I dedicated 80% of my time to trading because I believed that in the long term it would be an activity that would give me more income, and that led me to create my blog to share everything I did. In 3 months of blogging, with daily content, I received 1,000 views per day and that made me start to understand: What is this digital thing? But how does it work? What is this power of social networks and how do they reach so many people? When I asked myself about this, once again, I was too involved to leave.
I looked for a content creation tool for my blog, with sharing on social media canada email list and despite the solutions on the market, none of them satisfied me and met my needs. So I thought: What if I created a platform with everything I need? As you can see, when I start with these issues, I don't get out of it any time soon. And that's when, in February/March, the idea of creating something that would later be called SWONKIE began .
(GS): What is your main mission?
(JPC): We are a social media management platform, where we bring to the main social media management players such as Agencies, Companies, Publishers and Freelancers a more efficient, controlled and measured way of managing social media.
In a single hub, we can create and schedule content for all social networks, and then get all the follow-up in terms of metrics, community management and competitor analysis. Leaders in Portugal, with around 60% of the national agency market and 80% of the media publishers in Portugal, makes us believe in Go Global in the short term.
GS): What does the acronym SWONKIE stand for?
(JPC): The first project we created was called Switch On Network because our goal was to create a hub to connect all social networks. We had the first platform, with that name, and when we were selected to go on Shark Tank, we decided to change the name to something more commercial. The problem, and thankfully, was that we couldn't find anything better, so that's when we came up with the idea of creating an acronym for the name and we turned it into Swonnk. It wasn't the sexiest name in the world, but that's how we got on Shark Tank.
The first Swonkie team consisting of 4 elements
After the program and with Miguel's investment, we started creating the brand and had a list of several names. Since when we created the first product we had a community of alpha users, we decided to put it to a vote in that community, where people started calling themselves SWONKIEs whenever they asked a question and there was one person who said: but I didn't want to stop being a SWONKIE. Then, we realized that we already had the name without knowing we had it and we decided to go ahead with the name SWONKIE because it would allow us to always have a story to tell and, above all, we wouldn't lose our genesis and our DNA.
About SWONKIE's presence on Shark Tank
(GS): We know that SWONKIE was present on Shark Tank Portugal and that, through this, it had the support of shark Miguel Ribeiro Ferreira. Is this connection still maintained today?
(JPC): Shark Tank came out in 2014, at a time when people were starting to talk a lot about entrepreneurship, but at a time when people were still in their comfort zone. I had already been following the formats of other countries sporadically and that awakened something in me, the desire to do something, to try things out. I watched the first edition and wanted to participate, but I still had a handful of nothing and didn't sign up. I felt that I wasn't ready, that it was still too early. I watched all the episodes and when I saw the businesses that were there I said to myself, I can do it too. Why not?
As soon as the second edition came out, I signed up straight away and after the castings, on my birthday, I received a phone call saying: You have been selected to come and record your pitch for the program in front of the investors. It was a beautiful birthday present that I received on March 15, 2016.
In fact, we went on the show without really knowing what could happen and if the 5 of us wanted to invest in us, who would we choose? It was a sea of doubts but we decided to go without fear, without “ifs”.
What we saw on television was just part of the program, an hour of negotiation for a result that would only be shown on television for a few minutes. Fortunately for us, Miguel Ribeiro Ferreira saw something that others didn't. He saw two entrepreneurs with a huge hunger to do something, to create value. As he himself said, if we don't do SWONKIE, we'll do something else.
Appearance on the television program Shark Tank broadcast in December 2016 on SIC
He was the only one who took a chance on us, which made our choice easy. We wanted to do something, we wanted to start building something and we needed help. We ignored all the “funding for startups” studies about “equities” and the like and followed our instincts.
The future has shown us that we did the right thing and meeting Miguel Ribeiro Ferreira was one of the best things that ever happened to us. Today, he continues to be our partner and will certainly be for many more years. Fortunately, he also brought another partner, Isabel, who has an incredible spirit and we are now four partners at SWONKIE.
What makes us most proud, besides having built our company and our team, is also the relationship we have with them.
(GS): Are there other social media management services that do some of the things SWONKIE does, such as Content Creation and Sharing, Reporting and Competitor Analysis all in one service?
(JPC): We increasingly want to make the tool a 360º social media management tool. It’s not just about what you have, but how you present it. All cars have wheels, but some are more robust than others, and that’s where we gain, the robustness and differentiation that we bring to each feature.
(GS): What is the main difference between your service and Hootsuite or Buffer, for example?
(JPC): We are a 360º platform and not just focused on content creation. We are strong in planning but even stronger in reporting, competitor analysis and also in the area of influencer marketing.
(GS): Are you targeting only digital agencies or are there other market niches you want to explore?
(JPC): Not just agencies. All entities that want to improve their performance on social media.
(GS): How has your service been received in Portugal?
(JPC): Very good. We have 70% of the digital marketing agencies in Portugal, we work with 80% of the media publishers in Portugal and we have more than a hundred reference companies working with us.
(GS): How many clients have you acquired so far? And what is your goal for 2021?
(JPC): More than 4,000. We want to reach 10,000 in 2021 .
(GS): Did the Brazilian market and other Portuguese-speaking countries welcome SWONKIE?
(JPC): Yes, despite the competition. The platform's innovation helps us to differentiate ourselves through quality and not just price.
Swonkie Team at the 2019 Social Media Hackathon Launch
(GS): Do you consider it important to have tools like yours entirely in Portuguese? Why?
(JPC): Of course. There are still few digital marketing platforms, whether SaaS or not. I hope there will be more in the future to show that, in addition to the excellent professionals in the area that exist in Portugal, good software is being developed that can be scaled to the world.
(GS): SWONKIE is also available in English. Have you had success with that version of the platform?
(JPC): Yes, it is important for us to have clients in Indonesia, England, Italy or even South Africa. Today we also have clients in Spanish.
(GS): Was the technical implementation of SWONKIE difficult? What were the main difficulties?
(JPC): Yes, it was hard work. It was testing, improving, learning and doing it again. We had a free version for 6 months and we had 10 potential customers who used it daily. That's who we started with and they continue to be our customers today.
There are things that we do not master, such as API integration, because it does not belong to us, but to the social network provider, and perhaps this is the biggest limitation of the business.
(GS): Can you explain the main motivation for creating such a distinct service with the multiple features of SWONKIE?
(JPC): The desire to improve ourselves and the ability to listen to our customers to continue improving. I think this is where the difference comes in. When you have the ability to listen to criticism and continue improving.
(GS): Without a doubt, one of the advantages of SWONKIE is that it integrates a powerful tool for competitor analysis, Business Intelligence and community management. Why did you invest in these services as well?
Because we realized that customers needed it. SWONKIE is a client-rocracy. We listen to our customers a lot. Our roadmap is shared every so often with customers and they can vote on the order they prefer to go into development. This makes everyone realize that we are working for them. To make a difference and add value.
Team Swonkie celebrating their 3rd anniversary
(GS): SWONKIE allows you to publish and schedule to many social networks. Are there any other networks that you would like to integrate into your service or do you not feel the need for it at the moment?
(JPC): Sure. We're going to integrate YouTube and Google My Business right now.
(GS): How do you evaluate the current digital marketing panorama in Portugal?
(JPC): It needs to evolve. It needs to become a true knowledge-sharing community like the one that exists today in Brazil. Sharing brings evolution to everyone. I think there is still little of that.
(GS): What is your opinion about the quality of content marketing practiced by digital agencies in Portugal and Brazil? Do you find many differences?
(JPC): Quite a lot. Not in the quality of the content (or not in the vast majority of cases), but in the work that is done with this content, in the sales funnel work of this content. Many entities here generate content just for the sake of it, without a funnel set up and marketing automation prepared to work with it. That is the big difference. It is not the knowledge itself, but rather the execution. Brazil executes better.
(GS): Do you feel that you contribute positively to making our country more productive, effective and profitable in communication through social networks?
(JPC): We have no doubts. Without any arrogance. We believe that we make companies more efficient and, therefore, more likely to create good content to be on social media.
(GS): Is there anything that you haven't managed to achieve yet that was in your plans from the beginning? If so, what?
(JPC): A few things. Among several reasons, some because when they were thought of they made sense, but then the market showed the opposite. Others are no longer technically possible to do. There are several reasons. We work on what we can control and maximize it.
(GS): We know that many influencers also use this type of service on a private level, as they need to optimize their content and resources. Does this also happen with SWONKIE, so do you have clients like this?
(JPC): Yes. People who manage their own brand and who are content creators for their communities. Who need consistency and who at the end of the day need to have metrics ready for their partnerships and professional reports capable of being presented to any communication group.
(GS): Do you consider that events like the Web Summit and others of its kind are crucial for the development of the digital economy in Portugal and the world in general?
(JPC): Yes, it depends on the stage you are at and it is possible to learn a lot. Learn that there is more to the world than the one we live in. That there are people who speak another language, who have different time zones, different beliefs but who are doing the same as you: creating, bringing value, living with little to channel all their resources into their business, who have the same dreams as you and who, above all, work as hard as you or harder to make them come true.
I learned that right now, while you are reading this, someone on the other side of the world is working much harder and transforming that idea that, like you, thousands of people had, but only a few carry out.
Websummit was not an investment point for me, nor did I go looking for that. I went looking for inspiration, validation, strength and above all I went looking to learn and I learned a lot.
I learned that the best way to get clients is to work hard, create value and not to get carried away and say that we are the best because we had an investment round of 1 million euros.
As I didn't have it, we really had to have a serious product to survive (live) with the best financing we could have, our customers' money.
The Websummit is made for a common purpose and we should not be ashamed to say: It doesn't make sense to me, because it is no longer part of my goals. The essence of the event no longer makes sense.
(GS): Do you usually attend events of this kind? If so, which ones and where do you get the most positive feedback?
(JPC): Yes. In fact, for 2021 we had planned 10 events located in England, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Ukraine.
(GS): Do you have any particular message for digital agencies and/or the general public?
(JPC): We will continue to improve and work for you. Count on SWONKIE.
(GS): And finally, how do you imagine SWONKIE in the future? How and where do you want to evolve?
(JPC): I don't know what the end point will be. The road is long and as long as we have fuel we will accelerate and refuel when necessary. I see a path of growth and above all a very different platform from what it is today, perhaps with a different business model and a different market axis. We cannot believe that in five years' time social networks will be the same and, therefore, we certainly foresee a major change in the product at all levels. We will have to be able to evolve our solution to meet future needs but you can always count on SWONKIE.
