Today we’d like to introduce you to Tinger Hseih.
Tinger, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Like most people, I had typical 9-5 desk jobs. I initially worked in finance and then switched careers to digital advertising in September 2008 as the economy took a nosedive. At this new company, I learned how to reach potential consumers with behavioral targeting for my Fortune 500 brands. As much as I enjoyed this job, I always had a yearning to create more opportunities to help others.
I became a certified health coach in 2015 while I was still working in digital advertising, which was a great way to share my love of delicious-yet-healthy regional meals while helping my community to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. I started sharing recipes and tips on my blog Dash of Ting and social media. As my message gained traction, I was hired to host shows for Tastemade and create content for Matador Network, Buzzfeed and Thrillist. By the end of 2016, I left my corporate job to become a full-time content creator.
Because many of the brands I collaborated with, including McDonald’s, Panda Express, HelloFresh, Kia and Fox Entertainment, knew I also had a digital advertising background, I would provide them with branding strategies or a roster of influencers who could help drive their messaging. Often times, these brands are looking for niche influencers to create unique video content and appeal to a very specific and highly engaged audience; these highly skilled content creators aren’t usually found on platforms. As a content creator myself, I’m able to immerse myself in this world and connect with these “unicorn” influencers.
As the demand for my expertise grew, I created a separate business to accommodate these requests that are outside the scope of my blog. Dash of Media is a fully integrated business solutions consultancy that provides expertise for digital marketing, influencer marketing, content creation and experiential activations. I’ve been fortunate to combine my industry knowledge from working in the digital advertising space for the past 11 years while creating content as a blogger for the past five years.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wish! Communication is key. One of the struggles that many brands and influencers have is creating content that aligns with the brand’s messaging while remaining authentic to the content creator’s creative vision. Often times, I hear the frustrations from both parties, which could end the partnership before the campaigns even begin as each influencer and brand have particular goals in mind. Because I understand both sides of the business, I’m able to create a synergistic collaboration.
We’d love to hear more about Dash of Ting & Dash of Media.
In addition to connecting brands with my network of culturally diverse influencers, I’ve also created opportunities for businesses to work with each other; this has been a growing demand as it extends brand reach with similar potential consumers. For instance, I seamlessly integrated Korean supermarket chain Zion Market within an event at KCon 2019 (Korean Pop Culture Convention). The more challenging the brand request, the more creative I become. So please send more of these requests my way!
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I used to think hearing the answer “NO” was a huge barrier. This phrase could have come from myself or potential clients. While it’s easy to retreat and feel emotionally drained after being rejected, I’ve trained my brain to think otherwise. Now when I hear the answer “no,” I view this as “not now, maybe later.” I know that I provide services that are helpful for many of my Fortune 500 and mid-tier brands who are looking to work with niche influencers or create unconventional yet compelling digital and offline campaigns. As females, we need to trust our instincts and keep moving closer to our goals. And let’s continue to support and lift each other up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dashofmedia.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dashofmedia
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