We’ve had a lot of Council conversation lately about how companies are structuring their social media efforts internally. So we’re setting up a phone call to talk about this in person, starting with Cisco, one of the SMBC’s founding members. Cisco’s Amy Paquette will talk with us about their recent transformation on managing social media, giving an outline of who owns what responsibilities, and how Cisco developed their structure. We’ll then open up the conversation for all members to share their set-ups, and explore what’s working well for other companies. Some of the topics we can discuss:

• Hierarchies for managing social media
• Which departments run social – and how COEs come into play
• What it’s like to restructure how social media is managed

Private member call | September 1, 3 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

Now that social media leaders at big brands are monitoring conversations, departments throughout the enterprise are interested in finding out what exactly is being talked about. SMBC members recently talked amongst themselves about how programs like Radian6 can effectively share and scale across the enterprise. With that in mind, we’ve invited Marcel LeBrun to join us for a conversation so we can talk about this first-hand. Amongst other things, we’ll discuss:

• What factors loom largest in scaling Radian6 reports and information
• How best to share or automate reports
• What other functionalities brands would like to see – and how feasible those are

Private member call | August 5, 1 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

Big companies are finding social media is useful for more than just marketing products or services; it’s also a great opportunity for marketing the brand in order to attract new employees. PepsiCo’s Christopher Hoyt is an expert in this arena, and he’ll talk with us about best practices for using social media on recruiting efforts. We’ll discuss:

• How to get the attention of talent, networkers, and agencies
• How to make the most of Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms
• How to organize the process to include HR and all departments

Private member call | August 4, 2 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

In the last year and a half, UPS has streamlined its approach to customer support, leading to quicker discovery of issues, more personal and direct responses, and, most importantly, even happier customers. UPS’s Debbie Curtis-Magley joins us on a call to discuss how the program has achieved focus. We’ll discuss:

• What data to use to build a business case for customer support
• How Communications and Customer Service have worked together to build a response team
• How best to communicate on Twitter

Private member call | July 28, 2 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

Social media allows for customer interaction in a way companies might never have dreamed possible. And with tens of millions of customers, some are bound to get downright angry. But AT&T has been working hard over the past year to develop and implement a customer care strategy that is already showing benefits. By carefully plotting a plan, staffing a department, and reaching out to customers, Advertising Age reports AT&T is getting responses from about half of the thousands of customers it reaches out to via social media. In this call, we’ll hear from Shawn McPike and Molly DeMaagd about how this operation has come together. We’ll discuss:

• How AT&T went about developing its customer care strategy
• How to really, truly get good at listening
• How to make a business case for growing customer care

Private member call | July 27, 2PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

SAP has done an outstanding job of recognizing its top community influencers, and we’ll get an inside look at how the SAP Mentor Initiative continues to thrive. SAP Mentors are the top community influencers of the SAP Ecosystem. Most mentors work for customers or partners of SAP. All of them are hands-on experts of a SAP product or service, as well as excellent champions for product roll-in and roll-out. They have been nominated by their peers on the basis of their passion for the community and their willingness to contribute and share as well as motivate others. (See http://sapmentors.sap.com for details.) Chief Community Evangelist Mark Finnern will take us behind the scenes and talk about the ways SAP – and its communities – recognize and appreciate its most active and helpful participants. We’ll discuss:

• How SAP’s community influencer program got off the ground – and has grown
• The importance of the nomination process
• Creating benefits that are valuable to the community – yet doable by SAP

Private member call | July 21, 1 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

After a great inside-look Show & Tell call from Coldwell Banker on YouTube, we’ll get another exclusive look at how to make the most of online video channels. Rob Halper is the Director of Video Communications for Johnson & Johnson, and the force behind the J&J health channel (http://www.youtube.com/JNJhealth). Since forming the channel in 2008, the channel has hosted more than 2 million video views, fostered relationships, and created a lot of goodwill. We’ll discuss:

• Setting proper goals for a YouTube channel
• How to attract and engage your audience
• Benefits of branded vs. free channels

Private member call | June 30, 3 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

We’re excited to have an exclusive sit-down with Tristan. foursquare is establishing itself as the ‘it’ brand in location-based networking, and several SMBC members have already experienced positive results with partnerships or badges. As more members are asking if foursquare is right for them and how the intricacies of the platform work, we’ll now have a chance to get some answers straight from the source. We’ll discuss :

• What brands need to know about working with foursquare
• Expectations and target audiences – for foursquare and brands
• Beyond badges: what’s next for foursquare

Private member call | July 15, 2 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry is the midst of an ambitious project: doubling their number of social fans from two million to four million… in the span of just a few months. Senior Social Media Marketing Manager Cheryl Williams will talk about how this plan has come together and share some early results. We’ll discuss:

• Strategies for maximizing engagement on owned, earned, and paid channels
• Setting lofty social media goals in a short time frame
• Simple adjustments that pay big dividends

Private member call | July 14, 2 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details

One of the toughest challenges for big brands is to properly – and effectively – talk about social media policy with employees. Having implemented its policy a few months ago, Texas Instruments is aiming for innovative ways to keep more than 25,000 employees engaged on this topic. Social Marketing Specialist Arik Flanders will kick off a conversation in this call by talking about TI’s efforts, including how their interactive ‘Social Media Room’ works. We’ll also discuss:

• Best practices for introducing social media guidelines
• If and when to take social media policy public
• How to encourage employees to stay up-to-date on policy

Private member call | June 22, 2 PM (EST) | Members log-in for details