Network Solutions® is pleased to announce Jill Foster of DC Media Makers, Terri Holley of Creative Blog Solutions, Brent Leary of  CRM Essentials, Danilo Bogdanovic of Loudoun Scene and Joanna Pineda of Matrix Group will address this topic as the panelists for the Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media session at the GrowSmartBiz Conference.

Attendees will learn what social media is and gain a better understanding of social media tools. Learn how blogs can help showcase your expertise, how to harness brand advocates through social networks such as FaceBook© and Twitter, and where customer service fits into the social media world. Additionally, attendees will be able to determine whether or not social media can help market their business and, if so, what steps they need to take to develop and integrate a social media strategy that aligns with their current marketing efforts.

In addition this topic and to Wired Editor-in-Chief and author Chris Anderson’s keynote, the conference also will focus on the following topics:
•    Driving Small Business Performance with Marketing & Innovation
•    Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies
•    Stay Ahead in the Current Economy

The GrowSmartBiz Conference will be held on September 29, 2009, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event was created to highlight the findings from the Small Business Success Index (SBSI) – an ongoing measurement of the overall health of small businesses commissioned by the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Network Solutions, and to provide small businesses with tips, information and network opportunities that will help small businesses thrive in the current economy. The conference will focus on key areas of business that small businesses view as critical to their success according to the 1,500 small businesses that were interviewed for the Small Business Success Index.

For more information or to register for the event, visit the GrowSmartBiz Conference site. Don’t forget to turn in your small business success story for the chance to have it posted on the GrowSmartBusiness Blog and to receive FREE admission to the GrowSmartBiz Conference. For more details visit: http://growsmartbsuiness.com.

Unintentional Entrepreneur: Atlanta
The 3^rd stop of a 5 city tour of the Unintentional Entrepreneur will make its way to Atlanta on 7-28.   The sponsor of the event, Network Solutions, is introducing small business owners and prospective entrepreneurs to the available resources and tools that they can take advantage of right now to be successful in today’s economic environment.

Network Solutions helps small business owners achieve their goals by providing tools and resources to start, grow, and manage their businesses online. Network Solutions has been involved with the Internet since its inception and leverages this experience and expertise to help businesses succeed in an increasingly digital world. Randy Windsor, director of Online Marketing at Network Solutions, will speak about noticeable trends that small businesses are using online today to get the most out of the web.

Also speaking on July 28, Brent Leary, Co-founder and Partner of CRM Essentials LLC, a Customer Relationship Management consulting/advisory firm, will focus on small and mid-size enterprises.  He hosts the Technology for Business Sake program, which airs on Business Talk 1160AM and www.BusinessTechnologyRadio.com. His popular blog can be found at www.brentleary.com.

Technology For Business Sake is a radio program aimed specifically at those small business folks who are trying to understand the technology maze and figure out what tools, services and applications can help make them more productive and profitable.

Network Solutions has enlisted the help of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce to host this event.  Their state of the art educational room will comfortably fit 150 attendees.  The event will take place between 4:00 and 7:00 at 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth GA.  Pizza, beer and soft drinks will be served during the event to registered participants.   Limited space is available for this event.  Please register by 7-27 at http://ueatl.eventbrite.com.

For more information contact Tony Casteel, local marketing manager, Network Solutions at 770-309-4154, or by e-mail at  tony.casteel@networksolutions.com

However, Brent is not just about Barack20.com, he is someone at the forefront if a concept called Social CRM. I will let him do a better job of describing it, but it is about leveraging social media with customer relationship management (CRM). His firm, CRM Essentials, is focused on this effort and I was able to sit down and chat with him about all his ventures. Here is the transcript of that interview:

Steve: So what is the focus of CRM Essentials?
Brent: We focus on helping businesses formulate their strategies for finding, captivating and keeping good customers through the proper use of the latest technologies. Additionally we work with the technology vendor community on ways to better serve the small business community.

Steve: What products and services do you provide?
Brent: We offer CRM industry analysis, strategic consulting, thought leadership products, and other services related to integrating social media into customer relationship management processes

Steve: What is Social CRM exactly?
Brent: Social CRM focuses on creating compelling, while leveraging social tools and sites, to create opportunities to attract and engage prospects in meaningful conversations leading to real business relationships.

Steve: How does it differ from traditional CRM?
Brent: Traditional CRM is focused more on operational effectiveness, centralizing customer data and internal processes. Social CRM is focused on turning content into conversations, conversations into meaningful experiences, and meaningful experiences into valuable long lasting relationships.

Steve: Why should a business implement a Social CRM strategy?
Brent: Traditional definitions of CRM were fleshed out before the web took over our lives. Customers have more power over who they do business with, how they do it, and who they do it with. And the web is totally entrenched in their buying process. So if you don’t show up on the web in ways to capture their attention, you won’t be able to compete.

Steve: What if they have already implemented a CRM system with certain processes. Can they adapt or integrate this into their business?
Brent: Social CRM is not a substitute for traditional CRM, it’s a new dimension. It is more successful if you have a strong traditional foundation including a central database, lead management, opportunity management, automated workflow, etc.

Steve: Let’s talk about Barack20.com for a minute. What was the motivation to launch the site and how do you think the campaign’s use of social media will be viewed in the years to come?
Brent: The Obama campaign is one of the best examples of Social CRM. They’ve utilized Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social tools and sites in conjunction with their own web properties to reach an amazing number of people, raise hundreds of millions of dollars, and to invite people to join their cause – and help shape it. That’s Social CRM personified, and a great source of inspiration for businesses trying to figure out how to “win friends and influence people” on the web.

Steve: According to Gartner, “Web 2.0” is in the “Trough of Disillusionment” where is projects over the next 12-18 months that since the hype has worn off that these technologies will be folded into mainstream software development and adoption. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Brent: I tend to believe social media is more successful in the hands of the business people as opposed to IT. But I do think the disillusionment surrounding social media comes from unrealistic expectations based on the hype surrounding the space. But the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media study recently found 60% percent of Americans use social media, and 85% those users believe a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media. This seems to reinforce findings from a recent study conducted by Coleman Parkes Research that found 84% of companies headquartered in North America feel they need to find new ways to communicate with customers; with 80% feeling social media will add real value to customer interactions. That tells me that companies will continue to explore how social media can help them get closer to their customers.

Steve: To close our interview I would like to get a “Top 5” from both of you. Since we are facing some tough economic times ahead for possibly the next 12-18 months, what are the Top 5 CRM related things you would recommend new entrepreneurs running a business should do to weather the storm?
Brent:
1. Be as responsive and attentive to your current customers as you possibly can. It’s easier to keep them than to find new ones
2. Leverage the web to automate routine tasks and activities involved in lead generation and qualification processes.
3. Become a valued member of the online networks frequented by your current customers in order to strengthen relationships, and also to find more customers like them
4. Create attractive, compelling content that will capture the attention of those looking for the products and services you provide
5. Create a strategy to transfer online conversations into offline business opportunities

Steve: If someone wants to learn more about SocialCRM or check out Barack 2.0, where should they go and how can they contact you?
Brent:
BrentLeary.com OR   Barack20.com
Upcoming webinar on October 21st: “Social CRM: Going Beyond the Boundaries of Traditional CRM”. Information at www.sagecrmsolutions.com/socialcrm