90. Who Should You Hire? Virtual Assistant vs. Social Media Manager vs. Digital Marketing Strategist Explained
- Brittany Miller
- Mar 18
- 12 min read
Updated: Aug 31
When you’re growing a business, the idea of hiring help can feel both exciting and overwhelming. There’s so much to do, and sometimes it feels like you’re drowning in tasks that keep you from focusing on what you truly love about your business. But who exactly do you bring on board? A virtual assistant? A social media manager? Or maybe a digital marketing strategist? Each of these roles sounds similar but plays a very different part in your business’s growth.
As someone who has been in the trenches, managing social media and now guiding business owners as a digital marketing strategist, I want to help you understand the distinct differences between these three roles. Knowing who to hire can save you time, money, and frustration. It’s about investing wisely in your business so you get the return you deserve.
In this blog and Go Get Great podcast episode, I’ll break down what each role entails, who they best serve, and how to decide which one is right for your business right now. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale, this guide will give you the clarity you need to make confident hiring decisions.
If we haven't met yet, I’m Brittany, an online marketing strategist for female entrepreneurs. I teach women how to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality through smart, actionable marketing strategies that get them seen, loved, and paid. Whether you’re eager to DIY your way to success or hire professionals to help you along the way–my goal is to make sure you walk away with the clarity you need to see the results you desire and build a life you love.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Roles: Virtual Assistant, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Strategist
First, let’s define each role so we’re all on the same page. These positions often get lumped together, but their responsibilities and impact on your business are quite different.
What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
Think of a virtual assistant as your business’s multitasking receptionist or jack-of-all-trades. A VA is someone who helps you with a variety of tasks that keep your business running smoothly but aren’t necessarily the core revenue-generating activities.
Here are some typical tasks a VA might handle:
Inbox Management: Sorting emails, deleting spam, responding to routine inquiries.
Calendar Management: Scheduling meetings, organizing your week.
Basic Client Communication: Answering calls, telemarketing tasks.
Content Support: Some VAs create social media content or put together presentations in tools like Canva.
Email Marketing: Handling email campaigns, depending on their skill set.
Record Keeping: Assisting with administrative tasks.
VAs are often the first people a business owner hires because they can take on the repetitive, low-value tasks that are necessary but tedious. They’re incredibly useful for freeing up your time so you can focus on higher-level activities. Plus, hiring one VA can often replace the need to hire multiple specialists for different tasks, making it a cost-effective option for many small businesses.
That said, not all VAs have specialized skills in marketing or content creation. Many enter this role because it offers flexible work-from-home opportunities, which is fantastic, but it means you need to be diligent about checking their qualifications and past work before handing over important tasks like content creation and lead generation.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
A social media manager is more specialized than a VA, focusing primarily on one or two social media platforms where your business wants to grow its presence. They are experts in content creation tailored to the nuances of those platforms, keeping up with trends, algorithm changes, and audience behaviors.
Here’s what social media managers typically handle:
Content Creation: Designing posts, writing captions, and producing platform-specific content like Instagram Reels or TikTok videos.
Scheduling and Posting: Planning the timing of posts to maximize reach and engagement.
Engagement: Responding to comments and DMs, managing stories and community interaction.
Strategy Execution: Implementing content plans aligned with your business goals.
Social media managers free up your time so you can focus on CEO-level tasks like networking, product development, and strategy. They are especially valuable once your business has been running for a year or more and you want to deepen your social presence without it consuming your day.
Pricing for social media managers varies wildly, from a few hundred dollars a month to thousands, depending on experience, deliverables, and whether they provide services like professional content creation days. It’s important to understand that lower-cost managers may not have the resources or skills to produce high-quality content that drives real results.
What is a Digital Marketing Strategist?
At the other end of the spectrum is the digital marketing strategist. This role is about the big picture — understanding how every part of your business’s marketing ecosystem works together. Go Get Great episode 87 sharing an example of how I break down content funnels into fast vs. slow marketing, and explain why you need both to have a successful business. Check it out →
Unlike a social media manager who “just” manages social media accounts, a digital marketing strategist dives deep into your entire marketing funnel, including:
Social media content and campaigns
Your website and SEO
Email marketing and automation
Paid advertising
Long-form content like blogs and podcasts
Sales funnels and conversion strategies
The strategist’s job is to identify gaps, optimize processes, and ensure that all marketing activities align with your business goals. For example, they might find that your social media content is great but your website isn’t converting visitors into customers. Then they’ll recommend fixes or additional hires to support growth sustainably.
This role requires a more significant investment but can have a profound impact on your business’s long-term success. It’s ideal for businesses that have some traction but aren’t seeing consistent sales growth despite decent social media engagement.
For the record, this is what I do 😉.
Digging Deeper: The Pros and Cons of Each Role
Now that we understand the basics, let’s explore the advantages and challenges of hiring a VA, social media manager, or digital marketing strategist.
Virtual Assistant: The Multi-Tasker
Pros:
Cost-effective for small budgets
Handles a broad range of tasks
Frees up your time from repetitive admin work
Flexible, often works remotely
Cons:
May lack specialized marketing skills
Quality of work varies widely
Requires training and oversight
May not create content that truly resonates or converts
From my experience, some VAs can create excellent social media content, but many do not have the nuanced understanding of branding, voice, and platform algorithms that higher-level marketing roles require. If your goal is growth and sales from social media, a VA alone might not get you there.
Social Media Manager: The Content Specialist
Pros:
Expertise in one or two platforms
Often creates better quality, platform-optimized content than VA's
Frees up your time for big-picture business work
Can manage engagement and community building ore effectively
Cons:
Cost varies greatly; cheaper options may deliver less strategic work
May struggle to deliver results without support from other marketing elements
Content creation depends heavily on quality assets like photos and videos
May not deliver results such as increase sales*
*Important Note: Social media managers are NOT responsible for sales. Content creation alone does not sell your product or service and is only one part of a successful sales funnel. I talk about this more below.
A big challenge I’ve seen as a social media manager is the lack of professional content from clients. Without high-resolution photos, videos, or clear brand messaging, it’s hard to create content that performs well.
Sometimes investing more upfront in content creation days or hiring a manager who offers these services is the way to go for better returns.
Digital Marketing Strategist: The Marketing Architect
Pros:
Looks at the whole marketing ecosystem
Identifies gaps and opportunities beyond social media
Develops cohesive strategies that drive sustainable growth
Helps align all marketing channels and sales processes
Cons:
Higher cost investment
Requires more time for audits and strategy development
May recommend additional hires or investments to support the full funnel
Hiring a digital marketing strategist means you’re ready to get serious about growth and sustainability. It’s not just about posting on Instagram anymore — it’s about creating a business that can thrive even if one marketing channel changes or disappears.
It's more expensive to work with digital marketing strategist because they are skilled in multiple areas like website conversions, SEO, sales funnels etc.
When to Hire Each Role: A Practical Guide
Understanding when to hire a VA, social media manager, or digital marketing strategist depends on where you are in your business journey and what your goals are.
Hire a Virtual Assistant If:
You’re just starting out and need help with basic admin and repetitive tasks.
You want to outsource inbox management, calendar scheduling, or general support.
You have a limited budget and want one person to handle a variety of small tasks.
You’re not yet focused heavily on social media as a core growth strategy.
Hire a Social Media Manager If:
You’ve been in business for at least 1-2 years and want to grow your social media presence.
You want someone to create and post content regularly on one or two platforms.
You have branding assets ready (logo, colours, fonts, brand voice, photography).
You want to free up time to focus on other parts of your business.
You’re looking for better engagement and community building on social media.
Hire a Digital Marketing Strategist If:
You’ve been in business for a while but aren’t seeing sales growth despite social media efforts.
You want to develop a cohesive marketing system that includes social media, email marketing, SEO, and sales funnels.
You want to audit your current marketing and sales processes to identify gaps.
You’re ready to invest in sustainable, long-term business growth.
You need guidance on where to invest your time and money for maximum impact.
Essential Preconditions Before Hiring a Social Media Manager
In my experince, business owners often default to searching for a social media manager even through they may actually need support from a VA or digital marketing strategist. And even more often, they are seeking support from social media managers before they're actually ready.
Speaking from personal experience (from clients who hired me before they were ready), before you bring a social media manager on board, there are some critical things you need to have ready. Without these, even the best manager will struggle to deliver results.
Clarity on Your Business Identity
You need to be crystal clear on your business name, what products or services you offer, and what makes you unique. Your social media manager can’t sell your business if they don’t understand what you do, why it matters and who they need to connect with on social media. Understanding your ideal clients is essential, I have a blog post dedicated to help you get in the head of your ideal client and improve your marketing results. Read it here.
Branding Assets
This includes your logo, brand fonts, colours, photography, videography, icons, and any other visual elements that represent your business. A social media manager is not responsible for creating these — that’s the job of a brand designer.
Why is this important? Because if your content doesn’t look cohesive and recognizable, people will scroll right past it without engaging. Consistent branding builds trust and makes your business memorable. If you're investing in social media content before having these in place you're wasting money.
Brand Voice Guidelines
While you don’t need a formal copywriter’s brand voice kit, you do need to set expectations around how your content should sound. Should it be professional or casual? Do you use emojis? What language fits your audience? This helps your social media manager create authentic content that aligns with your overall brand.
Check out this episode of the Go Get Great podcast with special guest Val Casola, who shares her tips on creating a brand voice guide for your business.
Content Examples and Performance Insights
It’s helpful to share examples of content that has performed well for your business. This gives your manager a starting point and helps reduce trial and error. Remember, they’re not you — they won’t have your personal stories or deep understanding of your mission unless you share it.
The Reality of Social Media Management and Sales
One common misconception is that social media managers are responsible for generating sales directly. Let me be clear: social media managers handle content creation and community engagement, but they don’t control your entire sales funnel.
Your social media content may drive awareness and engagement, but if your website isn’t converting visitors, your email marketing is weak, or your sales processes aren’t optimized, those followers won’t turn into paying customers even if the social media manager is creating killer content.
This is why having a digital marketing strategist or business coach to look at your entire marketing ecosystem is so valuable. They can tell you if you need to fix your website, improve your email sequences, or invest in paid ads to support your social media campaigns.
Why Social Media Alone Isn’t Enough
Social media platforms are powerful, but they come with risks:
You don’t own your audience: Algorithms change, platforms get banned or fall out of favor.
Content reach is limited: Organic reach has declined on many platforms.
Conversion happens off-platform: Your website, email list, and sales funnel are where the magic really happens.
A digital marketing strategist helps you build a robust marketing system that doesn’t rely solely on social media. They help you diversify your channels so your business can weather any changes in the social media landscape.
How to Choose the Right Support for Your Business
Here’s a quick checklist to help you decide who you should hire next:
Identify your biggest bottleneck: Are you overwhelmed with admin tasks? Hire a VA. Is social media content taking up too much time? Hire a social media manager. Are you struggling to turn social media followers into sales? Consider a digital marketing strategist.
Assess your budget: VAs tend to be the most affordable, social media managers vary widely, and digital marketing strategists are a bigger investment.
Evaluate your business maturity: New businesses often benefit most from VAs, growing businesses from social media managers, and established businesses from strategists.
Prepare your assets: Make sure your branding, product clarity, and content assets are ready before hiring a social media manager or strategist.
Set clear goals: Know what you want to achieve—whether it’s more followers, engagement, email subscribers, or sales—so your hire can align their work accordingly. It's best to share these goals up front so your support person can decide if they can actually help you achieve them within your budget and timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can a VA manage my social media accounts?
A: Some VAs offer social media support, but they typically handle basic content posting and simple tasks. For strategic, high-quality content that drives growth, a social media manager is usually a better fit.
Q: How much does it cost to hire a social media manager?
A: Social media manager fees can range from a few hundred dollars per month to several thousand, depending on experience, deliverables, and whether they provide additional content creation services like photography and videography.
Q: Do I need a digital marketing strategist if I already have a social media manager?
A: It depends on your business goals. If your social media efforts aren’t translating into sales, a strategist can help identify gaps and optimize your entire marketing funnel beyond social media.
Q: Can I hire one person to do all three roles?
A: While some people offer a mix of services, it’s rare to find someone who excels equally as a VA, social media manager, and digital marketing strategist. It’s best to hire specialists based on your current needs.
Q: What should I prepare before hiring a social media manager?
A: Have your branding assets ready, a clear understanding of your products or services, and a defined brand voice. Also, gather examples of successful content and set clear goals for what you want to achieve.
Making the Right Hire for Your Business
Hiring support is a game-changer for any business owner, but only if you bring the right person on board at the right time. Virtual assistants, social media managers, and digital marketing strategists all play important roles, but they serve different needs.
Start by evaluating where you are in your business journey, what tasks drain your time, and where your biggest growth opportunities lie. If you’re juggling too many admin duties, a VA might be your best bet. If content creation is your bottleneck, look for a skilled social media manager. And if your marketing feels disjointed or you’re not converting followers into customers, investing in a digital marketing strategist could transform your business.
Remember, social media management is not just about posting pretty pictures. It’s about strategy, quality content, and alignment with your overall marketing goals. But even the best social media manager can’t fix problems elsewhere in your business — that’s where a strategic approach comes in.
If you’re feeling stuck or unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out for a consultation or audit. Sometimes an outside perspective is exactly what you need to see the gaps and opportunities clearly.
I hope this blog has helped you understand the differences and empowered you to make the best decision for your business. Hiring the right support will free you up to focus on what you love and help your business grow in a sustainable way.
If you want to connect or have questions about which role might be best for you, feel free to reach out. I’m here to help you go get great!
Go Get Great Episode 90 References
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00:00 Intro
2:00 What is a virtual assistant?
9:00 Defining social media managers and their responsibilities
11:00 Cost to hire a social media manager
17:45 What is a digital marketing strategist?
20:00 How are digital marketing strategists are different than virtual assistants and social media managers
30:00 Wrap up
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