Step Ahead to Manage Social Media for Hilton Head?s Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort

January 20, 2011 --CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head, one of the most popular family resorts in the country, has hired Charleston-based Step Ahead, Inc. to manage its social media marketing. Step Ahead, which specializes in social media management, Internet marketing and traditional public relations, has developed a niche in the hospitality/tourism industry with a range of hotel, attraction and resort clients.

Step Ahead will also provide services to Palmetto Dunes' parent company, Greenwood Communities & Resorts, for several other properties.

The company will manage a range of tools for Palmetto Dunes, named by Travel + Leisure magazine as the "No. 1 Family Resort in the U.S. and Canada," including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, a blog and more. Known for their creative promotions, comprehensive approach and focus on analytics and results, Step Ahead, which also has an office an Hilton Head, is rapidly growing and recently opened a third office in Indianapolis to target the Midwest.

"We are so excited to be working with Palmetto Dunes and expand our portfolio of hotel and resort clients," says Bud Di Maggio, president of Step Ahead, Inc. "We know social media works brilliantly for resorts, because their customers have such an affinity and loyalty to each property. Look for some fun promotions and great information from Palmetto Dunes on Facebook, Twitter and more in 2011!

Other Step Ahead tourism clients include Brittain Resort Management, for whom Step Ahead manages social media for 16 of their oceanfront resorts in Myrtle Beach; Charming Inns of Charleston (owner of the Wentworth Mansion and John Rutledge House Inn); The Berkeley Hotel in Richmond, Va.; SpiritLine Cruises in Charleston; Sunset Rentals of Hilton Head; Grayline of Charleston; and the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, among others.

**About Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort **Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort is a more than 2,000-acre vacation community located in the middle of Hilton Head Island, S.C., bounded by three miles of Atlantic Ocean beach on one side and a sheltered Intracoastal Waterway marina on the other. The resort features three world-class golf courses, an award-winning tennis center, an 11-mile inland salt-water lagoon system for kayaking and fishing, the Mediterranean-style Shelter Cove Harbour deep-water marina with shopping and dining, and an outdoor adventure center for bike rentals, canoes, kayaks, fishing and much more. The marina is also home to a wide variety of charters including nature cruises, dolphin tours, sport crabbing and fishing. For information about activities or reservations, please call 877-567-6513 or visit www.palmettodunes.com.

**About Greenwood Communities & Resorts **Based in Greenwood, S.C., Greenwood Communities & Resorts has been a leader in the creation and management of award-winning residential and resort communities in the southeastern United States since 1978. Beginning with the award-winning Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C., and now including communities like The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Big Canoe near Atlanta and The Ponds in Charleston, Greenwood's mission has always been to create memorable places that foster meaningful and fulfilling lives. For more information, please call 843-785-1106 or visit www.greenwoodcr.com .

About Step Ahead Inc. Step Ahead, Inc. is a Charleston, S.C.-based company that combines the best of traditional public relations with social media and Internet marketing to help maximize visibility for clients both online and off. The company's clients include Spirit Telecom of Columbia, the David Gilston Agency, Brittain Resort Managements, Charming Inns of Charleston, Charleston Parks Conservancy, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, SpiritLine Cruises and others. The company has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur magazine and on SmartMoney.com and MSNBC.com. Visit www.stepaheadinc.com or call (843) 606-0226 for more information.

Media Contact: Lyn Mettler lmettler@stepaheadinc.com Twitter: WebPRGirl, AIM/Skype: Lyn Mettler