Archive for 2010
Life in 2010
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Thanks to my Mom for sending this to me in an email. This is hilarious!
Here goes, you know you are living in 2010 when:
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t even have the first
20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message..
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list
Happy Thanksgiving!
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A very happy thanksgiving to my friends, family and clients. My Mom and I spent the entire afternoon cooking yesterday and we prepared a number of dishes including homemade rolls, asparagus casserole, sausage and cheese breakfast souffle (to be eaten shortly), deviled eggs and cherry Coke jello salad. It felt good to prepare for the big celebration in advance, but more than that if was fun to spend time with my Mother. Today I’m thankful that my husband already has the turkey in the oven (he got up at 5), and that soon the house will be full of relatives to celebrate a year of blessings that we are all thankful for.
Tomorrow I might Cybershop as I’m not a huge fan of the Black Friday crowds. If you are in the mood to shop, make sure to visit Atlanta Real Estate Forum where the writers have been busy preparing Read More→
How Internet Marketing is Like Candy Corn
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It’s that time of year again. The trees are starting to change colors and the leaves are falling to the ground. The weather has cooled off a bit and perfect fall days have set in (at least in the South). Football season has started, and the thrill of Trick-or-Treating is in the air. I absolutely love this time of year, especially Halloween. After all, it is the only time of year that you can dress up and be anyone you want and then go knocking on doors for candy.
When I think of Halloween, I think of candy corn. Sweet and tasty, it melts in your mouth. Every individual piece is colored the same, yet has slight variations in size and texture. Some may even be a bit broken or cracked. Candy corn is like Internet marketing! It is comprised of three colors, much like successful Internet marketing is comprised of three parts.
- SEO or search engine optimization – How will they find you if they don’t know your name? When they Google your main keyword phrase, do they find you or a competitor? Have you fully optimized your blog and your website? Do you have a comprehensive keyword strategy?
- Content – having proper content that utilizes your keywords and engages your buyers is Read More→
Caffeine: Are You Addicted?
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Anyone who knows me well knows that I start my day off with a large Diet Coke and lots of crushed ice. Even better if it is a fountain drink from McDonalds or QuickTrip, they always seem to have the mix just right. I think most people still start their day with a hot coffee. With a coffee, you still have to get the “mix” right. Some people like it black, but others have a certain combination of sugar and cream that they like with it. If the ingredients or the mix isn’t right, the day just doesn’t get off to the right start, does it?
Search Engine Optimization also requires the right mix. With the recent releases of Google Caffeine and Google Instant – it seems that Caffeine Instantly Matters. Results are rendered faster with Caffeine and appear instantly before your eyes with Google Instant. You will want to keep an eye on your keyword phases and see if they improve or drop due to recent changes. Lots of folks are looking for the right SEO mix for their website.
If you are an Atlanta home builder or developer, you can perk your search results instantly by sharing your Atlanta real estate news stories on Atlanta’s favorite real estate blog, Atlanta Real Estate Forum. You’ll love the fresh-brewed traffic the we send to your website; It is sure to give you perkier search results!
If you are still confused by SEO and the recent changes, call me at 770-383-3360, I’m here to help! And, I’d love to know why type of caffeine you are addicted to. Drop me a note or comment on the blog and let me know!
What Generation are Your Jeans?
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The style and fade of your jeans may be more than just a mere fashion statement – It may be a sign of your age or at least your generation! There are many different styles of jeans on the market including: jeggings, skinny jeans, bell bottoms, low rise, mom jeans, ripped jeans and many more. Which style do you wear and why?
Jeggings are popular with what I like to call Generation Next, or the tweens. These are stretchy denim leggings that come in a variety of colors and are worn with anything you’d normally wear with jeans.
Skinny Jeans are super popular with the Millennials (or Generation Y). These snug jeans have a small leg opening which has given them the nickname pegs.
Low Rise Jeans have broad appeal with both men and women Millennials and Gen Xers. These jeans are designed to sit low or below the hips beneath the belly button. You’ll also hear them called hipsters, lowriders and hip-huggers.
Mom Jeans are jeans that have a traditional high waist, sitting either at or above the belly button. You’ll see both Boomers and Gen Xers rockin’ their mom jeans.
Which style of jeans do you wear and why? Are they bleached, torn, faded or blue? Jeggings, Skinny, Low Rise or Mom jeans? Please comment!
Seen at PCBC
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A special thanks to my friend Paula Huggett with Bokka Group for taking this picture and sending it to me. This was seen at PCBC in the Marketshare booth. Their product is “Top Communities.”
The quote is from my book, “Social Media for Home Builders: It’s Easier Than You Think” available from Builder Books. If you are still wondering how to launch an effective social media program, call me! 770-383-3360
50+ University is Coming to Atlanta
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It is truly never too late to go back to school. 50+ University Day will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Cobb Galleria Center. Presented by the Atlanta 50+ Council, this is a great way to sharpen your skills.
As one of the University’s tenured professors (wink wink), I’ll be presenting a 3 hour seminar (GREC credits pending) on “How to Use Social Media as a Marketing Tool.” If you want to learn how social media can help your business reach existing customers AND build relationships with new ones, this is the class for you.
Social Media as a Marketing Tool will cover the “how to” basics for promoting your business through social networking and blogging. Learn how to create an effective integrated strategy for your business and save time online. Bring your laptop and come prepared to set up sites and get answers to all of your questions.
This will be the first time that this conference is offered in Atlanta and will Read More→
2011 Super Sales Rally: New Home Sales Extravaganza
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Sales not quite where you want them to be? Vaccinate yourself with negotiation strategies that produce win-win outcomes and sales. This year at the Super Sales Rally Myers Barnes, Kerry Mulcrone, Meredith Oliver, John Palumbo and Van Rose will provide you with the check up that you have been needing to propel your new home sales.
This group will move fast as their ideas fly across the stage. As the social media stage crew for the Super Sales Rally, the mRELEVANCE team (Mitch Levinson and myself) will once again by tweeting and blogging to provide those at the show (and at home) with the latest greatest tips and quotes from this group of super sales trainers. Follow the IBS hashtag #IBS2011 on Twitter.
Learn breakthrough ideas to earn big numbers in new home sales. Ignite your selling power and blow past your goals with proven strategies that elevate Read More→
Friend, Fan, Follow or Fail: Discover the Basics of Social Networking
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Are you failing social networking? Is it so overwhelming that you don’t know where to start? Did you launch your online profiles, but never really complete them or learn to use them? This year at IBS, Kelly Fink, Linda Herbert and I will present “Friend, Fan, Follow or Fail: Discover the Basics of Social Networking.” Moderated by Tammie Smoot, this program is presented by Professional Women in Building and it promises to save your failing grade and turn you into an “A” student.
With consumers, Realtors and other influencers flocking to social networks, targeting them as friends, fans and followers will ensure that you don’t fail in promoting your homes, communities, products and brand. From account setup on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, as well as the fine points of using each site, we will show you how to ‘netweave’ it all together, save time and get a passing grade!
Come prepared to take notes!
Learning Outcomes:
* Learn the top 10 Do’s and Don’ts for using LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook Read More→
Sisterhood of the Traveling Laptop: What Women Want Online and Onsite
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In this month’s issue of Builder magazine, Editor in Chief Denise Dersin talks about the new face of housing. A recent report by real estate advisory firm RCLCO reveals that the role of women not only is changing, but has changed. In 1978, 60-percent of all college graduates were men. Today, 60-percent of all college graduates are women and they are also now the majority in the workforce. RCLCO predicts that by 2015, WINKS (Gen Y women with incomes over $50,000 a year and no kids) will dominate the urban landscape. So, what is SHE looking for? She prefers urban or urbanlite areas for both home and work. She wants to live in a walkable area with convenience to transit and she is willing to pay a premium to get what she wants. Dersin closes her article by saying “the most critical imperative (and perhaps the most difficult)? Figure out what women want. . . ”
Women influence 91% of home sales – so are you doing everything you can to attract them in your online marketing and onsite presentation?
This year at IBS, I’ll be presenting “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Laptop: What Women Want Online and Onsite” with Meredith Oliver and Kerry Mulcrone. Our session will show you how to Read More→
