Article originally submitted to the iContact Blog on February 15, 2012  | How Pinterest Helps Businesses & Product Marketing

Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized they way and frequency of shared content on the internet. These two social channels account for the majority of user generated content on the web — until now.

Fairly “new” to the social sharing arena is an online community called Pinterest, which allows users to create virtual pin boards where they can “pin” digital content they find interesting, but in an organized and sleek way. This allows their followers to follow not just all of their pins, but the ability to subscribe just the boards most interesting to them.

Like many others, I was reluctant to join yet another online community, especially since the Pinterest bandwagon seemed to only feature recipe and home decor related content — valuable and entertaining in its own right, but not as relevant to me personally.

This of course is not surprising when you look at Pinterest’s member base of over 4 million, in which 80% of its members are educated women between the ages of 25-54 according to Ignite Social Media’s recent demographic data on Pinterest. While much of the content being shared is contributed by and for women, Pinterest has added additional categories like Automobiles, Men’s Apparel, Geek and Technology to attract some of the gentlemen (and additional women) as well.

But why does any of this matter?  What makes Pinterest any different from other online communities, and why would businesses want to join? In short, it’s all about uniqueness, relevancy and visual appeal.

Crowdsourced Content Management

Since every user can create various boards to organize their shared content, Pinterest has managed to levy the burden of content management on to their own members, but in a manner that is fun and entertaining. This allows for much more ”real world” and accurate organization of the shared content, and thus increased relevancy to their followers. Pinterest has even added a feature that allows users to grant permission to specific followers to contribute to their boards, thus adding a co-contributor-like experience between members. It’s also important to note that all of this shared content can also be shared to other popular communities like Facebook and Twitter.

Businesses Must Be Visual

Businesses that have products or services that can easily be translated into sleek images that are unique and aesthetically appealing, will be the most successful on Pinterest. As businesses post images that relate to their followers, their content is being republished (“pinned”) on individual member boards, to be shared with all of their followers who are also interested in that particular subject matter. The most relevant photos are the ones shared the most, and with the ability to click-through to additional content, this positions Pinterest to be a major player in regards to traffic generation for online marketers.

Pure Entertainment Without the Chatter

A major difference between other online communities and Pinterest is the purposeful lack of direct user-focused story telling. While you can surely gain valuable insights into the hobbies and tastes of the people and organizations you follow, the goal is not to keep up with every aspect of their daily lives. Outside of comments posted on pins, there are no status updates or geo-locational check-ins. Members login via the website or mobile device to simple scan through images and content which appeal to them.  A dear friend of mine accurately compared Pinterest to a fashion magazine.  It’s very visual, and has content relevant to the reader, but it’s mainly just a visual form of entertainment. If you want additional information, you can easily find out more, but it’s the visual aspect that made you give the page more than just a casual glance. This is the secret to Pinterest’s growing success.  It’s pure entertainment, mixed with education and the ability of its members to organize and manage the content within the community, even if it is only at a subconscious level.

How Should Businesses Get Involved?

If your business caters to female internet users, Pinterest could be your ideal ”buzz” generator. But businesses should be careful when deciding to use Pinterest for marketing and/or branding.  If your products and/or services aren’t visually appealing, or in some cases, are simply horrible products, I wouldn’t suggest using Pinterest. An image can say a thousand words about your business, and you want to make sure it’s saying what you want it to say.

However, if your business does provide quality products and services, and you can capture the essence, functionality and purpose of what you provide — visually, then you’ll most likely be quite successful across all gender and age demographics.

It’s important to note that Pinterest prohibits the typical sales and marketing imagery you’d see everywhere else on the internet. So the key will always be to post content that is unique, relevant and visually appealing. Businesses must allow the qualities and allure of their products to sell themselves.

Article originally submitted to the iContact Blog on February 8th, 2012
By James C. Wong, iContact Marketing Manager

As both the current President of the Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA), and the Marketing Communications Manager at iContact, interesting topics and emerging industry trends are always on my radar in terms of interactive. TIMA has always been an organization focusing heavily on changes in the interactive space, and while healthcare has been a hot topic of discussion for quite a while, what isn’t being talked about is the surprising lack of resources allocated by pharmaceutical (“pharma”) and healthcare providers towards digital marketing initiatives. In fact, only about 5% of marketing dollars in pharma are being utilized to support consumer marketing via digital. In 2012, analysts are predicting that consumers will continue transitioning from TV and radio, to online sources as their preferred method of research and news.  Not surprisingly, medical doctors and other industry professionals are also following suit, with a reported 70% of M.D.’s preferring online courses over classroom continuing education.

TIMA President, James Wong; Executive Director of WebMD, Richard Schwartz; and TIMA Director of Strategic Partnerships, Janet Kennedy.

On Wednesday, February 8th, TIMA hosted a lunch and learn discussion panel in downtown Raleigh, NC called “Healthcare Marketing: The Interactive Impact, ” moderated by Richard Schwartz, the Executive Director of WebMD, and accompanied by Jeff Hill, Director of Digital Strategy and Technology for MedThink Communications; Dave Harrell, Owner of Dave Harrell Advertising; and Andre Blackman, Director of Digital Communications and New Media for the American Heart Association. The primary focus during the discussion revolved around the fact that given the move to more digital media, how can healthcare marketers effectively engage consumers, while balancing tight budgets, industry skepticism and the over looming topic of patient privacy?

Richard Schwartz of WebMD opened the session with an interesting point:

“eMarketer estimates ‘US online ad spending will reach nearly 40 billion in 2012… pushing it ahead of total spending on print newspapers and magazines,’ but only 5% of marketing dollars are spent on digital consumer marketing, with another 2% targeting medical professionals.”

This simple yet terrifying fact highlights the single most important aspect of healthcare marketing today — while more and more consumers are adopting digital media, healthcare organizations are cutting back or maintaining the status quo on overall marketing budgets, while allocating unrealistic budgets to digital initiatives.

What healthcare marketers are beginning to realize, is that usage trends are changing. It’s reported that three quarters of the US population has performed online research related to their own personal health, while 82% of doctors refer to the internet as essential. WebMD.com has seen traffic trends in the past that showed usage trends starting high in the mornings, then dip rather low in the mid-afternoon and back up after work hours, as dinner and family obligations lessen.  According to today’s internet usage statistics on WebMD, they are now seeing a steady amount of traffic across the entire day, as more and more patients and doctors log onto the website for reference data and research both at work and at home. The panelists all agreed that there are potential opportunities to being able to serve customized messaging and products/services in a manner that preserves the anonymity of the visiting patients and doctors, especially through electronic medical records (EMR) systems, a form of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) known to industries outside of healthcare.

But in light of such trends and current consumer behaviors, why are healthcare organizations still reluctant to invest in digital? The answer is more common than you think, and yet makes little sense to digital marketers.  It’s all about “status quo” and perception.  While traditional radio, TV and sales representatives are visibly seen by consumers and patients alike, the industry is used to and comfortable with the qualitative aspect of measurement over quantitative.  Meaning, that while it’s harder to measure the return-on-investment (ROI) of a TV ad, it ultimately was seen (marketers call this an “impression”). This is no different from Coke placing billboards at a sporting event or on the highway.  Coke knows you won’t turn your car around and buy a coke at that very moment, but they assume you at least saw the advertisement and may want a Coke later.

Healthcare marketing managers are tasked with building digital marketing strategies with extremely limited marketing spend, a drastic contrast to most other industries adopting digital media. Healthcare executives are less adept to invest in a medium where regulations have not kept up with the latest digital technologies.  So instead of leading the way, many healthcare organizations are playing it safe and only “testing the waters” in limited ways. The entire panel agreed in consensus that while there aren’t any more regulations governing the healthcare industry via digital media, the fact that digital involves a two-way channel rather than a traditional “push and forget” channel — horrifies most healthcare executives.

So what do the panelists suggest?  It’s quite simple actually.  As a healthcare marketer, it’s critical to understand that the patient is now in charge, and that organizations should strive to always be relevant, simple and transparent. Through the use of Twitter, Facebook, blogs, online communities and email marketing, healthcare marketers can educate, engage and evangelize supporters through much more cost effective and measurable methods via digital. It was stated best, when a panelist mentioned that “everything in digital is measureable, but why would you want to measure it if it’s not relevant?”

In regards to negative feedback, brand managers and digital marketers shouldn’t be afraid of such feedback either, as they should use the feedback as cost-effective channels for case studies to further improve their products and services. In fact, one of my most popular tweets during the session summarized this point best in that, “[online] brand reputation is about engagement, not rainbows.”

Obviously, the discussion could have gone for hours, days and even weeks since healthcare is such a broad and all encompassing topic. We were fortunate to have such a top notch panel of experts at the session, and we look forward to the future as digital media continues to evolve every industry and field. After spending several hours with Richard, Jeff, Dave and Andre for dinner the night before, and an hour glued to their discussions, I’ve gained some valuable insights into how other industries handle their marketing strategies, and so leave you with these simple questions to ponder about your own strategies:

• Regardless of your industry, are you providing relevant value to your target audience?
• According to your strategy, who’s actually in control — you or the consumers?
• Are you educating, engaging and empowering your audience? Or just pushing content to them?
• Is your digital strategy robust and holistic enough to navigate your organization through the digital landscape?

Outside of my responsibilities at iContact and TIMA, I volunteer heavily in the field of alcohol and drug abuse prevention. The nonprofits, communities and coalitions that I work with are in fact specific forms of healthcare providers, and the state of North Carolina is at the forefront of the digital marketing evolution within the field. Through their use of email marketing, optimized website design and social media integration, many of our state’s top prevention and treatment agencies are leading the way in digital marketing, while maintaining a very simple set of goals for success: provide relevant information, educate the public and engage their patients and advocates. It is my sincerest hope that more and more healthcare providers begin to loosen their reigns, increase their budgets for, and begin to engage through social media channels, because in the end, we all win.

February 7, 2012 | Raleigh, North Carolina — It’s always a pleasure speaking to students eager to learn from experienced marketing professionals, but it’s especially nice to assist faculty at NC State and North Carolina Central University — both of which I have attended.

I was invited to speak to the NCSU Student MBA Association Monday afternoon on behalf of iContact.  The requested topic was on how digital marketing, trends and technologies have changed the marketing landscape as a whole — a topic I am quite passionate about, and truly enjoy discussing.

While I assumed it would be the typical intimate crowd for events such as this, I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a packed room at Nelson Hall. In fact, the organizers of the event stated afterward that it was their most attended presentation to date. More importantly, the students all left energized and enlightened by both the iContact story, and the digital marketing tools and services we provide our clients with.

Topics Discussed During the “Town Hall” Style Session:

• Experiences of an Online Community Manager
• The “iContact Story” — My Experiences and Lessons Learned in a Technology Startup
• Agile-based Development
• Structure of an Integrated Marketing Organization
• Marketing Considerations for Nonprofits

In addition, we spent a little time chatting about the personal sacrifices of working in the digital marketing industry, specifically about social media engagement.  True community managers and  engagement specialists are on duty 24/7. It’s a delicate task managing your work-life balance, but it’s critical to becoming a successful online marketing manager.  Many practitioners fall victim to burn-out and lose performance or their creative edge when the balance is lost.  Situations involving crisis communications are often the truest test of the longevity of an online marketing manager.

While the town hall discussion was relatively short (compared to the 3.5 hour workshops I’ve grown accustomed to), the MBA students in attendance all seemed to really enjoy the candid and relaxed conversation, and the steady inquiries and discussion benefited all in attendance. Overall, it was a great experience to kickoff my 2012 presentation season.

Special thanks to Jillanne Kirby of NCSU’s Jenkins School of Management, for inviting me to speak to their students, and I look forward to working with NCSU again in the near future.

Raleigh, North Carolina — Saturday, January 28, 2012:

The city of Raleigh and the Triangle Area Chinese American Society (TACAS) hosted the Chinese New Year Festival (CNYF) at the Expo Center located on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds campus.

The RTP Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), was honored to have a presence at the festival.  Our organization’s mission is to promote Asian American leadership and civic engagement through professional development, networking, multicultural education and community service. We strive to promote business development, equality, diversity and developing leaders within the Asian communities in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC.

Led by chapter President, Margaux Escutin and Vice-President, Cyndy Yu-Robinson, the NAAAP RTP table served to educate the Triangle Asian community about the various programs that NAAAP and NAAAP RTP offers its membership.

Debuting at the celebration, was the brand new NAAAP RTP logo, designed by Empowered Ideas, which also incorporates NAAAP National’s new 2012 re-branded logo.

Special thanks to our table sponsor, Hannah Chan of Cary-Raleigh Realty. Her contribution allowed NAAAP RTP to build community awareness for our nonprofit organization.

Throughout the day, NAAAP RTP board members James Wong, Mimi Chan, Margaux Escutin, Cyndy Yu-Robinson and Jenny Kincaid volunteered to staff the table and speak about our mission in the Triangle, and across the nation.

Special thanks to NAAAP RTP member Lauren Wong, who volunteered to staff the table the entire day (pictured above with husband with James Wong). CJ Kincaid also volunteered to staff the table during the final hours of the festival.

Overall the festival was a huge success. At several points throughout the day, the crowd was shoulder to shoulder, and every food vendor ran out of supplies by mid-afternoon, leaving several festival attendees hungry for more Asian cuisine.

Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by the NAAAP RTP booth, and we look forward to seeing you at our next event in February!

Monday, January 23, 2012
 
Today, myself and Community Managers all across the nation are celebrating our successes, during the 3rd Annual Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD). This internet-based pop culture celebration was originally founded back in 2010 by Jeremiah Owyang, of whom dubbed the 4th Monday of January as a day to reflect and to give thanks to Community Managers across the online landscape.

2012 marks my 18th year of managing online communities in various forms and industries. It is only as I reflect upon my own personal and professional experiences, that I realize how much the world has changed through technology and its adoption.

The Glory Days of BBS’s

It was 1994 and I was only 12 years old when I first became a Community Manager. Of course, we weren’t referred by that title at this point, as the internet was still a technology mainly used by “nerds” with pocket protectors and the latest in Sony Walkman technology. We were known only by those in the profession as System Operators, “SysOp” for short.  SysOps managed rudimentary text-based communities called Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), which were the precursor peer-to-peer networks before the popular adoption of the Internet as we know today.  Users had to dial into the server through phone lines, and most BBS systems only had a single incoming line, with a small handful of BBS’s having up to three incoming phone lines.

This was state-of-the-art and only a hobby for technologically inclined geeks of the 1990′s. In fact, technology was so limited during this time period that Google was only in its early start-up stages and was still being updated manually at this point in Internet history.

As a SysOp of three local BBS’s, I spend many hours dialing in and connecting to various BBS’s, constantly making new connections, new friends and absorbing as much knowledge and insight into what was popular and what wasn’t.  Today, we call this user experience and usability studies, user behavior and competitive analysis.  Back then, I called it listening to the community.  Through text-only forums and in-game messaging within games like LORDS or MUD, SysOps were able to get a sense of what users enjoyed, wanted and needed from their BBS community.

Community Management Today

Fast forward 18 years, and we now have massive networks like Facebook and Twitter, and an entire society almost completely interconnected via laptops, mobile devices and even their internet-enabled TVs. We live in a world that operates on two timetables, the real world and the internet world, where time seemingly travels at 10x the speed of real-time.

Regardless of the technologies involved, and adoption rate, the basic principles of community management still holds true even today.  Listening, engaging and developing new features that serve the purpose of the community, has and always will be the cornerstone of any successful online community. Community Managers must be given the flexibility and tools to quickly react to the needs of their communities, or risk mass exoduses to other communities more capable of meeting their needs.

Bridging the Online with the Offline

These days, I spend much of my time challenged with bridging the online and offline communities in which we live.  While many organizations are only focused on engaging their supporters and community members via Facebook and other social networks, I enjoy bridging the gap and capitalizing on the benefits of connecting the online with the offline.

Today’s young generation of social media consumers have grown up knowing nothing but connecting with friends via Facebook, and text messaging their friends to stay in touch.  Lost are the face-to-face communication skills vital to life-long success in the real world. As Community Managers, it’s our responsibility to serve our advocates and supporters as best as we can.  In my mind, this includes bridging the online to offline gaps.  Some of the most successful local networks are popular because they actively try to bring their online communities into the offline world for meet and greets, activities, games, events and more.

Linkedin Live Raleigh is a prime example of how an online community of over 100 million, can be enhanced through the opportunity of local members to come together and connect in the offline world.  As one of the organizing partners, Virginia Johnson and I have fostered an environment of support, networking and community outreach at our monthly business networking events.  In fact, we’ve managed to also bridge the gap between the for-profit and non-profit worlds which typically do not attend the same events, yet through the right messaging, one-to-one connections and online conversation, we’ve managed to integrate the two “worlds” and pull them both in and out of the digital world.

Celebrate With Us!

So take a moment today and thank your Community Managers that represent the online brands, services, businesses and organizations that you’ve come to love and pledge your loyalty to. Seek out opportunities to connect with the communities you’re a member of, both in the online and offline world. Don’t hesitate to offer feedback and suggestions to your Community Managers, because you never know which suggestions will make the cut – but those suggestions not offered are guaranteed to be overlooked.

Community Managers… never stop listening to your members, advocates and supporters.  Embrace their feedback and fight for the flexibility to maintain the purpose and mission of the community at large.  Strive to always improve upon your community, and whenever possible, bridge the gap between your online and offline membership.

Success is measured in many ways, but a truly successful Community Manager will know it in the voices and hearts of the members and advocates. It’s often the qualitative measurement of community sentiment that matters more than just the quantitative bottom-line. Satisfy the mission and purpose of the community, and they will always stand loyally by your brand.