You’ve decided you are ready to outsource your social media… Now, who do you outsource it to?
Do you choose a social media virtual assistant?
A social media manager?
Are those the same thing?
What exactly do they do? And most importantly, how can they help your business grow?
Let’s start by defining both so that we are all speaking the same language.
A social media virtual assistant (VA) is someone who specializes in social media and is hired to implement YOUR strategy.
They complete tasks such as scheduling posts you’ve already created to various social platforms, social media engagement, research, and graphics creation. They might even help you with social media group management & post engagement. There are many VA’s who specialize in certain tasks that can be really beneficial to your business such as content repurposing or even content creation.
If you are wondering what tasks can easily be handed off to a social media VA, take a look at this blog post here.
A social media manager is someone who specializes in creating social media strategies for you and managing those strategies, which may include implementation.
Most notably, they complete tasks such as developing a comprehensive content calendar and posting schedule, quarterly social media, and client audits – ensure that the content being put out is still what you want your audience to see, as well as social media goal-setting, and outcome reporting. They may even include social ads management. A social media manager may also create content for your various social accounts.
A social media manager may implement the social media strategy they create or they may hand it back to you to implement if you choose. (If you have a system you already love but want someone to completely manage it for you, that would be appropriate for a social media manager as well).
Now you know what they do. Next, you want to decide what you really need.
Here are 7 questions to ask yourself as you consider your options:
- What are the tasks I need help with? Write them all down.
- Do I need help with just parts of these tasks or do I want to hand them over completely?
- How much time am I spending on each of these tasks right now?
- Am I able to do these tasks within a reasonable amount of time each week? Could my efforts be better served in other parts of my business?
- What revenue-generating tasks could I be doing each week to help my business grow, instead of these tasks on the list?
- Rank all the tasks from SOS most help needed to it would be nice to handoff.
- Do I need help with my strategy and bigger plans, I really want someone to just manage this so I can focus on other things or do I just need some help with the virtual labor – like posting content that is already created?
Take some time to really reflect on these questions and feel into the answer that is most alive for you. Where do you feel the most energy? Whether it’s handing off a piece or the entire project, hiring the right kind of support for your business will help you continue to grow and allow your business to scale.
Businesses cannot grow in a vacuum. Those who bring on support staff are better able to navigate the transition to 5 figures, 6 figures, and beyond without the crash and burnout side effect of trying to do it all by yourself.
If you are considering bringing on a virtual assistant or a social media manager, please reach out to me here, for a free 30-minute no-obligation consultation about how I can support your business growth.
