The theme of this issue of Networking is higher education on LI- the impact of social media. As  this column typically focuses on small business, my task was to link these topics to the needs of our small business readers.  Not an easy task but I think I’ve done it…

Higher education and small business:  I am always hearing that there is a great need for skilled labor on LI including those educated in technology and current advances in most fields. From whence do potential employees obtain the skills and the knowledge of the up to date advances and information? They get it from higher education- maybe. The question is always- are our higher education institutions on Long Island educating our young people on relevant, needed skills. Or is our future workforce being educated in a way that doesn’t match up to the employers’ current and future needs? As small businesses, you need to be telling our higher education institutions (directly or through our government and economic development leaders) about your exact needs.  Young people who are seeking higher education need to be knowledgeable about the economy, specifically about what industries are growing, where are the current and future well paying jobs, what training/ education is needed to qualify for those jobs and careers. With the significant cost of higher education these days, it behooves  students to make sure the career they’ve chosen can pay them enough  to retire those student loans!

Social Media and small business:  Social media has had a major impact on every type of business, from manufacturing to wholesale, service, retail; from global businesses to local businesses; from large public companies to small mom and pop family owned businesses. It affects everything from how one markets the business to how one services clients to ways to train employees. Human resources is a major area affected by social media. These days it is common for potential employers to review the applicant’s resume and then immediately look for their Facebook, Linked in, Twitter and other social media presence. Any young person thinking about a future career, should be cognizant of what and how they post. Those posts can follow you forever (and not necessarily in a positive way).  HR departments are also struggling with how to manage social media interaction by current employees. How an employee presents him or herself to the world through social media can reflect on the company and thus, the company has a legitimate interest in controlling those interactions.   Marketing, branding, company image can be significantly affected by a company’s social media participation depending on its target audience, its relationship with its vendors, customers and others. It has gotten to the point where larger companies have entire social media departments to manage the activities. In smaller companies, owners and other workers may become distracted by social media activities to the detriment of other marketing activities. The key is to include social media management in a well thought out marketing or other business plan, touching on the purposes for the social media, who’s in charge, what’s appropriate, etc. To the extent that social media participation can open up contacts, potential business, information linkages that improve the small business’ performance, every small business should be examining whether it is using social media for its maximum benefit. And, of course, a cost benefit analysis needs to be done just as with any other communication or marketing tool.

There is no question that today’s educated youth are far more skilled and knowledgeable about social media than prior generations. Whether sending current employees for higher education or seeking new employees, employers should be aware of the person’s skills in the social media world. They can add an extra benefit to retaining or hiring that person.

Finally, given that small businesses are the engine that drive the LI  economy and indeed the national economy, and given that the use of social media gets bigger and bigger every second- and given the increasingly complex needs of our small businesses and thus need for workers with larger skill and knowledge sets (usually garnered from higher education), if you are a small business in today’s world, you need to be aware of how education affects your job applicants and current employees. And you need to be aware of how social media can impact your business and your workers. What do both higher education and social media have in common for small businesses?  The need for education of small business owners and managers.