Steve has a strong background in interactive marketing, e-commerce consulting, web data analytics and social media. Currently the director of Interactive Marketing at Camden Property Trust - a company engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition. management and disposition of multifamily residential apartment communities, he leads innovative initiatives ( including mobile and social marketing) that engages the consumer in their process of apartment hunting. Steve speaks about the importance of online brand management and the rise of new technologies enabling interactivity with consumers.
Steve Kim
Director of Interactive
Camden Property Trust
Twitter: kimsteve
Linkedin:http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekim
What site(s) do you have to visit everyday for Marketing news?
Adage
Mashable
Facebook
I’d be lying if I said I visit AdAge and Mashable every day, but I think Facebook qualifies as one of my primary source of marketing news. Over the years, I’ve added several incredibly intelligent individuals I’ve met in the past to my friend list such as Avinash Kaushik (www.kaushik.net) and Bryan Eisenberg (www.bryaneisenberg.com). They’ve done phenomenal jobs of posting interesting articles about our profession and emerging trends on a daily basis, which saves me an incredible amount of time I would otherwise have to find myself. I don’t mean to demean their knowledge and expertise in any way, but I couldn’t ask for a better crap filter. :grin:
What site(s) do you go to at least once a day for fun and inspiration?
Facebook.com
Buzzfeed.com
Failblog.com
Geekologie.com
Engadget.com
ESPN.com
Drudgereport.com
Autoblog.com
Greatest skill a good Marketing professional requires?
The ability to sell! If it’s not directly selling your products or services to consumers, marketing is all about selling your marketing creativity and budget plans to your company stakeholders.
What the recent "it" Marketing phrase/trend of the moment that you hear almost everyday and what does it mean for the industry and the marketplace?
Get Mobile. If you’re reading this, then I probably don’t have to explain why mobile is such an important part of marketing these days.
There have been fads in the Marketing world. In your opinion, what are recent developments that are here to stay?
Tablet computing is here… again, but this time it’s here to stay. Apple has sold two million iPads during the first two months, and Forrester research just came out and projected that about 20% of consumer PC sales will be in tablet form in the next two years. If you’re a marketer who hasn’t embraced the idea of shifting your online marketing strategy to leverage touch interaction, then at least open yourself up to the idea of the unemployment office representative collecting your information using a tablet-style device of their own.
What is essential NOT to do when it comes it comes to your specialty?
Leave your personal social network accounts open for public viewing, or adding colleagues to your personal profiles. When you’re the person that everyone in your company turns to for online strategies, believe me when I say that the first thing they’ll want to do is see is your Facebook profile. The minute they see you doing anything stupid in your photos or say something awkward on your wall, you know you’ve lost the respect of the people that you spent more time with than perhaps even your significant other.
What' an imminent hurdle in the Marketing world that you think will cause significant changes to the way we market to consumers or businesses?
Ownership of a brand is now in the consumers’ hands, because the Internet has enabled them to have a transparent medium of communication to the world audience. As marketers, we’ve all seen the shift in marketing strategies in the last two years to accommodate social networks. It’s become such a mission critical part of business to manage your online reputation on these networks that more and more resources are being allocated to define and execute on a “social media marketing plan”. And I say that in quotes, because anyone who claims to have such a plan created is probably back at their desk to write a new social media marketing proposal, since the plan that was approved just last week is now outdated.
Can Marketing ideas travel across continents and languages? Does globalization work or is localization more effective?
I don’t know any continent, country, or language that can stop the success of sex appeal in marketing.
Best piece of advice you have received?
If you’re good at what you do, you and everyone else that you work with probably recognize that. But being arrogant about it will just make people dislike you, and hold you back from ever feeling happy with your career.
Growing up, what was the first thing you can remember wanting to be?
I think I wanted to become an airline pilot at one point in my childhood. Then I wanted to become a cop after growing up with the Police Quest video game series. Soon after, I’m pretty sure I was convinced that I’d become the greatest video game developer and tester the world has ever known.
Is Marketing more of an art or science?
Is this a trick question? Of course, I’ll think that modern marketing is incredibly scientific. But don’t tell that to the brand marketers out there. I really don’t feel like stepping outside to settle this discussion… Houston is way too hot these days.
To tweet or not to tweet?
I hope it’s not a fad. I recently launched a Twitter campaign at Camden, where we engage with people that are in the market for a new apartment. I can’t share how we’re pulling this off, but I can tell you that we’re seeing about 40% response rates from every individual we engage with. It truly has been an unexpected goldmine for us.
Wow, what a nerdy hunk.
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