Marketing Archives | The Virtual Assistant Company

How To Find A Great Social Media VA

By Bethan Trueman / June 9, 2023 June 8, 2023 / Leave a Comment / Marketing, Outsourcing

Over the past few weeks, our virtual social media specialists have been busier than ever, researching, planning, creating, scheduling and posting social media content for a variety of clients. This got us thinking… how do you find a social media VA if you don’t know where to look? Particularly, how to find a great social media VA. As always, at TVAC, we’re here to help make outsourcing easy and to keep outsourcing simple. So, we’ve put together a quick guide on how to find a great social media VA for your business. What is a social media VA? A Social Media VA, or Social Media Virtual Assistant, is a remote expert specialising in managing social media platforms for businesses or individuals. They help with various tasks related to social media management, content creation, engagement, and analytics. The role of a Social Media VA may vary depending on the needs of the client, but generally, their responsibilities can include: Content creation: Developing engaging and relevant social media posts, including text, images, videos, or infographics. Scheduling and publishing: Using social media management tools to schedule and publish posts across different platforms at optimal times. Community management: Responding to comments, messages, and inquiries from followers, engaging with the audience, and fostering relationships with customers. Social media advertising: Managing ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, including setting up targeting, monitoring performance, and optimizing ad spend. Social media analytics: Tracking and analysing social media metrics, such as reach, engagement, click-through rates, and conversions, to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and strategies. Research and strategy: Conducting research on industry trends, competitor analysis, and audience demographics to develop effective social media strategies. Influencer outreach: Identifying and collaborating with influencers or relevant individuals to expand brand reach and increase engagement. Social media monitoring: Monitoring social media platforms for brand mentions, reviews, or any other relevant conversations, and responding accordingly. Reporting: Creating regular reports on social media performance, highlighting key metrics, and providing insights and recommendations for improvement. A Social Media VA can be a valuable asset for businesses or individuals who want to maintain an active and engaging social media presence but may not have the time, expertise, or resources to handle it themselves. By outsourcing social media tasks to a Virtual Assistant, they can focus on core business activities while still reaping the benefits of a strong online presence. Why do I need a social media VA? Building and maintaining a consistent social media presence requires a strategy. There is much more to social media marketing than simply just posting on an ad-hoc, whenever you feel like it basis. Many business owners know that having a social media presence is crucial. But researching, planning, creating and scheduling the right content for your brand and industry requires time and expertise to get right. A virtual social media expert can help you with all of the above, and here are just some of the benefits of outsourcing your social media management: Time-saving: Managing social media accounts can be time-consuming, especially when you need to create content, engage with followers, and analyze metrics. By delegating these tasks to a Social Media VA, you free up your time to focus on other core business activities or personal priorities. Expertise and strategy: Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and it can be challenging to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, algorithms, and strategies. A Social Media VA brings expertise in social media management, content creation, and audience engagement. They can help develop a well-rounded social media strategy tailored to your specific goals and target audience. Consistent and professional presence: A Social Media VA ensures a consistent and professional presence on your social media platforms. They can maintain a regular posting schedule, respond to comments and messages promptly, and uphold your brand voice and values. Content creation and curation: Creating engaging and high-quality content is crucial for social media success. A Social Media VA can help develop and curate content that resonates with your audience, increasing brand visibility and engagement. They can create graphics, write compelling captions, and even edit videos to enhance your social media presence. Audience engagement: Building a strong relationship with your audience is essential for brand loyalty and growth. A Social Media VA can engage with your followers by responding to comments, messages, and inquiries in a timely manner. They can also proactively initiate conversations, run polls or contests, and manage user-generated content. Data analysis and optimisation: Understanding social media analytics is key to refining your strategy and achieving better results. A Social Media VA can analyse metrics, such as reach, engagement, and conversions, and provide insights on what’s working and what can be improved. They can help optimise your campaigns and content based on data-driven decisions. Stay ahead of competitors: Social media is a highly competitive space, and businesses that are proactive and strategic tend to stand out. By having a Social Media VA, you can stay ahead of your competitors by implementing innovative ideas, exploring new features, and capitalizing on emerging trends. Scalability and flexibility: A Social Media VA offers flexibility in terms of workload and scalability. Whether you need assistance for a few hours a week or require more support during busy periods or campaigns, you can adjust the VA’s workload accordingly. Overall, a Social Media VA can be a valuable asset in enhancing your social media presence, increasing engagement, and allowing you to focus on core business tasks, ultimately leading to brand growth and success. How to find a social media VA Finding a great Social Media VA requires careful consideration and a well-defined hiring process. Here are some steps to help you find a top-notch Social Media VA: Clearly define your needs: Determine the specific tasks and responsibilities you want your Social Media VA to handle. This could include content creation, scheduling posts, engaging with followers, managing ad campaigns, or analysing metrics. Having a clear understanding of your requirements will help you find a VA with the right skills

Free Social Media Content Calendar Template

By Bethan Trueman / May 26, 2023 February 19, 2024 / 1 Comment / Marketing, Tools & Tips

Free Social Media Content Calendar template for use with Excel and Google Sheets Plan your social media content and keep everything organised with our free social media content calendar template. Download Free Template Get your free Social Media Content Calendar template for Excel and Google Sheets. Opt in to receive news and updates. You can opt out at any time. DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE Loading… Thank you! Please check your inbox for your free download. Template highlights Use the Social Media Content Calendar template in Excel or Google Sheets to plan your social media content. What is a Social Media Content Calendar? A social media content calendar is a tool used by individuals or businesses to plan and organise their social media content in advance. It serves as a roadmap that outlines what content will be shared on various social media platforms when it will be posted, and the intended goals or themes for each piece of content. By using a social media content calendar, you can better plan your social media activities, maintain a consistent posting schedule, and ensure your content aligns with your overall marketing objectives. It also allows for better collaboration among team members and helps avoid last-minute rushes to create and publish content. The TVAC Social Media Content Calendar is specifically designed to be easy to use and beginner-friendly, although, it can be customised to include a wider range of details if required.

Free Marketing Dashboard Template

By The Virtual Assistant Company / April 21, 2023 February 19, 2024 / Leave a Comment / Marketing, Tools & Tips

Free Marketing Dashboard template for use with Excel and Google Sheets Track the success of your marketing efforts and view your analytics conveniently in one place with our free marketing dashboard template. Download Free Template Get your free Marketing Dashboard template for Excel and Google Sheets. Opt in to receive news and updates. You can opt out at any time. DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE Loading… Thank you! Please check your inbox for your free download. Template highlights Use the Marketing Dashboard template in Excel or Google Sheets to track your marketing efforts and view your data conveniently in one place. What is a Marketing Dashboard? A marketing dashboard is a visual representation of a business’s marketing data that provides a real-time overview of the performance of its marketing campaigns, strategies, and initiatives. Marketing dashboards can include a wide range of metrics, such as website traffic, social media engagement, email marketing performance, lead generation, conversion rates, sales revenue, customer acquisition cost, and return on investment (ROI). The TVAC dashboard is specifically designed to be easy to use and beginner-friendly, although, it can be customised to include a wider range of metrics if required. The primary purpose of a marketing dashboard is to help marketing teams, business owners and executives monitor and analyse their marketing efforts, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimise their marketing strategies and improve business outcomes. Our Marketing Dashboard template can be customised to suit your specific needs.

What Is A Virtual Marketing Assistant And Why Hire One

By Bethan Trueman / March 31, 2023 March 31, 2023 / Leave a Comment / Marketing, Outsourcing, WordPress

So, what is a virtual marketing assistant? And why should you hire one to support your marketing agency (or another type of business, for that matter)? A virtual marketing assistant, put simply, is a remote professional who supports businesses with their marketing efforts. They work remotely – from a home office, for example – and can handle a variety of tasks such as social media management, email marketing, content creation, website management, search engine optimisation (SEO), design (such as Canva), preparing slide decks, analytics, reporting and more. A day in the life of a remote marketing assistant might look like: The tasks a remote marketing assistant does will depend on the type of clients, businesses and industries they are working with. Each business will have its own unique set of processes and requirements, but virtual marketing professionals are used to being adaptable and working flexibly to meet the needs of multiple clients. Here are some reasons why a business might want to hire a virtual marketing assistant: Cost-Effective Hiring a full-time marketing employee can be expensive. In addition to that, there are other commitments you will face as an employer such as legal responsibilities and equipment. By hiring a virtual marketing assistant instead, you can reduce staffing costs and enjoy the flexibility that outsourcing offers. You’ll also be opening the door to a vast range of talent across the U.K., rather than restricting yourself to hiring (and finding the right person) in your local area. You’ll only pay for the services you need, and you don’t have to worry about providing benefits or paying for office space, and all the other burdens of becoming an employer. Expertise Virtual marketing assistants are trained and experienced professionals who specialise in marketing. They have experience in different areas of marketing and can bring a fresh perspective to your business. Whether you need some assistance with websites, social media management, analytics, preparing slide decks, blog, email newsletters, or another aspect of marketing, you will find a remote assistant who fits the needs of you and your business. Time-Saving By delegating marketing tasks to a virtual assistant, business owners can focus on other areas of the business. Virtual assistants can handle time-consuming (but necessary) tasks such as social media management, email marketing, and content creation, allowing business owners to focus on more important tasks and on the growth of their business. Scalability Virtual marketing assistants can provide scalable support. As your business grows, you can increase the number of hours or services provided by your virtual assistant. In addition to this, outsourcing makes it very easy for business owners to change assistant, or to stop outsourcing completely. There are no lengthy HR processes to worry about – simply adjust your level of support whenever you need to. Flexibility Virtual marketing assistants work remotely, so you don’t have to worry about providing office space or equipment. You can communicate with them via email, phone, WhatsApp, Slack, video conferencing… whatever works for you! This provides flexibility for both you and your assistant. In summary, a virtual marketing assistant can help businesses save time, money, and resources while providing expertise and flexibility. They are a valuable asset for businesses of all sizes and can help with a vast range of marketing tasks. Want to see some real-life examples of how virtual marketing assistants have supported businesses like yours in the U.K.? See our success stories page.

Social Media Username Ideas For When Yours Is Taken

By The Virtual Assistant Company / April 22, 2021 June 23, 2022 / facebook, handle, instagram, linkedin, social media, twitter, username, youtube / 1 Comment / Marketing

It can be frustrating when you find that your perfect social media username is taken. If you’re stuck for inspiration, try these ideas… Looking for social media username ideas? You’re in the right place! Read on… Isn’t it frustrating when you think of the ideal handle or ‘username’ for your social media profiles, only to find that it’s taken on one or more of the social media platforms? Especially when you’re ideally looking for the same handle across all your social profiles for consistency. Here are a few ideas for when your social media username is taken… Use Part Of Your Name Use part of your name, for example, if your name is Joe Bloggs, try @JoeB or @Bloggs. Of course, this works better for less common names, as you might find that many of these abbreviations are taken, but it’s worth a try! Use Your Middle Name Or Initial Use your middle name or initial. For example, @JoeSBloggs or @JoeSteven. Shorten Your Name You might have to get creative with this one, but depending on what your name is it might work really well! For example, @JLo (aka. the fabulous Jennifer Lopez). Use What You Do For example, if you’re an actor, you could try @JoeActs, @SarahSings. I think is an especially nice one to use if your first name initial matches what you do… for example @CoachClaire, @BusinessWithBeth. Use ‘The’ Add ‘The’ in front of your name, for example, @TheJoeBloggs. Use ‘Talks’ Or ‘Says’ Add ‘Talks’ or ‘Says’ at the end of your name, for example, @JoeBloggsSays. Use ‘The Real’ Or ‘Official’ Add ‘Official’ or ‘The Real’ to your name. For example, @JoeBloggsOfficial or @TheRealJoeBloggs. Use Your Website Use your website in your name. Now, this is one I really like if it works for you, and it’s a great way to drive more traffic to your site. For example, @VanessaLau.co or @JoeBloggsDotCom. Bear in mind that some domain TLD’s aren’t allowed in usernames on certain social platforms, so be sure to check first. Use Your Location This is especially great to use if you want to promote services in your local area, and this works for personal names and business names. For example, @JoeBloggsNYC, or @BramblesDevon. Use Your Last Initial Spell out your last initial. For example, @GaryVee (aka. Gary Vaynerchuck). Use Your Title Add your title, for example, @MrJoeBloggs or @MrBloggs. Use ‘Daily’ If you’re committed to being active on your socials, you could try adding ‘Daily’. For example, @JoeBloggsDaily, or @JoeDaily. Add ‘We Are’ Add ‘We Are’ before your name, which works well for groups or businesses. For example, @WeAreBloggs. Use ‘Try’, ‘Get’ Or ‘Download’ For apps or service providers who offer some sort of plan, add ‘Try’, ‘Get’, ‘Download’ or ‘Join’ before the brand name. For example, @TryBloggs. Apps could also add ‘App’ after their name, or use a combination of both, for example, @BloggsApp, or @TryBloggsApp. Use ‘Team’ Businesses could add ‘Team’ before their name. For example, @TeamBloggs. Use ‘Support’ Social profiles dedicated to providing customer support for a business (this is more popular with larger organisations who receive a lot of customer queries via social media) could add ‘Support’ after the name. For example, @JoeBloggsSupport. Use Your Legal Entity If applicable, use your legal entity. For example, @TEGLtd, or @BloggsInc. Go Global Go global or local. For example, @JoeBloggsGlobal. Ecommerce Stores Could Add ‘Shop’ Or ‘Store’ f you have an e-commerce store, try adding ‘Shop’ to your name. For example, @ShopBloggs. If You’re Still Stuck… If you’re totally stuck for ideas, you could try using a username generator. Do a search for these online, there are a whole bunch of them available to use for free! Other Factors To Consider On some social platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, your profile name is keyword searchable in addition to your username. So if there’s a keyword, or perhaps your full business name, that won’t fit into the username, pop it in the profile name so people can still search for you. Handle Hacks If you really want a specific username that is taken, especially if it is taken by a person rather than a business or brand, try approaching them directly! Send them a message explaining why you would like to use the handle for your business, and see what they come back with. If you really want the username, you might even offer to purchase it from them (but be careful how you go about this and remember to protect yourself). If the username is taken by an inactive account, it might actually breach the policy of the platform. Check to see if the social media platform has an inactive account policy and whether you have the right to report the inactive account. I hope these ideas help! Let me know in the comments what handles you managed to find for yourself so I can follow you on your socials! If you enjoyed reading about social media username idea, you might also find this article helpful.

Instagram Saved Replies: How To Save Responses On Instagram

By The Virtual Assistant Company / April 20, 2021 April 20, 2021 / instagram / Leave a Comment / Marketing

Are you using Instagram saved replies? Did you know that Instagram has a feature in the app settings which allows you to create and save responses on Instagram.

UPDATED: Banned Hashtags 2021: A List Of Banned Hashtags

By The Virtual Assistant Company / January 14, 2021 January 14, 2021 / hashtags, instagram, social media / Leave a Comment / Marketing

Hashtags, when used correctly, can expand your reach on Instagram. But it’s important to avoid using any hashtags that have been flagged (i.e. banned) by Instagram! We advise our clients to take caution when it comes to using hashtags, in terms of how they are using them, how many they are using, and especially which hashtags they are using. Remember it’s important not to get hashtag happy! Things are constantly changing with social media platforms and their algorithms, and many people don’t know about Instagram banned hashtags. If you’re a business an Instagram, you’ll want to avoid violating the platform’s Community Guidelines and so banned hashtags is something you’ll want to be mindful of. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about banned Instagram hashtags in 2021… WHY does Instagram ban hashtags? Certain hashtags are commonly used with automation software (aka bots) which goes against Instagram’s terms and conditions. Some hashtags are protected and others don’t have the right to use them. There are sets of hashtags which are commonly used when posting offensive content. Some hashtags suggest hate, bullying or threats. Some hashtags are used when posting newsworthy events without any caption to explain the purpose of the post. There are certain hashtags commonly used when posting about and glorifying self harm. HOW to check for banned hashtags: It might take a little longer to put your hashtags together, but as tedious as it might be, it is worth checking whether a hashtag is banned before you use it. Here’s how to check: Go to your explorer page. Search for the hashtag you want to use or check. If the below message is displayed, that particular hashtag might be banned, and related posts may not be displayed. Updated List of Banned Instagram Hashtags You might have been warned about banned hashtags before, but the list is always changing! Let’s take a look at just some of the many examples of banned hashtags (correct at the time of publishing)… A #abdl #addmysc #adulting #alone #always #armparty #asiangirl #ass #assday #assworship B #beautyblogger #besties #bikinibody #boho #brain C #costumes #curvygirls D #date #dating #desk #direct #dm E #edm #eggplant #elevator G #girlsonly #gloves H #hardworkpaysoff #hawks #hotweather #humpday #hustler I #ice #instasport #iphonegraphy #italiano K #kansas #kickoff #killingit #kissing L #loseweight #lulu M #master #mileycyrus #milf #mirrorphoto #models #mustfollow N #nasty #newyearsday #nudity O #overnight P #parties #petite #pornfood #prettygirl #pushups R #rate #ravens S #saltwater #samelove #selfharm #single #singlelife #skateboarding #skype #snap #snapchat #snowstorm #sopretty #stranger #streetphoto #sunbathing #swole #shower #shit T #tag4like #tagsforlikes #tanlines #todayimwearing #teens #teen #thought U #undies V #valentinesday W #workflow Y #youngmodel WHAT you can do to prevent your account being frowned upon by Instagram: Instagram gives us an incredible platform to use, for FREE. It’s only fair that we comply with their guidelines. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few things you can avoid to keep your account in check… Have a hashtag clear out. Start by going through your posts and removing any hashtags that are now banned. As tedious as it might be, it’s worth doing! Avoid using too many hashtags. 30 is Instagram’s limit per post, but it generally recommended to use below this rather than maxing out the available number of hashtags. Avoid using bots, i.e. unapproved automation software. Be wary of engagement groups. In case you hadn’t realised, the people at Instagram are smart! They are totally aware of this type of activity goes on. Get creative with your hashtags. If you really want to use a banned hashtag, check the plural versions, or with an emoji at the end (without spaces). DISCLAIMER: Of course, things can always change, so be sure to do your own due dilligence when checking hashtags. Found some banned hashtags that aren’t mentioned here? Let us know in the comments and we’ll update the list!

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