Lisa and Tommy chat about their decision process and why they decided not to buy an iPad … this time. Did you buy one? What do you think? Are we right to hold out? Or, are we just plain crazy and missed the greatest opportunity of a lifetime?

Red Shoes Speaks No. 20 No buyer’s remorse: They didn’t buy an iPad from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

It’s estimated there are one-hundred million videos online on Youtube – the popular video sharing website. Hundreds are posted by Appleton’s Tommy Clifford. Today in Online with Erin, Clifford shares with Erin Davission some simple tips that will get your videos in front of your audience…. and when you are posting your video, DO NOT forget keywords that will describe your video – very helpful for finding them later.

Open letter to the team at Red Shoes PR

2009 has been quite a year from me and my family. One that will be hard to top.  But, looking back, I have to ask:  Why do we live in a society where people spend so much time writing letters telling people when they do things wrong, but never enough time writing when things are going right?

As 2009 comes to a close I feel compelled to complete the circle on a few things. Sending thank you notes has been one of my goals for 2009 and I feel that I have one a pretty good job. Many times it’s hard to remember, but it’s the small things that count! However, in one specific situation, a simple written card just would not do justice.

Let me explain….

Back in February I went to my first “tweetup.” I had no idea what this would be like. Would it be a fun event or load of guys doing nothing but dinking on their tech toys? Well, it was a bit of both. Picture this…here we are at the food court of the local mall. Just like a money drop in a kidnapping, we picked a public spot, just in case things got bad. We had 3 -4 tables pushed together in the center; ten to twelve males and three lone females in attendance. The sexes were divided like Moses parting the Red Sea- guys on one end of the table with the ladies on the other. The awkwardness of a 7^th grade dance. I had been following most of them on twitter, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into… I had never met any of them “IRL,” in real life.

This is where I had my opportunity of meeting the great ladies from Red Shoes PR. Lisa, her son Manny, Karen, and Maria were all there.  I think Manny was brought to provide protection just in case things got ugly So, that’s where it all started.

Fast forward a few months… May 22^nd was a big day in the life and times of the Tommy household. It started off like any other day…you know, a trip to the local hospital to give birth to our son. A few pictures, a few tweets, and an IV drip and we were off to the races. With all the attention on mom, dad needed something to keep himself busy and out of her hair.  So twitter was it. Keeping everyone up to speed was my new job. Soon tweets started coming in from the 4 corners of the globe. Needless to say the gals at Red Shoes had their ears to the railroad tracks. One thing leads to another and soon I was getting messages from a local TV reporter at WFRV saying they were coming down to do a story?

Coming to do a story? What’s happening here?!?!?!

You all lived it so I don’t need to rehash…

What I do need to do is express my deepest thank you for the love and faith you have put in me and my family.  What started out as a lark certainly has turned out to be no joke! The term social media has no greater meaning than in my  own life experiences. The ability spread your wings and fly is exactly what has and continues to happen.  To date, my sweetheart has always been my biggest fan and cheerleader, but I now have some new faces in my cheering section… and I love it. You gave me a chance… and chance to stretch and do something I have never done before. I was given the chance to speak in front of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce which has blossomed into other speaking gigs and workshops.

2009 has turned out to be such a whirlwind year. Many companies that were pillars in their respective industries have crumbled to the ground and small business like you have flourished and continue solid growth. Red Shoes certainly didn’t get any bailouts or freebees to get along, your hard work and dedication did the trick. Just a great team of ladies…working a little, laughing a little and giving your clients exactly what they ask for…exceptional service.

This secret sauce is one that needs to be captured and bottled. I bet others would pay top dollar for this secret to success!

So to the ladies of Red Shoes PR… THANK YOU! My life has forever changed. I have a new son, I’ve honed some new talents, but most of all, I have some amazing new friends who will be in my life forever. Can it get much better than that? No it cannot!!!

YOU ALL ROCK

-  Tommy!

Lisa and Tommy talk about smart phones and the choice of a touch screen for entering texts and tweets as opposed to a real keyboard. Which works better? The answer might surprise you. What do you think? Sound off on Twitter hashtag #redshoespeak

RedShoe Speak No. 4 New Smart Phone from Lisa Cruz on Vimeo.

Lisa and Tommy discuss the talk of the town, Adam Lambert and his outrageous American Music Awards performance. Like it or loathe it, it got people talking. It should be duly noted that no real swear words were used during the taping of this video. Have a comment? #redshoespeak on twitter.

Red Shoe Speaks #3 from Lisa Cruz on Vimeo.

I was asked by Rebecca Corliss @hubspot marketing to do this blog posting. I was so extied, but when she told me she wanted me to do a video blog posting, I was even more excited. I feel this is where my personality really shines. THANKS Rebecca and thanks HubSpot for your faith in me!!

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Thomas Clifford, or @tommytrc, is a personable guy who loves creating videos for his kids, blogging, and building relationships on Twitter as the top Twitterer in Wisconsin. He’s given talks on how to “Be a Social Media Rock Star,” inspiring audiences to develop strong relationships in social media.

Tommy is a great example of someone who has used his personality to create a strong online (and offline) network. He holds nothing back, even sharing the the birth of his son with his online network by live-tweeting.

In the video below, Tommy talks about what building a personal brand means to him, and how being yourself online can help your business. Who wants to do business with people they don’t like?

Here are Tommy’s three steps to building a personal brand:

1) Start slow. The number of tools available can be overwhelming. Pick one or two, learn them, and move on. You’re not going to tackle the whole world overnight.

2) Just do it. There are plenty of excuses not to try, but social media is an experiment. You don’t know what does work until you find out what doesn’t work.

3) Be yourself. Don’t be a fake person or a robot. If people fall in love with you on a personal level, they are certainly going to want to do business with you on a professional level.

Who do you know and/or appreciate for their strong personal brand?

Below are some of my presentations and video speaking engagements that I have been involved in. I try to keep it up to date

How to be a Killer Social Media Advicate -

Leaderfest 2011

April 20th, 2011

Tommy Clifford from HC MIller and Jess Dennis from Red Shoes PR speak at Leaderfest for one of the breakout sessions. The topic for their discussion is how to be a killer social media advocate for your business.

Leaderfest is a  Regional Young Professional event on April 20th hosted by Pulse, the Young Professionals Network of the Fox Cities Chamber. Below is a video of one of the sessions as well as the presentation itself… Enjoy and comments are always welcome!

Be a Social Media Rock Star

August 12th, 2009

The Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce presented Be a Social Media Rock Star at the F.K. Bemis Center at St. Norbert College in De Pere Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 a.m. I was the opening and closing presenter and what an amazing time had by all. It was so great to meet all fine folks in Green Bay. What an honor to be a part of that group. Such a great time and I learned to much!!!

You can follow along with all the action on the What the tweet website…

Or you can see the youtube video that Sara Nisler Flimed here…SMROCKGB Youtube Channel

The seminar was the offspring of the chambers first social media seminar, What the Tweet Is Social Media Marketing? Breakout sessions focused on Twitter; Facebook; LinkedIn; blogging; YouTube, photo/video sharing and online buzz; and selling social media to CEOs — policies and procedures. The seminar also included ideas for creating and deploying social media strategy.

Presenters included Tommytrc, Dana VanDen Heuvel of MarketingSavant, Kiar Olson, and Dave Sauter of ENVANO, Todd Lohenry.

Here’s a short video that was put together by the boys over at Freshpaintdigital for the video. This rocks!!

Here’s my Speach, THANK YOU Andy Crash for taping this…

PART ONE

PART TWO

My Presentations

 @tommytrc and @andycrash on Twitter meet up a late lunch social media networking discussion at Red Robin. Food was great. Crash’s son’s nap was 2 hours past due. Nothing accomplished. Camera: Katelynn Connell. Edited by Crash

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Lisa Cruz, President of Red Shoes PR in Appleton, WI to do a guest blog posting on the Red Shoes PR blog. I was totally 100% overwhelmed and humbled by the invitation. The reactions and comments have been stunning. You can read all the comments here. My life has been forever changed by the relationships I have made. It keeps getting better and better…  – Tommy
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Today’s guest blogger is Thomas Clifford, or tommytrc as his followers know him as. Red Shoes PR first met tommytrc via Twitter during the fall of 2008. Tommytrc regularly ranks as one of the top three Twitterers in Wisconsin and top 100 in the world. Tommytrc’s presence on Twitter skyrocketed after tweeting throughout the birth of his son. We asked him to share his passion and expertise on social media. Thank you tommytrc!

I come from a very heavy Italian background. My grandfather on my mother’s side was born in Sicily, so eating and food preparation took a major role in my social upbringing.

Social media is like the recipe for Mom’s favorite spaghetti sauce or chocolate chip cookies. Everyone has a recipe and each is a bit different than the next, though the purpose of the finished product remains bringing smiles to the eater’s face!

Like every good recipe, you start by throwing a few key ingredients together, season to taste and Voile! your masterpiece takes shape. The key ingredients to social media engagement are really simple. Your mileage may vary as everyone’s social media engagement “strategy” is different. Here are my five key ingredients to social media success:

Interaction
It’s next to impossible to be involved in social media without interacting with others. Interaction is one of the main ingredients to a successful social media experience. Regardless of if you are using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, the base for each of these social media services is interacting with others. This may be the hardest work you do. You must get out there and meet people, strike up conversations and do some old fashioned “networking.” People can tell if you are genuine or not, and in social media, the one thing you cannot fake is interaction. While some people may find it hard to strike up a conversation on social media sites, I say just like the first dip into the pool, just do it! Once people start replying to your questions or comments, you will get the bug. And it’s infectious. Interaction feeds on other interaction, and before you know it, you will be a social media butterfly.

Share
As you build your social media recipe, it’s next to impossible to go through your day without seeing something that is worth repeating. Whether it’s a post on Twitter or a comment on Facebook, if you like it, spread the word. Like a telephone operator in the old days, if you see a comment that you feel your network of friends will like, “patch it on in” and pass the good 411 around. On Twitter you would retweet it, or on Facebook you comment on it. That way people in your networks can be exposed to valuable information and find people they normally would not cross paths with. In the Twitter world, the sincerest form of flattery is to be retweeted by someone else. Sharing is critical for true social media engagement.

Listen
Many times, the most important ingredient for your master recipe is also the one that you are most likely to leave out. Kind of like the salt in your mom’s favorite chocolate chip recipe, “Why does something sweet need salt??” You may think that skipping this all-too important ingredient will not make any difference, but have you ever tried chocolate chip cookies sans salt? You get the picture. In social media, the top engagers are also the best listeners. Its one thing to want your message heard, it’s totally another to listen to other’s messages. Like a great parent, favorite teacher or counselor at school, what makes them great are their listening skills. Many times it’s not what you say that is important, it’s the fact you give someone a listening ear.

The same holds true to social media. Just like an IRL (In Real Life) conversation, listening is one of those ingredients that can make or break the interaction. A conversation without listening is just like mom’s chocolate chip cookies without salt. Do not forget to listen.

Moderation
A great cook knows when to hang up her apron and leave the kitchen. Likewise, in social media sometimes you just need to log off, shut down and spend some quality time doing something else. I’m not talking about just going to bed either. You cannot be a top engager in social media if you are not engaged in real life. You cannot neglect your local friends. Things like local tweetups, local Twitter meet-ups, are great opportunities to network and build new friends, while also feeding your hunger for social media interaction. Locally, we have a pancake tweetup every other Friday at 7 a.m. This is a great way to put real faces to the Twitter avatars and talk more openly about issues and situations. These local interactions actually strengthen our Twitter relations because now you are true friends with these people.

Family
Like moderation, family time is one thing that you may not expect to hear in a social media engagement “must have” list. But, family is one of those ingredients that will add so much pizzazz to your social media experience. Looking for content to share on Twitter or Facebook? Look no further than family oriented stories and experiences. Nothing builds more credit on the social media networks then someone who shares true blue family interaction. You can’t build good family interaction if you are on Twitter or Facebook all day, which is why the family ingredient goes hand-in-hand with our moderation ingredient. Showing family pictures and stories not only warms the heart of your friends and followers, but also shows you are a real person, which in turn builds your followers and friends. It’s a vicious circle that works.

Now, just because you talk about your family, does not mean you need to give up their identity. Privacy is one thing we all need to be careful of. I talk about my wife online all the time, but instead of giving up her name, she is referred to as “mrstommytrc.” This makes it fun, while also keeping your privacy level high. You can experiment to see what works for you.

Now remember kids, if your initial blend of herbs and spices isn’t exactly right, no need to worry or fret. Social media is your creation and you make it what you want. I know from personal experience that mom’s special sauce was always a work in progress. A little more of this, or a little less of that. Like all great cooks, experimenting to get the blend just right takes time and practice, but once you hit it, you will be a social media engagement gourmet!

Connect with tommytrc:
Twitter: @tommytrc

Contact: Lori Kaye Lodes, 920.593.3423 or llodes@titletown.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One of Wisconsin’s top Twitterers featured at “Be A Social Media Rock Star”

Green Bay, Wis.­- (July 29, 2009)- Tommy Clifford, one of the most avid Twitterers in Wisconsin, will kick off and close the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Be A Social Media Rock Star” event on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the F.K. Bemis Center on the St. Norbert College campus.

Clifford, known as Tommytrc to his Twitter followers, regularly rates as one of the top three Twitterers in Wisconsin and the top 100 in the world. He has more than 15,000 followers on Twitter and has created more than 50,000 tweets – and counting. Tommytrc’s presence on Twitter escalated to new heights when he tweeted about one of the pivotal events in his family’s life: the birth of his son, Andrew, on May 22, 2009. The resulting followers – from Hong Kong to Los Angeles – and ensuing news coverage even astounded Tommytrc, a self-professed technology nut.

“Being Twitter centric is what has gotten me where I am,” said Tommytrc. “But it’s not about me. It’s about my followers and the relationship we have.”

Case in point: After tweeting about his son’s birth, Tommytrc’s family got to know a California family who baked cupcakes in baby Drew’s honor and photographed themselves with them and a sign wishing him a happy birthday. The Tommytrc family responded with a cupcake “thank-you” video they posted themselves.

Tommytrc’s presentation at the Be A Social Media Rockstar event will address how personal experiences like these with his brand can translate to business brand- and relationship-building.

“I’m very passionate about this. People can see the passion I have about building my personal brand. If I can do this myself, others than do it themselves. They can translate it to Anna’s Autoparts, Jimmy’s Quilts or Susie’s Cookies and turn their brands into rock stars.”

Join Tommytrc and several others presenters for the day at Be A Social Media Rock Star, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the F.K. Bemis Center at St. Norbert College. The hands-on learning will include breakout sessions on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Blogging, YouTube and photo/video sharing, and Selling Social Media to Your CEO. Attendees can opt for four of the six breakout sessions and attend the TweetUp after the event. Event presenters include Tommytrc, Dana VanDen Heuvel of MarketingSavant, Kiar Olson of Element Creative and David Sauter of Envano. The cost is $69 for Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce members, $119 for non-members.

Special thanks to major contributors MarketingSavant and Element Creative and event sponsors Global Recognition, Cineviz and Nicolet National Bank.

To learn more about Tommyt