Summer of social media on "High Ground" . . .

by Gale Martin, Director of Marketing and Membership, S. Dale High Center for Family Business

If you're not heading out for the beach anytime soon but would like a chance to play with fun stuff and bask in a little quick success, why not consider investigating some social media tools this summer right here on "High Ground"?

I liken Social Media to beach toys and sunbathing not because I don't think it's important. I do. In fact the marketing director from one of our member companies, Die-Tech, Inc. and I gave two seminars to members this year to make them aware of the freight train that is Social Media. Family businesses need to know about the extent of its use in business and the degree to which customers are relying on Social Media to conduct business.

Click here for slides from the High Center's Social Media seminar.

How important is Social Media becoming to conducting business in the 21st century? Some, like this online expert, would say vitally important:

"If you don’t have a web presence, your competitors will overtake you. You’ll miss out, without ever knowing about it," say the experts at Kendall Copywriting.

I mention Social Media in the same context as summer fun because it is entertaining, learning about these tools and developing fans and followers. And hunting down little blue birds in search of Twitter banners to post on your website. And for those who've tried to log on when Twitter is over-capacity, even sighting the smiling #failwhale (below) has entertainment value.

Social media use in the era of Web 2.0 is growing exponentially. The latest estimates put Facebook users topping 450 million.

So, in July and August, "High Ground" will look at each of these Social Media tools/sites with an eye toward sharing best practices and other tips.

Stop back soon. Beach pails, smiling white whales and royal blue birds are all welcome. In the meantime, if you need a primer on why you should be paying attention to Socialnomics, watch this video below: