Recently, I presented to property managers in San Francisco – the topic was “Acquire owners using the internet, without increasing your staff”. Here is a short 3 minute bit where I talk about the importance of joining the conversation. It’s no secret many property managers get trashed in reviews; what can be done about it? Take a listen.

The impact of Social Media on our society is felt everywhere, yet very few small business owners, specifically Property Managers, are embracing the technology. It’s safe to say, however, that most have thought about it. When customers are talking about your business – it’s only natural to want to join the conversation.

These New Media technologies transfer the power to the consumer, essentially creating a small village environment where the “virtual word of mouth” can make or break a business.

Search engines are actively adopting their algorithms to favor rich, fresh, useful content and social media engagement over traditional keyword mambo-jumbo and back-linking.

Larger companies that have ranked the highest on popular search engines will soon find themselves competing head-to-head with small business owners who take the time to create rich, customer-relevant  content and actively engage their clients.

Within the next few years, business valuations will include Social Equity as a real measure of business health and as a method to forecast future success.