“I just need you to set up my blog, and then I’ll do it . . . or maybe you can do my first few posts . . . and a few Tweets; oh, yes, check out who has written on my Facebook Wall and . . . ”
For those of us studying How To Do Social Media, the delegation of social media implementation to an outside third party – i.e., having someone else do everything for you – is counter–intuitive.
We want people to understand that Social Media is really a Mind-Set: a new way of conducting business from designing and delivering products . . . to treating employees as Human Talent . . . to considering customers as valuable resources and, finally, to promoting products and services to a community of people who can gain great benefits.
That being said, my belief is that it is better to get started in some way—than not get started at all. SO . . . Enter the “virtual” or “personal” Assistant [VA or PA].
Below is a list of 10 things I think your VA/PA should know how to do for you:
10 Step TO-DO list for your Social Media Virtual Assistant
Initial Steps
1) Set up and maximize individual LinkedIn profiles … and a company profile. Make certain to keyword optimize both.
2) Set up and/or clean up Facebook profiles for key people in the organization. Then set up a FB Fan Page flowing from the FB profile of the business owner.
3) Start a blog and determine who in the organization will be contributing the “knowledge/content.” Of course, the VA/PA can interview and write.
4) Set up a few Twitter accounts with specific purposes, e.g., to monitor and respond to brand comments; to offer special promotions; to accept orders, etc.
Ongoing
5) Join appropriate LinkedIn groups and participate in Discussion Topics that will demonstrate the value of your organization.
6) Answer questions posed in LinkedIn that will show your expertise and attract new customers.
7) Write blog posts on a regular, consistent basis – whether that is once, twice, three times a week — or more.
8- Comment on relevant blogs to demonstrate your understanding of industry issues and willingness to provide solutions.
9) Create events and exciting promotions for your Facebook Fan Page community.
10) Tweet regularly, follow relevant people/lists, and search Twitter for issues to read and to Tweet about.
Virtual Assistants “out there”: What do you think of this list? What would you add? subtract? or what would you need to learn?
Social Media coaches: What would you add?
FURTHER READING: