As a small business owner, how do you know when it’s time to outsource your social media?
Let’s take a look at some undeniable signs…
- You’re spending hours on social media every day, leaving money-making tasks undone.
- You don’t have time to create social media tasks.
- You are already diligently maintaining a social media presence, but you’re just not connecting with (a) many people or (b) the right people.
- You’re unsure which social media platforms to concentrate on, and which types of content to post.
- You absolutely hate interacting on social media (you’re just not social!)
If sign number one is your only reason (or your strongest reason), you most likely need to hire a social media VA (virtual assistant). If you “checked the boxes” for any of the other reasons, however, it’s time to hire a social media manager.
Er, hang on a minute. There are two options?!
What’s the difference in outsourcing to a social media manager or a social media VA (virtual assistant)? What do each of them actually do?!
- A social media manager takes care of the big picture with minimal input from you, other than the goals and end results you want to achieve (overall and for your campaigns).
- A social media VA performs social-media related tasks delegated by you.
Since VAs vary widely in depth of experience, sometimes there can be real crossover between the two, especially after you and your social media VA have worked together for some time.
Know which type of social media assistant you require, before you look for one. It will help you hire exactly the type of help you need.
A social media manager is responsible for:
- Suggesting and brainstorming the most effective social media strategy.
- Developing awareness of your brand on social media.
- Suggesting goals and objectives.
- Creating a targeted strategy for your social media content.
- Increasing your social media reach.
- Ensuring your social media communications reach the most targeted audience possible.
- Increasing leads from your social media appearances.
And, of course, let’s not forget the most obvious difference: A social media manager actually manages social media VAs—both yours and (maybe) his/hers.
(For instance, she might have three VAs in his/her company: One who specialises in social media advertising development and upload, someone who specialises in Twitter, plus another member of the team who writes content for various social media outlets.)
A social media VA is typically responsible for:
- Checking and monitoring your social media accounts.
- Scheduling and uploading posts created by you.
- Responding to generic, designated post types and answering common questions on your behalf.
Got a clearer idea of the type of outsourced help you’re looking for? Great stuff.
Look out for my next ‘social media’ categorised blog post; I’ll be telling you how to outsource help that’s the perfect fit for your business.
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