What are Workflows?

What are Workflows?

Have you come across the term before? If you have, maybe you are in the know! Please just explore my other Blog Posts. If you are unsure of what they mean, or have never heard of them, please read on!

A workflow is a step-by-step process that outlines how tasks move from start to finish, to achieve a specific outcome.

This table shows how specific workflows differ between the services Niche VA Services offers and what my clients workflows look like.

⚙️ Difference Between VA Workflows and Client-Generated Workflows

Aspect	VA-Generated Workflows	Client-Generated Workflows
Ownership	Created and managed by you (the VA) to structure your own services and delivery.	Created and managed by the client to support their internal operations or business model.
Purpose	To optimise how you work for clients — ensures efficiency, consistency, and quality across your tasks.	To optimise how their business runs — covers their customer journey, service delivery, or sales process.
Focus Area	Your systems: task management, communication, reporting, and support routines.	Their systems: lead generation, client onboarding, sales, or service fulfilment.
Ownership Tools	You might use ClickUp, Trello, or Notion to track and deliver tasks.	They might use CRM tools (HubSpot, Dubsado, etc.) or operations platforms for their internal team.
Example 1	VA Workflow: Weekly routine → check emails, schedule posts, update CRM, send report.	Client Workflow: Customer enquiry → consultation → proposal → invoice → delivery.
Example 2	VA Workflow: Monthly marketing cycle → create content calendar → draft posts → approval → publish.	Client Workflow: Marketing campaign → design → approval → launch → performance review.
Responsibility	You design, refine, and manage your own workflow — it keeps your service consistent for every client.	You might support or integrate into theirs — aligning your tasks with their operational flow.
Outcome	Efficiency, predictability, and professional delivery on your end.	Smooth client experience, business growth, and clear accountability on theirs.

Workflows of any nature, ensure consistency, efficiency and accountability, whether it’s onboarding a client, publishing a blog or running a campaign. I have detailed a Blog Workflow as an example.

A blog workflow is the structured process that takes a blog post from concept to publication – ensuring every post is consistent, on-brand and optimised.

Step One – Strategy and Planning Phase

Purpose:          Define goals, topics and timelines before writing begins.

Tasks:               1) Identify content goals (SEO, thought leadership and conversion)

                          2) Research audience pain points and keywords

          3) Create a content calendar (topics, publish dates and responsible              person)

                          4) Assign tasks (writer, editor, Virtual Assistant or designer)

Tools:  ClickUp, Trello, Notion, Google Sheets, Asana)

VA Role:            Set-up and manage relevant subscriptions

                          Communicate with the client, all parties sharing thoughts

                          Manage timeline

Step Two – Research and Ideation

Purpose:          Build the foundation for strong content

Tasks:               1) Gather research, stats and supporting links

                          2) Analyse competitor content for structure and tone

                          3) Create an outline bullet plan

                          4) Draft SEO keywords and meta description ideas

VA Role:           Research and collect resources

Create a draft outline

Save all data in a shared folder (e.g. Google Docs)

Step Three – Drafting and Writing

Purpose:          Turn the outline into a compelling, clear draft

Tasks:               1) Write 1^st draft or assist with transcript

                          2) Format headers, bullet points and readability

                          3) Embed keywords naturally

                          4) Add internal / external links

VA Role:           Draft or format blog copy

                         Track revisions and version control

                         Use Grammarly or Hemingway for clarity checks

Tools:               AI and Grammar software

                         Identify and incorporate key words for copy

Step Four – Editing and Review

Purpose:          Ensure quality, accuracy and brand tone

Tasks:                1) Edit for grammar, flow and SEO

                           2) Client or editor review

                           3) Apply feedback and finalise version

VA Role:            Coordinate approval process

                           Implement edits

                           Maintain checklist      - grammar

- links

- SEO

- meta

- images

Tools:  Goole Docs (suggestion node), notion, ClickUp approvals

Step Five – Design and Upload

Purpose: Prepare visuals and upload content to the website/socials or CMS (Client Management System)

Tasks:                1) Source or create images (Canva, Unsplash, Pexels

                           2) Optimise images (size, ALT text, filenames)

                           3) Upload blog to WordPress, Wix, Squarespace

VA Role:            Upload, format and check layout

                           Add metadata, featured image and tags

                           Schedule post for publication

Tools:  As named above

Step Six – Publish and Promotion

Purpose: Drive visibility once the post is live

Tasks:                1) Share across social platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram)

                           2) Send to email list / newsletter

                           3) Repurpose content (quote graphics, carousel, short videos)

                           4) Engage with comments and responses

VA Role:            Create promotion captions and graphics

                           Schedule social posts

                           Update content tracker with publication links

Step Seven – Reporting and Optimisation

Purpose: Track performance and refine future content

Tasks:                1) Monitor analytics (views, shares, conversions)

                           2) Record metrics in a content performance dashboard

                           3) Identify top-performing posts for repurposing or updates

VA Role:            Prepare monthly analytics report

                           Recommended topic adjustments based on data

                           Maintain ongoing content log

Tools:  Social media logins, website login, analytics data

Final Step – Eight – Repurposing and Maintenance

Purpose: Keep content fresh and working for you

Tasks:                1) Refresh older posts with new data or links

                           2) Repurpose into social content, newsletters or PDFs

                           3) Update internal links and calls to action

VA Role:            Track “refresh dates”

                           Update SEO titles/meta

                           Flag outdated posts for revision

In summary:

Plan – Research – Draft – Edit – Approve – Upload – Promote – Anlayse – Repurpose

Niche VA Services will action the below for you, saving you time and money;

1)                  Manage the blog calendar

2)                  Coordinate content approval and publishing

3)                  Create social promotion materials

4)                  Track engagement and ROI reports

If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Have a great day!