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More and more, virtual assistants are being asked by clients to also address many of their social media needs. It makes sense; you have most of the information at your fingertips and are generally aware of what’s going on with the business as a whole.

But for VA’s who haven’t spent a lot of time dabbling in or learning social media best practices, this can be a bit of a daunting task. However, it’s a task you must learn in able to better grow your VA business. And, besides, it can be fun.

1) Facebook: Ask questions on your posts! The most important thing to keep in mind with Facebook is that nearly every single post you make should be designed to elicit an action from those who follow your business page. Those vital actions come in the form of the three buttons you see at the bottom of each posting: the Like, Share and Comment buttons. Many of your posts should be structured as questions in order to spur the reader to comment and interact with your page. The same holds true for the Like and Share buttons. When people Like, Share or Comment on a posting on your page, those actions are highlighted to all of their friends, as well, providing your business or brand with ridiculously free exposure.

2) Use Google+. While it’s true that Google+ doesn’t claim nearly the usage numbers of Facebook (and most people you know probably aren’t on it), Google+ can be an extremely valuable social network for businesses with a national or international footprint. For starters, it’s much easier to get people to ‘Like” you (in Google+ language it’s called adding you to a circle) on G+ than it is on Facebook. This is precisely because the usage numbers are lower: therefore there’s much less clutter and demand for attention than on other social sites. And don’t let those usage numbers fool you. Someone liking you and following your G+ marketing feed is just as valuable as the same on Facebook.

However, I would not recommend G+ for smaller businesses narrowly focused on a specific geographic locale (like a pizza shop in Peoria). For G+ to be effective for you at this stage of it’s development, you must be an entity interested in acquiring a following of users from a large geographic area.

3) Pictures, pictures, pictures and graphics, graphics, graphics! In case you haven’t noticed in your own, personal social site usage, nothing draws attention and Likes, Shares, Comments, Retweets, and Plus 1′s like a great photo or interesting graphic. Since your primary goal is to draw attention to your post and have your followers actually see and read it, pictures are a panacea for any social site suffering from a case of the blahs and low interaction.

Best of all, think of a great caption to go with the picture or graphic that also applies to or supports the core offering of your business or service. For example, let’s take a great picture of a baby smiling with contentment. A real estate agent might post: “Want contentment and serenity as you sell your home? I’ll help you feel just like this baby!” Meanwhile, an auto repair shop could utilize the same picture with a posting that reads something like “Your car deserves to be treated with the same gentle touch that this baby deserves. Call us for your next auto service need and we’ll handle your baby with care.”

So, use the pictures you find in your own news feeds, but tie those pictures in with the marketing message of your clients.
And always remember, creativity and actually responding to people who interact with your client’s page is crucial. Answer those queries promptly or at least respond with a simple “thanks” for the comment or the Like.