Marketing agencies
Virtual assistants for marketing agencies
A virtual assistant for a marketing agency handles the background work that sits behind client campaigns: reports, scheduling, ad account checks, onboarding and invoicing support. Your strategists keep the client relationships and the creative decisions. Digital marketing work is priced from £6.50 an hour. We find the candidate and run four screening steps.
Four screening steps before you meet a candidate
Hours tracked each month
Earliest start within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate
Where agency time goes
Agencies sell expertise, but a large share of the week goes on work around it: a report to assemble, a post to schedule, a login to chase. That work is repeatable, so it can be written down and handed over. The table shows four functions, what an assistant can take and what stays with you.
| Function | What an assistant can take | What stays with you |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting | Pulling figures into your template, checking them against the platform, writing the factual notes | The analysis, the recommendations and the client call |
| Scheduling | Loading approved posts and emails into your tools, checking links and tags | Deciding what is posted and when |
| Campaign admin | Checking ad accounts for disapproved ads and budget pacing, keeping naming and assets in order | Bids, budgets, targeting and creative choices |
| Onboarding and invoicing | Sending access checklists, chasing approvals, preparing invoices from your timesheets | Contracts, pricing and the client conversation |
Reporting
- Report packs. Collecting the figures for each client on the same day each month, so the pack is ready before the review.
- Checks. Comparing the numbers in the pack with the platform screens and flagging gaps.
- Notes. Writing the factual lines, such as spend, clicks and what changed, for a strategist to interpret.
Scheduling and campaign admin
- Content calendars. Keeping one calendar per client up to date, with approval status beside each item.
- Ad account checks. Reviewing accounts each morning for disapproved ads, paused campaigns and budgets running ahead of plan, then reporting what was found.
- Asset libraries. Naming files by your convention so the team can find creative from last quarter.
Onboarding and invoicing support
- New client set up. Sending the access request list, logging what has arrived and chasing what has not.
- Approvals. Chasing sign off on drafts, with the deadline and the link in every message.
- Invoices. Preparing invoices from approved timesheets for you to check and send.
Roles that suit an agency
Most agencies start with a digital marketing assistant, then add a channel specialist. A client can hire more than one assistant. Channel roles beyond the standard rate table start from about £6.50 an hour at the beginner level.
| Role | Suits | Beginner rate, per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Digital marketing assistant | Reporting, calendars, campaign admin | £6.50 |
| Social media assistant | Content calendars, scheduling, community replies | From about £6.50 |
| Email marketer | Campaign builds, list upkeep, send checks | From about £6.50 |
| Paid ads assistant | Ad account checks, asset upload, reporting | From about £6.50 |
| Media buying expert | Buying admin across several platforms | From about £6.50 |
| Virtual admin assistant | Onboarding, approvals, invoicing support | £4.50 |
What it costs
The hourly rate follows the role and the experience level, not the sector. Part time is 80 hours a month (20 a week) and full time is 160 (40 a week). The fee is billed monthly, we confirm the exact price in writing before you commit, and there is no separate recruitment fee. Here is the grid for the two roles most agencies start with.
| Role | Experience level | Per hour | Part time, 80 hours a month | Full time, 160 hours a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital marketing | Beginner (1 to 2 years) | £6.50 | £520 | £1,040 |
| Digital marketing | Intermediate (2 to 4 years) | £9.00 | £720 | £1,440 |
| Digital marketing | Expert (4 to 6 years) | £12.50 | £1,000 | £2,000 |
| Digital marketing | Pro (6 to 8 years) | £16.50 | £1,320 | £2,640 |
| Admin and support | Beginner (1 to 2 years) | £4.50 | £360 | £720 |
| Admin and support | Intermediate (2 to 4 years) | £6.50 | £520 | £1,040 |
| Admin and support | Expert (4 to 6 years) | £8.50 | £680 | £1,360 |
| Admin and support | Pro (6 to 8 years) | £11.50 | £920 | £1,840 |
The pricing page shows every role. To test your own hours, use the cost calculator.
On the call we talk through your agency and the hours you want.
What we do and do not take on
Many agencies present their team as one, so decide before you start what clients are told about who does what. General guidance, not a promise about any one assistant, and not legal advice.
- Read your client contracts. Some say who may see their data, or if you may use subcontractors. Get consent where the contract needs it.
- Give the assistant a login of their own on each client account. Never share a strategist login.
- Agree a written contract for personal data. The ICO says there must be a written contract every time a controller uses a processor (ICO, when is a contract needed, read 8 November 2026).
- See our data protection page.
Access levels: start low
Platforms let you limit what a login can do. Google Ads lists five access levels. Read only can view campaigns and run reports. Standard can edit campaigns. Admin can give other people access and change access levels (Google Ads Help, about access levels, read 8 November 2026). Check each platform you use for its own options.
| Task | Access to start with |
|---|---|
| Monthly reports | Read only |
| Ad account health checks | Read only, with findings sent to you |
| Uploading approved ad copy | Standard, once you trust the process |
| Adding or removing users | Admin stays with you |
Labelling ads
When the assistant schedules paid or influencer posts, your labelling rules matter. The Advertising Standards Authority is likely to expect a prominent “ad” label upfront. It advises against “sponsored”, and says brands and influencers are both responsible for making ads identifiable (ASA, recognising ads on social media, read 8 November 2026). Put your labelling rule in the scheduling brief. The assistant can check each post against it. Responsibility stays with you.
Example only: a small agency hands over its month end
Example only. The agency, hours and split are invented to show a handover. No real client is described, and this is not a quote or a result.
An imaginary agency with eight clients wants 80 hours a month. It splits the time into 24 hours on reports, 20 on scheduling, 16 on ad account checks and 20 on onboarding and invoicing support. On the Digital marketing rate, 80 hours at the beginner level of £6.50 comes to £520 a month. At the intermediate level of £9.00, it comes to £720.
The strategists send one template per client and a calendar of due dates. In the first month, a strategist reads every report pack before it goes out. When the packs stop needing corrections, the agency moves the review to a weekly sample.
A checklist before you hand over
General guidance, not a promise about any one assistant. Settle these points first.
- Which clients have agreed, in writing where the contract needs it, to a new person seeing their accounts?
- Does the assistant have a login of their own on each platform, at the lowest level that does the job?
- Is there one report template per client, and one due date each month?
- Who approves scheduled content, and where does the approval show?
- What is your ad labelling rule, and where is it written?
- Which spend or account changes always come to a strategist?
- Who reads the daily account check, and how fast must a problem reach them?
- How are invoices checked before they leave?
Is an assistant right for your agency?
An assistant suits you if
- Your strategists spend hours each month on reports, schedules and chasing approvals.
- You can write a template, a checklist and an escalation rule for each task.
- You want to start with one function and add others as it proves itself.
Another option may suit you better if
- You need someone to plan strategy or lead a client: that is a hire for your own team.
- One channel is the bottleneck: start with its role, such as paid ads.
- You want a whole week of one person’s time: a full time virtual assistant.
How hiring works
Begin with a free call about your clients’ platforms and the hours you want covered. We shortlist candidates who have passed our screening, you interview them and you choose. At onboarding we set up the platforms and tools the assistant needs. Hours are tracked with tools such as Time Doctor, and we handle recruitment, payroll management and quality management. The earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate.
Four screening steps before you meet anyone
- CV screening.
- A first interview on personality and the general benchmark criteria.
- A technical interview.
- A practical task, to test the candidate in the field.
In the first 3 months, you can end an unsuitable hire on one week’s notice. In the first days, you can tell us it is not right and we will replace them. After the first 3 months, notice is 1 month. Replacement is included in the ongoing fee for as long as you are paying, at no extra charge. The full terms are on how it works.
Questions about virtual assistants for agencies
How can a marketing agency use a virtual assistant?
Agencies use an assistant for the repeat work around client campaigns: report packs, content scheduling, ad account checks, onboarding and invoicing support. Strategy, creative and client calls stay with your team. The table above shows the split, and the digital marketing assistant page lists the channel tasks.
Is it OK to use a virtual assistant on client accounts?
It depends on your client contracts. Some restrict who may see data or require consent for subcontractors, so check each one and get consent where needed. Give the assistant a login of their own at the lowest access level that works, and agree a written data contract. This is not legal advice.
How much does it cost?
Digital marketing work starts at £6.50 an hour at the beginner level, and Admin and support at £4.50. Part time is 80 hours a month and full time is 160. Specialist channel roles start from about £6.50. We confirm the exact price in writing before you commit. See the pricing page.
Can the assistant work under our agency name?
That is your decision, and your client contracts come first. The assistant works in the tools and accounts you give access to, and what your clients are told stays with you. Put your labelling and approval rules in the brief and ask us on the call how it would work for your agency.
Related
See the other industries we support, read about digital marketing virtual assistants, or compare pricing.
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