- July 25, 2023
- Kaitlyn
How to Become a Social Media Virtual Assistant
If you love social media but don’t want to get into the ins and outs of social media strategy and complete optimization, consider becoming a social media virtual assistant! Even if you don’t have any experience, it’s still possible to work from home as a social media VA. But how much money do they make? Are there any tools that you need? How do you get clients? Let’s dive into it!
Table of Contents
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What Does a Social Media Virtual Assistant Do?
A social media virtual assistant is very similar to a social media manager, but it doesn’t require as in-depth strategizing. As a social media virtual assistant, you will help your clients:
- Create posts
- Schedule posts
- Market research
- Engagement
- DM management
- Scriptwriting
- Video creation
Usually, as a social media VA, you help your client with tasks that they don’t have time to do. It’s usually a select few social media tasks that need to be taken off their plate. If you want to become a social media manager, you must take care of everything for your client.
Becoming a social media VA is a fantastic opportunity if you want to eventually become a social media manager and you don’t have any experience or if you don’t feel comfortable managing everything for your client.
Who Does a Social Media VA Work With?
Short answer: it depends. It depends on who you want to work with and what you want to do! Do some inner work and decide who you want to work with. Ask yourself what industries you’re passionate about, what type of person you best get along with, and what specific tasks you want to offer.
You can be a social media VA for wedding planners, photographers, influencers, bloggers, athletes, motivational speakers…literally anyone! It just depends on who you want to work with.
How Do You Get Clients As a Social Media VA
Getting clients as a social media virtual assistant is very similar to getting clients as a social media manager or virtual assistant. And that’s because you’re a freelancer. You’ll have to do a bit of marketing before you start seeing results, so be prepared and know this isn’t a “get-quick-rich” scheme. Try marketing your services on:
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Facebook groups
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Virtual networking events
- Local businesses
- Cold emailing
There are tons of ways to market yourself, but the best and fastest way to see results is by marketing where your ideal client is. If you want to work in the wedding industry, go to conventions and market yourself to other booth members. If you want to work for influencers, shoot them a DM. Go to where your client would be!
My most significant advice is to give them value when introducing yourself and your services. Research what they offer and show them how exactly you can help. Give them a free graphic they can post on their Instagram story, or give them an idea for a trending reel. Do something that puts you above and beyond and shows them you didn’t copy and paste a pitch.
Yes, this will take longer than simply copying and pasting. But the results speak for themselves. I have countlessly applied to listings with over 500 applicants, but I added a graphic they could use for their social media or gave them tips on optimizing their bio. Because of this, I would regularly get retainer clients of over four figures a month. So it was definitely worth it!
Do I Need Experience To Become a Social Media Virtual Assistant?
Nope! Sometimes clients specifically want a social media VA who doesn’t have experience so the client can teach them how they specifically do social media. But it doesn’t hurt to have some practice.
When pitching my services without experience, I made graphics and gave tips to my dream clients. I told them they could keep the graphic for free and then added it to my portfolio (without their brand, of course). This is a great way to beef up your portfolio if you don’t have experience.
You can also join a virtual assisting agency. These are great for getting your foot in the door and usually provide consistent work. Because you don’t have to worry about marketing or paying for software, you won’t get paid as well in an agency. But you’ll save time and money, so choose what works best for you!
I joined several agencies when I was starting, and it was the best decision I could’ve made for myself. I highly recommend joining an agency if you don’t have experience. Usually, these job listings have hundreds of applicants, so be sure to reach out directly with added value if you truly want the job!
Okay. . . But How Much Can a Social Media VA Make?
Again, that depends. It depends on your experience, what you’re offering, what you feel comfortable charging, and who you’re working with. As I mentioned above, agencies typically pay less than if you were getting clients on your own. Usually, agencies pay anywhere from $10-$30/hour.
I suggest charging with what you feel comfortable with. Yes, it’s nice making money. But it’s also nice being honest with what you charge. That’s how you get recurring clients who refer you! So, if you’re new, consider charging anywhere from $15-$35/hour.
If you’re more experienced and jumping into the freelance world, you can charge anywhere from $20-$50+/hour. But you have to make sure that your client feels that you’re worth it. Remember that you have to pay for taxes and any software that you use, so charge accordingly!
What Tools Do I Need To Become a Social Media VA?
Everybody will give you different answers, but there are some staples that you’ll need.
Invoices/Contracts
You’ll need a tool to send invoices and contracts. My go-to tool is Honeybook because it’s incredibly user-friendly, and their staff is amazing! I have used them for years and genuinely love them. They only offer a free trial for about a week which isn’t long enough to get a feel for the platform (incredibly annoying, I know). But I highly recommend Honeybook!
Design
I use Canva for several hours a day for my clients. I am not a graphic designer (and my clients know that), but it’s user-friendly and professional. They do have a free plan, but it’s not very intuitive. If you decide to become a social media VA, you’ll need the Pro plan to give your clients the designs they need. It’s $12.99/month for the Pro plan, which I believe is highly worth it.
Writing
If you’re writing captions, you’ll definitely need a tool to make sure you’re grammar is correct. I use and love Grammarly. They have both a free and paid plan and have saved me many times! You add the Chrome extension to your computer, so it can always help you when you write!
Content Management
If you want to help your client create content, you’ll need to stay organized. I recommend using Google Sheets or Airtable to keep you and your client organized and in the loop. They’re both free and great tools. So play around with both and see what you’re most comfortable with!
Scheduling
It’s always best to bulk create and schedule your client’s content so you are always staying ahead. If you want to work with Facebook and Instagram, I recommend using Meta Business Suite. It’s free, and the algorithm prefers using its native scheduler. If you’re using Pinterest, I recommend using the native Pinterest scheduler.
There are some other popular schedulers like Hootsuite, Tailwind, and Later. So play around and see what works best for you and your clients.
In-Depth Courses
If all of this sounds exciting, I highly recommend signing up for The Savvy Vault. It’s $47/month, and it teaches you the ins and outs of exactly what and how to offer high-end services to your clients. I personally have a membership with them and could not recommend them enough.
Because of them, I got my first client without any experience only a week after signing up. I then was able to offer retainers that start at $1,200/month and consistently get several new clients a month with these services!
If you’re serious about becoming a social media virtual assistant, The Savvy Vault is a must-have.
Conclusion
Becoming a social media virtual assistant is perfect for anyone wanting an extra side hustle. You don’t need experience, but it does take a bit of time and work to start seeing actual results. If you want some more side hustle ideas, download this free list of over 110 side hustles straight to your email!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at hello@strivehustles.com.