In this interview with SMC’s Jennifer Cabala, Horvath describes how he manages to grow Invisiblepeople.tv and raise awareness about poverty using social media, by himself, with zero budget.   He also explains how fans can come from some very unexpected places, and his key to using social media successfully.

When did you first start using social media and why?
In 2003, I accepted a job in Ohio and drove by myself from Los Angeles to Ohio. I said I would never drive cross-country ever again. I also said I would never twitter. Last year I was living in St. Louis, and I was interviewing for a job in Los Angeles. My prospective new boss twittered, and was twittering about the interview process, so of course, I looked, and looked, and looked! Yup, I started an account! I also drove to back Los Angeles!

Being a TV producer by trade, I started a twitter experiment. As I drove to Los Angeles, I told the story and used a few tricks to engage people. To my shock it worked. People started to email me, “where you going?” The light bulb started to glow and I saw the worth of twitter as a storytelling tool. Good marketing is simply telling a good story.

When I started Invisiblepeople.tv, I never ever said, “I’m going to use social media because….” I used twitter because – IT’S FREE! I’m your typical front page USA Today recession story. I’ve lost everything. Layoff, after layoff, after layoff, house lost to foreclosure. I did not, and still do not, have an operating budget. I use what I can afford and will give me real-time storytelling ability.

Which social media tools do you use?
I’m a twitter addict. @hardlynormal is my primary. I call @invisiblepeople “hardly normal light” if @hardlynormal is too whacked for you just follow @invisiblepeople.

Of course, the nature of social media demands I be where YOU are. I wish I could pick where I am. Unlike a normal brand who has a specific demographic to reach I am after everyone’s perceptions of homelessness and poverty. I said I would never be on Myspace. MySpace Impact Channel approached me so next thing you know I’m creating a profile. I like Vimeo over YouTube but ignoring Youtube would be dumb. I fought uploading the videos to the Facebook page as long as I could. Last thing I needed was more video upload time. But people want it their way, so if I am going to have any real affect I need to not do it my way! I’m everywhere I can be, which is not easy for a one man band!

Which social media tools are most effective for you and why?
Hard to measure for what I do.  One day, I looked at the stats and I was getting serious traffic from America’s Next Top Model forum. You don’t have to be an SEO expert to know models and homelessness don’t usually connect. I followed the link to this post – I don’t know how she connected with Invisiblepeople.tv. But I can tell you this is exactly why I do what I do, and why I need to be everywhere!

I use twitter the most. It fits my storytelling style. When I am actually on the front lines of poverty doing my thing I have a bag of socks, a camera and iPhone all working hard while keeping an eye on my surroundings for safety. I still don’t know how I do what I do! So much all going down all at once in a very unpredictable and often volatile environment. Yes, I question my sanity often

Twitter is great at helping to engage new connections! The InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip is almost 100% the result of connections made via twitter.

What social media lessons have you learned that you could share?
Tell a good story and the rest will take care of itself.
Be yourself – always!
No twitter drama! NONE! EVER!

If a non-profit or advocacy group came to you about the best way to get their message out there what would you recommend?
A complete marketing and media strategy. Social media without strategy is a toy, not a tool. I may differ with many opinions, but some brands may not benefit from social media, so they should not buy into the hype. It all depends on who you are, your story, your audience and desired result!

Mark will be presenting “A Conversation about Social Change through Social Media” at Gnomedex 9.0- Beginning July 15th, 2009, Mark is taking the show on the road using social media and bringing us along for the ride as he visits the homeless throughout the nation. Formerly homeless himself, Mark brings personal experience and compassion as he aims to bring understanding and knowledge to the growing homeless crisis. He will visit 25 cities across the nation including rural areas, larger cities, shelters and youth facilities.

SMC is excited to be a Gnomedex 9.0 partner and SMC members get a 10% discount!!

Here’s where you register: http://gnomedex.eventbrite.com/?discount=smcseattle10