Client Spotlight: Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County

For any nonprofit there is an inherent challenge in marketing that is not present in a for-profit business. For a hospice care agency, this challenge is even more pertinent. It is a delicate task that the tactics of traditional marketing - which are based in broadcasting messages to the masses - are not well-suited to accomplish. Perhaps more than any other type of service, hospice by its very nature requires all efforts directed toward building and sustaining the business to be founded in cultivating, nurturing and becoming actively involved in the community around the brand. This is where trustcasting differs from the marketing institutions of old. Trustcasting is about people. It exists on a personal level and is grounded in honest, two-way conversation. While it is still important to tell the story of the organization, it is more important to tell that story in the greater context of the community it serves.

 

Fame Foundry partnered with Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County to develop platforms to help them advance their legacy of community involvement. These tools represent a long-term investment in the constant, ongoing process of building awareness and trust with an audience that will remember them if ever the time of need arrives. This is, in essence, a 360-degree approach to growth in which the community becomes an integral part of the organization and vice versa.

 

The new website sets out to tell the story of Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County and its passion for providing families with comfort, peace and hope in the most important times with their loved ones. The site also captures real people sharing their own experiences and their own passion for HPCIC with great candor and conviction. The ultimate result is laying a strong foundation of trust within the community in a way that traditional marketing could never replicate, helping families who are in need of hospice feel at peace with the decision they are making. To learn more about Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, visit http://www.hospiceofiredell.org.

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In the Driver's Seat

Fame Foundry has partnered with NASCAR driver Ryan Newman to develop his new official website. The site is home to the Ryan Newman Fan Club, which marks its 10th anniversary in 2011 with over 10,000 fans worldwide. When the site, which has been completely redesigned and re-engineered from the ground up, is unveiled on February 16, it will introduce a revolutionary new experience for fan club members that will allow them to be part of every race and every event like never before.

More than killer design

The new RyanNewman.org will offer all the expected benefits of a fan club site, including schedules, stats and merchandise as well as behind-the-scenes photos, videos and news from the Ryan Newman Racing organization. However, more importantly, it will be the only site of its kind in NASCAR built around an exclusive members-only micro social network. Here members can engage with other fans of Ryan Newman and NASCAR in ways never before possible as part of a thriving virtual community created by and for the fans.

Micro social network, major engagement

"Fame Foundry created something never seen before, allowing members to interact in new ways and providing them a central location to call their own." – Ryan Newman Members can post their own photos and videos to the site, making the community as much about the fans as it is about Ryan Newman. They can also participate in discussions that are much more robust than traditional message boards, as they are interactive and pervasive throughout all types of content and every event. In addition, fans can interact in real time anytime in live chat rooms. All photos, videos, discussions, news and chats will be aggregated by event so members can choose to browse content either by type or by event. The site is built to elevate the most popular member photos, videos and discussions, rewarding those who make great contributions and making it easy for members to find the best content. Additionally, each member will have an enhanced user profile page that provides a snapshot of all their recent activity across the site and highlights their most popular contributions. While the technology driving the site is quite advanced, the interface is highly intuitive so that members of all ages will find it easy and pleasurable to use. Fans can even remain active in the community when they are on the go, as the site is compatible with mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines

Because racing fans thrive on competition, members who start discussions or who post photos and videos can earn points – or votes – from other members that will put them in the chase for a spot on the fan club leaderboard. Points will be tallied all season long, with prizes awarded to the top performer each month as well as the top overall points earner for the season.

Giving fans and sponsors what they really want

"It has been exciting to watch the Ryan Newman website come to life,” said Newman. “The site is much more than its cool design. Fame Foundry created something never seen before, allowing members to interact in new ways and providing them a central location to call their own. It also provides more value to our sponsors than we have ever had before." “We are looking forward to launching the new Ryan Newman website,” said Greta Ray Anderson, director of the Ryan Newman Fan Club. “Not only will fan club members be able interact in meaningful ways with each other on the site, but Ryan will have his own profile, allowing him to engage with members directly by posting status updates, photos, videos and comments. RyanNewman.org will now become the exclusive go-to destination for the Ryan Newman fan community.” For a tour of the site and its many unprecedented features, check out this exclusive preview.

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