Interview with Janelle Powell of Yogen Fruz

By Lauren | July 11, 2016 | 0 Comment

I’ve been a connection of Janelle Powell’s for awhile now on LinkedIn, and recently I realized I hadn’t really taken the time to get to know what she does within the industry. So I thought she’d be a perfect person to chat with for this months interview on my blog.

Janelle is the Social Media and Community Coordinator at Yogen Fruz, a global franchise of yummy frozen yogurt and smoothies and I chatted with her a bit about her role, how she landed herself in this position, and what it takes to work at a place like Yogen Fruz.

Introduce yourself – what should we know about you (that we can’t find on your LinkedIn profile).

What my LinkedIn profile wouldn’t tell you is that I was born and bred in the Caribbean. St. Kitts to be exact. So, though I live here I am truly and island girl at heart. I live Caribbean culture in everyday – food, music, customs etc. Being from another country and moving here has made me very open and interested in learning about and appreciating other cultures. I am a self-professed nerd – reading is my favourite pass time. As a result of reading so much I’ve become that person that spews random facts at any given time (haha).

Tell me a bit about your role at Yogen Fruz.

At Yogen Fruz, I function as the Social Media and Community Coordinator and our sister brands: Pinkberry Canada, JambaJuice Canada, Swensens, and Yogurtys. My main role is curate content for our various social media channels and online community. I also monitor these platforms to address any questions or concerns that may be submitted. I essentially interact with our customers and potential customers via multiple online platforms. I also play an integral role on the marketing team, as we work as a team. So marketing campaign concepts, ideas for new products, etc.

What is your educational background or past experience that helped you land a job at Yogen Fruz?

I attended Trent University for undergraduate studies. My major was Cultural Studies; Mass media, film and video. I had initially gone to Trent hoping to study for a general business degree but quickly realized things like economics was not my passion, and I always loved communications. Cultural Studies was the closest thing to a communications offering they had at the time – it had many interesting classes ranging from photography, videography, symbolism, and the ways in which we communicate in society. I fused that with business communications and business marketing classes as electives to get the best of both worlds. Since then I’ve gone on to further educated myself by taking online classes/certifications. The industry is always evolving so you have to stay current.

What does a day-in-your-life look like as the Social Media & Community Coordinator?

Day-to-day life as a social media coordinator means your constantly plugged in. Though the job may be 9-5. I’m always logged in to the various social media/community platforms and have to respond in real time.

Generally, the first thing I do in the morning is take a scan of all social media platforms for messages, see if anybody has mentioned us in posts etc. and then I respond to anything I haven’t already responded to. I share anything positive. Though a content calendar is in place, I love customer submitted content so I always search the hashtags to see if there any cool photos to feature. Our customers really enjoy being featured. I review analytics to see what’s trending, what’s working, and what may not be. I also monitor the accounts of competitors because you always want to be one step ahead so it always pays to know what they’re doing. Connecting with other brands for cool contests and giveaways. Conceptualizing and writing blog posts. Curating graphics for our blogs and social media channels.Constantly thinking ahead, planning campaigns for the future. No day is ever the same!

What have been necessary skills or experience to be successful in your role?

The necessary skills to be successful in life? I think that’s more about character traits – be bold, never settle, and realize education is never over. I think a lot of times we limit ourselves by thinking we’re not qualified or it’s too much etc. For me I always try to reach outside of my immediate grasps. I never limit myself. Go for what you want, not what you have.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to work for Yogen Fruz?

If you wanted to work at Yogen Fruz, my advice would be to be passionate about food! You’ll constantly be dealing with food in one way or another, so it helps to genuinely be interested in that industry on some level. Other than that, I would say be innovative. Brands are constantly looking for new ways to evolve so being innovative makes you appealing.

Thanks Janelle for sharing your insights!

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