The Social Assistant

20/07/2022

This is a feel good story, for me anyway!

Nearly 20 years ago (holy s**t!) I started working at an architectural firm, as a 23 year old, supporting one of the Directors as his PA. It was, and probably remains to this day, my favourite role as an employee. I had a quick and steep learning curve - terminology, a fast pace, and look I learned the importance of aligning images and text properly in presentations! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 Not to mention, I gained some lifelong friends, who I rarely see these days but still love dearly.

Fast forward to earlier this year, one of these friends who has a thriving architectural practice of his own now, reached out to see if I could help with minuting some of their project workshops. At first I wondered if I’d been too long out of the industry. But of course I said yes!

I’ve received great feedback from the work I do in this space, which has been really uplifting. Let me tell you, in my experience it is often undervalued - like you don’t have to be a brain surgeon, but it’s a niche skill set to take minutes in meetings, particularly fast paced, remote/online meetings as is the case these days.

But hey, this is not about that! I’m actually fully booked at the moment and not spruiking my services - moreso, having a feel good moment about long time connections resurfacing when you least expect x

*picture of me trying to work with limited wifi in our hotel in Bali recently 😩

13/07/2022

Over a month has gone by and no social posts from me! Poor form. This is just to check in and prove that for at least two weeks I had good reason to be offline… two weeks in Bali was really wonderful. The post-covid (although we’re really not ‘post’ yet are we?!) world is different, but it was so good to experience somewhere different and check out for a bit 💗

29/05/2022

I’m going to blow my own horn here (that sounds really weird?!) 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway… here’s what I know: social media is not the be all and end all of your marketing needs. It’s a big portion, but it works best with a broad strategy expanding to SEO, PR, advertising and beyond.

What I can tell you about socials and how we manage them at The Social Assistant is that we, and I, really give a s**t. I personally, hold your brand and business in my thoughts all the time. I genuinely care, and I get that there is no one size fits all approach. So I’m thinking of you, the client, and your brand and offering, in every step of the process.

We don’t do templates, nor do we offer ‘five steps to boost your social media’ programs. We honestly just get to know our clients and their business, and we go to work to get the very best results we can.

15/03/2022

Hi it’s me from the weekend - ready to go out with my mates (and certainly not the me of today in active wear) 👋

Lots of growth the past few months at The Social Assistant… we’ve seen some team expansion to now include several wonderful copywriters, and our client base has grown to include both new service based and product based businesses!

It’s truly a pleasure to be of service to small business owners, and I’m just so grateful for, and proud of, the trust they put in us 😊

03/01/2022

I really enjoy that most of my work is behind the scenes, but sometimes it’s nice to have a photo taken, particularly when I’m super relaxed with one of our girls 💗

Happy New Year team. May it be much more precedented than the last two 🤞

18/11/2021

So grateful for the experience of working with and learning from Kate at Paperboat Digital! Could not be happier for you Kate on this next step of your journey 👏🌟💗

On Friday last week, I officially finished up with Paperboat Digital. (Can you be considered part of the great resignation movement if you’re self employed? Well if so, then count me in! 🙋🏽‍♀️)

I started working for myself as Paperboat back in 2015, transitioning to full time in 2017 after leaving redhanded. On that day I was so full of trepidation, but what unfolded was four years of so much learning, diving in the deep end, managing all the things and wearing all the hats, learning about cash flow! And GST. And setting up and tweaking systems, building a small team and focusing day in, day out on getting great results for clients.

More recently I partnered with Salt & Fuessel and also got involved with the fabulous team at Invest Frankston mentoring local businesses.

But it’s time for a fresh new chapter for me in my career! With the support of the utterly brilliant Bek from Silent Partner Projects, I explored new pathways and ideas, and have consequently taken on a role as Associate Director, Communications for RMIT University Training.

Existing Paperboat clients are in the capable hands of the unflappable and very experienced Ange from The Social Assistant, who has worked with me for years now. So if you are in need of any social media assistance, please contact the lovely Ange! She has a brilliant 360 degree view of this business, and specialises in helping brands and businesses with influencer marketing.

So, alas! This is me saying goodbye, and the hugest of thank yous - to Ange and the team, past and present, to all the clients who’ve taken me on, to the partners, contractors and content creators I’ve worked with, to Nadia and her amazing team at Unfair Advantage Accounting, Andrew from The Shift Media; to the business community of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, including the very special humans at Co.Co Place led by the fabulous and lovely Stef. (100% recommend Co.Co. Place if you’re looking for a coworking space in that area.)

Change is exciting, exhilarating and enlivening. Here’s to fresh chapters and new adventures ☺️✨

26/08/2021

What I love most about what I do, is building relationships with my clients. Each and every one of them is a small-medium business owner; regular people running a variety of businesses. From food and beverage, wellness, construction, to e-commerce. And the best bit is getting to know them and their business. Truly. I genuinely care about the success of my clients’ businesses; I watch the stats and I invest my energy with the goal of getting them excellent results - at the end of the day that’s what we want from social media!

Today I had the good fortune of speaking with a previous client who is an absolute gem. We’ve never met in person, but still keep in touch even after our contract ended. Today I got to be *her* client - for an online Chinese medicine consult. And I appreciate so greatly that I was able to even have a little Covid / lockdown / falling apart cry with her.

It’s experiences like this that remind me what’s important to me - building relationships. And I’m so grateful I get to do that through my work here at The Social Assistant.

Here’s a photo which sums up the silver lining of our lockdown time here in melbourne - moments out in nature enjoying what’s on offer in our 5km radius 💗

03/02/2021

Popping in after quite the hiatus from my socials, with a little reminder.

Do good. Be good. Keep going.

25/11/2020

Ever watched someone’s social account grow at pace? Maybe you’ve thought, why is that not happening for me?

Chances are in that event, that they’ve implemented a paid ads strategy. If you take the paid route (and I often suggest that clients do this in conjunction with an organic growth strategy), yes, it can happen quite quickly. With well created and targeted ads, you can certainly build an audience and broaden your reach swiftly.

To build a solid, genuine and engaged audience organically however, takes time, effort and patience!

The main focus of my work is in building organic growth. And it’s exactly as the name implies - organic.

So for anyone feeling like it’s not moving or growing fast enough. Sit tight. Perhaps assess your stats every few months and look at the way your data is tracking OVERALL - if it’s on the up, it’s heading in the right direction ✔️

Let’s be honest, social media can be inundated with a bunch of nonsense, and so whilst building an organic audience may take time, it will be worth it in the long run - to have consumers and people following you who genuinely feel connected to you / your brand / your business, is 100% the end goal we all want.

It does take time and energy though - which is exactly why it gets outsourced to people like me!

When I’m in a client’s account engaging and interacting as them, I am really taking on that brand or persona, and engaging as a real human, rather than a bot or in a spammy way.

Ultimately social media is about CONNECTING with PEOPLE - keep that at the forefront of your mind when you post and engage, and it will pay off x

02/11/2020

I’ve had a lot of people recommend I watch the social dilemma lately, and to be honest, I’ve been feeling reluctant! I have a love hate relationship with social media myself, which may seem strange given I work in the space 😝. And yet, as a result of that, it actually makes perfect sense too!

I’d love to hear if you’ve watched the social dilemma and if so, how it has impacted you?

Something I keep coming back to is that you can make social media work FOR YOU, rather than the other way around where you feel like a slave to / or manipulated by it.

Here’s a few things you can do & remember to make it work FOR you:

• You choose who you follow. Don’t fill your feed with the stuff that makes you feel crap!
• You also choose who you allow to follow you (I’m a stickler for this and don’t allow any spam or dodgy accounts to follow me).
• You choose when you spend time on social media and for how long (if you find it hard to manage, set a timer for a set time a couple of times a day).
• You also choose what else you fill your mind with outside of social media.

When I manage to remember all of these things, I can actually have a really positive and connected experience on social media ✨

And I guess that’s why I work in the space - because I do truly believe it can be used for good and be super powerful 💕

17/10/2020

The thing with social media, and any advice you may receive on the topic - is that it all really depends where you’re at.

I’m often wondering what best tips or topics I could touch on for you... and aside from topics such as the value of your content, or the hashtags you’re using, one big, FREE, area to tap into, is your insights.

Facebook and Instagram both provide free analysis of your posts, engagement and reach - called Insights. What I’ve seen recently is many small business owners don’t fully understand what this data offers, nor do they perhaps know even how to find this gold mine.

So within both Facebook and Instagram, there’s the option to access ‘insights’ - being stats on how your posts are performing, when your audience is online, and how your hashtags are performing, for example. I won’t go into it in full detail right now, but if you need a hand in working out where this data is, just send me a message - super easy for me to show you.

What’s great about this data, is that it provides the opportunity to reflect on how the recent posts you’ve made have performed.

From my perspective, whether you outsource your social media or manage it in house, your insights should be being assessed on a regular basis. It’s a pretty amazing free resource, to measure how well posts are performing, and to give you great direction as to what’s working and not.

07/10/2020

This is an awful graphic to look at, and to be honest I don’t love having it on my lovely curated feed 😆 but I’d like to share with you how hashtags work in practice.

Back when Instagram started, I used to actually get annoyed by the hashtag blessed and such - and many common users still would... I think without an understanding of what they actually do, they can very much look like annoying words in a post - am I right?

But if you look at this image, it shows that for this particular post, 87% of the people it reached, weren’t following this account (a client of mine).

So to explain further, when you post without hashtags, only the people who follow you can see that post, unless people go deliberately to your account. Hashtags are a way to put yourself and your post, in front of a new audience, therefore increasing what is called your ‘reach’.

What I love about the below stats is the fact that simply changing the hashtags we used, we were able to reach SO MANY more people!

They are a super powerful tool for you on social media. And honestly, a pretty easy way to boost your reach and build your audience.

I actually (strangely) love this aspect of social media, so please message me if you’d like some help in this area 👌🏻

** I should note - hashtags in Facebook are a slightly different kettle of fish... more on this to come.

18/09/2020

I’ve been wanting to post about my gratitude for some time now... from literally the first couple of weeks of starting my business, I have been incredibly humbled by the support and trust offered to me by my network of awesome people ✨

This is me saying a massive thank you to those that have supported, endorsed and recommended me 💕

Clients who have come on board for the ride who now feel like friends (so corny, but I can’t tell you how true that is) - I am so grateful for you 🙏🏻

I am experiencing huge transition and growth right now... is on the cusp of becoming everything I didn’t know I hoped it to be.

16/09/2020

Just going to put my hand up here 🙋🏻‍♀️ and say, I have been so busy working *in* my own business, that creating my own social media posts has fallen by the wayside!

Kinda funny for a social media person, no?! I see the irony 🤷🏻‍♀️

And I guess what I also see, is exactly why businesses make the smart choice to outsource their social media. When you’re busy *in* the business, who has time to work *on* it?!

This really reinforces to me the power of outsourcing! ✨

27/08/2020

There are many options for tools of the trade to use for your social media – from scheduling apps, to photo editing, gif-making and more ✨

My favourite by far at the moment is – if you’re not using it already, I strongly recommend you check it out 👍🏻

There is a free option which has heaps of features and is great for inspiration around colour palettes, templates for stories and posts.

I’m currently using a paid version which offers a few more features - like adding music and video to stories and posts, which I am loving! (As you can see!)

What are your favourite social media apps and add-ons?

21/08/2020

Good morning from my office!

Today, The Social Assistant is 5.5 weeks old 🙌🏻.

In this time I’ve moved my office around 3 times 🤷🏻‍♀️, tripled my business 👏🏻, then reduced it back down just a fraction, once I learned the below 👇🏻

One of my biggest learnings over this time has been about identifying my niche – I’ve learned how important it is to recognise where your strengths are and to focus on that.

The same can be said in any business. I recall the words of a CEO I worked for at a winery in North East Victoria – he said that in business you are either the best, the only, or the cheapest. Perhaps this doesn’t apply to every situation, but I often refer back to it and it resonates.

What has been the best business advice you’ve received? Or what do you wish you knew when you started out, that you know now?

13/08/2020

Ah planning. It makes all the difference doesn’t it? The week can have a totally different trajectory when I start off with a clear picture and plan for the days ahead 📖

Unlike this week. This week I have been scrambling a little; chasing my tail; behind the eight-ball, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down 🙃

Next week. Next week will be different!

This weekend I am going to plan to my hearts content. List write even, with a dash of colour-coded highlighting too 💞

What about you - do you plan? List-write? Are you a pen to paper kind of planner? Or an app-person?

09/08/2020

Just a reminder for anyone feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment xx

06/08/2020

When I first started The Social Assistant and was looking at branding colours and logo etc, I thought hard about the kind of audience and client I wanted to attract ✨

I did worry for a few moments… would my colour scheme and branding put off men? May seem silly I know, but I'm sure you can see what I mean. However I am glad I didn't spend too much time worrying about that!

Because when I got really clear about the kind of clients I hoped to work with – turns out it was female-lead small businesses 💁‍♀️

And that’s not to say I’d knock back a male client! Don’t get me wrong. But I’ve realised that you don’t need to be for everyone, and it’s quite empowering when you realise that!

Interestingly, and delightfully, I have spent the day talking to several different strong, fabulous, female leaders about how The Social Assistant may be able to support their businesses today.

What is being reinforced to me more and more, is that I am attracting exactly who I am meant to, which is an incredibly satisfying and uplifting experience!

04/08/2020

I N S I G H T S & A N A L Y T I C S

How do you make sense of all of these little bubbles? What do they all mean?

Good question!

There’s a wealth of insight analytics available from both Instagram and Facebook, and then even more available through scheduling apps, if that’s your thing.

I guess it comes down to knowing where to find it, how to interpret it, and then what to make of it – and that might not be your area of expertise?!

The analysis of these little bubbles is some of my favourite stuff – I love tracking improvements and seeing how the tweaks we make today have a really positive impact on your business going forwards.

Drop me a message if you’d like some help de-coding this for your socials 👓

31/07/2020

F R I D A Y !

Well, it is Friday, however if you’re in Melbourne it’s kind of just Day... but hey, hats off to us all for making it through another week of lockdown / homeschooling / daily jaw clenching news announcements / mask wearing and working from home with all of the people and pets and chaos and things!

What a time to be alive! It’s early to bed with a cup of tea for me, happy Friday friends!

(Mine’s not quite as pretty as this floral delight but it makes for lovely inspiration 💞)

29/07/2020

A couple of handy hashtag hints from me:

Did you know you can follow hashtags, just like you follow accounts on Instagram? For example, my business is based on the Mornington Peninsula, so one of the hashtags I follow is - this displays (in my feed) all other public posts using this hashtag, making it easier for me know about other local businesses.

Using a hashtag relevant to your business will therefore put you in front of those who follow the hashtags you use – even if they are not following your account.

Hashtags are also used to discover content – so if I am looking for a winery in Red Hill, I search & discover all posts with that hashtag. Keep this in mind when using hashtags – what would people use to search for you?

Next, take some time to view how many posts have been made using a particular hashtag - as this will impact the traffic that hashtag has, & how effective it may be for you.

Take for example , which has over 125 MILLION posts using it – this means the competition is high & it would be very difficult for anyone to find your post by searching that hashtag. The hashtag page for will be constantly updating & swamped with posts – yours will likely get lost!

To view this information simply type the hashtag in your search bar, including the # and it will bring up a list of hashtags showing how many posts each has.

When I create a hashtag plan for client, I look at using a mix of low to medium use hashtags, and gradually add in some bigger use ones as your audience increases – ie. some under 100K, some 100-500K and a mix above that. You can use up to 30 hashtags per Instagram post, so you have room to play around with this.

If you’d like to know more or feel I could be of assistance for you in this area, I would be happy to work with you to tailor a hashtag plan for your business.

And if it all feels a bit confusing and overwhelming, keep in mind that Later reports that a post with at least one Instagram hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement than posts without a hashtag – so something is better than nothing!

26/07/2020

This is the me from a couple of weeks ago, the me of today is in trackies working by the fire!

Just doing some hashtag analysis and reporting, and going down the social media rabbit hole, as you do on a Sunday afternoon! And I’m wondering – for the business owners out there, do you feel that you understand how hashtags work, and their potential value for your socials?

I feel like this is a topic I could expand on for you, and would love your input in the comments below!

22/07/2020

A message to all multi-taskers, perfectionists and ‘doers’! (Ahem, 🙋‍♀️)⁠⠀
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Some of the best advice I ever received was to ‘take something off the list’… You can’t possibly do everything, and that’s ok.⁠⠀
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Even better – work out what you absolutely must do yourself, and delegate the rest!⁠⠀

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22/07/2020

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest changes the Covid-19 pandemic has created, is the way we work. My hope is that out of the challenges, and let’s be frank, trauma, some positives may result – such as an increase in flexible working arrangements 💻⁠
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If not you, I’m sure you know someone who as a result of the pandemic is working from home, when they didn’t previously.⁠
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I think this is really encouraging – for the world to recognise just how much work can be done remotely, and how much travel, commuting, (and meetings about meetings!) are not needed!⁠
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I can attest to the fact that working from home actually increases productivity. It’s not about racking up your 8 hours in the office, but about working smart and efficiently, to get the most out of your time.⁠
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I feel so grateful to be able to do meaningful and rewarding work, around my family commitments. It’s still a juggle, don’t get me wrong! But one that I think more employees should, and hopefully will going forwards, at least have the option of tackling.⁠
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20/07/2020

Incredibly, the sun just came out for a few moments and I had to capture my cosy little office space ☀️

It’s all systems go here today with new client meetings and some time in the office getting organised – nothing like that buzz from some office tidying!

Hope it’s going smoothly for everyone re-commencing home-schooling today… day 1 nearly done!

17/07/2020

I N F L U E N C E R M A R K E T I N G ⁠
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A couple of stats which may surprise you…⁠
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According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 86% of women use social media for purchasing advice, and 74% of people trust social networks to guide purchasing decisions, with authentic micro-influencers gaining more and more trust and rapport with their audiences.⁠
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If your brand has women in particular as your primary target audience, or within your scope of ideal customers, influencer marketing is a really important consideration for your business!⁠
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Influencer marketing is an affordable, effective and measurable marketing channel. ⁠
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If you’d like to learn more about this approach, feel free to send me a message 😊⁠
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17/07/2020

I was introduced to this quote by one of my dearest friends, and it’s been a motto of mine for some time now.

It’s our motto at The Social Assistant too – the intention being that outsourcing to us, will free up the time and space for you to keep the main thing the main thing in your business!

Delegating tasks so that the people working in or for your business are working to their strengths, results in increased productivity and proves more cost-effective in the long run.

17/07/2020

17/07/2020