Thank you for coming Shashi Bellamkonda Social Media Swami Raj Malik The Social Media Lawyer Hashtag : #GrowSmartBiz

Hi ! I am Shashi Bellamkonda (@shashib) Social Media Swami / Chief Community & Social Media Evangelist at Network Solutions Network Solutions listening post in the Social Media Network Solutions won 2008 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Award for Online Reputation Management 2009 a Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Social Media from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Speaker - `How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss' and 'Social Media Tools for Small Business, at national and regional conferences like IABC, SXSW, Affiliate Summit, American Institute of Writers, and Podcamps.

Social Media Swami / Chief Community & Social Media Evangelist at Network Solutions

Network Solutions listening post in the Social Media

Network Solutions won

2008 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Award for Online Reputation Management

2009 a Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Social Media from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Speaker - `How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss' and 'Social Media Tools for Small Business, at national and regional conferences like IABC, SXSW, Affiliate Summit, American Institute of Writers, and Podcamps.

I am Raj Malik (@rkm2929) Sr. Director, Legal & Business Affairs at Network Solutions Champion for the Social Media efforts at Network Solutions along with the Swami Active Twitter User One of main legal points of contact for all social media matters at Network Solutions Speaker at 2009 SXSW Ex-Wal Mart Greeter and Ex-Subway Sandwich Engineer

Sr. Director, Legal & Business Affairs at Network Solutions

Champion for the Social Media efforts at Network Solutions along with the Swami

Active Twitter User

One of main legal points of contact for all social media matters at Network Solutions

Speaker at 2009 SXSW

Ex-Wal Mart Greeter and Ex-Subway Sandwich Engineer

Network Solutions Domains Find-a-domain services Certified Offer Backorder Premium Domains Domain Web Forwarding Private Registration Communication Business E-mail Secure E-mail Sell Online E-commerce website packages E-commerce Tools Merchant Account Do It For Me E-Commerce Website Design Service Marketing Search Engine Optimization Pay Per Click Advertising Optimized Press Releases Directory Services: Monster Marketplace & ThinkLocal Enhanced Business Listings Link Building Content Creation Security SSL Certificate PC Security Small Business Lifecycle Websites Website Hosting Statistics and Website tools Professional Website Design Services Professional Logo Design Services Mobile Websites PR Measurement Summit June 2009 We service over 3 million SMB customers and manage 7.5 million domain names.

Domains

Find-a-domain services

Certified Offer

Backorder

Premium Domains

Domain Web Forwarding

Private Registration

Communication

Business E-mail

Secure E-mail

Sell Online

E-commerce website packages

E-commerce Tools Merchant Account

Do It For Me E-Commerce Website Design Service

Marketing

Search Engine Optimization

Pay Per Click Advertising

Optimized Press Releases

Directory Services: Monster Marketplace & ThinkLocal

Enhanced Business Listings

Link Building

Content Creation

Security

SSL Certificate

PC Security

Websites

Website Hosting

Statistics and Website tools

Professional Website Design Services

Professional Logo Design Services

Mobile Websites

We service over 3 million SMB customers and manage 7.5 million domain names.

Social Media – Hard Sell to Your Boss and Legal?

Don’t let the skeptics win No way to measure? Is there any ROI? All these will pass They are not mainstream, nobody pays attention to them We cannot not control the message, lack of consistency, danger of going haywire You can only promote the company or products Multiple stake holder approval of the message Tools are expensive Legal will never approve Photo Credit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnygoldstein/2546693421/

No way to measure? Is there any ROI?

All these will pass

They are not mainstream, nobody pays attention to them

We cannot not control the message, lack of consistency, danger of going haywire

You can only promote the company or products

Multiple stake holder approval of the message

Tools are expensive

Legal will never approve

Challenges - Who is responsible http://flickr.com/photos/jjgardner3/3202924768/ Jimmy Gardner http://www.eastcoastblogging.com Everyone is responsible for social media – YOU! How do you share the ownership? - EVERYONE Who are your internal social media people? – MOBILIZE A TEAM AND COORDINATE EFFORTS Can they write? Express yourself well and know your writing also reflects the company Who should approve? – set up a process Can we trust them? – start slowly, build trust then unleash the fury Where should they engage? Wherever company is mentioned and customers are

http://flickr.com/photos/jjgardner3/3202924768/ Jimmy Gardner http://www.eastcoastblogging.com

Everyone is responsible for social media – YOU!

How do you share the ownership? - EVERYONE

Who are your internal social media people? – MOBILIZE A TEAM AND COORDINATE EFFORTS

Can they write? Express yourself well and know your writing also reflects the company

Who should approve? – set up a process

Can we trust them? – start slowly, build trust then unleash the fury

Where should they engage? Wherever company is mentioned and customers are

Opportunity : Who owns the conversation? http://www.webinknow.com/2008/12/the-us-air-force-armed-with-social-media.html What if they say bad things about the company ? – Look at it as a challenge to turn opinions around Which networks should we participate? – Most popular, but keep eye out for where customers are Are our customers on social networks? – Ask customers where they are

http://www.webinknow.com/2008/12/the-us-air-force-armed-with-social-media.html

What if they say bad things about the company ? – Look at it as a challenge to turn opinions around

Which networks should we participate? – Most popular, but keep eye out for where customers are

Are our customers on social networks? – Ask customers where they are

What do we call this position

Taking the Lawyers to Lunch The legal department is your friend Electronics Frontier Foundation list of some of the legal liabilities issues that can arise from a blog: Personal and Business Defamation Intellectual Property (Copyright/Trademark) Trade Secret Publication of Private Facts Publication of Sensitive Financial Data Don’t have a legal department see our post on standard social media guidelines

The legal department is your friend

Electronics Frontier Foundation list of some of the legal liabilities issues that can arise from a blog:

Personal and Business Defamation

Intellectual Property (Copyright/Trademark)

Trade Secret

Publication of Private Facts

Publication of Sensitive Financial Data

Don’t have a legal department see our post on standard social media guidelines

Legal can help you from making mistakes

Social Media Guidelines Get everyone in the company on the same page as to social media best practices Compliance is mandatory Failure to meet the guidelines can result in job loss and expose the company to liability Guidelines Do’s and Don’ts Do not disclose confidential information; Do no post negative or defamatory content; Do not plagiarize material etc. Topic Taboo List Continually review and update guidelines

Get everyone in the company on the same page as to social media best practices

Compliance is mandatory

Failure to meet the guidelines can result in job loss and expose the company to liability

Guidelines

Do’s and Don’ts

Do not disclose confidential information; Do no post negative or defamatory content; Do not plagiarize material etc.

Topic Taboo List

Continually review and update guidelines

Network Solutions Strategy

4 Point Social Media Strategy Brand / Reputation Management Connecting with Customers Community Outreach Get new business

Brand / Reputation Management

Connecting with Customers

Community Outreach

Get new business

Network Solutions Strategy : Changing Perceptions First Half 2008: Approximately 60 percent of Network Solutions social media conversations negative Perception of Network Solutions as domain registrar only Changing perception become critical for long term health

First Half 2008:

Approximately 60 percent of Network Solutions social media conversations negative

Perception of Network Solutions as domain registrar only

Changing perception become critical for long term health

Planned Approach Listen and engage customers directly Online At conferences General participation Respond to feedback, calls for help and knowledge Build positive equity through valuable content Community member

Listen and engage customers directly

Online

At conferences

General participation

Respond to feedback, calls for help and knowledge

Build positive equity through valuable content

Community member

Network Solutions Swami’s - 3 Word Mantra Photo: courtesy: http://flickr.com/photos/metrojp/92038203/ LISTEN PARTICIPATE Photo Courtesy: http://flickr.com/photos/redcarpet/50339009/ CONTRIBUTE Photo Courtesy: http://flickr.com/photos/presta/129832836/

We started by listening

Commenting where we were mentioned Blogs Media Podcasts Answers Forums and Niche Social Networks Video

Communities and conversations Earn Credibility as an expert by helping others Commenting is a way of conversation Traffic from your comment to your blog The Huffington Post Allows Top Commenters To Become Bloggers

Earn Credibility as an expert by helping others

Commenting is a way of conversation

Traffic from your comment to your blog

The Huffington Post Allows Top Commenters To Become Bloggers

Content and Conversations

Twitter Conversations Reply to all the people who @ you Retweet or tweet interesting links People like conversation 3 tweets a day keeps the doctor away

Reply to all the people who @ you

Retweet or tweet interesting links

People like conversation

3 tweets a day keeps the doctor away

Built online relationships offline

Results : Online Positive Reputation Grows Network Solutions won the Society of New Media Communications and Research Award for Corporate Online Reputation Management 2009 a Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Social Media from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Network Solutions won the Society of New Media Communications and Research Award for Corporate Online Reputation Management

2009 a Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Social Media from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Results : Google Juice Our Blog is Google Result No. 6 Our Blog is Bing Result No. 5

Karmic Marketing also gets results Referrals Coupon requests Traffic to NetworkSolutions.com

Referrals

Coupon requests

Traffic to NetworkSolutions.com

Sometimes the Competition helps too

What Does the future hold More community engagement Events Online monitoring Content: Seeking to help small businesses, web companies during recession Smart Business Success Index : GrowSmartBusiness.com Continued blogging with new voices Expanded offerings Women Grow Business Webinar Small Business Conference Small Business Conference Oct 1 st in Washington DC (tbd)

More community engagement

Events

Online monitoring

Content: Seeking to help small businesses, web companies during recession

Smart Business Success Index : GrowSmartBusiness.com

Continued blogging with new voices

Expanded offerings

Women Grow Business

Webinar

Small Business Conference

Small Business Conference Oct 1 st in Washington DC (tbd)

Training other advocates Social Media Twitter Blogging Bookmarking

Social Media

Twitter

Blogging

Bookmarking

Your Social Media Plan Setup Alerts Join and setup profiles in 3 social networks 15-20 minutes a day tracing the alerts and responding Choose 3 blogs on your field to read and comment Converse, don’t sell Answer questions and become an expert in your niche on LinkedIn 2 hours a week - Learn and write about the products you promote Measure your efforts How many times were you mentioned How many people read your posts Inbounds links Are your customers evangelizing Attend one local event a month Ask for help from the community if you need it

Setup Alerts

Join and setup profiles in 3 social networks

15-20 minutes a day tracing the alerts and responding

Choose 3 blogs on your field to read and comment

Converse, don’t sell

Answer questions and become an expert in your niche on LinkedIn

2 hours a week - Learn and write about the products you promote

Measure your efforts

How many times were you mentioned

How many people read your posts

Inbounds links

Are your customers evangelizing

Attend one local event a month

Ask for help from the community if you need it

GrowSmartBusiness.com

Questions ? Shashi Bellamkonda [email_address] Twitter: @shashib Raj Malik [email_address] Twitter: @rkm2929 Small Business Success Index : http://www.GrowSmartBusiness.com Network Solutions Blog : http://blog.networksolutions.com Web Community Network : http://www.LinkTogether.com Small Business Network : http://www.MySolutionSpot.com Women Entrepreneurs : http://www.WomenGrowBusiness.com Personal Blogs: Technology & Social Media: http://www.shashi.name Digital Thoughts: http://readythoughts.blogspot.com Restaurant Reviews: http://www.carryoncurry.com

Shashi Bellamkonda [email_address]

Twitter: @shashib

Raj Malik [email_address]

Twitter: @rkm2929

Small Business Success Index : http://www.GrowSmartBusiness.com

Network Solutions Blog : http://blog.networksolutions.com

Web Community Network : http://www.LinkTogether.com

Small Business Network : http://www.MySolutionSpot.com

Women Entrepreneurs : http://www.WomenGrowBusiness.com

Personal Blogs:

Technology & Social Media: http://www.shashi.name

Digital Thoughts: http://readythoughts.blogspot.com

Restaurant Reviews: http://www.carryoncurry.com