Digital Marketing

What does a Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant Do?

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Most companies today spend the majority of their marketing budget on digital marketing. In fact, 72% of overall marketing spending is directed toward digital channels. This shift demonstrates how much online behavior influences purchase decisions. Businesses are recognizing the value of meeting their audiences where they already are on search engines, social platforms, email, and other digital spaces.

But managing these platforms requires time, skill, and consistency. This is where a digital marketing virtual assistant comes in. Whether you’re a small business owner, startup founder, or marketing team leader, understanding how a digital marketing VA can support your digital efforts helps you make smarter staffing decisions.

What Is a Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant?

A digital marketing virtual assistant (VA) is a remote professional who helps manage your marketing tasks across digital channels. They often work freelance or contract-based, offering support in content marketing, search engine optimization, social media, email campaigns, paid advertising, and more.

Unlike hiring a full-time employee, working with a VA gives you flexibility. You can scale up or down depending on your workload or budget and still get targeted support from someone skilled in digital strategies.

Core Responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant

A marketing VA doesn’t just follow instructions. Many bring years of experience and training to the table. Here’s what they can help with:

1. Social Media Management

VAs often manage multiple platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or TikTok. They create content, schedule posts, engage with followers, and track basic analytics. Some VAs specialize in growth strategies to help increase your reach organically.

2. Content Creation and Scheduling

From writing blog posts to creating social media captions or email newsletters, a VA can take over content production. Some are also skilled in design, making visuals for Instagram or banners for email.

This support helps you stay consistent with your content marketing and drives ongoing engagement.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A VA with SEO knowledge can run keyword research, update old blog content, format on-page SEO elements, and assist with backlink outreach. These actions help increase website traffic and improve your site’s ranking. If you’re working with a technical SEO specialist, your VA can help implement on-page suggestions or handle site audits.

4. Email Marketing

They can build and manage email lists, design email templates, and schedule regular newsletters. A VA can also automate sequences and set up email funnels, especially for lead generation or post-purchase engagement.

5. Paid Ads and Campaign Support

Some VAs assist in running Facebook or Google ads. They may not manage the full campaign strategy, but they can handle daily checks, performance tracking, or creative updates that make things easier for your media marketing team.

6. Data Tracking and Reporting

Digital marketing VAs can prepare reports using tools like Google Analytics, social insights, or email software. This gives you a snapshot of what’s working and what needs to be adjusted.

Who Should Hire a Digital Marketing VA?

You don’t need to be running a large operation to benefit from hiring a VA. Here’s who they work well with:

  • Solopreneurs needing help staying visible online
  • Agencies wanting help without onboarding full-time staff
  • Ecommerce businesses juggling ads, email, and content
  • Coaches and service providers building personal brands

Hiring a VA helps you drive targeted traffic to website pages, improve your visibility, and stay active on the right platforms.

Do You Need Marketing Knowledge to Hire a Marketing VA?

Yes.

As a business owner, you should have a clear idea of what kind of marketing support your business needs. Whether that’s brand visibility, lead generation, or growing your online presence, knowing your goals helps you hire the right virtual assistant and measure their impact.

If you’re hiring a VA to handle marketing tasks, it helps a lot if they already have marketing experience. Remote workers are expected to work independently. A digital marketing VA should know how to write copy, schedule social posts, set up email campaigns, and more without needing step-by-step instructions from you.

That said, if you have a background in marketing or work closely with a CMO, you can hire someone with less experience to cut costs. But this setup only works if you’re prepared to create clear systems. Provide workflows, templates, and SOPs so your VA can follow through with minimal back-and-forth. You’ll take care of strategy while they focus on execution.

Hiring someone skilled will save you time and guesswork. But if you’re on a budget, you can still get results; just be ready to guide them with structure and hands-on support.

Skills to Look for in a Digital Marketing VA

Not every VA offers the same services, so it helps to know what you’re looking for. Here are some useful skills depending on your needs:

  • Copywriting and editing
  • SEO research and formatting
  • Canva or Adobe tools for design
  • Familiarity with tools like Buffer, Mailchimp, WordPress, or Meta Business Suite
  • Google Analytics or Google Search console usage
  • Understanding the marketing funnels

Some businesses work with marketing VAs who are trained by or working alongside a technical marketing expert to boost visibility and conversions further.

Benefits of Hiring a Marketing Virtual Assistant

Hiring a VA has clear advantages when it comes to saving time and increasing results. Here’s why many businesses choose this route:

  • Cost-Effective: You pay for only what you need. No added overhead.
  • Flexible Hours: You can hire part-time, full-time, or per project.
  • Specialized Support: VAs with marketing skills can improve key parts of your strategy.
  • Faster Execution: With help on board, content and campaigns go out consistently.
  • Support Growth: A VA helps you focus on growth while they handle the marketing details.

This kind of support is valuable when you’re investigating how to increase online traffic or generate more leads without burning out.

How to Work Effectively With a Digital Marketing VA

Getting results means having a clear system in place. Here’s how to make your partnership successful:

Set clear goals and expectations from the start
Let your VA know what success looks like, whether that’s publishing a certain number of posts per week or increasing engagement. Clear goals help your VA focus on the right tasks and deliver better results.

Share brand guidelines and content tone

Provide references for how your brand sounds, looks, and communicates. Such collaboration keeps their output aligned with your business and reduces back-and-forth edits.

Use project management tools to track tasks
Project Management Tools such as Monday.com, Upbase, Notion, or even Google Sheets or Excel online to help track tasks. These tools make it easy to assign tasks, set deadlines, and check progress at a glance. It also gives both of you a central place to communicate and stay organized.

Check in weekly or bi-weekly for progress updates
Short meetings or written updates help you stay in sync without micromanaging. These touchpoints allow you to adjust priorities, review results, and ask questions.

Provide access to platforms they’ll be working on
Whether it’s your email marketing tool, website, or social accounts, they need proper access to do their job efficiently. Set up roles and permissions based on what they’ll be handling.

Document recurring tasks for easier handoff
Create a simple process doc or video for anything your VA will do regularly, like posting a blog or scheduling content. This helps them work independently and keep things consistent.

Hiring a VA shouldn’t feel like more work. Once the systems are in place, it saves you time every week.

When Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant, And When Should You Not?

Hiring a digital marketing virtual assistant gives your business extra hands without extra complexity. If you’re building your online presence, trying to drive targeted traffic to your website, or aiming to improve search rankings, a marketing VA can take those time-consuming tasks off your plate.

It’s a smart move when you already know your marketing goals but don’t have the time or team to get everything done. A skilled VA can handle execution so you can stay focused on decision-making, client service, or product development. This idea works especially well for business owners who have a system in place or are willing to guide the process.

On the flip side, if you’re still unsure what kind of marketing your business needs or lack any systems to support a remote role, it might be better to start by consulting a strategist or building a clear marketing plan first.

Digital marketing now takes up a large portion of business budgets, and having the right help can make all the difference in how far that budget goes.

Need help finding the right support?
Book an appointment with Kath and get marketing tasks off your plate so you can focus on growing your business.

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