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How to Hire an Email Marketing Virtual Assistant

How to hire email marketing virtual assistant

Email marketing stands as one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for businesses today. Studies show that email generates $38 for every $1 spent, which is an impressive 3,800% return on investment. 

However, running successful email campaigns takes time and effort. This is where hiring an email marketing virtual assistant can be a game-changer for your business.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about email marketing virtual assistants, including:

  • What is an Email Marketing VA?
  • Benefits of Hiring an Email Marketing VA
  • Email Marketing Tasks a VA Can Handle
  • Required Skills and Qualifications
  • Where to Find the Best Email Marketing VAs
  • Interview Questions to Ask Potential VAs
  • How Much to Pay an Email Marketing VA
  • Managing and Optimizing Your VA Relationship
  • How Front Row CEO Virtual Staffing Can Help You Find Your "Perfect Match" Email Marketing VA

What Does an Email Marketing Virtual Assistant Do?

An email marketing virtual assistant (VA) is someone you hire remotely to manage your email campaigns and newsletters. They are typically self-employed professionals who offer administrative and technical support to businesses on a contract basis.

Email marketing VAs possess experience in building, sending, and optimizing email newsletters using ESPs like MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, etc. They can take over the end-to-end process of your email campaigns, freeing you up to focus on other high-level tasks.

Benefits of Hiring Email Marketing Virtual Assistant

Here are some of the biggest benefits hiring an email marketing VA can provide your business:

  • Saves You Time - Email marketing requires a lot of time. Outsourcing this function gives you back hours in your work week.
  • Adds Expertise - A dedicated VA brings experience in creating optimized campaigns across various email platforms. They stay on top of best practices and new features.
  • Increases Productivity - By leveraging a VA’s skills, you can spend more time on high-impact tasks only you can handle.
  • Cost-Effective Solution - Hiring a VA costs less than bringing on a full-time employee. You pay only for the specific tasks needed.
  • Provides Scalability - As your business and email list grow, your VA can seamlessly take on more work and responsibility.

What Email Marketing Tasks Can a VA Handle?

Here are some of the core email marketing responsibilities you can delegate to a virtual assistant:

  • Manage Subscriber Lists - Keep your lists organized and segmented. Maintain hygiene by removing inactive subscribers.
  • Create & Design Emails - Design aesthetically pleasing emails, including subject lines, content, images, etc.
  • Write Email Copy - Draft compelling email content tailored to your brand voice and audience preferences.
  • Send Campaigns - Use ESPs to set up, schedule, and send regular email newsletters or promotions.
  • Analyze Performance - Review open rates, clicks, unsubscribes, and other metrics to optimize future emails.
  • Automate Workflows - Set up autoresponders, drips campaigns, welcome emails and cart abandonment flows.
  • Build Landing Pages - Design landing pages that complement your email campaigns and convert readers.
  • Integrate With CRM - Sync your ESP data with CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, etc. 

What Skills and Qualifications Should You Look for in an Email Marketing VA?

When evaluating email marketing VA candidates, here are some key skills and qualifications to look for:

  • Proven experience managing email campaigns for clients
  • Familiarity with major email service platforms
  • Strong copywriting and editing abilities
  • Data analysis skills
  • Proficient with email marketing automation
  • Graphic design skills
  • CRM experience
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills
  • Time management and multitasking capabilities
  • Takes initiative and is detail-oriented

Where Can You Find the Best Email Marketing Virtual Assistants?

You have several options for sourcing stellar email marketing VAs for your business:

  • Online Job Boards - Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Online Job Ph have large networks of marketing contractors and freelancers. You can post your needs and evaluate candidates.
  • Local Listings - Search sites like Craigslist and local Facebook groups to uncover talent in your city. This allows for in-person meetings.
  • Agencies - Some virtual assistant agencies like us, Front Row CEO Virtual Staffing can match you with specialized email marketing talent.
  • Referrals - Leverage your professional network and ask around for personal referrals. This helps vet candidates.
  • Email Marketing Associations - Professional groups like the DMA and AWeber User Groups are great for finding seasoned VAs.

When posting your job listing, include details on your ideal candidate, must-have technical skills, workload, and other requirements to attract the best applicants.

What Interview Questions Should You Ask Potential Email Marketing VAs?

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, it’s time to interview candidates. 

Here are some key questions to ask potential email marketing virtual assistants:

  • How long have you been offering email marketing services?
  • Walk me through your process for a typical client email campaign.
  • Which email service providers are you most experienced with?
  • What metrics do you analyze to optimize email performance?
  • How do you handle writing emails for different customer audiences?
  • Are you comfortable writing in my company’s brand voice?
  • How do you stay up-to-date on email marketing best practices?
  • Do you have experience with marketing automation and workflows?
  • Are you skilled in basic graphic design for email?
  • Tell me about a time you resolved a difficult client request.
  • How do you prefer to communicate with clients?
  • What is your availability and capacity to take on new work?

Pay close attention to their working style, technical expertise, and communication skills. Review their portfolio and client testimonials.

How Much Should You Pay an Email Marketing Virtual Assistant?

Email marketing VA rates vary based on factors like experience level, the complexity of work, and your location. However, we recommend that you offer your virtual assistant $5 to $10 for the first 90-days.

When setting pay, outline your email marketing needs, including:

  • The frequency of campaigns sent
  • The average length of campaigns
  • Design complexity
  • Automation and integration requirements
  • Metrics analysis needs
  • Ad hoc requests

Take these workload details into account when setting competitive hourly or monthly rates. Be clear on invoicing expectations as well. Using rate benchmarks on freelance sites can also help inform appropriate pricing.

Here is a list of payment options you can use to pay your virtual assistant.

How Can You Optimize Your Relationship With an Email Marketing VA?

Once you’ve hired your email marketing virtual assistant, here are some tips for an effective working relationship:

  • Use project management tools to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. Popular options include Asana, Trello, and Basecamp.
  • Schedule weekly or monthly check-in calls to provide direction and feedback. Be responsive over email or chat.
  • Provide access to your email platform, billing, CRM, and other tools needed to work seamlessly.
  • Set clear expectations around response times, monthly capacity, and communication preferences.
  • Encourage optimization suggestions based on email analytics.
  • Request client references or testimonials and portfolio samples periodically.
  • Give honest, constructive feedback so they can improve and exceed expectations.
  • Show appreciation for their contributions and hard work!

How Can Front Row CEO Virtual Staffing Help You Find the Perfect Email Marketing VA Match?

Investing in an email marketing virtual assistant is one of the best decisions you can make to boost productivity and revenue. If you're ready to hire your perfect email marketing VA match, we at Front Row CEO Virtual Staffing can help!

Our dedicated team takes the time to understand your unique business needs. We will get your preferred skills that the VA must have, your non-negotiable, and more. This enables us to 

handpick VAs from our extensive network who are the ideal fit.

We handle the entire hiring and onboarding process while you focus on high-level strategic priorities. Our VAs are pre-vetted for skills and experience.

Let us match you with specialized email marketing talent who will seamlessly integrate into your team. Reach out today to learn more about how Front Row CEO Virtual Staffing helps entrepreneurs like you scale successfully!