{"id":2763,"date":"2016-04-05T13:21:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T13:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postcron.com\/en\/blog\/?p=2763"},"modified":"2018-02-16T13:05:24","modified_gmt":"2018-02-16T13:05:24","slug":"jenn-herman-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postcron.com\/en\/blog\/jenn-herman-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Jenn Herman: “Miss Instagram” Shares With us the Best Social Media and Instagram Tips for your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Interview<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last week I had the pleasure of talking with someone that I\u2019ve been following for a while, Jenn Herman<\/strong>, from Jenn\u2019s Trends<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We discussed new ways on how to get the most out of Facebook, the power of blogging, Instagram\u2019s new algorithm, social media tips, and a lot more.<\/p>\n

In case you didn\u2019t know who Jenn was (which you should); she is a Canadian social media strategist and speaker<\/strong>, currently living in San Diego where she\u2019s raising her beautiful daughter.<\/p>\n

Jenn Herman has a unique perspective on business and success on social media, which earned her the prestige of being on the list of Top 10 Social Media Blogs<\/strong> three years in a row: 2014, 2015, and 2016. She is also the author of The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Instagram and Stop Guessing. Both of them are available on her site www.jennstrends.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q: I especially like this first question because it gives us a glimpse into your world. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I would love to know how a normal work day is for Jenn Herman?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer:<\/strong> A normal workday for me is a whole lot of busy! I actually work a full time job while also running my own business and being a mom to a 7 month old girl. So my day is pretty full!<\/span><\/p>\n

My alarm goes off at 4:30 am and I\u2019m up getting ready for work and spending a few spare minutes with my daughter. My day job fills my day from 7 to 3:30 every day but I try to stay engaged with my business on my lunch break, answering emails or responding to social media posts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then, when I get home at 4:00 in the afternoon, I spend at least a half an hour with my daughter, playing and reading. Then, after feeding her dinner, she and I get comfortable at my desk where she usually passes out on my lap for her evening nap and I jump into work for my business. I respond to emails, work on client projects, prep for upcoming events, and manage all my social media accounts. <\/span><\/p>\n

I usually break away from the computer around 7:30 or so and we go play for about half an hour again before getting ready for bed. And, that\u2019s an average day!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q: Here at Postcron we\u2019re hyper-focused on saving time and helping people to do so. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I heard you\u2019re super organized. Is that your key to managing all this work? Any advice for our users?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer:<\/strong> Yes, I am probably one of the most organized people anyone will ever meet. Even if it looks like chaos to you, I can tell you exactly where in that foot deep stack of papers is that one page you are looking for \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, organization and routine go hand-in-hand. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As I just pointed out, my life is more than a little full. But having a routine<\/strong> that is consistent every day makes it easier to plan and stay on task<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to set aside time for specific things<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Give yourself time frames for certain tasks like developing content, writing a blog post, recording a video, working on a client project. If you know you only have one hour to complete something, it helps you stay focused and avoid getting sucked down the rabbit hole of distraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q: You have been working alongside a lot of companies and helping them to create strong social media strategies.\u00a0In your own experience, <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the most common mistake that companies make in social media? And most important, how do they correct it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The most common mistake is not having a strategy. Or not knowing \u201cwhy\u201d they\u2019re doing what they\u2019re doing. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They might have a \u201cstrategy\u201d to post 5 times a week and include one video and two links, or something like that. But too many people post for the sake of posting, not having any understanding of the purpose behind each post.<\/span><\/p>\n

I always work with my clients to help them understand WHY they\u2019re posting content. <\/span><\/p>\n

Each and every post should have a purpose<\/strong>. It should be building your business or serving your audience in some way the benefits both of you, whatever your goals are.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"strategy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: Facebook is getting bigger and bigger every year, and small companies are starting to feel a little lost. How should they use it to get more exposure?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Facebook is all about quality. You have to stand out by being better. This does not mean MORE, it means BETTER. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Better captions, better content, better resources, better engagement with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Too many people think they need to post more content to reach more people. I disagree with this. By believing this, it is adding to the barrage of crap we see on Facebook, which actually reduces your overall reach. <\/span><\/p>\n

I only post on Facebook 3-5 times a week and advocate a similar strategy for most of my clients. Instead of posting everything you can find (links, memes, photos, videos, games, questions, fill in the blanks, and more), only post the BEST content for your audience<\/strong>. It can be fun, informational, educational, or silly. But it should be the best you can find. If it\u2019s not great, don\u2019t share it<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/a> \"content\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And then, don\u2019t just post something and walk away. Instead, write a quality post on whatever you\u2019re sharing<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Include your professional opinion on the topic, your thoughts on something new, a story about how this impacted you, etc. The more you can stand out as your own voice, the better results you will have. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, and respond to EVERY comment on your page and posts<\/strong>. Even if it\u2019s only a \u201cthank you\u201d, taking the time to respond builds your community loyalty and also adds to your page activity which helps increase exposure and reach.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q: I want to talk about Instagram. We\u2019re just about to add Instagram to the group of social networks our users can manage with Postcron. And more than anything, we all know this is one of your areas of expertise. (I check Jenn\u2019s Trends every week to read about Instagram).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Thank you so much! I appreciate you reading regularly and following along on social media \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

\"instagram\"<\/a><\/p>\n

First of all, we know about people freaking out because of Instagram\u2019s new algorithm. <\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think about\u00a0<\/strong>Instagram\u2019s algorithm<\/strong>? How should we prepare for the next months?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer:<\/strong> Yes, a lot of people are freaking out and I did at first too. I think it\u2019s only natural when a platform introduces such a significant change.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reality is that Instagram has experienced unprecedented exponential growth<\/strong>, and as a business, they have to scale their operations to make it more effective for the increase in users. <\/span><\/p>\n

With more and more \u201ccasual\u201d users on the platform, who only check their feeds on occasions (not multiple times a day like some of us), Instagram is trying to find ways to ensure that those users have a positive experience and see the content they most likely to want to see<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to point out that if your followers are highly engaged with your content, this algorithm will likely have little effect on you. Or it might even have a POSITIVE effect. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have a loyal and engaged audience, then yes, this algorithm may impact you. But, in all reality, if your audience isn\u2019t engaging with your content now, then what you\u2019re doing isn\u2019t working anyways.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Given this pending algorithm, my advice is very similar to what I just advocated for Facebook. It\u2019s all about the BEST content.<\/strong> If you have poor quality photos or lack luster captions, you will get lost on Instagram now. <\/span><\/p>\n

You MUST build your community now – provide real value, beautiful images, and be super-engaged<\/strong>. Use calls-to-action<\/strong> that invite engagement on your posts. Respond to every comment. Like and comment on other people\u2019s content regularly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You also need to focus on creating a really strong hashtag strategy<\/strong> to continue to have your content show up in searches and provide that additional reach and exposure on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q: How can small companies with little (or nonexistent) production budgets make the most out of Instagram?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Jenn Herman Answer: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your smartphone and creativity. And time. It takes time.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I recently wrote a blog post where I analyzed how long it takes to create an ideal Instagram post<\/strong>. The result was that it should take about 30-60 minutes per post<\/strong>. I know that sounds like a lot of time, but to do it well you need that amount of time:<\/span><\/p>\n