This document summarizes Network Solutions' social media strategy and implementation from 2008-2010. The strategy had 4 points: brand/reputation management, connecting with customers, community outreach, and getting new business. Some key accomplishments were enjoying positive sentiment online compared to previous negative mentions, being seen as a thought leader for small businesses, and effectively leveraging social media for customer satisfaction. The implementation involved listening, contributing content like blogs and events, crisis management support, and training advocates.

1. Effective Personal Branding & Social Media in your Business Joint event between SMCRVA and HYPE (Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce)

2. Thank you all for coming

3. Thanks for the tweets #SMCRVA Updated 03/19/2010

4. Today’s Discussion The Swami Story Social Media tools in your company Network Solutions Case Study Q&A

5. Once Upon a time …..

6. And then the dreams came true …… Social Media Swami for http://www.NetworkSolutions.com

7. Opportunities always exist Customer Support Program Management Product Marketing Product Management Social Media Swami Thank you Network Solutions for being a great place to work

8. Always keep learning http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment/137413905/ I studied at the Montgomery College and used local libraries

9. Help from unexpected quarters http://www.flickr.com/photos/loritingey/350043329/

10. Never Eat Alone

11. Social Media in your company

12. Become an expert yourself You have to learn the tools Spend your own time Find other enthusiasts/partners in crime Invest time in attending offline events

13. Getting past the skeptics 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 Photo Credit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnygoldstein/2546693421/

14. Traditional media usage is changing 92%) use multiple platforms 33% access news on their cell phones. 28% of internet users have customized their home page 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-News.aspx

15. Your customers are already on Social Media Gartner : By 2014, social networking services will replace e-mail as the primary communications vehicle for 20 % of business users. With 400M users Facebook could be the 3rd largest country in population (China and India are larger for now) LinkedIn Now 60 Million Strong Nearly three quarters (73%) of online teens and (72%) of young adults use social network sites http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1293114 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx

16. “ 69% percent of consumers who buy mostly online visit social networking sites” – IBM e-Commerce Survey 2009

17. 25% Small Business use social media presence – Doubled since last year Network Solutions – University of Maryland Small Business Success index http://growsmartbusiness.com See the full study at http://www.GrowSmartBusiness.com

18. Customers demand transparency This guy wants to make sure the book and the DVD are saying the same thing

19. Why Social Media ? Business Objectives Connect with customers Get ideas, trends, buzz Find peers and network Easy distribution of content Greater reach New Clients Investment /Results Free (requires time commitment) Flexible options Help Your Search Engine Rankings Traffic to your website / business Good Word of mouth Leads

20. Challenges - Who is responsible http://flickr.com/photos/jjgardner3/3202924768/ Jimmy Gardner http://www.eastcoastblogging.com Make the whole organization responsible for social media Recruit story tellers Training Teach people “How to “

21. Managing the conversation http://www.webinknow.com/2008/12/the-us-air-force-armed-with-social-media.html Engage with both positive and negative feedback Encourage your customers to get social with you Ask your employees to participate

22. Get everyone on your side Take the lawyers to lunch Have a well defined Social media policy Resource http://wiki.altimetergroup.com/page/Social+Media+Policies Find internal bloggers and other Social media enthusiasts and gain their support

23. We have our CEO on our side. Interests = March of the Dimes, Boats and Gators

24. Connections, Conversations, Conversions Integrate Social media into your marketing campaign Make your existing marketing collateral social Engage with your existing customers Tip : Tweet to your followers when you are sending a great offer in your email newsletter

25. Make your email social Consolidate all your contact lists Tweet news about your email offers Make your email available online Tip : Add your social media links to your email signatures

26. Only 50% of Small business have websites Tip : Once you have your website your business is global Free websites from Network Solutions at http://www.networksolutions.com/free-website/index.jsp http:// www.nevertoomuchgreen.com /

27. Add your social media channels to your website Encourage visitors to join your social media properties

28. Non-profits are very Social

29. Make your product pages shareable Add share options on product pages

30. Share your happy moments

31. Use Google Alerts as a business intelligence tool Get alerted to conversations about your product Trends and competition Tip : Use Google alerts to get content ideas

32. Build your profile in sites like Linkedin Links to your website and appear in searches for LinkedIn users Tip : Ask for recommendations to include you in Service provider directory

33. Document sharing Sites Docstoc – http://www.docstoc.com Slide Share – http://www.Slideshare.net Scribd - http://www.Scribd.com Tip : Add a custom offer for each channel and monitor traffic from these sites

34. Websites and Blogs Call to Action to visit the company website

35. Twitter Business Info here – Your conversations will lead your connections to your page Tip : Consider having a separate account for your products and tweet a special offers and blog feeds

36. Wouldn't you like to do business with a paratrooper ? Relevant business info on your Twitter page

37. If chips can have their own page so can you! Tip : A Facebook page is different from your personal profile. You can create multiple Facebook pages

38. Facebook Add a newsletter sign up widget Give special Facebook offers Ask for feedback Ask website visitors to become your Facebook fan Encourage customers to join the Facebook page

39. Videos : Tell your Story Tip : Create a How to video, talk about your community Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera

40. Podcasts & Your Own Radio Shows Flickr photo by Mark J Hunter http://www.flickr.com/photos/tartanpodcast/283456030/ Tip : Interview your users, promote their business

41. Photos - Flickr Tip : Make your story interesting with pictures . Flickr cannot be used for commerce

42. Community Building strategy Survey your customers Surveymonkey Twitpoll You can build your own customer community Ning.com Groupsites.com

43. Review Sites Tips : Claim your profile , thank reviewers and answer any negative comments with grace

44. Social Customer Service

45. Social Media press release

46. Social bookmarking Delicious Stumbleupon Bizsugar Amplify Bx.Businessweek.com Tips : Use Browser bookmarklets to make it efficient

47. Mobile strategy The world has 1.4 Billion Tvs 2.5 billion cell phones When people shop they don’t take their PC along Customers see desperate need to compare prices Buyers their social network for advice

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49. Building a Positive Image Online with Social Media: The Network Solutions Experience

50. 4 Point Social Media Strategy Brand / Reputation Management Connecting with Customers Community Outreach Get new business

51. Social Media Implementation 2 008 2009 2010 Changed negative online perceptions to neutral sentiment Increased positive sentiment Positioned as Small Business Thought Leader Utilized social media beyond customer service Leverage social media for market expansion and leadership

52. Top Three Accomplishments Enjoying a positive sentiment online compared to the negative mentions in 2008. Shift in perception of Network Solutions® as not just a domain registrar but also a thought leader in small business growth. Network Solutions is often referred to as a company that has effectively leveraged social media to maximize customer satisfaction.

53. Phase one: Listen Team approach to response Monitor using Radian6 and manual searches Classify as crisis or not (>50 Technorati authority or 100 followers) Classify as general issue or technical customer service Engage in a variety of places: Blog posts Twitter via NetSolCares Technical Forums

54. Shift from High Negative to High Positive

55. Phase 2: Content Contributions Blogs SolutionsArePower Women Grow Business Grow Smart Business Unintentional Entrepreneur Participation in industry events such as Twitterville Small Business Success Index GrowSmartBiz Webinars and Conference Crisis Management Support Rebrand

56. Phase 2: Blogs

57. Phase 2: Participation in Premier Social Media Events http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyeung808/3851709164/sizes/l/

58. Phase 2: Small Business Success Index

59. Phase 2: GrowSmartBiz Events Webinars (2) Over 400+ attendees 20+ blog posts 250+ tweets via #growbiz and #growsmartbiz Conference Over 400+ attendees Increased @GrowSmartBiz Twitter followers by 200 and counting 75+ blog posts 1,500+ Tweets 2K+ Tweets with #growsmartbiz 5K participants on livestream

60. Phase 2: Crisis Management Support Created an online forum to provide information to merchants and customers. Generated over 50+ blog posts, which Network Solutions team responded. Applauded by many for use of social media in crisis management support.

61. Phase 2: Rebrand Created a social media advisory board Used Twitter and blogs to market new rebrand

62. Phase 2: Training other advocates Social Media Twitter Blogging Bookmarking

63. What Does 2010 Hold? Drive more unique visitors to the storefront Blogger outreach geared towards highlighting Network Solutions product offerings and customer testimonials Increase user generated content on “How did I benefit from Network solutions” Strengthen Network Solutions’ brand identity as Thought Leader in Innovative Online Solutions Online engagement Training sessions Events

64. Thank you Shashi Bellamkonda [email_address] Twitter: @shashib Small Business Success Index : http:// www.GrowSmartBusiness.com Network Solutions Blog : http:// blog.networksolutions.com Women Entrepreneurs : http:// www.WomenGrowBusiness.com Fresh Entrepreneurs ; http://unintentionalentrepreneur.com Millenials : http://whatsnextgeny.com