23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Getting VA for Social Media

by overtonis
20 replies
We have been sitting on fence for few months and decided to give VA company (US based) call just to get idea how much VA to help with Social Media would cost. Turns out it was bit more expensive than I anticipated.

From company we spoke with (EAhelp) these were numbers we received. One-time initial implementation fee of $395. Hourly rate of $35/hr. So if VA worked 5 hours a week total monthly cost would run about $795.

Most of article we have read people were spending around $200-$250 max monthly for their VA. Looking for some feedback from other who have tried or currently using VA. What is your experience in terms of monthly cost and production of VA?

Thanks
C
#media #social
  • Profile picture of the author HarrieB
    It depends on what are your requirements for social media VA:

    Do you want him/her to just post status/updates you provide?

    Do you want him/her to increase customer base?

    Do you want him/her to just communicate with existing customers?

    Do you want him/her to drive leads and sales?

    How many social networks are you active on?

    I have paid a maximum of $250 to VA who used to hand le 3 facebook, 2 twitter and 3 pinterest accounts.
    He also used to do some seo for me ( run automated tools)

    Try to hire someone from odesk/freelancer for bulk rates.

    If you wanna get in touch with my VA, let me know!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7937711].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author overtonis
      Originally Posted by HarrieB View Post

      It depends on what are your requirements for social media VA:

      Do you want him/her to just post status/updates you provide?

      Absolutely not. I pay $10 dollars month to Buffer for that.

      Do you want him/her to increase customer base?

      Yes that would be their main focus.

      Do you want him/her to just communicate with existing customers?

      Only when running a competition/game/prize on FB.

      Do you want him/her to drive leads and sales?

      We want to continue that.

      How many social networks are you active on?

      They would contribute to Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest only. I would handle linkedin & youtube.

      I have paid a maximum of $250 to VA who used to hand le 3 facebook, 2 twitter and 3 pinterest accounts.
      He also used to do some seo for me ( run automated tools)

      Try to hire someone from odesk/freelancer for bulk rates.

      If you wanna get in touch with my VA, let me know!!
      The personality of VA would factor in to our decision also as we are seeking quirky and creative and has sense for 18-32 female audience.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7951491].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Devin X
    Banned
    Check out OnlineJobs.ph
    The workers there are usually college educated and work really well. Plus, they're extremely affordable.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7942733].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author overtonis
      Originally Posted by TheRealDudeman View Post

      Check out OnlineJobs.ph
      The workers there are usually college educated and work really well. Plus, they're extremely affordable.
      recurring monthly fee of $49 dollars a month to get contact information. That does not include cost of paying VA.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7951512].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Shaolinsteve
        Originally Posted by overtonis View Post

        recurring monthly fee of $49 dollars a month to get contact information. That does not include cost of paying VA.
        So you'd prefer to pay higher costs for an outsourced employee? This fee is more than suitable for the information and contacts you have access too. The responses are very good and a lot of these know exactly what they're doing.

        By all means dismiss it if you like but I'd personally go with this and hire someone to work full time for $300-$400 a month as opposed to an established company whose rates are above your budget.

        Your looking for a VA, your not looking to hire someone every month, so it's not going to be a recurring fee. You pay the fee, get access to everything you need, publish an offer, test and interview potential employers and take it from there. Sure it takes up a bit of time but your looking at cutting costs by 50% in the long run.
        Signature
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7952943].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
    Monthly cost of for a social media VA would depend on the experience that VA has. $200-250 is a good starting salary for an inexperienced VA. If you want someone experienced in social media marketing, he/she would cost a bit more.
    Signature
    Hire a Filipino virtual assistant and make your business better through outsourcing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7953292].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author coolidge
    Use social media manager from fiverr. My favorite fiverr VA is user PayWorks. Great social media manager. Creates really cool images with caption which get ton of likes. Highly recommended and cheap.
    Signature

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *** UNLIMITED TRAFFIC ON DEMAND! *** TARGET BUYERS = GET SALES!!
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7953350].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mert
    Basically, the cheaper you get them the more work you need to do managing them. MOST VA's out there (freelance) does have little to zero knowledge about what you need to do exactly. They only want the job and the money.

    You can go this cheap but be prepared to go through all the BS possible (crappy work, lame English, have to teach them everything and so on!). You can get someone ( I prefer Filipinos) for $350 to $500 (some $700- but their pretty much multi-talented). Most folks in this range, pretty much can level of work that agency can offer. It's a gold mine out there and you have to dig deeper if you wanna get the best out of your cold cash!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7953759].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author overtonis
      Originally Posted by mert View Post

      Basically, the cheaper you get them the more work you need to do managing them. MOST VA's out there (freelance) does have little to zero knowledge about what you need to do exactly. They only want the job and the money.

      You can go this cheap but be prepared to go through all the BS possible (crappy work, lame English, have to teach them everything and so on!). You can get someone ( I prefer Filipinos) for $350 to $500 (some $700- but their pretty much multi-talented). Most folks in this range, pretty much can level of work that agency can offer. It's a gold mine out there and you have to dig deeper if you wanna get the best out of your cold cash!
      After hearing the cost for VA I decided to make some phone calls last night as I am kicking around the idea of starting my own company in this area. Being RN I work with alot of philipino nurses who still have alot of contacts in philippines. We are just kicking the tires here but I want to see if I can build a competent team from philipines. My two requirements will be that English is their primary language and they are college educated. They will also have to show some ability to build social media site. We also have family (of my wife) in Vietnam who are very strong in technical area (such as programming and app development) and dying to get american work.

      Initially, I would just keep it to Social Media Management and Content writers from philipines. On programming side I would need to research what technical/programming needs US companies are outsourcing to foreign countries. I have buddy who is IT manager who buys alot of outsourcing from vietnam. Thanks for the brainstorm everyone.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7954694].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author goldbiz
        Sometimes that's how you discover golden opportunities. You' re looking for an answer, but the answer gives you more questions. Then the light turns on.

        If you have Asian contacts, then you're in a much better place to start such a firm than most others.
        Signature

        I’d explain it to you, but your brain would explode.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7954951].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author mert
        Originally Posted by overtonis View Post

        After hearing the cost for VA I decided to make some phone calls last night as I am kicking around the idea of starting my own company in this area. Being RN I work with alot of philipino nurses who still have alot of contacts in philippines. We are just kicking the tires here but I want to see if I can build a competent team from philipines. My two requirements will be that English is their primary language and they are college educated. They will also have to show some ability to build social media site. We also have family (of my wife) in Vietnam who are very strong in technical area (such as programming and app development) and dying to get american work.

        Initially, I would just keep it to Social Media Management and Content writers from philipines. On programming side I would need to research what technical/programming needs US companies are outsourcing to foreign countries. I have buddy who is IT manager who buys alot of outsourcing from vietnam. Thanks for the brainstorm everyone.
        That's the best way to go! The thing is there is unlimited resources online and that you only have to have patience to dig the mines.

        I wish you all the best!
        Signature
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7957283].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author quickmarketingpackages
      I agree, Filipinos are one of the best VA's out there. Affordable and knowledgeable and have good English. I have one for over 2 months in a row.
      Signature
      Quick Marketing Packages
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7960617].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mianfarhanraza
    I will recommend oDesk, It will make your life easy.

    You can hire a great VA with experience in Social media between $3-$6 per hour.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7963884].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author webrankingservices
    Banned
    We provide professional VA services. You can have a test drive with
    our services. You can avail 3 days FREE Trial . Just PM me or email to
    webrankingservices2000 (((( @ ) gmail ( . ) com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7978875].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    You really do get what you pay for. People think cheap labor when they think of VA's but when they take that route they regret it. (I know I did).

    If you won't pay someone a decent amount of money to do the work you don't want to, you will get someone who doesn't give a rats ass about you and probably is working for 10 other people at the same time. Eventually they'll burn out and disappear on you, then you're back to square one.

    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7979153].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ryanhenderfilm
    As well as whats possible when you team up with a virtual assistant to help you manage that particular aspect of your business and the types of tasks they can handle for you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10869628].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WAHMS
    You really do get what you pay for
    Pay peanuts get monkeys
    Tell me more about your business and what you are wanting to achieve with social media?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10869988].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author justincamp
    You can also get experienced VAs in upwork for $250-$300 a month. Ask for a list of pass social media accounts they handled. You can message these social media account owners to verify quality of work. I think you can get quality workers from India and the Philippines. They are just able to charge less due to difference in cost of living in developing countries.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10871624].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author laraku
    What type of business are you promoting on social media?
    Some of the successful pages I know are run by the business owner themselves to make it personal. You have to be careful and set guidelines on how to respond to customers when you put your business in social media. Just a rude or inappropriate response on your social media account can ruin your business.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10871896].message }}

Trending Topics