There’s no doubt that to “do” social media right, it takes a lot of time and energy. Because of this, social media management is one service nearly every virtual assistant company offers.
The question is, is social media something you should be outsourcing?
The Case Against
Think of the primary rules of social media engagement — be yourself, listen, be authentic, and most importantly, care. Will any outsourced social media manager care as much as you?
For personal brands, I think hiring someone to run 100% of your social media presence is risky. After all, your brand is about YOU, and the various social media platforms give people an honest chance to connect with the real you. If they find out someone else is calling the shots it could hurt your brand and your reputation, and ultimately your bottom line.
Yes, it can be time-consuming to reply to twitter comments, but it’s not that time-consuming. Will a virtual assistant be able to portray your brand the way you want it?
The Case For
You can’t do everything yourself. Well you can, but only up to a certain point. Once you reach that ceiling you’re going to have to get some help if you want to keep growing.
Companies are still taking care of their customers and maintaining a valuable social media presence, even though the founder isn’t personally posting everyday.
It’s naive to think a virtual assistant couldn’t do as good (or better) a job managing your online profiles. Especially if they have more experience with the various networks and tools.
I’m confident you can find a VA that will be a great steward for your brand online. They might charge more than $5 an hour, but that’s the price you pay to stay active and engaged in social media, while protecting and promoting your brand.
And by outsourcing social media, it will force you into a more managerial role of working on your business instead of in it.