Keri Jaehnig is founder and CMO at Idea Girl Media, and known as “the idea girl”. She provide help business brands, public figures and non-profits achieve social media success and positive online reputation.
On various social networks she share awesome and very useful marketing tips. Keri’s feed is best source to get informative content, which give you knowledge about marketing and social media to expand your business. Keri also featured at Forbes and quoted on Business Insider.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” ~Steve Jobs #quotes
— Keri Jaehnig (@kerijaehnig) March 22, 2015
As part of ModernLifeTimes Interview series, It is an honor to have Keri Jaehnig, Content & social media marketing manager or more well known as @kerijaehnig on Twitter. I am extremely happy to interview with her and share her great insights. Let’s begin the conversation :
Q1: Tell me more about yourself, and why you started your career in media/marketing?
I’m the daughter of a salesman and VP of Sales for a Marriott company. All of my professional roles have required some sales ability. For fourteen years I worked in the non-profit sector, and my marketing budget was very small or non-existent. That meant I had to be creative in marketing my programs. I got very good at email marketing when it was a new thing.
In turn, when I ran for an elected office, I was the first in my region to use email marketing as a candidate. Because this was such a new idea at the time, it caused some commotion, and led to success for my personal brand.
When the world changed in 2008, my focus was very much how I could position myself in a niche that was moving and growing. Social media fit very well for me, and I have been working with business brands, public figures and non-profits as a social media manager ever since.
I’m honored and proud to be part of an exclusive small group of professionals testing new online marketing technologies, as well as a friendly resource to professionals with less tenure in the social space.
Q2: How your journey started and what difficulties you faced?
I touched on this a little above. To discuss challenges, they would be geographic and demographic.
My location is not necessarily conducive to the type of work I do, as my local area is just now recovering from economic destruction. So, my clients are not usually local. Thus, attaining sometimes requires greater effort and additional costs.
For a time I tried to be helpful to the small business person closer to my home. But this was not necessarily the client that could afford the services I provide, and those where I excel. It is true I am a more seasoned professional, so I am able to offer more than the recent college grad.
While these factors have at times been a challenge, they are also an asset, in my opinion.
Q3: Which social media platforms are you best at using and why?
Thank you for asking! I’m best at engagement and the conversation part of what I do. So, Facebook, Twitter, Groups & Communities, and Instagram are at the top of the list.
Content creation and content optimization – additional strengths. Writing blog posts is something that comes naturally, and I am a huge stickler for grammar, spelling, formatting, and solid, “meaty” content. This takes longer, but I refuse to sign my name to anything less because content equals value.
Regarding social media posts, I stay informed on how each platform works so each post can be optimized for each social platform. This is sometimes a forgotten detail for some of my colleagues. But the little details do make a difference in the performance of each post on social media: Wording, hashtags, tagging, timing, etc.
Q4: Tell more about IdeaGirlMedia.com and what services you offer for your client?
Idea Girl Media might be considered a boutique social media marketing agency. I’m very involved in each client’s strategy, service delivery process, and month to month contact. The services we offer are all customized to suit the client so they receive the best value and results. There is no cookie-cutter service package or one-size-fits-all. It is “this plan fits you.”
And we’re constantly monitoring and evolving focus to move with the constant changes of social media. What worked three months ago will not necessarily work three months from now.
Where we were once most involved with email marketing and social media, Idea Girl Media has evolved with the space. We now offer more social media and content creation, with some email marketing. A short list:
* All-inclusive, done-for-you social media services
* Blog content creation – Individual and multiple entry packages
* Content placement campaigns
* Social media mentoring (group membership)
* Social media and online marketing consulting
* On-site training
Accurately representing brand voice is of ultimate importance.
Q5: Share some of your best tips/practices on Twitter?
A quick list:
* Keep tweets to 120 characters or less to encourage re-tweets.
* Use hashtags to attract new followers & find target markets
* Create lists for online listening
* Attend tweet chats appropriate for your niche to make new contacts and attract new followers
Q6: What is the difference between social media and social networking?
Social media is a noun. Social networking is a verb. You would network on social media.
So, utilizing social media lets you use new technologies to conduct some of your social networking. Optimally, social networking takes place online and offline.
Q7: What social media tools do you use?
As a social media manager, I use too many to detail here. But I will share a bit about two:
BundlePost – For RSS Feed curation & Alert intake, content syndication, brand content curation, hashtag integration, and Follow Friday recognitions. While it can be used with other social media tools, in my opinion it is evolving to be much more in the future.
Instagram – While this is a platform, because it syndicates easily to a handful of other social networks, I use it also as a tool. Facebook owns Instagram, so for the time being, there is a noted preference for Instagram content and it performs well for Facebook Pages. It is also a great place to find content to re-post — The photography is delicious!
Q8: What metrics do you use to measure the effectiveness of social media?
At the end of the day, it’s about numbers. So, questions to ask are:
* Is there a greater brand awareness?
* Have we become more efficient in operation?
* Have we saved money in other areas of marketing?
* Have we increased sales?
* Have we improved customer service?
* Are employees proud of our business culture?
Depending on the goals for social media, all or most of the answers should be, “Yes!”
Q9: What are the elements that make a video/post go viral?
I’m not a fan of the word, “viral.” It sounds negative, and rumors of social media have led people to have unrealistic expectations. How about, “Super-shared?”
Posts and videos that are super-shared usually include one of the following qualities:
* Feature delicious foods
* Offer a solution to many peoples’ problems
* Evoke considerable emotions (positive or negative)
* Touch on something relatable to many people worldwide (childhood, comedy, family life)
* Showcase a celebrity in some way
People have to feel comfortable sharing this with their circle of friends and feel important, respected, and or liked for doing so.
Q10: What are the best social networks for small businesses?
Every business is different, so their social media platforms should be chosen to suit their needs and goals. Factors to consider:
* Location
* Service or product based business
* Target market
While there are social networks that are quite versatile and fit many audiences, and others that are very well-suited for specific niches, there is no one correct answer.
That said, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest are popular for good reasons, and most small businesses could find some success from each if approached correctly.
Email is the oldest social network, and most still use and check email frequently, so it is wise to include it in a marketing strategy.
Small businesses looking to establish credibility and leadership in their niche will have an active blog. The blog would be the hub, or HQ, for their online marketing and social media strategy.
Thanks Keri for your wonderful insights and doing interview. Hope you all enjoyed this interview you can connect with Keri Jaehnig by visiting her website.
