As the number of social media users increases, the need for businesses to use the platform has become more important than ever. Today, businesses need a strong social media presence as it increases their search engine visibility, serves as a competitive advantage, allows them to connect with customers, and helps them generate more sales and leads. 

But building a social media presence isn’t easy as it requires time and the right strategies. When not done consistently and correctly, you’ll end up losing resources, potential customers, and the ability to stand out from your competitors. 

Fortunately, there is a viable solution: to hire a social media virtual assistant and let them take over your business’s social media strategy. Taking this route benefits your business in a number of ways.

What Is a Social Media Virtual Assistant, and What Are the Benefits of Hiring One?

A social media virtual assistant has the same responsibilities as a social media manager — the only difference is that they work from a remote location. 

In general, a social media virtual assistant takes care of tasks essential to your business’s social media strategy, so you can have more time to focus on core activities. Sure, you always have the option of completing mundane social media tasks, but would you do it if it means ignoring the bigger needs of your business? It’s better to let someone else handle tedious work on your behalf while you focus on areas that need your attention. 

Having a social media virtual assistant onboard is a cost-effective business decision as it increases business efficiency, cuts down hiring and training costs, and frees up your time. In short, a virtual assistant keeps your social media engaging and active without spending more.

9 Tasks You Can Outsource to a Social Media Virtual Assistant

Building a social media presence is a long and time-consuming process. According to Statista, Instagram accounts with less than 1,000 followers grow about 9.4% after six months on average, while accounts with at least 10,000 followers grow at a rate of 16%. 

Social media virtual assistants can complete any tasks involving your business’s social media management, so you don’t have to deal with them on your own. These virtual assistants have the necessary tools and experience to efficiently accomplish the following:

Manage Social Media Profiles

Two of the most common dilemmas entrepreneurs face when it comes to social media are deciding which platform suits their brand best and why people aren’t following them on social media. Over time, these problems can drain a business’s valuable resources. 

A social media virtual assistant can assess which platforms work best for your business. Whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, they’ll set up and manage your profile to ensure that it gets traction. If your business has existing social media profiles, your virtual assistant can give them a do-over, so these profiles generate better results.

Develop and Implement a Social Media Strategy

An Adobe study indicates that 50% of Gen Z and 42% of millennials find social media the most relevant advertising channel. Another report from DataReportal also shows that 75% of internet users worldwide use social media to research brands. 

With these numbers, it’s crucial for businesses to create and use an effective social media strategy. Not having one means your target audience will have less access to your brand online and, therefore, will be less likely to do business with you. 

One of the responsibilities a social media virtual assistant has involves your social media strategy. They’ll outline short- and long-term goals for different social media platforms and create steps on how to achieve them. This way, it’ll be easier for your business to craft a brand online, nurture leads, and determine which metrics to use to assess progress.

Research Trending Forms of Content

Research requires a lot of time, and since you’re running a business and overseeing different departments, you might end up with mediocre results. This will likely happen when trying to create an online presence on social media as trends constantly come and go.

A social media virtual assistant provides specialized services and will know exactly what and how to research. They can give you better insights into the pros and cons of various social media trends and determine which trends work and won’t work for your business.

Create Targeted Content

A report from Content Marketing Institute shows that 67% of marketers worldwide generate more demands and leads after implementing a content marketing strategy. Your business can experience the same success (and even more) once you’re able to create and publish high-quality content on your business’s social media profiles.

Virtual assistants are jacks of all trades when it comes to content creation. Most have experience in video editing, graphic design, and copywriting. With these skills, your business can consistently publish a variety of content that appeals to your target audience.

Additionally, a virtual assistant knows how to repurpose content across different social media platforms. For instance, if your virtual assistant made a video for Instagram Reels, they can cross-post it on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Repurposed content allows your business to expand its reach, improve its SEO rank, and boost its brand reputation.

Make a Content Calendar

Scheduling when to publish content is as tedious as determining the best content to post. It’s vital to publish content at the right time to ensure that it gets more follows, shares, and likes. A social media virtual assistant can make a content calendar using different scheduling tools, like Sensible or Iconosquare. You’ll be given access to these tools, so all you have to do is check in and make tweaks every now and then.

Update Existing Content

Even the biggest and most established businesses have made ill-advised social media posts in the past. Not everything a business posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter is a winner. Fortunately, a social media virtual assistant can clean up your feed and update time-sensitive content. 

Virtual assistants can perform a thorough audit of all of your business’s social media profiles. They can determine which content doesn’t match your brand and remove them immediately. They also have the “eye” to spot well-performing content and repost them to other platforms.

Monitor Platform Analytics

One of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when trying to build a strong social media presence is neglecting the use of analytics software. They think having a profile on various social media platforms is enough to achieve that goal. 

Save yourself from committing the same mistake by working with a social media virtual assistant. They can determine the best analytics software to use and explain to you the key metrics to track to determine your brand’s online social growth.

By having someone take over your business’s social media analytics, you can easily determine if existing strategies work or require improvement. Over time, this helps your business optimize strategies for enhanced performance.

Analyze Competition

According to Business Formation Statistics, the number of business applications has risen steadily over the past decade. This goes to show that competition in various industries is getting stiffer as new players enter the business arena. 

One way of making sure that your business’s social media strategy still stands out is by letting your virtual assistant analyze the competition. Using the right tools and their experience, they can predict your competitors’ next move and come up with an effective counter-strategy.

Discover the Right Influencers to Work With

Among the different marketing strategies businesses can use in social media, working with influencers is one of the most effective. Statistics show that more than half of customers worldwide bought something after seeing an influencer use it. 

The effectiveness of influencer marketing can be attributed to different reasons, namely, it’s a relationship built on trust and encourages businesses to be unique. However, your business can only enjoy all of the perks of influencer marketing if you end up working with the right influencer. 

Instead of spending days or weeks researching influencers to know them better, let a virtual assistant take over. They can determine the best influencer to work with by looking into their reach, niche, target audience, content, engagement rates, and other metrics. As a result, your virtual assistant can easily create a marketing campaign with an influencer who can best represent your brand.

Make Smart Business Decisions

Although tempting, avoid wasting resources trying to manage your business’s social media on your own. Sure, the idea might seem like you’re saving money as you don’t have to hire anyone but biting off more than you can chew can hurt your business in many ways. 

Don’t take any chances — hire a social media virtual assistant today. They can manage your business’s social media profiles efficiently, so you can create a strong online presence fast.