The Buzz Bin spoke to Connie Benson, community manager for the ACDSee blog. ACD Systems has been recognized the world over as the leader in image management and technical illustration software.

Connie’s role as community manager give her an opportunity to interact with the community she is a part of, as well as implement and monitor the social media channels available to the community. Her tips and insight into social media marketing are useful for any new (or old) corporate marketing professional. And she’s a pretty good Twitterer, too!

BB: ACDSee’s blog is already generating comments. Do you find the ACDSee related posts or general industry posts are drawing folks in?

CB: Product related posts are receiving the most attention. My sense is that people want to learn more about using the products.

BB: What other social media channels is ACDSee using?

CB: ACDSee product forums (including betas), forums in community at large, Facebook,

Social media tools: Google alerts, Trailfire, wiki’s, MS LiveWriter, video, webinars, Snag-it, Evernote, Thunderbird, Mozilla (Flock now)

Analytics: Feedburner, Mybloglog, Google Analytics, Technorati

BB: How hard is it to generate momentum for this effort?

CB: Internally my efforts are fully supported & it’s a concerted effort across many departments. The ACDSee team is open to my ideas & are joining me in blogging.

In the ACDSee community I provide the energy & the momentum happens. It has been quite easy to find product champions. They add their own enthusiasm & our efforts grow. Combine that with the fact that ACDSee creates great products and the conversation spreads beyond the confines of the ACDSee product forums. The traditional marketing campaigns reinforce my efforts & provide reiteration that we value our customers.

BB: What tips would you offer the newbie corporate marketer experimenting with social media?

CB:

1. Listen to your community, Understand, then Get Involved

• Get to know your community
• Let them know that you care & provide them with service
• Gather feedback to improve products & customer support
• Be transparent, honest, & trust will develop
• Provide Value – don’t spam people with inappropriate information
• Respect that you’re in social spaces

2. Have a strategy before engaging

• Experiment first & learn the tools
• Don’t be afraid to fail

3. Network for professional development – everyone is willing to share ideas

4. Never stop learning. This space is changing so fast.

BB: What is your personal philosophy on social media?

CB: Utilizing social media & WOM is a very effective, cost efficient way to promote a product or service. Customers love the interaction & personal feel that it offers. They appreciate user generated content & are thrilled to create & share it! Self service is important to them when they’re looking for tutorials & resources. My philosophy is that if that type of energy exists then we should provide them with the tools and let them go. Helping shape the message results in a powerful alliance. And the serendipity that sometimes results is amazing for both the customer & the company!

BB: How much of your personal philosophy around social media marketing is affected by your day-to-day experiences at ACDSee versus influence through participation in the social media world?

CB: My personal philosophy is rooted in my own experiences as a customer & my previous experience in marketing/public relations for a non-profit organization. In joining ACDSee I’m listening to their needs & working to establish how we can optimize our customer’s experience. It’s wonderful that ACDSee is just as enthusiastic as I am about the value & potential for integrating social media into our marketing efforts. My participation in the social media world will definitely continue to influence & shape my philosophy.

BB: What’s next for Connie Bensen and ACDSee?

CB: My goals are to:

• Continue to build brand awareness
• Assist with development of exciting new products based on customer feedback
• Meet more people - Continue networking with social media practitioners
• Help others with social media - Provide mentorship & resources to individuals & companies
• Play with my Nikon D80 more! - Learn more about the software industry & digital imaging field