Essential Skills for Social Media Virtual Assistants
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms have empowered entrepreneurs and business owners for a couple of years now. For virtual assistants specializing in this field, what do you need to help your clients generate leads, increase conversions, and ultimately succeed in business? Here are 6 Essential Skills for Social Media Virtual Assistants — straight from one of our rising talents, Kristine Onihog.
1. Communication skills
We sometimes hear people saying that flattery is one important skill when dealing with customers. That to make a sale, you need to know how to soften their hearts by telling them praises.
But marketing on social media does not necessarily have to work that way. The ability to express ideas and connect with an audience can both be done with authenticity and a sincere desire to communicate.
“Communication does not only refer to your engagement with people who are on social media,” Kristine said. “This also concerns your connection with the company that you are representing.”
She continued, “As a social media manager who has a different background and culture, it is necessary that I educate myself with the company’s culture and the people they are targeting in the business. In that way, the content that I come up with is effective and engaging.”
2. Goal setting
Be it on Twitter, Facebook, etc. social media platforms, competitions in the industry abound. And with multitudes of content released daily on the internet, you could pretty much feel like a needle in a haystack.
How do you stand out?
Kristine shared that Social media management and marketing are no different from her other responsibilities in the company.
She said, “Setting goals and objectives will help me gauge as to whether the posts I created are relevant and effective. If they do not align with the goals and objectives that I am trying to reach, then I have to redefine and adjust the content.”
3. Organizational skills
Social media virtual assistants are not exempted from the need to organize and have a system — one that works best for them.
Every day they work with graphics, files, videos, and other items in their list of things to do. Forgetting where they placed what can become frustrating.
“Organization is very important as a social media manager. You need to create a schedule regarding when you are going to post, what to post, and which social network to post,” Kristine said.
“Every social networking site varies in its effectivity to the audience. Pinterest and Instagram, for example, are good for images and other graphics. The other platforms have their own specialties as well.”
What does this call her to do?…
“It tells me to plot a social media calendar. I lay out my plans in a Google spreadsheet to have a better perspective on how things are going to flow.”
4. Attention to Details
Words, hashtags, images, comments, data — details that are either found or delivered on a social media platform call for deliberate attention. They’re the ones that welcome visitors and avid brand followers.
Virtual assistants who specialize in social media communicate on behalf of their respective clients. That is why whatever they do online, they need to align them with the standards set by the company.
Here is what Kristine said about it…
“It’s also important that a social media manager is keen to details. One mistake in the post can cause misunderstanding and can lead the audience to confusion.
“Before publishing or scheduling the post (if you’re using an automation platform like Hootsuite), always read your caption twice and check everything that needs to be checked.”
One can never be too careful.
5. Creativity and Innovation
Social media is constantly changing with new trends and technology. Nowadays, we already have Messenger chatbots and Facebook Live videos to name a few. The challenge for marketers is to learn how to use them in the best way possible.
“You have to know the current trends. Know what works for the company and what doesn’t,” she said.
“You couldn’t just stick to posting pictures all the time. You have to be creative in a way that would attract more people to like or follow your account. Create and innovate compelling content.”
6. Ability to evaluate and utilize data
One big challenge that marketers face is keeping the audience engaged with the brand. Quality content, likes, giveaways, comments — each of these has the capacity to generate good results for the company.
But without a good strategy and proper implementation, these engagement efforts can be put to waste. According to Kristine, more than the nod that a company receives from her followers, maintaining that connection is important. And data can definitely help.
“As a social media manager, analytics is very important. It tells you whether you’re on the right track or not,” she said.
“Learn how to evaluate figures and come up with the best solutions possible to decrease the fluctuations you are experiencing on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social media platform you’re on.”
Recommended Tools for Social Media VAs
Not getting the most out of your efforts on social media? Here are some of the tools that Kristine recommends:
- Hootsuite – post scheduling and automation
- Canva – creating social media graphics
- Redbooth – steady communication with clients
Now, over to you. What challenges do you have as a social media manager? How about as a virtual assistant?
Special thanks to Kristine Onihog for gracing us with an interview. May she continue to inspire and do well in her chosen path.
Let us know what you think about these Essential Skills for Social Media Virtual Assistants. Feel free to share your thoughts with others in the comments below!