If you’ve been sold on the idea of hiring a virtual marketing assistant to help take your small business to the next level, this is a friendly reminder that hiring them is only half the job done.
How much your business stands to benefit from the services of a virtual marketing assistant depends on how they are managed and the extent to which they are provided with the tools to get their job done right. Managing a remote team may come with its challenges, but it can be a breeze in comparison to managing a team in a physical office environment.
Here are some tips on how to work with your virtual marketing assistant in order to ensure the best outcomes for you and your business.
Be transparent
From day one, it’s important to get your virtual marketing assistant familiar with the ins and outs of the business and, more importantly, its greater goals and objectives. Along with that, they’ll need to understand their specific role in helping to achieve them. It’s no use bringing help on board if there isn’t clear direction and open communication.
It may also be useful to introduce a defined list of KPIs (key performance indicators) so that your virtual marketing assistant knows what they’re working towards. This will also be a great guideline for measuring their performance over time.
Invite discussion
Rather than simply give top-down instructions, open the floor for debate, discussion and alternative opinions from your virtual marketing assistant. Always bear in mind that you hired them for their expertise in digital marketing, so rake in on your investment, and lean on that expertise.
It needs to be said here that trust is a vital component of working with a virtual marketing assistant. You need to trust that your business is in good hands, and know that your assistant has your business’s best interest at heart, too. When in doubt about anything digital marketing, be confident that you have an advisor in your virtual marketing assistant.
Don’t micro-manage
Speaking about trust… your level of trust can make or break your working relationship with your virtual marketing assistant. We appreciate that this can be a challenge especially given that everything is remote, but hear us out on this one.
If your trust is in place, there won’t be a need for micro-management, which no one is a fan of. Coming back to the first point above, when objectives are clearly defined, there won’t be a need to micro-manage if everyone on your team is aligned with what’s expected of them.
Micro-management could also impact your virtual marketing assistant’s morale, which in turn could impact their attitude and the work they’re putting out.
The best way to learn is on the job, so you’ll no doubt experience the above tips and pick up on a whole lot more as an entrepreneur and small business owner.
Outsourcery offers leading virtual marketing assistants available on packages that are tailored to your business’s needs. What’s more, they come at prices that are within reach for small to medium businesses. Give it a shot and see how it works with a free trial.
