How a VA Can Use Instagram to Grow Their Business

Instagram can be a powerful tool for virtual assistants to find new clients and grow their businesses. It can also be a place that feels overwhelming, especially when you scroll through your feed and see perfectly curated feeds that expertly share helpful advice and perfectly captioned photos.

Well, I am here to try to demystify Instagram for virtual assistants. It really can be used as a tool to build your business and get booked out.

How to show up on Instagram

First of all, permit yourself not to be perfect. In fact, be anti-perfect! Instead, focus on being authentic. You started your business for a reason, right? Maybe you’re passionate about helping small businesses grow, or you want to be able to work from home to take care of your kids. Share what makes you passionate about your job. Share what makes you great at your job!

Second, you’re an entrepreneur selling to other entrepreneurs. What would prompt you to hire someone to help you with your business? Testimonials? Helpful advice? A sense of humor? It’s probably a mix of all of these; someone you can get along with that is an expert at solving your pain points. So, be that for someone else. Figure out their problems, share how you would help solve them and be yourself so they can get to know you.

The third is consistency. I am not about to tell you that you need to post four stories and one in-feed post per day. Figure out your capacity for running your Instagram, and then keep it up at that level each week, even if that means one post per week and a couple of stories!

READ: Why Every Virtual Assistant Needs An I Help Statement

Write a bio that converts.

Before people see your content, they see your bio! Make sure it gives them all the information they need to click “follow”!

Put “virtual assistant” in the bio: The Instagram bio is now searchable on Google, so make sure to put virtual assistant in your bio (extra points if it is in your name) so you show up when folks search for a VA. If you’re a specialized VA, add those specifics too. Example: “Jane Doe | Pinterest Virtual Assistant”

Solve pain points: Instead of saying you’re a Gemini that loves iced coffee, shares exactly why they should hire you. Example: “Experienced VA, passionate about helping photographers grow their business and spend more time on what matters.”

Call to action: Include a call to action and update it as your business changes. Example: “Click below to schedule a free discovery call!”

How to find virtual assistant clients on Instagram

How to make sales without being too salesy? Be authentic! Start by following some of your target clients. Then spend time every day engaging with their content authentically. Do you love a photo someone shared? Comment and let them know! Did they ask a question in a story? Reply! Once you have established a foundation of trust and engagement between you two, you can take it one step further. If you see them sharing a pain point, feel free to send them one of your posts about how they can solve that pain point. (If you don’t have a post, do a quick story or post!) Then say something like, “I love your content! I made this post and thought it might help. Let me know if you have questions!”

Virtual assistant content ideas

Here are some ideas for social media posts for your virtual assistant business!

Intro/Get to know me posts: Share more about who you are and what services you offer. Feel free to let your personality shine here! Utilize stories and video content.

Portfolio: Share what you’re working on, especially if you’re in a creative field. Even if you’re sorting email inboxes, share a photo of an inbox at zero (make sure no personal information is included) and share it with your audience!

Testimonials: Written and video testimonials from clients are great! You can also share, with permission, a photo of one of your clients on vacation with the caption, “One of my clients enjoying her vacation because she knows I have her back.” Get creative!

Tips: Share some of your best tips and tricks for our ideal clients! Do you work in a project management software like Dubsado or Trello? Learn some lesser-known tips and share them with your audience. Make sure the advice would be helpful to your ideal client.

Thought leadership content: This is where you can show your expertise. Share your thoughts and ideas about the industry you work with. Do you work with photographers or other artists? Share a post about why artists deserve to get paid for their work and shouldn’t just work for exposure. Learn as much as possible about the industry you work with, so you can share content supporting them.

Instagram can be scary, but the right mindset can help your business thrive! Subscribe to my newsletter (click the image below) or keep an eye on the blog to learn how to use social media to grow your business!