“When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to go far, go together.”

This old proverb might make you think about starting a band, going into business, or popping the question, but if you ask us, it’s also the perfect way to think about growing a brand on social media. In this day and age, it’s nearly impossible to see your business grow without a consistent presence on the top social platforms.

We all know the facts about brands on socials—facts like:

76% of customers expect companies to offer customer service on socials
90% of users communicate with brands on social media
Social commerce revenue is expected to hit $6.2 trillion by 2030
78% of shoppers research on social media before a purchase
90% of small businesses use social media in their marketing strategy

And yet, despite how much we know about the value of social media, many businesses don’t keep up with the daily work of posting on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Why? It’s not because they’re lazy or don’t think it’s worth the effort. It’s because, sometimes, great social media can be a full-time job!

Busy entrepreneurs might spend 40, 60, or 100 hours a week making their business work. They handle clients, contractors, orders, invoices, bills, taxes, payroll, and everything else, leaving precious little time for anything, let alone making and executing a sound social media strategy. And let’s be honest, the last thing a business owner wants to do at the end of their workday is research their brand’s niche and make Reels on CapCut.

So what’s the solution? In many cases, brands that get big enough will make the investment in a little help from the pros.

The 3 Types of Social Media Support

There is absolutely no shortage of professional social media helpers chomping at the bit to get your business. But as you search around for the right expert for you, you’ll probably notice that they all describe themselves as one of three things: A social media manager (SMM), a social media consultant, or a virtual assistant.

So what exactly does each of these roles do? How do they impact your social media’s development and growth? And which one will actually help you see a difference when you look at your bottom line? Let’s break it down.

Virtual Assistants

A virtual assistant (VA) is typically a remote professional who supports your business from afar. Note that we said ‘support your business’ and not ‘support your social media’. That’s because typically, a virtual assistant is responsible for tasks on the administration side of the spectrum. This involves all the things you’d get a non-virtual assistant to do for you, including:

Managing schedules
Setting meetings
Overseeing your correspondence
Digital file organization and archiving
Bookkeeping

Now, it’s true that not all virtual assistants take on this digital secretary role. As the laptop class grows and grows, we’re seeing the lines blur on many job titles. Now, it’s not uncommon to see VAs offering creative services, whether it’s graphic design, copywriting, creating content for socials, or even running a company’s accounts altogether.

So what’s the verdict on VAs? Are they an asset when it comes to social media? The answer is—it depends. If your virtual assistant is genuinely dedicated to your company and is willing to put time, effort, creativity, and consistency into your social media, they could be a great investment. However, VAs almost always work alone, meaning they’ll be just one person managing your accounts (and those of their other clients). If they get sick or swamped, it could mean you’re fending for yourself on social media land until they’re back online.

When DOES it make sense to work with a VA to support your socials? If you’re on a shoestring social media budget (as so many small biz owners are), this can be a great way to get some extra help. Just know that you’ll still be leading the charge for the most part, so you’ll usually need to remain quite involved in the social media process.

There are other possible downsides—as we’ll discuss, working with a team has great advantages. Finding a single VA with skills in writing, social media management, design, engagement, photography, and video editing is like finding a pink flamingo at the Barbie premier (that is, a little difficult!).

Social Media Consultants

Social media consultants exist somewhere between a VA and an SMM. As a third-party company, your consultant’s job is to come in, check out the state of your social media, and provide guidance on how to elevate your presence and profile.

You might talk to a consultant if you’re having specific problems with your social media—maybe your videos keep underperforming, and you need tips on making compelling content for your audience. You also might get help from a consultant if you’re just not sure where to start with social media and need to be set in the right direction.

In either case, they’ll offer you in-depth analysis, strategies to try, insights gained from their research and experience, and a roadmap to follow. They’ll also help you with any questions you might have about executing the plan, helping you implement it more easily. But notice the keyword: Helping YOU implement it! That’s because consultants are advisers—they’re hired by people with the time and/or the money to take their advice, and they rarely offer services beyond this consultation. Some consultants do perform other social media work, but finding a company that’s great at both can be tricky.

So while a consultant is a great place to start if you’re looking for help with making a social media plan, it doesn’t address the most common problem for business owners: So much to do, so little time.

The best time to work with a social media consultant is when you DO have the time to run your social media, but you’re not seeing the success you deserve yet. A social media consultant can be a huge help in setting you off in the right direction, making a few tweaks so that your team can start seeing results. Consultants also typically charge by the hour, so this is another great option for those businesses with tighter marketing budgets.

Social Media Managers

The final category of social pros is the managers. Social media managers, or SMMs, are full-service professionals who essentially do socials for you. While bigger companies will usually hire an in-house employee or contractor for this role, many smaller companies will instead work with a third-party agency or freelancer.

A social media manager should have a deep understanding of your brand, values, culture, and the work you do. They should also know how to take that information, ditch the industry jargon and the fluff, and find a way to transform it into compelling content for your social media.

Typically, social media managers lead the social media strategy as a whole and then rally their team around the vision you two have created together. This means dedicated experts for design, content creation, engagement, writing, and more. You can count on the skills, creativity, and inspiration of multiple people when you work with a team, knowing that each department is led by an expert.

Another great benefit of working with an SMM is getting help with the nitty-gritty stuff that goes into a social media strategy. Think location tags, hashtags, manual posting, individual platform optimizations, and aesthetic alignment. These tiny logistical details are so important for social media success, and the truth is, many of these details will simply fall to the bottom of the priorities list for many virtual assistants.

Good social media management keeps a steady supply of posts on your pages, but great social media management is so much more: It lets you connect with people on a level deeper than a company and its customers. It can be a way to show off your vulnerable side, or your weird sense of humour, or that beautiful moment in your life that made this work your passion.

Great social media managers will find this central thread in your story, wherever it might be, and place it at the forefront. They’ll help you recenter your brand with their outside perspective and deep experience of what works online, helping you propel your company to the next level. SMMs are also great at building confidence in your company amongst your audience, helping you make your brand stand out and go to the next level online.

But we’ll admit it—as with all the professionals on this list, finding a social media management company that truly gets you is tough. It’s rare to discover a social media management team that not only lives and breathes your brand, but also treats it with the care and commitment it needs to thrive.

If this sounds like the help you need, then you’re in luck—because you just found your team of social media unicorns!

Kickstart Your Social Media

Virtual assistants, social media consultants, and social media managers can all be valuable for businesses looking to up their game on socials. But if you want to see real results, it’s all about combining the best parts of these roles into one cohesive team.

Here at BNL, we offer full-service social media management and social media consulting, helping with as much or as little of the day-to-day work as you like. Whether you want to sit down for a consultation and get help finding areas to improve, or want to teach us everything there is to know about your brand and hand us the reigns, we’re here for you. With a team of social media consultants, social media managers, social media assistants, community builders, graphic designers, copywriters, and more, we have everything you need to fully succeed on social media.

If you’re ready to kickstart your socials, we’d love to chat. Drop us a line to get in touch with the BNL unicorns!

BOOK A CALL WITH US 🦄