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Thuzi's new office in Carrollwood was previously a day care. It's fitting considering the firm is only 3 years old.

But the social media marketing company is building new relationships with advertising agencies and expects to hit a growth spurt that is forecasted to double employment this year.

Indeed, the firm is priming itself for growth with the recent purchase of a $1 million property that is more than twice the size of its previous space. The new location is 13,800 square feet and the former headquarters is 6,000 square feet.

But Chief Marketing Officer Art Brady doesn't seem surprised that the firm has gone from 10 employees in 2009 to potentially 80 four years later. He says rapid growth was part of the plan all along.

In fact, on the day the company launched, Jan. 1, 2009, it was already mapping strategy for the massive restaurant parent company OSI Restaurant Partners LLC. “We really hit the ground running,” Brady says.

To get an idea of what Thuzi does, its relationship with Outback Steakhouse, one of OSI's subsidiaries, is a great example. Thuzi built an application for the restaurant that awarded Facebook “fans” of Outback with a coupon for a free Bloomin' Onion appetizer. It was a simple idea, but it ended up eclipsing Outback's goal of 500,000 fans in only 18 days.

The idea for the coupon comes from an interesting theory Brady explains as “Facebook etiquette.” When the “like” feature was first added, Brady says users liked applications indiscriminately. But as the feature settled in, people started putting more value on each like. Thus, Thuzi had to provide an incentive to the Facebook community. This became a crucial component in the company's advertising strategy.

Outback is just one example of the titans Thuzi has worked with, which include Under Armour and Toyota, to name a few. But a shift in Thuzi's strategy will have the firm focusing less on snagging big brands and more on advertising agencies. The growth Brady expects this year will come from partnering with advertising firms around the country to develop Facebook advertisements for their clients.

To this end, Thuzi has started spreading to strategically located offices throughout the country. It has offices in New York and Chicago. “An office in Los Angeles would be the next logical step,” Brady explains.

As a relatively small firm located far from Silicon Valley, the number of large brands Thuzi attracts is surprising. But a strategic relationship as one of Facebook's Preferred Developer Consultants, a group that includes 90 companies worldwide, has helped the firm market itself.

Also, Thuzi does a thorough analysis after a media campaign has launched to exhibit how much new business it generated for a client. If a firm knows how much a click-through to its site is worth, Thuzi can give an accurate measurement of the return on investment. Brady refers to this as the scorecard.

This helps a company evaluate the campaign and serves as another marketing opportunity for Thuzi. Examining the analysis can give potential clients sound evidence of the firm's efficacy. “The scorecard is what sets us apart,” Brady explains.

Echoes are now the only things bouncing off the walls of the racquetball court at Thuzi's new location — but not for long. Brady says Thuzi is still mulling over whether to put in a basketball hoop or foosball table.

The challenge ahead will be handling the company's rapid growth, Brady says. But he doesn't want to sacrifice the laid-back atmosphere. Says Brady: “We know people can be more creative in a fun environment.”