VaultWare adds support for 3rd party apps; features TurnSocial.

VaultWare, a provider of apartment marketing and leasing solutions, recently announced support for 3rd party apps within their premium website offering, specifically mentioning TurnSocial as an example of how customers can make their website more interactive. We’re honored to be mentioned as the featured app!

VaultWare’s support for services like TurnSocial illustrates the increasing desire of multifamily companies to incorporate social and location-based media into their websites, and further establishes TurnSocial as the go-to product for accomplishing this somewhat complicated task with ease. We’re proud to add VaultWare to our list of partners focused on building value in the multifamily housing industry, and look forward to a great year ahead as we continue to roll out innovative features targeted directly at property management professionals.

To learn more about Vaultware, visit their website by clicking here. If you’re a business owner or agency interested in working with us on a custom solution for your customers, please reach out to me directly to discuss the opportunity at .

It’s friday already? Here’s your weekend reading list!

Busy week, right? I had about 2-3 other blog posts lined up that I wanted to get out the door, but time got away from me and here we are – Friday already.

In any case, I wanted to quickly share a few interesting posts that I came across in the last week which particularly struck me as adding value to the “conversation”. I recommend taking a few minutes over the weekend to browse through them, and if you have more than a few minutes, dig through the archives of some of the websites I’ve pointed out – there’s a treasure trove of advice and content to be had if you just know where to look. On that note, here’s this weekend’s reading list –

How To Be Like Zappos in 3 Easy Steps – It’s common knowledge that the company culture over at Zappos is one of the best in the business, so how can you take their lead and apply the same principles to your business?

How Online Marketing Drives Offline Success – KISSMetrics never fails to deliver insightful content, and this infographic connects the lines between the online and offline world in a way that should help any marketer bridge the gap. Hint: need something to share? People love infographics – so go for it!

A Blogging State of Mind – Get your head right! Think you know what drives your blogging decisions? Think again.

The Future of Community – What will the future of your online community actually look like? Chris Brogan shares some very insightful thoughts.

B2B: Social Marketing and a Cautionary Tale – Many marketers fail to accomplish their goals simply because they approach leads and influencers in the wrong way. This brief article is a great real world example of how easily things can go wrong.

Stay warm and enjoy your weekend everyone!

Using Quora to Promote Your Local Business

I recently answered a question over on Quora entitled “How can Quora help promote local businesses?”, and thought it was worthwhile re-posting here. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!

Quora is a great forum for demonstrating domain-specific knowledge or expertise. If I were a local business owner, I’d use Quora to expand my influence as a local resource for all things related to my business niche, adding a flavor and perspective which can only come from living in my shoes.

Let’s say you own a small coffee shop in a busy downtown area of a bustling city, and are competing with the ‘bucks of the world. If you’re a decent writer, there’s an almost unlimited amount of topics on Quora which you could contribute to. Answer questions targeted at small business owners. Discuss how you go about conducting local advertising. Share the experience of starting your business on the entrepreneurial threads. Begin to see yourself as more than just a coffee shop owner – you’re an entrepreneur, employer, salesperson, and social media marketer. Share what you’ve learned along the way – I guarantee there are people out there who will appreciate your perspective.

If you use Twitter, Foursquare or Facebook to promote your business, share your experience with others. Have Foursquare promotions worked for you? What tips do you have for other local business owners trying to build a following on Twitter? Ask questions like “what makes a great coffee shop?”, or “which wi-fi setup is best geared for use in a coffee shop environment?”. Make sure you post under your real name while still tying your identity closely to your business – Quora profiles are set up well for this. [As a side benefit, posts made here will also give you some overall link juice with search engines, but please don’t make SEO your primary goal.] One question or answer will lend itself to another, and before you know it you’ll have a steady following of people who trust and respect your opinion. Time goes on; your influence grows.

There’s very few people in this world whose personal Venn Diagram looks like yours (business owner/coffee fanatic/living in your geographic area) – use Quora as an opportunity to share your unique experience and expertise with the world, and you’ll implicitly promote your business at the same time.

You should follow us on Twitter.