Virtual Assistants: The Secret To Social Media Marketing

Posted on May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 by matttompkins

Virtual Assistants Are the Secret to Social Media Marketing

Business owners like us don’t have the luxury of extra time, which is why virtual assistants have been a game-changer for how we manage social media marketing!

It’s important to have a strong online marketing presence to reach and engage with customers. However, managing multiple social media accounts can be time-consuming and overwhelming.

You’re likely trying to do everything for your business yourself, including creating and scheduling social media posts, responding to comments and messages, and analyzing performance metrics. It becomes too much and we struggle to keep up with the demands of running the business.

virtual assistants for social media management

Hire a Remote Professional to Manage Your Social Media Channels

Hiring a virtual assistant, or remote professional as we refer to them, is a true game-changer for small business owners. You can find an experienced social media manager or digital marketing virtual assistant who is just as capable as any ‘in-person’ employee but at a fraction of the cost.

Remote professionals will fully understand your business’s needs and help you create a social media marketing strategy tailored to your target audience. With their help, you can free up time to focus on other important aspects of your business.

What is Social Media Management?

Social media management involves creating, scheduling, and posting content on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It’s essential to have a consistent social media presence to engage with your audience and stay top-of-mind.

Social media tasks can also include responding to comments and messages, analyzing performance metrics, creating social media profiles, blog posts and developing a social media strategy.

Why Hire Social Media Virtual Assistants?

Let’s face it; social media management is a full-time job. We think that we can do it ourselves because we spend enough of our personal time on social channels, but effectively managing a social media marketing strategy is completely different. Managing just one social channel is challenging enough, but most businesses are on an average of 6 different social platforms. That means it takes 6X the amount of time to manage (time that you already didn’t have to spare).

Hiring a social media virtual assistant can help save time and improve your social media strategy. They are trained in social media marketing and can help you manage your platforms and create engaging content. A virtual assistant can also help you keep up with the latest social media trends and best practices, which can be hard to maintain and track on your own.

Virtual Assistants Can Manage Multiple Social Media Accounts

Managing multiple social media accounts can be overwhelming, but there are tools that can help. Social media management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social can help streamline the process by allowing you to manage all your social media accounts in one place. These tools also allow you to schedule posts in advance, which can save you time and ensure consistent posting.

Scheduling out your posts and video content is one half of the equation, while the other half is responding and engaging with your tribe. Think of each social platform as a digital storefront for your business. Each represents your company, which means that each must have full-time attention dedicated to it.

Creating Engaging Social Media Posts with Virtual Assistants

Creating engaging social media posts is key to attracting and retaining your audience. Social media virtual assistants can help you create relevant content that is tailored to your audience’s interests. They can also help you incorporate multimedia elements like images and videos into your posts, which can increase engagement.

The algorithms are always changing, but today they are based on one simple metric: engagement. If your posts are not getting likes, comments, and shares, social channels like Facebook and Instagram will not put you in front of more people. This means that you must dedicate the time and resources to creating truly engaging content that your target audience wants to see.

For most businesses, hiring a virtual assistant is the best option for quality content that fits their budgets.

Developing a Social Media Strategy

Developing a social media strategy is crucial for the success of your social media efforts. Your strategy should target your audience and be aligned with your overall marketing goals. It should also track the success of your efforts, so you can make adjustments as needed. Social media virtual assistants can help you develop a social media strategy tailored to your business’s needs.

Tracking metrics is the only way to know what types of content is working for your digital marketing. Consider the first 6 months as merely data collection. Trial and error, testing different lengths of videos, styles of videos, graphic content vs video content, etc. is the only way to discover what your specific audience wants more of – so that you can deliver that to them for ultimate social media success.

Hiring a Social Media Virtual Assistant

Hiring a social media virtual assistant is the most cost-effective way to improve your social media marketing efforts. Virtual assistants are experienced in social media management and can help you with a variety of tasks like creating content, scheduling posts, and responding to comments. They can also help you stay up-to-date on the latest social media trends and best practices.

What About A.I.?

Artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s ‘Bard,’ and a long list of other options look like a perfect solution for small business owners at first but they often don’t deliver the results your business needs. A.I. platforms are merely tools; they are not humans.

Google, along with every other social media platform, weights quality content as the highest value with the biggest rewards for your marketing. People engage with quality content. A.I. platforms aren’t yet able to connect with, resonate deeply with, or relate to human beings because they aren’t people.

Should you use A.I. platforms to streamline certain aspects of your business? Absolutely! However, marketing is not one of those areas for one big reason: Marketing is all about feelings. People decide to hire your business based on the emotional connection they have. Do they trust you? Do they like you? Will they remember you?

Robots (Artificial Intelligence) are incapable of feeling, so how can we expect them to know how to connect with people on an emotional level? This is just one more reason why virtual assistants are the true game-changer. Remote professionals are actually affordable for small businesses and their budgets. However, remote professionals are still people. They are highly skilled, highly trained, and know how to connect your marketing with your target audience.

Remote Professionals Are The Answer For Your Business

Hiring a social media virtual assistant can be a game-changer for your business. With their help, you can create a social media strategy tailored to your target audience and save time on managing your social media accounts. They can also help you stay on top of the latest social media trends and best practices, so you can focus on other important aspects of your business.

I can personally attest to the benefits of hiring a social media virtual assistant. Since I hired a virtual assistant for my own business, I’ve been able to free up time to focus on other areas of my business.

With the help of my virtual assistant, I’ve been able to create a consistent social media presence, engage with my audience, and grow my online following. They’ve also helped me to track and analyze my social media metrics, which has helped me to make data-driven decisions about my social media strategy.

Anequim Remote Professionals For Your Business

If you’re looking to hire a social media virtual assistant, it is important to do your research to find a remote professional with experience in social media management and a proven track record of success. Fortunately, Anequim does all of that research for you, and they make the entire process seamless, from searching for top talent to making the final hire.

Anequim also has proven processes and procedures to help you clearly communicate your goals and expectations and work together to develop a social media strategy tailored to your business needs. With the right virtual assistant on your team, you can take your social media presence to the next level and grow your online presence.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a free strategy call with Anequim today. We can help you grow faster and smarter than ever before!

To get even more amazing tips, tricks, and techniques for scaling up your business, check out The Bootstrappers Podcast! Get the free advice you need to turn your vision into reality.

Virtual Assistant or Freelancer: What’s The Difference?

Posted on May 3, 2023May 17, 2023 by Fabi Sanchez

Virtual Assistant or Freelancer: What’s The Difference?

As someone who has been in the business of managing virtual assistants and freelancers for several years, I know firsthand how daunting it can be to find the right person for the job.

It wasn’t until I had my own experience with a virtual assistant that I truly appreciated the value they can bring to a business.

I struggled to keep up with the administrative tasks bogging me down and taking me away from the more important aspects of running my business. That’s when I decided to take the plunge and hire a virtual assistant.

Between a Virtual assistant vs freelancer article what's the difference?

Entrepreneurs Are Now True Believers in Virtual Assistants

So many entrepreneurs have become firm believers in the power of virtual assistants to help businesses run more efficiently and effectively. And that’s why I’m here to share my expertise and help you understand the key differences between the two.

Whether you’re a small business owner looking for extra help or curious about the world of virtual assistants and freelancers, read on – I’m confident you’ll find this blog post helpful.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote worker who can fulfill the tasks of any role that can be done behind a computer, making them a valuable asset for small businesses. Virtual assistants are a perfect fit for nearly any type of business, as they can do the same quality work as any in-person employee can, just remotely.

Virtual Assistant companies will find the perfect person for any role you need to be filled, from data entry and customer service to accounting, bookkeeping, administrative and executive assistant positions, marketing, graphic design, and everything in between.

Virtual Assistants have run entire companies and organized major conferences and events remotely, so anything is possible for your small business needs!

The Advantages of Hiring a Full-Time Virtual Assistant:

They are invested in your company’s success
They can be held accountable just like any other member of your team
They can be trained, mentored, and elevated to essential roles within your company
They are loyal to your business because they have a stake in its success
They become an integral part of your team-building for future growth

What is a Freelancer?

A freelancer is also an independent contractor who offers specialized skills to businesses, but they work differently than a virtual assistant.

Freelancers work on their own and offer their services directly to clients. They can work on a variety of projects but they are not full-time members of your team like a remote professional is, and they provide specialized skills like web design, content writing, or graphic design.

When hiring a freelancer, business owners can expect to work with someone with specific expertise in a particular area. Freelancers tend to compete against each other for the lowest price, but cheaper isn’t always better (in fact, it rarely is).

The Risks of Hiring a Freelancer:

They are not invested in your company’s mission, vision, and growth
It is harder to hold freelancers accountable since they can exit at any time
Freelancers have many other clients, which means your business is not their main priority
With multiple clients, freelances are dividing up their talents, and quality can suffer
Freelancers can leave you high and dry at any time, which is a risky investment for any business

Virtual Assistant vs Freelancer

The main difference between virtual assistants and freelancers is the type of services they offer and the way they work.

Virtual assistants are typically full or part-time employees who work for, and report directly to, you and your business. They are not tied to any other clients or companies like freelancers are. Remote professionals are just like any in-person employee, the only difference being they work remotely.

Freelancers often work independently and usually offer only one kind of service, like web design or writing. They can work on many different projects at once and work for many different clients which means they are dividing up their time, talents, and quality of work.

When deciding whether to hire a virtual assistant or a freelancer, it’s essential to think about the type of work that needs to be done.

The best way to sum it up is this: Virtual Assistants are invested in your company’s long-term growth and success just like any other member of your team. Freelancers are invested in their own success since they are their own company separate from yours.

Virtual Assistant or Freelancer?

Both virtual assistants and freelancers have different roles and responsibilities that can help your business grow; however, a full-time virtual assistant will offer far more consistent benefits for your company.

With a virtual assistant, you have someone full-time who you can train, mentor, and integrate into your current team. Accountability is another major benefit for Virtual Assistants because you can hold a full-time remote worker responsible for your company’s standards and requirements. A freelancer cannot be held as accountable as a full-time virtual assistant.

Freelancers will also not be as invested in your company’s mission, vision, and long-term success. Virtual Assistants are just like anyone else on your in-person team, except they work remotely. As a part of your team, they will have a stake in your company just like the rest of your team.

Business owners should carefully consider their needs before deciding whether to hire a virtual assistant or a freelancer. It’s important to research options and pick the right one for the business.

Let us Help You Build The Perfect Remote Team!

Ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a free strategy call with Anequim today. We can help you grow faster and smarter than ever before!

To get even more amazing tips, tricks, and techniques for scaling your business, check out The Bootstrappers Podcast! Get the free advice you need to turn your vision into reality.

How To Manage Your Remote Worker PTO And Holidays

Posted on April 27, 2023April 27, 2023 by Gwenn Aspen

How To Manage Your Remote Worker PTO And Holidays

With more and more businesses offering remote worker options, it’s becoming increasingly common for employees to work from home or anywhere remotely.

While there are many benefits to this arrangement, there are also some new challenges with managing a remote team—one of the biggest challenges is managing your remote worker’s PTO and holidays.

In this blog post, I’ll give you some tips on managing your remote worker’s PTO and holiday in a way that is fair to your employees and compliant with the law.

How to manage your remote worker PTO and Holidays

What is Paid Time Off (PTO) Mean For a Remote Worker?

PTO allows employees to take time off from work without loss of pay.

There are two types of PTO: accrued PTO and unlimited PTO.

Accrued PTO

With an accrued PTO policy, employees gradually accrue paid time off based on the number of hours they work. For example, if an employer offers 2 weeks (10 days) of vacation per year, an employee who works 40 hours per week will accrue 5 days of vacation per year (2 weeks / 40 hours = 0.05). This type of policy is common in the United States.

Unlimited PTO

Unlimited PTO policies are less common in the United States, but they are becoming more popular as companies seek to attract and retain top talent. With an unlimited PTO policy, employees do not accrue vacation days; instead, they can take time off as needed, subject to approval from their supervisor. This type of policy is more common in Europe and other parts of the world.

Time Off Requests For a Remote Worker

If you have a remote team, you’ll need to have a process in place for employees to request time off.

The process should be simple and straightforward, and it should be clearly communicated to all employees.

One way to do this is to use an online tool like Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar. These tools allow employees to submit time off requests online, and they also allow you to keep track of who is out of the office and when.

Another option is to use a paper-based system. This can be as simple as creating a form that employees can fill out and submit to their supervisor for approval.

Parental Leave as Part of a Remote Worker’s Benefits Package

Parental leave is another important consideration when managing your remote team’s PTO and holidays.

In the US, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) grants up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for parental leave (maternity, paternity, or adoption), caring for a sick family member, or dealing with one’s own serious health condition.

Parents working in Europe are entitled to paid parental leave ranging from 4-8 weeks, depending on the country. Ensure you are aware of and compliant with the parental leave laws of your employees’ countries if they work remotely.

How Employees Accrue Time Off with a Remote Team

As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of paid time off: accrued PTO and unlimited PTO. With an accrued PTO policy, employees gradually accrue paid time off based on their work hours. With an unlimited PTO policy, employees do not accrue vacation days but can take time off as needed, subject to approval from their supervisor.

If you have a remote team, you may want to consider implementing an unlimited PTO policy. This type of policy gives employees more flexibility, which can be especially beneficial if your team members are in different time zones. It can also help reduce distractions caused by frequent requests for time off.

Before implementing an unlimited PTO policy, consult an HR expert or attorney to understand all the legal implications.

Ways To Help Remote Professionals Achieve A Healthy Work-Life Balance

Encouraging your remote team members to achieve a healthy work-life balance is important. There are several ways you can do this:

Set clear expectations about working hours. Avoid scheduling conference calls or meetings outside of regular working hours if possible.
Encourage breaks! Just because someone works remotely doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take regular daily intervals. Encourage your team members to step away from their desks for a few minutes throughout the day to recharge and refocus.
Hold virtual lunch dates with co-workers. This allows remote workers to build relationships with other team members, even if they are not in the exact physical location.
Prioritize communication and collaboration tools. Investing in quality tools can help make it easier for remote teams to collaborate and stay connected, even when they are miles apart.
Allow employees to work flexible hours. This allows employees to manage their own schedules to fit in time off as needed without disrupting their productivity.

Legal Compliance and Training for Remote Workers

It’s essential to be aware of the legal requirements of managing a remote team, especially concerning PTO and holiday policies. You should consult with a lawyer or HR expert and ensure you understand applicable laws in your jurisdiction before implementing any policies or procedures related to managing remote workers’ time off.

You should also provide training and education about these policies so that all team members know how things work and what is expected of them. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding taking time off.

Remote Worker Paid Time Off & Holidays

Managing a remote workforce requires some unique considerations due to its distributed nature; one is how best to handle paid time off (PTO) and holidays for your team members.

By understanding the different types of PTO policies available, putting processes in place for requesting time off, providing training on parental leave policies, investing in communication tools, allowing flexible working hours, and understanding applicable legal requirements, you can create an environment where your remote workers can take time off while still meeting expectations.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a free strategy call with Anequim today. We can help you grow faster and smarter than ever before!

To get even more amazing tips, tricks, and techniques for scaling up your business, check out The Bootstrappers Podcast! Get the free advice you need to turn your vision into reality.

What Do Virtual Assistants Do?

Posted on April 20, 2023May 4, 2023 by matttompkins

What Do Virtual Assistants Do?

Virtual assistants, otherwise referred to as Remote Professionals, can be game changers for any business.

However, it’s important to design the role for success because it is also a job that if not done well can stress out already stressed-out professionals.

After years of designing Administrative assistant and executive assistant roles, I have some pointers so you don’t waste time, money, or stress on a position that won’t work and design the positions so it gives you exactly what you need to make your life easier, happier and less stressful.

Virtual Assistants Are The Answer For Business Owners

Most people who call us asking for an administrative or executive assistant do so because they are overwhelmed with their email, their life and their business.

They want someone to help them organize their life, their day and take the tasks that are below their paygrade off of their to do list. These are all great reasons to get an administrative assistant.

Virtual Assistants: How To Design The Right Position

Many times when we are consulting with an overwhelmed executive about the administrative professional role what we find is that the executive is doing operational tasks they should not be doing such as accounting tasks or customer service tasks and designing a position that takes care of those things in an operational way really is what will relieve the stress the most.

When that is not the case we still try to find some operational tasks that the executive assistant can do that need to be accomplished directly by the executive.

Some tasks that should not be done in the operation but have an operational component include:

Virtual Assistants Help With Quality Control

Creating a system where when problems happen someone researches the issue, finds out the cause of the problem and determines if it was the processes and procedures.

If a problem needs to be fixed, the root cause needs to be identified first. Unclear procedures should be redrafted so they can be followed correctly.

If it is a training issue, the person executing the procedure should review the relevant documentation and make sure it is done properly in future. If there is a flaw in the process or workflow, this should be added to the leadership team’s agenda for further discussion on how to resolve it.

Quality control is ideal for executive assistants when they are not performing their normal duties.

Remote Professionals Can Do Sales Team Auditing

Sales teams are notorious for not following protocols or taking notes.

This can oftentimes lead to operational issues because the operational side of the business gets blindsided when the sales funnel operates in the dark.

This creates tension between sales and operations. It has the potential to create crisis situations on the operations side if they cannot fulfill the business coming in.

Having your executive assistant audit the sales pipeline and enforce rules for follow up and utilizing reporting tools as outlined in your processes and procedures can be a huge help to both the operations and sales team.

Virtual Assistants Help With Process and Procedure Auditing

Clean processes and procedures end up always being a moving target if you are growing really fast sometimes the processes and procedures don’t scale with the business and have to be reworked.

Any new introduction of software means a change in the documentation and the workflow of the operation and it seems like to be successful they have to be constantly audited, organized and managed.

This is often a part time job and has to come from leadership which makes it the perfect operational task for an executive assistant while there is a lull in personal tasks or while their work load in other areas wanes.

Remote Professionals For Financial Auditing

Leaders should be asking questions such as:

Are salespeople taking unnecessary days on the road and charging the company?
Is the SEO vendor doing what they’re supposed to?
Is the Google Ad money leading to good leads?
Are sales commissions reasonable?
Are all the HR personnel necessary?

However, due to a lack of time, leaders may not have the opportunity to look into these queries themselves. This is where an executive assistant can help. They can act as the leader’s eyes and ears in the company. They can ask the important questions and get answers that could lead to greater profits than last year.

Remote Professionals Assist With Research

As executives, it can be difficult to do the research necessary to make informed decisions.

Questions such as:

What is the competition doing?
Are there any new technologies we should consider?
What are CTOs at XYZ company like?
Is this coaching program any good?
What about XYZ vendor?
Can we reach out for additional references?
And what is being said on the Facebook user group about their experience?

All require time and effort which some leaders may not have. An executive assistant can help with all of these questions, providing thorough research and ensuring the team makes sound decisions.

Project management and follow up

Big projects make or break progress at all organizations.

Your executive assistant can follow up with the people charged with these projects, get status updates, see if there are roadblocks, set up meetings where things are not moving fast to figure out why and do something different.

They can be the one to make sure to-dos, quarterly projects and other high priority projects actually get completed on time and on budget.

Remote Professionals Can Do High-level reporting

If you have investors, silent partners etc. you probably have to provide reports on a regular basis. You may want to have a company wide meeting on the state of the industry or your company on a regular basis.

Your executive assistant can do the heavy lifting and you can verify the information and present.

Do it with them the first time, create a procedure for what they need to look for and how to get the data that is relevant to the audience and then have them create the reports from there on out.

Manage speaking engagements, podcasts, award applications and other PR functions

Do you want to get more earned media for your business or yourself?

Have your executive assistant apply for awards. Have them reach out to podcasts and propose you as a guest. Additionally you can have them propose you for speaking engagements that could help you get clients.

How Can an Executive Administrative Virtual Assistant Help With Personal Tasks?

An executive assistant can save you a lot of time and hassle with your personal life, freeing you up to focus on other important tasks. Here are some examples of what they can help with:

Sending birthday and holiday presents
Keeping your family’s sports and school calendars up to date
Booking vacations and travel
Paying school fees and buying supplies online
Booking appointments for the whole family (orthodontist, cosmetic, doctor/dentist)
Arranging home maintenance
Booking teacher conferences
Organizing after-school activities and filling out all necessary forms
Booking summer camps

As a working mom, I know that I wouldn’t be able to do both my job and daily family activities without my executive assistant, who helps make sure all deadlines are met, that all necessary activities are signed up for, and that my kids make it to their events on time.

With such a valuable team member helping out with the form front, I can have peace of mind knowing that my family will stay on track.

Getting the most out of your Virtual Executive Assistant

Managing a virtual executive assistant can be a great way to streamline your workflow and free up time for more important tasks. Here are some tips on making the most of your assistant:

Think through the role clearly before hiring an assistant, and consider if it’s necessary to create separate roles for specific operational tasks.
When designing the position, include operational and repeatable tasks that impact your business goals.
Have clear expectations about what you want from the assistant so they know exactly how to help you achieve those goals.
Ensure communication is consistent and that both parties are on the same page about their roles and responsibilities.
Successfully fulfilling the needs of a busy executive requires careful planning and design.
And finally, trust your assistant to do the work!

With good communication, clear expectations, and trust in their abilities, you’ll get the best out of your virtual executive assistant.

Remote Professionals Are Your MVPs

A virtual assistant can be a valuable asset for businesses that need help with administrative tasks, phone calls, and social media management from a remote location.

However, designing the position correctly is crucial for success. It’s important to identify tasks that are time-consuming and take up valuable office space and hire a virtual assistant to take care of them.

An executive assistant can help with tasks such as quality control, sales team auditing, process and procedure auditing, financial auditing, research, project management and follow-up, and high-level reporting.

With these pointers in mind, you can hire a virtual assistant who will be a great addition to your team, make your life easier, and reduce stress.

Don’t waste time or money on a position that won’t work for you – design the role for success and enjoy the benefits of having a virtual assistant company on board.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a free strategy call with Anequim today. We can help you grow faster and smarter than ever before!

To get even more amazing tips, tricks, and techniques for scaling up your business, check out The Bootstrappers Podcast! Get the free advice you need to turn your vision into reality.