Here’s what I’ve done so far:  I created a new Twitter account, dedicated exclusively to the book, along with a thumbnail of one of the book’s pages.  I wrote a quick description/bio of the book, as well as my goal.

You might be wondering how that applied interview insights.  Good question- here’s a list of maxims, along with how I applied it:

1).  ”Be consistent.”  Since I wanted to keep my message strong, it was important to have a Twitter account that was exclusive to the book.  It shouldn’t be sharing my news from my personal life, or non-related stuff.  Because the book is focused on a specific disorder, I make sure that the whole account is connected to that as well.

2. “Use an image, don’t keep the default ‘egg’ thumbnail.”  Most people I talked to said that the egg was a sure sign of a newbie, or even a spam account, so right away they would dismiss that account.

3.  ”Write a good description/bio.”  Make it clear what you’re about.  I feel like this is the online equivalent of an elevator speech- it should be brief, concise, and communicate what you do.

That said, it was time to get followers.  I used Pluggio’s features to plug in various search terms, all of which were related to sensory integration disorder:  special education, sensory integration dysfunction, therapy, therapist, etc.  I created about 20 search terms, which Pluggio uses to generate friend suggestions.

There’s one more maxim that I kept in mind as I began my account.  ”Quality of your followers is more important than quantity.”  Though Pluggio has a feature to “follow all” of the suggested friends, I went through each one, scanning the bio to see what they were about.  If they were about education, or helping children, or therapy, I began to follow them.  I’ve already found 140+ good qualified people to connect to.

See how important the bio is?

By taking these steps, I am on my to building my social network of educators, teachers, and therapists, who I can establish relationships with, and be available for them if they are interested in our book or if they want more information on sensory integration dysfunction.

I’ll keep you posted on our progress :)

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Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

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Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Interviewer’s note:  I spoke with Gerardo Macias of Binbit, who talked about how his company has evolved over the years, and what role social media has played in that evolution, especially in honing its brand.  

Hello Gerardo, welcome to the Pluggio Blog!  In a nutshell, how do you describe your business? 

Binbit is a global mobile entertainment provider; we distribute games, ringtones, wallpapers, screensavers and such in more than 35 countries in 5 continents.

Hi Pat, welcome to the Pluggio Blog.  How do you describe your business?

I support small business owners with everything from administrative
and email duties, graphics, social media marketing and management,
web design to managing product launches,and everything in between.
I mostly support and implement all the technical pieces of an online business or any business who wants to be online.

How did you get started?

I started my business a little more than 2 years ago (officially). I started my business right after the earthquake in Haiti. My  one year old daughter was vacationing with my mother  (in Haiti) and I spent 48 hours not knowing exactly where they were and what was happening.

That must have been terrible- but what an incredible story to tell about your motivation to do this.

Yes, this experience totally pushed me into thinking about what was most important to me which was owning my time and working in what I loved  that was at the top of my list.  I was attending Concordia University in Montreal, pursuing my Masters Degree in Economics, but I decided to leave school and start my company.  I have always loved everything techy, I also have a passion for business owners in general and everything that goes on in the background  so creating an outsourcing company was just the best thing for me.

I have to ask- what happened to your family in Haiti?

My daughter came back home a week after the earthquake, and my mother still lives there.

Oh good!  Next question: What role does Twitter play in your business? 

Twitter is very important for my business when it comes to networking and sharing with people. It’s a really nice to meet new people and have a conversation.

I love Twitter specially because of it’s laid back and it’s fairly easy to connect with anybody just as long as you abide to the 140 characters. I am not shy about my business so it naturally comes up.

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

I have been able to meet and contact people whom I would not have had access to otherwise. I’ve also met people on Twitter that have become my clients and friends so that is great.

Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

I am proud of being able to start conversations with total strangers and then having these people become friends of mine later on. For me it’s all about the people and the connection.

How did you build your following?  What kinds of people/businesses are they?

I build my following organically, I follow people whom I have things in common with mostly so it’s not specific to people whom I want to do business with;  I also get contacted by people whom are intersted in my services or whom are referred to me by someone else. I guess they know that they can contact me quickly on Twitter. 

How will you choose who you will follow?  What do you look for in a follower?

If I see someone looking for outsourcing services, I might send them a lil’ tweet, and then see if they are a match for my business.  I don’t only follow businesses that I would love to do business with, but also those that are part of my startegy. I also follow the people behind those businesses, for me it’s more about the conversation with a sprinkle of direct marketing.

What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)? 

At first I didn’t have a strategy ( 2 years ago)  but the more my business grows the more strategic I become in my marketing specially social media marketing. I have also tried different strategies with social media but for me it’s very important to schedule my marketing tweets (the tweets that focus  on my business and services that I offer) so that I can focus on the more social part of twitter. So definitely scheduling tweets. I really think that Twitter can replace the dreaded cold call for so many small business people.

What didn’t work for you?

Only talking about business.. such a no no for me. I need to be able to connect with the person behind the business so I try to do the same. It’s very important for me to know what a company stands for and what they are about.

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

Not much, because for me to learn I really have to do and try different things. So I see my early days as my right of passage.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

It’s just so easy to connect with every peson who is on Twitter, I love that!

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

I think that all businesses need to be online because there are really no limits to what can be done. I’ve learned that it’s a really awesome way to grow and market a business, so  online marketing is definitely here to stay.

Follow Pat on Twitter here.

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Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Catchcarri.com is a blog dedicated to travel, entertainment, tourism and giveaways. My goal is to inspire people to connect with the world around them. By trying a new restaurant, activity or adventure I hope people see an exciting world open up.

I see you describe yourself as a “reporter tourist.”  What is that?  Sounds like the best of both worlds! How did you get started?

Always having a zest for travel and adventure, I became a go-to person on advice on what to do and see. I started my blog as a way to showcase all of the incredible things going on that are often in your backyard. It amazes me how much we miss out on that’s a quick drive from our doorstep. Hoping to inspire people to engage with the world around them, I approach stories with an adventurous spirit. You can be a tourist even in your home state!

What role does Twitter play in your business?

Twitter has helped me reach a new audience to spread my traveling world! On the flip side, it’s been incredible to network and receive advice from people that have built a business off blogging. It’s interesting to think how many connections I have made without even meeting people. Twitter plays a powerful role in Catchcarri.com

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

The biggest impact is reaching a larger audience as well as staying connected with them in an efficient manner. After becoming on active Twitter user, I have seen the stats on my blog and as well as “likes” on my Face Book page increase. What’s not to love about being able to promote and advertise to likely followers and readers for zero dollars?!

Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

Yes, starting contests on my blog! To reach a larger audience and also to draw them into a story, I form partnerships with businesses for sponsored giveaways. People’s interest is perked when they hear the word free. My goal is not just about getting something for free but about connecting and learning about a business. To connect these points, I always interview the business owners as well as upload a video interview on my page. I believe people are more likely to support a business if they have background information and start to feel some ownership in their knowledge. Plus, it gives it a local and community feel which is invaluable.

How did you build your following? What kinds of people/businesses are they?

I built my following by adding people with the same interests of writing, traveling, tourism, culture and adventure. If I write about a business or tour operator with a Twitter page, I make sure to always follow them and also include them in tweets about the story I posted. Even after the story is posted, it’s important to stay up to date on upcoming news and events with the business.

How will you choose who you will follow? What do you look for in a follower?

I follow people who are also bloggers or have a passion for traveling. I am especially excited to see when I have a new follower with common interests of blogging, traveling, or works in the tourism industry. Sometimes the use of Twitter can be questionable when you have followers who don’t speak the same language! It makes me realize the importance of stressing quality over quantity. I would rather have a small network of meaningful followers than ones that collect followers and couldn’t possibly keep up with their Twitter network.

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

I would have started exploring the site on a deeper level. I initially signed up for Twitter because I knew the importance of social media but not necessarily the ways to maximize use. I rarely followed back, tweeted, re-tweeted or networked. I now see Twitter as a powerful tool to build an audience as well as network with people.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

Connects people on a strictly professional basis. With Facebook you get caught up in many personal aspects. I love the succinctness of Twitter and to be able to focus on the brand you want to build. I post things on Twitter I would never post on Facebook and vice versa. I love using Facebook to keep up with friends and showcase more of my personal life- still travel- but also family etc. I use Twitter mainly only to build the Catch Carri brand I envision.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

I have learned it’s constantly changing! Once you think you are getting a grip on it you realize new tools or new ways to reach your audience. It’s incredibly important to stay up to date on the trends and stay current with the site. It’s easy to get frustrated, but by working through the frustrations you will feel empowered with what you can learn!

Follow Carri on Twitter here.

Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Hello Linda!  Welcome to the Pluggio Blog!  So I know you’re a writer, but what kind?  How do you describe your writing?

In a word, eclectic!  I write for a variety of audiences. For instance I have written seven books; one is about LinkedIn (LinkedIn Made Easy), another is about Twitter (Broadcasting Powerful Messages with Twitter) one is about starting an online business (How to Build a Brilliant Business with the Internet); three are books for women’s health books, and the last is a novel based in Cornwall which just happens to have the same name as my blog – Woman on the Edge of Reality.

Wow, that’s quite a diverse body of subjects.

When I’m writing online it depends on which audience I’m working with or whether I’m doing it on behalf of a client. On my website it’s all about web development, search engine optimisation and social media strategy. On the Hysterectomy Association it’s about women’s health issues; on my blog I typically write about being a writer and marketing books. Client work includes writing copy and posts for their websites, managing social accounts on their behalf and creating engaging and interesting content around subject such as mentoring and entrepreneurship.

How did you get started in writing about those subjects?

That’s a really interesting question and is one I’ve often thought about as there seems to be little correlation between women’s health and social media strategy. Women’s health came first because I founded Hysterectomy Association back in 1996/7 during my Master’s degree. I wrote the first booklet back then as well and it’s been downloaded by women ever since. My first women’s health book was written in 2005. How to Build a Brilliant Business With the Internet, Broadcasting Powerful Messages with Twitter and LinkedIn Made Easy came out of  my experience of using the social web and other online marketing tools and techniques with clients through Internet Mentor and growing the association to where it is today – dealing with 200,000+ women every month.

What role does Twitter play in your business?

Twitter plays an enormous role in all my business online. I have a main account (@lindaph) and a secondary account (@HysterectomyUK) Each cater for a different audience. Generally I use it as a way of keeping up to date with specific contacts and organisations and it certainly helps to highlight interesting content that I might not come across in any other way. I also use it as a way of keeping up with clients and keeping a eye on their online activities so that I can help them out when appropriate.

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

The biggest change has got to be the numbers engaging in social marketing, dipping a toe in the water and either staying or going – depending on their experience of getting a ‘quick win’. I find it really interesting to see that people, who just a few months ago said that they certainly wouldn’t be using Twitter, have suddenly discovered it and are tweeting away like mad.

I was one of those people!  :)  Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

I’m particularly proud of The Hysterectomy Association, it has been doing social marketing since it first started with baby steps in the mid 1990’s. There is a fallacy that social marketing came of age with the likes of Facebook, but the reality is that these platforms are doing nothing different to what we were doing with simple response based guest books and forums back at the very beginning. It’s importance is in the engagement and in how you translate into a successful business. We have a set of forums which have been around since early 2000’s which have upwards of 250,000 posts on them which are pruned every seven days, we have now embraced Facebook as well and our page is increasing its engagement daily with over 1,100 women regularly chatting together.

My other source of pride has to be some of our clients at Internet Mentor who have grown their website traffic and businesses enormously. Two in particular spring to mind – the Hive Beach Café is a small beachfront café specialising in fFish and it has just been given the title of one of the top 5 fish restaurants to eat in the world. Much of that growth has developed as a result of a concerted awareness and marketing strategy we have been working with them on over the last two years. The second is the Mowgli Foundation which is a new charity that specialises in providing mentoring to entrepreneurs in the Middle East; they have grown their website traffic 300% in an extremely niche area, and it’s all as a result of the online activities they do and the engagement they have with their mentors.

3,000 people following you:  How did you build your following?  What kinds of people/businesses are they?

Many of them are local to the Dorset area, others are authors and others are those who are interested in the social media work I’ve been doing. I’ve grown the numbers slowly over the last few years by finding the people and organisations I specifically wanted to work with and help and engaging with them. Every time I engage with someone new the number of followers grows.

How will you choose who you will follow?  What do you look for in a follower?

I have fairly strict criteria about who I follow and why and that is probably because I’m a networker (both on and offline). First of all I check that they are active and have a profile that gives me something interesting to read. Then I look to see what they are talking about online and whether it is something I am interested in or not; and finally I see if they are active at retweeting and/or responding to those they engage with. However,  I will follow some accounts because, although they will never respond, I know that they are curating some really useful information that I can’t find any other way.  I’m also interested in who people are following as well – you can find some really great accounts this way.

What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)? 

There is only one strategy at the end of the day and that is talking to the right people at the right time in the right way. This comes from knowing who your audience is and what is most important in their world rather than yours.

What worked for you?

In terms of actions, it’s being accessible and helpful. In terms of technology, this changes depending on where people are asking you the questions.

What didn’t work for you?

Not being ‘present’ – if you don’t engage, you don’t get.

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

In a way I’ve been using ‘social media’ as a way of engaging with online users since the mid 1990’s because I always focused on the conversation and helping people out by answering their questions. However, I guess you mean social media in terms of things like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, in which case it has to be that I would have started blogging properly when I set up my first blog back in 2002 instead of waiting until this year to really get it going!  I’ve had my current blog since 2006 and it’s only in 2012 that I’ve finally realised what I could use it for. And although we’ve been using WordPress to power the main site for the Hysterectomy Association since 2005 I only turned on commenting last year!

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

Quick and easy access to information and news I can’t find readily elsewhere. It is also the world’s best medium to ask a question and get an answer almost immediately.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

Once you start you must keep going; this is not a start and stop strategy because the relationships you are building are conditional upon you actually being present and engaged with the people who want to talk to you.

 Follow Linda on Twitter here. 

Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Interviewer’s Note:  I spoke with David Of Lionheart Insurance, a British insurance brokerage, about how his firm is using social media, primarily Twitter, to reach out to customers and friends.  We had a nice talk about his philosophy on social media, as well as the importance of providing value to your following.

Hi David, welcome to the Pluggio Blog.  How do you describe your business?

Lionheart Insurance is one of the fastest independent insurance brokers in the UK.  We provide insurance policies for Motor, Home and Commercial Set ups.

Do you specialize in any certain areas?

We specialise in niche areas  including Motor Trade, Young Drivers, Convicted Drivers, Catering Vehicles, Motorbikes and Combined Business Packages. We believe in personal, professional service, which is making us both the national and local broker.

How did you get started?

Having been in and around insurance for over 20 years and having seen how some great companies work as well as those that need some attention go around the same cycles, we believed we saw a gap in the market for a small “Blue Chip” insurance brokerage, who would pride themselves on the personal approach, professionally conducted, who could give value for money. This is how we started with this in mind, with three people in a shop front and have grown from there. We use our website www.lionheartinsurance.co.uk extensively in our growth plans.

What role does Twitter play in your business?

Twitter forms an important pillar in our communication facilities with our customers. We communicate with prospective and existing customers who need help on line. Some of our customers feel comfortable with Twitter and as such we have worked hard to support this customer request.

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

There’s been a swing toward more and more online communication, which Twitter is fuelling. Social Marketing is more contrived and that is not what we are about. In many ways, the emphasis is changing to become more customer driven.  Now that our customers are internet savvy we need to provide many ways to make it easy for them to contact us. As such, Twitter has become an important part of communicating with them.

Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

I’m proud the fact we’ve been able to help so many people and the way the communication has become easier. Oh, and the fact we have over 9,000 followers now.

9,000 people following you- wow!  How did you build your following? 

We are members of a few network groups, some business and some social. We encourage friends, customers, like minded businesses and our social circles to follow. It seems once you start to generate a following it seems to attract additional followers. For all new followers we check that they are not spam accounts (which we normally block), give them a shout out and follow them back, even if they are international twitter users.

How will you choose who you will follow?  What do you look for in a follower? 

We normally follow people that we communicate with. We also like to read extensively on internet marketing and how different businesses use social media so we’ll often follow people who interest us, who often follow us back. There’s a lot out there you can learn from.

What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)?

We do very little off line marketing. We do a lot of charity work, but apart from shaking the tin for people, we do not make a big fuss of it. Charity work should be about the charity, not about the people doing it for personal recognition. Online, we’re still learning heaps. We do not have a winning formula, but rather one we are happy to be creative, see what works and what doesn’t, learn, adjust and move on to the next crazy thing.

What worked for you? 

In the words of Dr Stephen Covey “Give before you receive, listen before being understood”. Provide support, help and guidance to people before expecting any interest in sales.

What didn’t work for you? 

Hard sell doesn’t work, especially on line. People can virtually go anywhere when on line, including out the door. The focus needs to be hitting the person’s needs and wants, not what you’ve got to sell. Don’t be frightened to say, ‘ sorry I can’t help you this time but I know someone who can’. People are clued up and therefore if they get good advice will always come back

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

Started it earlier.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

Probably build relationships better than other tools. I’ve met some fantastic people through Twitter, in fact spent last weekend with some at Twickenham enjoying the rugby.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

To do it right, it takes a lot of effort, but then it’s the new shop front.

Follow Lionheart Insurance on Twitter here.

Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Hello Megan, welcome to the Pluggio Blog!  So I see you’re a grant writer, among other things.  What does that entail?

My work is different every day, which is just how I like it. Every task and every project challenges me and forces me to think on my feet. It’s been surprising to learn that even though I am a professional writer, I don’t spend all of my time writing.

You must wear a lot of hats, right?

I do a lot of project management and oversight activities and I spend a lot of time marketing myself. But I do love the constantly changing nature of what I do. It’s fun to wake up every day and see what new business or nonprofit has emailed me to talk about collaborating.

How did you get started ?

I got started freelance writing when a college professor suggested I pitch stories to the local alternative newspaper. I had no idea that freelance writing was that simple. Not easy, but straightforward–just a matter of coming up with a great idea and getting that idea in front of the right person. I had some great success right off the bat and was hooked. Then I had an opportunity to do some grant writing through a summer internship and found that to be another great outlet for my talents.

What does a grant writer bring to the table that a business needs? What is the benefit?

Everybody needs money, and a grant writer can help with that. I help nonprofits and businesses create a compelling story about what it is they do and why, and that helps potential supporters get on board.

What role does Twitter play in your business?

Twitter has been a fantastic tool for marketing my business and my services. It’s allowed me to reach potential clients in a proactive way, rather than waiting for them to find me through a Google search or a referral.

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

I’ve seen people collaborating with folks they might otherwise never have come across. The sharing of ideas has been huge.

Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

I have a ton of followers, which always surprises me. But my biggest accomplishments have been helping nonprofits and other grant writers with tips and tricks of the trade that I think really benefit them.

11,000 people following you- wow! How did you build your following? What kinds of people/businesses are they?

I build my following by providing a service–useful information. My followers are mostly folks in the nonprofit world.

How will you choose who you will follow? What do you look for in a follower?

I follow people I think can benefit from my tweets or from whom I can benefit. Everyone has different insights, experiences, and perspectives and Twitter is a great place to seek that out and to learn and grow.

What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)?

I try to be helpful, to be an expert. This has the dual benefit of actually helping people, which I love to do, and proving myself as an expert.

What worked for you?

The tips and advice I give out really seem to impact people and help them. They’re also great conversation starters, helping me learn even more.

What didn’t work for you?

I’ve had a few failed attempts with promotions and giveaways, but I’m refining that process for the future.

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

I would have joined in the conversation more rather than blindly retweeting. It’s important to contribute.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

It allows me to do outbound marketing seamlessly and quickly. I can reach out to folks rather than waiting for them to find me.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

It really is helpful and it really does work. All the people who are still scratching their heads over Twitter and calling it a phase or writing it off as something they can’t ever understand are losing out.

Follow Megan on Twitter here.

Become a follower of us on Twitter at: @Tweets4SmallBiz

For my posts about topics in small business and entrepreneurship,  follow my updates via RSS here

Hello Lisa!  Welcome to the Pluggio Blog.  How do you describe your business? 

Hello Jason!  Thank you so much for having me!  SavvyPhone, the company that invented SavvyCards, develops web-based software tools that help people and businesses promote themselves and make money.

Tell me about SavvyCards- they look like a great idea!  What’s the story and concept behind that? 

SavvyCard is the most recent of the tools we’ve created. Simply put, SavvyCard is a ”micro-website” publishing platform. The first product to debut on this platform is the SavvyCard Online Business Card, which is a a free, powerful personal branding and social networking tool that allows people to consolidate all their online information – including contact information, social media information, pertinent educational material and more – in an interactive, online, mobile optimized “Card” that you can update in real-time and that is sharable and tradable.

So you can pass it round like a Vcard from Outlook explorer, but it lets you interact with it as well?  Very cool!

It also allows you to recommend other people and businesses, so it works as a business development and networking tool as well.

How did you come up with the idea of online business cards? 

We got really tired of carrying around a ton of paper business cards and wasting time putting them into various contact management applications. The other issue was that sometimes one of us would briefly meet a fantastic person and have a great conversation, but a week or two later when we wanted to reach out to them, we were not able to place that face with a name and figure out which business card in our enormous stack was theirs. We thought, “There HAS to be a better way to do this”, especially when we wanted to forward someone’s information to another person as a referral or to facilitate an introduction between two people. So the idea of SavvyCard was born.

Is it something you invented, or was it an existing idea you improved upon?

It’s a little bit of both, really. We checked out other solutions that were available at the time but we ran into a bunch of problems with them: Most were apps and required the other person to have the software, or they weren’t usable by people who didn’t have an iPhone or a Droid, or they weren’t easily tradable, or they didn’t have any real branding or visual customization features, or they weren’t mobile friendly, or their functionality was really limited, or we weren’t able to easily store and manage them. Usually it was a combination of these factors.

So you saw a niche/problem, and filled it, eh?

Yes. Plus, they didn’t really take advantage of the interactive, digitally connected medium on which they were built.

What are some of the advantages of online business cards? 

First and foremost, they’re free and they’re green. They also never go out of date. Once someone has your SavvyCard, they have it forever. If you change your contact information, those changes automatically propagate to everyone who has your card so they can always reach you.

Secondly, you’ll never lose your contacts. SavvyCards are cloud based, so if you lose your phone or your hard drive blows up, you can log into your SavvyCard account from any Internet capable device, even another smartphone, and your contact list is still there. And you don’t need backup apps, either.

Third, they’re amazing branding tools. We designed SavvyCards to be super customizable so you can exercise enormous creative control.

Fourth, they’re powerful networking, promotional and educational tools. SavvyCards are not just limited to your basic contact and social media account information. They take advantage of the strengths of the device they’re being used on and let people DO things with them: people can call, email or text you right from the cards themselves. They can click a button to get driving directions to your place of work. They can push your card to other people through email, text, QR codes and even through social media networks. People can learn all about you and your company through your SavvyCard. They can read educational materials you push to them. Learn about other people and businesses you recommend through them. Read about important industry information through them. In essence, SavvyCards are these valuable little pocket resources of everything that’s YOU related. That’s extremely powerful. At that point, they’re not just business cards anymore but effective promotional vehicles that help you establish and maintain direct relationships with current and prospective customers and help grow your business.

So what’s the next step on the cards?  What other features do you have planned for them?

The coolest thing about the SavvyCard platform is that it was designed to accept new functionality, so that we can develop and ‘snap in’ new features and create SavvyCards for all sorts of uses, not just Business Cards. For example, we’re working right now on designing functionality to support Company SavvyCards that, in essence, will act as mobile-optimized websites. Small businesses especially will go nuts over these because most can’t afford the cost of having their own sites redone so that they work on all devices, including mobile.

We also are in process of designing SavvyCards for events and products/brands as well as cards for specific industry verticals like Music, Arts/Entertainment, Sports, Restaurant, Retail and others. The list goes on!

What role does Twitter play in your business?

Because we’re a startup, Twitter plays an enormous role in our efforts to get the word out about our product. Traditional advertising is expensive, and it isn’t nearly as effective in terms of targeting and engaging the right user. With Twitter, we’re able to identify influencers in spheres that are highly synergistic with our product, and engage with them directly.

What impact or change have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

For us, it’s been instrumental in helping us find new users. Our product is free, and it’s amazingly useful, so the response has been great. It’s also helped our brand get a foothold in our space, because high-tech is a competitive place to be. From a general perspective, Twitter has had an amazing impact on the entire concept of marketing. It’s really evened the playing field between companies with a ton of cash to throw at advertising, and small companies with brilliant products but very little money. It’s allowed the “little guy” to effectively compete with giants. That’s just amazing stuff!

Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

We are super excited that our social media marketing has resulted in a number of relationships with industry influencers and members of the press who have written wonderful things about us. We’ve gone from this little company no one’s ever heard of a few months ago to one that is being highlighted in a “Tech Trends” story being done by our local NBC news station for their morning news show. We’re super proud of that!

How did you build your following?

In all honesty, we just started tweeting in mid-March, when the first open beta version of our product went live. We’ve been very selective in who we follow, and that’s been key to building an engaged following. Twitter has wonderful tools that make it easy for us to identify key people and influencers who we believe would find our product useful and whose followers would benefit from our product as well. We reach out to them personally and offer to help them build their first SavvyCard, including a free custom-designed background and free photo retouch/cut-out services. Usually we charge a small fee for those services, so the fact we’re offering that in trade for just trying out SavvyCard is almost always met with a positive response.

What kinds of people/businesses are they?

We’ve developed a long-term Twitter strategy and we’re just starting the first phase, so currently we are targeting people who love technology, who love social media, who understand the value of personal connections, who live and breathe the “Thank You Economy”, who are open to new ideas, who love to try new things and who can greatly benefit from having a SavvyCard. They are usually people in the business of helping other people, whose own personal brands are super important: Personal Branding gurus, Social Marketing experts, Job Placement and Recruitment professionals, Life Coaches, Self Improvement specialists, etc. As we add new functionality to SavvyCards and these new features come online for other uses, like Event cards for example, we’ll reach out to people who are respected and popular in those spheres of influence and work with them to demonstrate how SavvyCards can help their business and their followers, too.

How will you choose who you will follow?

There are two criteria we use. First, are they a target follower for us? If so, and they are an influencer and have an impressive following, we’ll follow them. Many times they’ll follow us back. Even if they don’t, it’s amazingly insightful to “listen” to what our target audience is saying on a daily basis. It gives us a really good idea of what’s important to them and helps us tailor our messaging. Secondly, do they provide value to our business? If we find someone who has wonderful suggestions on how to help us do our job better and improve our business, we’ll follow them, even if they don’t specifically meet our criteria as a follower.

What do you look for in a follower?

We look for people who are active daily in discussions on topics that are relevant to our product. We look for people who genuinely want to share their tips and ideas for improving either themselves or their businesses with the community at large. We look for people who have built impressive followings because they regularly deliver intelligent, insightful, helpful and meaningful information to their followers. They are influencers because they are genuinely informative, and are not tweeting simply for their own benefit.

What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)?

I’ll be honest, I had no idea what I was doing really when I first started. All I knew was that we had to say things that were valuable to other people, and that I had to figure out a way to get people to follow us back. I’ve been a marketing communications professional for over 20 years, and once I really started to watch how people were interacting, the light bulb went off. It’s simple really; the entire concept of getting value out of Twitter comes down to a very basic principal: you do something nice for someone you believe in, and they reciprocate. It’s really not any harder than that.

That’s so true!  Last night I heard somebody give advice to “not set out to pursue ideas that make money, but do things; make things that create value for others.  I sincerely believe that.   So as far as Twitter usage: what worked for you?

We read and comment on lots of information people post and retweet stuff that is particularly relevant to SavvyCards. We don’t say anything unless it’s positive, and we always make sure we include hash tags in our tweets that help the original tweet authors gain visibility wherever their business will benefit from it the most. Sometimes that takes a little research on our part, but it’s worth it. We work hard to help elevate visibility for other individuals and businesses, and they in turn will often do the same for us. As of yet, we have not automated any of our responses, though with the traffic we are now seeing we will have to start doing so to a degree. However, we are committed to spending a few hours everyday to personally reviewing the twitter activity on our account and reaching out and responding personally to Tweets and Direct Tweets. I think that personal touch is absolutely essential to maintaining your Twitter brand integrity.

What didn’t work for you?

Since we’ve not been doing this for too long, we haven’t had too many “Oops!” moments, but I can tell you from watching other Twitter dialogues that being an aggressive self-promoter will pretty much get you nowhere. I’m an online gamer, and in those games there is always an “Ignore” list that you can put people on so you don’t have to “listen” to them anymore. Aggressive self-promoters end up on my Twittter “Ignore” list because they are not at all interested in the greater good of the Twitter community and just don’t understand the social aspect of the medium. Twitter is about two-way communication, about collaboration, about sharing and providing value to one another. Shoving your agenda one-way down people’s throats is not at all in tune with that philosophy and it won’t get you any traction.

If you could go back to when you first began using social media, what is one thing you would have done differently?

I would have started WAY sooner.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

Twitter gives me access to an immense community of like-minded, relevant, intelligent, knowledgeable people that I could not reach in any other way.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

Be genuine, sincere and “real”. Believe in yourself, believe in your community and customers, and believe that good things do come to those who make a habit of doing good things for others!

Follow SavvyCards on Twitter here.

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