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Landlord adds social media to his toolbox

One Detroit-area apartment owner is connecting online with current and prospective tenants. Interested in a place? Send a text for a floor plan

Forty-nine-year-old Eric Brown is no expert in social media. In fact, he doesn’t believe such a thing exists. For Brown, social media is a question of trying new forms of communication, from blogs to Facebook and Twitter, and seeing what works and what bombs. What he has learned, among many lessons, is that reaching out to the unhappiest customers can sometimes not only make them happy, but even turn them into evangelists for Urbane Apartments, his 500 units scattered through Royal Oak, Mich. “When I explain these things to corporate people, they look at me like I have a horn coming out of my head,” he says.

Brown, who had worked in housing for 25 years, launched his own real estate business in 2003, and started to buy up midsize apartment buildings in Royal Oak, a Detroit suburb. He was reading a lot about marketing and social media, and one day in 2005 he announced plans to open a company page on MySpace. His colleagues worried …more at Landlord Adds Social Media to His Toolbox – BusinessWeek, published 9 February 2009

Flickr photo credit: 60 in 3

By |2012-01-05T07:15:25+01:00February 11, 2009|Blog, Online Marketing|0 Comments

5 green businesses you can start at home

These low-cost options can supplement your income or become a full-time gig.

If anything’s hot in today’s economy, it’s saving money, including a broad range of green businesses helping people save energy, water and other resources. For those seeking flexible hours and low startup costs, these five green businesses to start at home may be the best way to join the green business wave… more at 5 Green Businesses You Can Start at Home – Home Green Businesses – Entrepreneur.com, published 6 Feb 2009.

Flickr photo credit: Paul Chenoweth

By |2012-01-05T06:49:35+01:00February 10, 2009|Blog, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Steps to finding the right business partner

The recession is putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work each month — 522,000 from companies of all sizes and 175,000 from small businesses, specifically, for January, according to ADP’s employment latest report.

Given these massive losses and a bleak job market, industry forecasters say they expect to see more people turning to self-employment. But who says you have to go it alone? Partnering is a viable option, whether you’re looking to start a new venture or, perhaps, bring someone on-board what you already have under way. This article from Business Know-How contributor and Prime Strategies president Marian Banker outlines a five-step approach to joining forces with the right person. …Steps To Finding The Right Business Partner | SmallBizResource.com: The Essential IT Blog For Small Businesses, published 5 Feb 2009.

Flickr photo credit: chuckp

By |2012-01-05T06:47:36+01:00February 9, 2009|Blog, Small Business|0 Comments
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