Managing a business and at the same time ensuring that it has an active social media account is challenging. Social networking is an effective way to communicate with your audience, but it can quickly turn into a time-waster. Enter the social media virtual assistant (VA), an employee who is solely responsible for managing your social media accounts while you focus on business expansion.
Now we will provide you with more details on how a virtual assistant social media marketing VA can change your social media and save your time, energy, and money.
What Does a Social Media Virtual Assistant Actually Do?
In its simplest terms, a social media virtual assistant is someone who works with you and handles everything to do with your social media accounts. Their task is not limited to sharing posts only. Here is what they cover in detail:
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Content Creation and Curation:
VAs are not limited to posting but also include posting the right kind of content that is appealing and aligned with the brand. They can pick perfect captions for the post, look for related articles and share them, create uncomplicated graphics, and sometimes even trim videos. Their aim is to keep your feed alive and engaging so that you are not just another business that creates an account and disappears into the abyss of social media.
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Competitor Analysis:
Your VA can also monitor what your competitors are up to. This does not entail mimicking them but establishing best practices from their experience and avoiding their mistakes. A good virtual assistant social media marketing professional will be able to give you ideas on what is currently effective in your industry and what changes you can make to your approach.
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Scheduling and Automation:
Timing plays an important role in virtual assistant social media marketing. A VA understands when people are likely to be online and actively scrolling through their feeds. With the help of social media schedulers such as Hootsuite, Buffer, or even the Facebook native scheduler, they schedule posts in advance so your brand remains active on social media, even when you are sleeping.
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Audience Engagement:
Social media is not only about sharing materials; it is about initiating discussion. A social media virtual assistant reads comments, answers messages, and interacts with your followers on a daily basis. Regardless of whether you are dealing with customer inquiries or comments, they make your brand relatable and friendly.
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Trend Research and Monitoring:
Today’s trend may not be the trend of tomorrow. Social media is very dynamic, and the only way to keep up with the latest trends is to stay informed. A social media virtual assistant is aware of the trending topics, hashtags, and viral content that are related to your industry so your business remains modern and popular.
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Analytics and Insights:
Sharing content is one thing, but understanding what has potential and what does not is another. A good hire social media virtual assistant can give weekly or monthly reports on the level of engagement, the number of connections, and performance and tell the employer what needs improvement.
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Paid Ad Management:
Social media advertising is, however, one of the most efficient forms of advertising, though it has to be planned and executed efficiently. Specialized virtual assistant social media marketing VAs can also manage paid social media, which involves setting up ad campaigns and even tracking their performance. This can help you to spend less on ad spending as your campaigns will be tailored to perform well.
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Campaign Optimization
If there is one thing that can never be compromised when it comes to running virtual assistant social media marketing campaigns, it is optimization, especially when it comes to paid ads. An efficient social media virtual assistant will review the effectiveness of your campaigns and adjust them where necessary, whether it is a matter of shifting targets or refining the wording of ads. This can also be very helpful in terms of cost because your ads get to the right people.
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Brand Consistency
Your VA checks that all the content posted adheres to the brand personality and communications. Regardless of the comments they receive or the posts they repost, they ensure that your brand remains consistent across all platforms – which is very important in creating trust among your target market.
Why Should You Hire a Social Media Virtual Assistant?
If you are wondering, “Why can I not manage this myself?” Yes, you can do it all by yourself. But here’s why handing it off to a hired social media virtual assistant makes more sense:
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Massive Cost Savings
In-house virtual assistant social media marketing manager recruitment entails all costs associated with employing other employees, such as salaries, employee benefits, tools, and offices. In the case of a hired virtual assistant, all these costs are eliminated. You pay for the work done; that is all that one needs to know about it. However, what is even more impressive is that virtual assistants can cut operating expenses by 78%. For small businesses, that’s a significant amount of money saved.
This is an effective solution for your business because you can adjust the number of hours your VA works for you, which means you can easily control your expenses.
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Time Is Money: Focus on Growth
As a business owner, we understand that your time is valuable. A study revealed that small business entrepreneurs invest as much as 25% of their working hours in menial activities, including posting on social media. Think about what you could do if you get that time back for more valuable business operations.
A hired virtual assistant helps you get those hours back, and you can consequently dedicate time to core business activities such as strategizing, engaging with customers, or creating new products.
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Top-Quality Talent Without the Hassle
It is important to note that one of the biggest strengths of the hiring virtual assistant industry is the quality of talent. Currently, the most popular country to hire social media virtual assistants is the Philippines, where you can find highly qualified, English-speaking personnel providing exceptional services at a relatively low price. For instance, Filipino VAs have a 96.2% literacy rate and have a reputation for hard work and cheap labor.
Also, these VAs often have prior knowledge of how social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok work. You benefit from the skills and knowledge of your employees without having to spend time training them from the ground up.
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Flexibility and Scalability
Compared to a regular employee, a virtual assistant social media marketing provider gives extraordinary flexibility as a service provider. You can hire virtual assistant professionals for a few hours per week or on a permanent basis, depending on your requirements. This means that if your business is seasonal or if you have a new product that is yet to popularize in the market, the involvement of the band can be increased.
As the workload decreases, it is easier to let them go without the legal entanglements that come with long-term employment.
How to Hire the Right Social Media Virtual Assistant
Well, how does one go about selecting the right VA for their business? A virtual assistant social media marketing professional can make a huge difference in your business, but only if you’re able to find the right person for the job. Here are some tips that will help you make the right decision:
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Define Your Needs Clearly
Do not begin a search without first taking a piece of paper and writing down the specific tasks you require assistance with. Are you in search of content creation services? This will ensure you have a picture of your needs, which will enable you to find and hire a social media virtual assistant who specializes in those areas.
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Hiring Through a Virtual Assistant Agency
In terms of convenience and a worry-free process, it is recommended to hire social media virtual assistant professionals to be hired through an agency. Agencies are involved in the filtering process, hence providing you with competent people that have been sourced depending on your business needs. It not only saves your time but it also provides you with assurance about the quality of the work done and its sustainability.
An agency-backed virtual assistant social media marketing VA is more secure since the agency will provide replacement guarantees, training, and making it possible for you to manage your business without hitches. Whether it is about managing the overall social media strategy or handling daily tasks, an agency makes sure you always have a backup if your VA is unavailable.
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Freelancers vs. Agencies: Which is Better?
There are lots of choices out there on freelance platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr, but there is a bit more uncertainty associated with it. Freelancers are self-employed, and this is good if your business requires more flexibility in the pricing structure and if you are to outsource project-based jobs. However, with an agency, what you get is a managed service of some sort. This means that if hiring a social media virtual assistant isn’t suitable, the agency can easily bring in another one. It is more suitable for those desiring a more formal and enduring relationship.
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Trial Period
It is always advisable to first begin the partnership with a small-scale project before going large-scale. A trial period enables a business to assess whether the virtual assistant social media marketing VA is equipped to handle tasks assigned, and whether or not the VA communicates well. It is a risk-free approach to guarantee a positive working interpersonal relationship.
Why Big Businesses Are Turning to Virtual Assistants
The benefits of hiring social media virtual assistant services are not only enjoyed by small businesses but also by large companies with the capacity to create large-scale jobs. Indeed, 49% of companies hiring virtual assistants have over 1000 employees in their organizations. Even multinationals have come to understand the importance of outsourcing tasks to experts who can deal with the number of interactions on social media that are required for any business to remain relevant.
Large companies with plenty of resources use virtual assistant social media marketing services because they offer better expertise at a cheaper price. Many organizations know that hiring full-time employees for specific positions isn’t always the most efficient approach. Virtual assistants are equally as knowledgeable, if not more so, and at a much lower cost. For businesses, this is a solution that maximizes both efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
From solopreneurs to rapidly growing companies, a social media virtual assistant can become a crucial part of your business model. Any business, large or small, can benefit from the ability to hire virtual assistant talent at a reasonable price.
Managing Your Social Media VA
If you have hired a social media virtual assistant, the next thing that may be on your mind is how to work with that VA effectively. Below are some tips that may help you cultivate a healthy working relationship:
- Communication is Key: For efficiency, ensure goals are well defined right from the onset. For frequent status reports and short meetings, try using messaging apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- Task Management Tools: Using project management tools such as Trello or Asana will also assist with the distribution of tasks and the monitoring of progress. This helps to avoid situations when something is missed or forgotten and helps to maintain proper communication between the employer and the social media virtual assistant.
- Regular Reporting: Ask for daily, weekly, or bi-weekly progress reports that include what has been accomplished, what has been effective, and what needs to be changed.
Conclusion: Time to Level Up Your Social Media
Virtual assistant social media marketing is no longer a luxury or an option but a necessity for any business that seeks to engage customers, create awareness, and boost sales. However, if you attempt to manage it yourself, it can be quite tiring. That’s why hiring a social media virtual assistant is one of the smartest decisions anyone can ever make.
Here, you have a cost-effective solution, professional assistance, and the ability to expand your company without stress. Regardless of whether you are an independent business owner or operating a small business, large business, or even an established multinational company, the advantages that come with hiring social media virtual assistant services cannot be overlooked.
Therefore, if you are willing to spend less time on social media, cut down on stress levels and have a more improved virtual assistant social media marketing plan, before you hire virtual assistant for social media.
