Working with Bloggers as a Virtual Assistant

The influencer space has grown dramatically over the last 10 years; it’s now so much more than snapping a quick mirror selfie, posting it to Instagram, and sharing links to what you’re wearing in the photo to your blog. There is now a strategy that goes into every single aspect of being a content creator. Every single task that a content creator has to complete in order to grow their business takes a lot of time, which is exactly why so many bloggers need help and support. This is where virtual assistants come in. If you’ve been wanting to get into the influencer space and become a virtual assistant to some of the industry’s biggest bloggers, this post is for you! Today, I’m sharing what it’s like working with bloggers as a virtual assistant and how you can work with them, too.

Working with Bloggers as a Virtual Assistant

Understanding the Blogging Industry

When it comes to working with bloggers as a virtual assistant, knowledge of the influencer industry is an absolute must. Depending on who you ask, the term influencer can be seen as a negative term but when it comes down to it, content creators have this influence that takes up space within their niche. They provide entertainment, value, and connection. Influencers, bloggers, and content creators (whichever term you resonate with the most!) are constantly on this hamster wheel of content creation so when it comes time to outsource tasks to a virtual assistant, they don’t have time to teach you the ins and outs of the industry. To help you start your research, I’ll be diving into the basics and how the influencer industry works.

How Bloggers Make Money

There are two main ways that bloggers make money: through paid campaigns with brands and through affiliate marketing. 

Brand Campaigns – When it comes to brand campaigns, a brand will pay an influencer to share and give an honest review about a product. This could be in the form of a blog post, Instagram post, YouTube video, or a variation of posts on different platforms. Depending on the brand’s objectives of the campaign, there can be different goals in mind such as brand awareness or generating sales. Bloggers can work on these campaigns with brands by either pitching the brand directly or having the brand reach out to initiate a partnership.

Affiliate Marketing – Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways for bloggers to make money from the purchase of products that they’re already sharing. There are several affiliate marketing programs out there but one of the most popular ones throughout the influencer space is LTK. When bloggers use affiliate links to link to a product they are sharing, if someone clicks on that link and purchases a product (even if it’s not the specific product they shared!) the influencer will receive a small commission at no extra cost to the consumer. On average, the commission is between 7% and 15% but this percentage can differ from retailer to retailer. 

One of the reasons it’s so important for bloggers to see consistent growth in their blogging businesses is that the larger their following, the more impact on their income.

How to Provide Bloggers with Value

Now that you know how the influencer space works, it’s time to start providing the value that bloggers are looking for in order to work with them as a virtual assistant. How can you help them grow and scale their business? What are things in their business that they don’t have time for? What areas do they need to refine? What areas do they want more time back? 

Services Bloggers are Looking For

Not all bloggers and influencers run their businesses the same and the way that they run theirs, how long they’ve been in business, and what their main platform is all impact their focus. When it comes to outsourcing the tasks that they either don’t have time for or don’t like doing to a virtual assistant, most bloggers are in search of support with the following:

• Email Marketing
• Graphics and Collages
• Affiliate Link Management
• Social Media Engagement (responding to DMs, comments, etc.)
• Social Media Management (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.)
• Content Writing
• Video Editing

When it comes to figuring out exactly what services you want to offer to bloggers as a virtual assistant, it’s crucial to start by researching your ideal client and what they need help with. From there, you can select the services that you are the expert in and enjoy the most. This will allow you to work with bloggers that are best aligned with what you offer and will make it an easy yes when you pitch them your services.

Looking for more resources on becoming a virtual assistant? Click here!