Social media provides endless marketing opportunities and is the only viable option for remaining relevant, building your brand, and maintaining customer loyalty.
Businesses that do not utilize social media marketing are slowly fading into oblivion, but building and operating a brand requires expertise.
This is where virtual assistant for social media management comes into play.
In this article, we will cover all about social media VAs, including their benefits, and how much it costs to hire one.
Keep reading to find out how you can hire your social media personal assistant today!
What is a Social Media Virtual Assistant?
A social media virtual assistant is a remote specialist who manages a business or an entrepreneur’s social media presence.
They are different from general virtual assistants because they have expertise and are equipped with specialized skills in social media management.
Social media virtual assistants (SMVAs) help businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs, SMBs, and SMEs, to large G2 companies.
They aim to maintain your online presence, build a stronger brand, and foster engagement and long-term customer relationships.
Additionally, they can strengthen your brand while you focus on core business work!
What does a Virtual Assistant do for Social Media Management?
There are some social media-specific tasks that only an expert will be able to perform.
From content creation to analytics research, your virtual assistant for social media management will take care of everything! We have outlined some of the basic tasks below:
- Content Creation and Curation: Your content creator assistant will create engaging, shareable, and compelling content for all your digital platforms.
They will also curate excellent content for your website to facilitate better reach. - Scheduling and Posting Across Platforms: Social media VAs publish posts across all social media platforms.
They schedule these posts at specific times and frequencies for higher reach and better engagement. - Engagement: A virtual assistant for social media management evaluates the success of your marketing campaigns and designs more engaging ones.
Additionally, they will monitor engagement by tracking engagement metrics. - Social Media Analytics and Reporting: Expert social media virtual assistant services include using detailed performance analytics to boost your leads and sales.
Your virtual assistant for social media management will report valuable insights by tracking and analyzing your company’s performance.
- Trend Monitoring and Hashtag Research: The social media marketing virtual assistant will research hashtags to engage potential users.
They will also monitor the latest social media trends and ensure your brand follows suit.
If you’re wondering about the services that Virtual Assistants can offer, please check this article below.
Read More: What Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer
How are Social Media Virtual Assistants Different from In-House Assistants?
Social Media VAs are not like regular in-house employees. It’s not just the nature of their jobs. There are also fundamental differences when comparing VA vs employee.
Let’s unpack those differences together:
i. Cost
Virtual assistants for social media management are more affordable and cost-effective compared to regular in-house employees.
They are independent contractors. Therefore, they are not entitled to bonuses or benefits, unlike employees.
Additionally, their rates may vary since they are not salaried employees: you only pay them for the hours worked.
ii. Hiring Procedure
Onboarding in-house employees can be an HR nightmare! There are lots of procedures involved, especially related to onboarding training.
Hiring a virtual assistant for social media management is not such an expensive and tiresome process.
Since they are independent contractors who are already experts in their field, you often won’t even have to train them.
iii. Flexibility
Virtual assistants are more flexible than in-house employees.
They are situated with their projects and will perform project-specific tasks for a specific amount of time.
How Much does a Social Media Virtual Assistant Charge?
Now the burning question is how much does a virtual assistant charge for social media management?
Generally, social media marketing virtual assistants charge anywhere between $5 to $50, depending on the aforementioned factors.
The cost will depend on factors mentioned below.
| Factors of Charge | Hourly Rate (USD) |
|---|---|
| Location | $8 - $20 |
| Experience Level | $20 -$65 |
| Task Complexity | $20 - $35 |
- Location: Although social media VAs work remotely, the country they are working from determines their rates.
Generally, social media virtual assistants based in the USA or UK are more expensive than those based in India, the Philippines, or Bangladesh. - Experience Level: If you’re hiring a new virtual assistant for social media management, they will charge less compared to an experienced VA.
- Task Complexity: Social media virtual assistants also charge based on task complexity. The more complex the task, the longer the project, the higher their rates.
If you need your virtual social media assistant to handle copywriting, email marketing, or marketing support, they may charge anywhere from $20-$35.
How to Hire Your Virtual Assistant for Social Media?
Now that you know the potential costs of a virtual assistant, let’s discuss where you can hire your virtual assistant for social media management.
There are generally three main options you can avail of :
1. Freelance Platforms
Freelance platforms have portfolios, client reviews of virtual assistants for social media. You can find social media virtual assistants that fits your requirements on these freelance websites:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- Freelancer
2. Virtual Assistant Agencies
Agencies are often the most reliable options because they offer virtual assistants who have already been vetted.
Virtual assistant providers will match social media virtual assistants with you according to your requirements and budget.
If you are looking for a reliable virtual assistant-providing agency that specializes in providing the best quality yet affordable social media virtual assistants, look no further than Green Feather Technologies. They are known to provide top-notch digital solutions and excellent services.
3. Direct Hiring
You can hire a virtual assistant for social media management directly through personal connections, networking, or social media. This could be done on LinkedIn or through their websites.
Direct hiring is beneficial because you end up with vetted, reliable social media virtual assistants. However, you may not always have networks, or find portfolios that match your needs.
The process highlighted above is a condensed version. You can find more details in our following article.
Read More: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
Qualities of a Good Social Media Virtual Assistant
There are some specific qualities that all virtual assistants for social media management should possess. Let’s take a look at the boxes you should tick before hiring your ideal social media virtual assistant:
- Social Media Proficiency: Of course, your social media VA must have expert knowledge of different social media platforms. Such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.
- Communication Skills: The best virtual social media assistants have excellent verbal and written communication skills. This makes posting, emailing, and dealing with clients much easier.
- Adaptability: Social media trends are always changing. Therefore, your virtual assistant for social media management must stay updated with social media trends and platform changes.
- Analytical Skills: Social media performances have certain metrics attached to them. Your virtual assistant specializing in social media must be able to analyze, interpret, and apply these metrics.
- Time Management: Businesses have multiple social media profiles. Your social media VA will be responsible for operating all of them.
So, they must be a multi-tasker who is great at time management and can juggle multiple accounts at once. - Brand Alignment: Social media management is all about your brand identity.
Therefore, your social media VA must understand your core brand values, and represent those values across all your different platforms.
How to Manage a Social Media Virtual Assistant?
Once you have hired your ideal social media virtual assistant, what should you do?
You need to manage him or her! You should work with project management software and communication tools to ensure seamless collaboration and productivity.
Here are some software to manage your virtual assistant for social media management:
- ClickUp: ClickUp is a highly customizable, cloud-based project management software, often considered the all-in-one platform for project management.
If you work with ClickUp, you can access features such as task creation, assignment, time tracking, and automation. You can create docs, workflows, and tasks, and also get real-time data about performance. - Slack: Slack is a cloud-based messaging app that allows for seamless collaboration.
You can create channels, which are organized workspaces, while also having features for communication such as team calls and digital huddles. Slack also offers file-sharing and project management features.
You can find more information about the ways of managing a VA through the following article.
Conclusion
Virtual assistants for social media management are no longer a luxury, but a necessary to ensure continued brand success.
To forge a cohesive brand identity cost-effectively, generate leads, get better engagement, and ensure customer satisfaction, hiring a social media VA is the best option for your company.
Now that you know all the pros of hiring a social media management virtual assistant, why wait? Contact Green Feather Technologies and get your trusted social media virtual assistant today!
FAQs
How can a virtual assistant for social media management improve engagement?
Social media VAs can improve engagement through content creation, curation, social media marketing, scheduling, and other engagement strategies.
Can I hire a social media VA part-time?
Yes, You can hire a part-time social media virtual assistant, as they are not salaried employees but independent contractors.
What’s the best way to communicate with a social media VA?
You can communicate with social media management virtual assistants through communication channels such as Slack, Discord, Zoom, or Google Meets.
How do I ensure that my social media VA understands my brand?
You have to maintain constant, clear communication with your VA to ensure that they understand your vision for your brand!
