Urbane Apts turns rental biz into new media start-up

Managing apartment buildings isn't just about helping people move and fixing the occasional leaky pipe. It's also about finding people to put into those units, a job that spurred a whole new revenue source for Urbane Apts.

Digital Sherpa , the downtown Royal Oak-based firm's marketing arm, and
The Urbane Way, its blog, focus on attracting tenants through viral and social media methods at minimal costs. Eric Brown, co-owner of Urbane Apts, calls it moving the Google needle for apartment complexes hungry for tenants.

The circa-2003 firm now employs its regular management team of six people and is in the market for hiring another person to help satisfy the demand for the company's new marketing services. Brown's expertise has become so in demand that he regularly serves as a speaker on the subject at conventions across the country.

"A lot of folks are following what we are doing," Brown says. "We have scrapped the traditional marketing methods in place of social marketing."

Urbane Apts has taken on four clients who have apartment buildings all over the U.S., including Denver, San Francisco and Chicago, among others. Brown's team helps these complex websites move up toward the top of Google searches and establish a presence in places like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to attract more tenants.

"These are the tools," Brown says. "Bottom line is, the direction of marketing has changed so you can't just buy block ads these days. You need a more personalized touch."

Source: Eric Brown, co-owner of Urbane Apts
Writer: Jon Zemke

Urbane Apts turns rental biz into new media start-up

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