Social media is a very vital tool for business growth where the virtual assistant is concerned. Working remotely means that you have no work in clients and will rely heavily on networking, referrals & social media. Social media is indispensable to the virtual assistant.

Unfortunately, there is nothing black & white about social media marketing. Neither are there any “one size fits all” solutions for social media issues. A quote I read somewhere had this to say about social media “Build it and they will come doesn’t apply to social media. You have to grow it, build it, engage and they MAY come”.

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This isn’t meant to scare you as there are various tactics you can employ to make social media work for you as a virtual assistant.

Below are 8 tips for virtual assistants using social media

1. Have a social media marketing goal. What are you on social media for? Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Increase visibility? Establish credibility? Book clients? Have a goal.

• Use your link in bio. It can house the link to your website, your freebie, your portfolio or your preferred mode of communication e.g WhatsApp. Your bio should also state categorically what you do, especially the kind of virtual assistant you are (what your niche is) so you only get enquiries from prospects who need the service you render.

• Your content is important when using social media for business. Strive to give value to your audience especially in areas of your expertise. However don’t get so carried away establishing credibility that you forget to promote your services.

• Create a posting schedule and stick to it. Showing up once a week is not showing up on social media. One way to show up regularly on social media is to use social media management tools like scheduling apps.

• Engage, engage, engage. Social media is for socializing; never forget to socialize on social media. Read captions and leave meaningful comments. People tend to visit profiles of people who left comments on their posts, I know I do.

• Use hashtags on platforms that require it. Platforms like Instagram & Twitter need hashtags . Use hashtags that are relevant to posts to get the most out of your posts.

• Use all the features on social media to grow your business, Features like stories & IGTV on Instagram, video tutorials on Pinterest…..know them all and use them to increase your visibility on social media.

• Run ads. Paid reach trumps organic reach every time!! Need to increase audience, increase visibility……run ads, simple! It’s advisable to run ads at least 10days every month. Showing up regularly on social media without running ads will yield little to no results.

Social media marketing is essential to the growth of your virtual assistant business. Which of these tips did you find useful the most?

Every now & then, I hear Virtual Assistants mention the need to have extra hours in the day as it never seems to be enough. Many Virtual Assistants are busy but not overwhelmed or burned out because there is a process to follow. Below are 3 habits of successful Virtual Assistants

1. They are organized.

Working on & in your business requires a certain level of organization. You need to be able to meet up with your deadlines and make your clients feel they are the only clients you have, even when juggling multiple accounts/clients. The only way to do this is to have a TO-DO LIST. Write down your tasks & deliverable and when they are due. Having your list at arm’s length is bliss and ticking off those items is pure Bliss, pun intended.

I love a great note pad and pen but nothing beats having my to-do list on my mobile, because it goes everywhere I do and it fits in my back pocket.
WUNDERLIST is an app that allows you to create a to do list, share it with someone, a client or team member and tick off your list when you are done. Pretty cool.

2. They Automate

Automating your day to day processes can free up some major time for you. It helps you increase efficiency and productivity especially if these are processes you do evereyday. Quite a number of things can be automated. From E-mail to social media posts. Take advantage of automation wherever you can find it to shorten your turn around time.

As a VA, I use MailChimp to automatically send my portfolio to prospects who send me an email on some specific portals. E-mail autoresponders, business WhatsApp welcome messages, quick replies in Instagram are a few automations VAs can take advantage of. CRMs like Trello & Asana also have great automation tools that are awesome.

3. They take social media seriously. My VA firm has been booked out for months and all our current clients found us on social media, Instagram specifically. So I don’t joke with social media because I know how powerful and effective it can be if harnessed properly.

Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are great platforms for VAs to find paying clients.

There are best practices for every single business, the key to growing & succeeding is knowing what obtains in your community and making it work for you.

Did you find this useful? Share other habits of successful virtual assistants you know.

Banke is a Virtual Assistant Coach, Mentor & OBM

Every virtual assistant should have a portfolio. Having one ensure you are efficient and effective when communicating your skills, services, packages & pricings with your prospective clients without having to write & write over & over again, sometimes multiple times a day. Other than efficiency & effectiveness, a portfolio helps present you in a more professional manner and you get to answer a lot of your client’s prospective questions in advance.

Below are the 4 major things your portfolio should have

1. Introduction/Bio: This should be the first segment in your portfolio. It’s a chance to show off your personality (a little) and introduce yourself and any other pertinent information. This should be short, fun & straight to the point.
2. Skills & any other qualifications: Use this segment to highlight your skills, especially the ones that are important to or related to the services you offer. You should itemize them and avoid switching between 1^st & 3^rd person as I have see a lot of.
3. The next segment should have your services and the fees payable. This is also a great place to expantiate on your services in detail, sell your service and make it attractive to your prospects
4. Testimonials come next. It is a well-known fact that people find it easier to purchase based on the recommendations of others.

You are definitely welcome to include any other segments you deem fit but your emphasis should be on these 4.

Do you have a virtual assistant portfolio?