Engaging in online media and maintaining your social presence online is time consuming, and it can quickly become overwhelming as well. This is especially true if you are new to using social media. A Social Media Virtual Assistant (SMVA) is someone who can get you set up on different social networks, streamline systems for maintaining your social media presence, and help save you time in the long run.  They understand how different social networks function and can get you up and running so that you make the best use of your time and resources online.

Here are few tips to help you make the most of your Social Media Virtual Assistant:

1. Have a good idea what your goals are. Do you want someone to help you create and maintain your profiles? Implement an overall social media strategy? Provide consistent updates and distribute your new content? Do you need someone with experience editing and distributing videos? Does the SMVA need to know how to help maintain the backend of your blog or help with the more technical aspects of blogging? Having an idea of what you want to the SMVA to do will help you to look for an assistant who has the skills to provide the type of assistance you want. You should also be comfortable with delegating tasks and communicating consistently and clearly.

It typically takes between 60-90 days for an assistant to fully understand the client and integrate with their business. You need to be especially prepared to provide information and be responsive during the early days of the working relationship.  It is also important to understand that while a SMVA can implement social media and provide suggestions on how to use it effectively, the content itself must come from the business owner.

2) Research your assistant. As with any industry, Virtual Assistants provide a wide variety of skills and services. There are Virtual Assistants who provide a combination of administrative and business services along with social media assistance, and there are Virtual Assistants who focus almost solely on providing Social Media assistance. This is an important distinction that business owners should be aware of. Be sure to ask potential SMVAs about their skills and experience with social media prior to working together. Seek an SMVA who is active in social media themselves and who understands the rules and etiquette of the top social media networks. If someone is advertising as a SVMA, yet they’ve barely used Twitter, they just signed up for Facebook or their blog has only a couple of posts, then they may not be highly experienced in the field. Google an assistant by their name and by their business name and scope out their existing profiles. Since social media is used to increase online visibility, and you’re hiring an assistant to help you do this, don’t you want to see how they present themselves online?

3) Seek a Social Media Virtual Assistant who is a professional. Do they do this full time at this or do they offer it part time in addition to working another job? Do they have clear business policies and a clear pricing structure?  Can they provide testimonials from other clients or examples of their work? The assistant should ask you specifically what your overall goals are and what you want help with. The assistant should provide you with a draft that shows how they will assist you, what platforms you should use and references that back up their claims of expertise.

4) Understand that a Social Media Virtual Assistant is different than an existing employee. An employee who has a personal profile on Facebook that they use for connecting with friends and family does not necessarily understand how Facebook can be used by a business or a brand. Hiring a SMVA does not preclude also using an existing employee to help with social media efforts; an SMVA can become part of them team and add his or her expertise. Including employees or other assistants can make hiring a SM Virtual Assistant a cost-efficient option, as the Virtual Assistant model typically operates on the benefit of paying only for the hours you need.

5) Budget wisely. Most Social Media Virtual Assistants charge by the hour. Some will have set price packages of services either for social media profile set up or a flat fee for a certain amount of maintenance. Average hourly rates can vary depending on the SMVA’s skills and expertise. If a SMVA has highly specialized or technical skills, expect to pay a higher hourly rate. The benefit of working with a Virtual Assistant is that you only pay for the hours need. But if you are on a budget, make good use of your time with your SMVA. Be sure to keep the lines of communication open and clear and be detailed about what you need done.

Doing your homework on Social Media Virtual Assistance before you start on your outsourcing journey will greatly improve your chance for a successful partnership. Contact us today for more information or a free consultation.

Top Image by exper via Flickr

Should You Outsource Your Online Presence?

You can save time and money by leaving social media marketing to the pros.

July 7, 2009

Between blogging, tweeting, Facebooking and updating a LinkedIn profile, it’s a wonder how a business owner has any time to answer e-mails and phone calls, much less run a company. But the time invested in social networking is well spent in this age where maintaining a social media presence can be a necessary piece of a successful marketing strategy.

Trouble is, as the number of platforms grows, so does the time it takes to feed and groom each account. Not to mention the front-end investment of setting everything up.

For those caught up in a social media blitz–and those contemplating taking the plunge–why not consider outsourcing? A virtual assistant can tackle those time-consuming tasks.

What Can a Social Media Virtual Assistant Do?
Many administrative professionals who provided support services such as correspondence, search engine optimization and event planning via the internet are now expanding to include social media. Now they can help with everything from recommending the right SM platforms and setting up profiles, to finding potential clients and networking groups and maintaining communication with them.

Conduct a Cost/Benefit Analysis
Busy business owners may be tempted to add those social media duties to an existing employee’s responsibilities. But Kimberly LeRiche of JK Virtual Office Resources cautions that keeping a personal profile on Facebook is very different than understanding how it can be used for branding.

“Unless they already have an employee who is well-versed in social media for marketing and increasing online visibility, the only advantage would be that they already know the business,” she says
Another advantage is cost savings. The business owner can save hours trying to add widgets to blogs or searching for relevant industry links and put them back into running the show.

LeRiche points out Social Media virtual assistants usually charge by the hour, only for the time spent working. Though average hourly rates vary, a 2007 survey from the Virtual Assistant Networking Organization lists median fees between $30 and $40 and information from AssistU indicates rates can go up to $70 per hour depending on specializations and certifications.

The hidden costs of full-time staff disappear also. Business owners won’t have to pay for employment taxes, benefits, office space or equipment. If the relationship with the SM virtual assistant doesn’t work out, their contract can be terminated without the expense of unemployment insurance.

“A virtual assistant is also a business owner,” LeRiche says. “They often view themselves as a partner in the success of their client’s business.” She adds that this dynamic creates an entirely different working relationship than the one between an employee and an employer.

Have a Plan
If analysis favors hiring an assistant, it is time to think about goals. LeRiche says it is important to determine if help is needed beyond creating and maintaining profiles, such as implementing an overall social media strategy. “Having an idea of what they want the SM assistant to do will help guide them to the person with the right skills, qualifications and knowledge.”

She says business owners should be comfortable delegating and communicating consistently. “It can typically take between 60 and 90 days for an assistant to fully integrate and understand the client and their business so it’s important for them to be prepared to provide information and be responsive during the early days of the working relationship.”

Find the Right SM Virtual Assistant
Dawn Pigoni, owner of Be Social Worldwide, says one of the best ways to investigate a potential SM virtual assistant is by checking that person’s existing social media profiles. “They need to show that they are participating in conversations and providing value,” Pigoni says, adding that they should also have excellent references. Active participation is the way for any business to grow quality content, Pigoni says, and if the virtual assistant is already involved, they are more likely to be able to do the same for the business.

Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs, believes the assistant should understand the operations and online etiquette of the top social media sites, as well as the mechanics of maintaining a blog and other current tools. For novice users, Brogan advises asking for past results. “If the results simply involve using the tools themselves, skip them. Ask them to show business objectives that were met by their efforts,” he says.

Brogan also says the assistant should know when not to use certain tools. “This is worth more than someone who makes a business jump through every hoop like they’re checking boxes,” he says.

Avoid Phony “Experts”
“Unfortunately the rapid rise of social media has seen an equally rapid increase in the number of experts, gurus and evangelists,” Pigoni says. “If someone has to call themselves a guru, there is a good chance they are not.”

LeRiche recommend SM virtual assistants who clearly present themselves as business owners. Ask if they do this full time or in addition to working another job, and find out if they have clear policies and pricing structures.

Pigoni adds that having certification from the International Virtual Assistant Association shows a commitment to the industry standards.

Put Your Best Face Forward
Opinions vary as to who should be creating the social media content. Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible, says he had an intern do the administrative set up for a lot of his accounts. However, he says, “Social media is about authenticity, sincerity, and transparency. Having someone write your blogs and tweets can be dangerous unless you are honest about it.”

Safko says it can be done if an SM virtual assistant is open about the relationship, or if a busy executive dictates ideas into a digital recorder and the assistant transcribes them directly into blog posts.

Whether going it alone, or with the help of a virtual assistant, Howard Lindzon, entrepreneur and creator of Wallstrip, says, “We are in ‘Day One’ of social media and your customers are now everywhere. Knowing how to leverage the tools gives you an edge.”