This can include tasks like updating WordPress, email automation, scheduling content and SEO. If you have the skills, you can even offer video editing.

This post offers more information about the kinds of services tech VAs can offer small businesses.

6. Customer Care Virtual Assistant

A customer care/virtual support assistant helps a business enhance customer satisfaction by responding to customer emails, phone calls, responding to customer reviews, handling messages on live chats and handling outbound calls. This niche requires critical thinking and stellar communication skills.

Pay: About $20 an hour

7. Travel Virtual Assistant

Executives have their hands full, so sitting down and making travel reservations can be a hassle for them. As a travel virtual assistant, you can provide that service while making a decent amount of money. (Being a travel VA can be very lucrative.)

A travel VA’s duties will likely include researching travel destinations, planning itineraries, booking flights, researching discounts and travel offers, booking accommodations and planning excursions.

Pay: $21 an hour, on average

8. Language Translation Virtual Assistant

If you’re bilingual, you can offer language translation as a virtual assistant. You’ll likely translate documents or transcripts from one language to another to help businesses reach more customers in different languages.

Here’s how you can turn your second language into a side hustle.

Pay: Remote translators make around $24 an hour, according to ZipRecruiter.

9. Virtual Bookkeeper

Are you an accountant by profession, love math and have computer skills? As a virtual assistant, you can provide accounting services to businesses and keep clean books.

Here’s what you need to know to start your own virtual bookkeeping business.

Pay: On average, ZipRecruiter says virtual bookkeepers make $24 per hour.

The Benefits of Working as a Virtual Assistant

Some of the potential benefits of working as a virtual assistant include:

• Working from home (or anywhere) — which means no commute!
• Flexible working hours, which is particularly great for stay-at-home parents and other people who need a flexible schedule.
• Requires little capital, although you need to buy a few tools, like a laptop and software.
• Getting to choose your clients, the services you offer and your rate.

How to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant

You don’t need a lot of experience to get started as a virtual assistant. However, you do need excellent organization skills, time management, fast typing and critical thinking. You also need to understand how to use the tools commonly used by VAs in your particular niche.

• Learn more about the VA industry. Several virtual assistant blogs offer in-depth information about the industry, including Kayla Sloan, The VA Handbook, Fully Booked VA and The Virtual Savvy. You can also take virtual assistant courses that offer a complete blueprint on being a virtual assistant.
• Read some tips from the professionals. Leadership at BELAY Solutions, a company that specializes in hiring VAs for small business owners, shared some insights about remote work with The Penny Hoarder.
• Get the right tools. Think about what you’ll need to be efficient and productive both in your virtual assistant business and for clients. Research accounting and tax tools, like QuickBooks or TurboTax. Do you need to track mileage with an app like TripLog? What type of scheduling and calendar tools will you need? Do you need to brush up your project management skills or take some lessons on how to use social media tools like HootSuite? Pay attention to the job description and focus on the skills and tools you’ll need based on the job’s requirements.  
• Find virtual assistant jobs. This list of sites where you can find work as a virtual assistant will help you get started. Also, consider talking with a company that provides VA services if you are serious about working as a VA. Signing with a company can alleviate the need to hustle on your own. They will interview you, then connect you with a business owner or company who would benefit from your VA skills.

Charity Jerop is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder. Senior writer Robert Bruce contributed to this article.

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