Kathy Goldman | Assistance for Agents

Happy New Year – Something Fun and Something Cool

January 3, 2012 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

The New Year is here. 2012! Really? I remember when i was 12!!! 2012 was like the future! We would have spaceships and robots and I would never have to do laundry again! Well, the future is here. And although we don’t drive space ships for transportation and have robots who do our laundry, it’s a pretty good life. My mom shared a couple things with me today and I thought it would be fun to share them with you as well.

My dad is an automobile mechanic from way back in the day. He is the handy man-extraordinaire. He is Tim "the Toolman" Taylor and has all the scars and hospital bills to prove it! My mom sent this picture and I swear I thought it was my dad! I finally saw it wasn't my father (no scars on the knees)!!! LOL

Now here is something unique. A rainstorm like no other. Wait till you hear the thunder. It’s pretty cool.

RainStorm by Choir

Filed Under: Agents, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Stuff I Like, You Tube Tagged With: choir, thunderstorm

Cyber Monday – November 28th

November 28, 2011 By Kathy Goldman 1 Comment

Cyber Monday – November 28th

What is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday has been dubbed such in 2005. It is the immediate Monday following Thanksgiving. It became so named because retailers begain to notice that online sales increased the Monday after thanksginving and became the highest sales day in 2010.

Benefits:

No crowd hassles. Point and Click
Great Deals
New deals

You can get even better deals if you wait till after Cyber Monday on certain items. So be aware that there will continue to be sales all season long.

Here are some tips for shopping online today.

1. Use Good Judgment

This is one time it’s not only acceptable but preferable to judge a book by its cover. Carefully choose which Web sites you shop from, sticking to trustful major retailers that are reputable. If a Web site looks sketchy, it is most likely is unreliable. And most likely, major reputable retailers like Amazon, Walmart or Target are offering the same sale, if not a better deal.

2. Ensure Your Safety

While shopping, ensure the area is safe and conducted over a secure connection. It’s better to shop privately at home where you know the connection is secure, rather than at the library or coffee shop or even and especially, at work, where a third party can retrieve your personal information.

3. Watch What You Click On

Do not click on any links from e-mails or on social networking Web sites, especially if they offer a free gift card or electronic device, as they are more likely scams. If you cannot find the deal using a simple Google search, it’s a fake.

4. Take Precautions

Before you even begin scouring the web for deals, ensure your computer software, browser and all essential security tools (spam filters, anti-virus, anti-spyware and a secure firewall) are in place and up-to-date.

5. Double Check Security Measures

When checking out an order from an online shopping Web site, always make sure the merchant has a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Web certificate. Look for the “s” in the hyperlink address (page begins with “https://” instead of http://) for ensured security.

6. Return Policies

Beforehand, familiarize yourself with the Web site’s return and exchange policies, if you think there is even a slight chance of returning an item. Also, check out the company’s shipping offers, which might be complimentary as many Web sites are offering free shipping for the holidays.

7. Keep Receipts

Gone are the days of keeping old receipts in a shoebox to collect dust. Nowadays, you can file all of your receipts online easily, to ensure you get what you purchased for the correct price.

8. Use a Credit Card

The Better Business Bureau suggests that all online shoppers use a credit card rather than wire transfers or other means, as they can be tracked. Also, many credit cards have protection against fraud, which credit card users can benefit from. Your debit card proabaly does not.

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Stuff I Like Tagged With: cyber monday, shop safely, tips and safety

Cats and Kittens. Not real estate technology related…but cool.

November 27, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

Simon’s Cat

This guy who does these super cool videos always really hits the target when he creates. It’s so cool because I have two cats who are just like the new kitten and Simon’s cat. I love how he really knows the cats. He completely captures the reality of them in his videos.

I have two cats like that right now. My Max is about a year old and his new sister is now about 4 months. Max is a huge kitty. When he was younger he used to come into my office and would sleep in his bed on my desk. Well then summer and Maya came. Max spent a lot more time outside, and Maya (who was 6 weeks at the time, began to sleep in the bed on the desk. Now when Max comes into the office to sleep, Maya gets all frustrated and goes and crawls in with him. She doesn’t care how much room she gets, she just likes to sleep on him.

You can buy books by Simon too now. It’s funny because I used to think Simon was the cat!!

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Social Networking, Stuff I Like, You Tube Tagged With: at, new, video, youtube

Mountain Biker Pummeled by Antelope!

October 12, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

Every day we sit in our office or take clients out to look at houses. Maybe we go to bank for a closing or to a new home for a pre-listing. But on our down-time, we can do anything! What are your hobbies? Wine? Gardening? Mountain Climbing? Mountain Biking? Sometimes getting out is just what we need. Go live life! Have an adventure!

I wanted to share the adventure that this Mountain Biking Dude had. This biker, taking part in a race in Albert Falls Dam, South Africa, is pummeled by an antelope!! You gotta see it! I mean what are the odds!?

Until next time,
Your Favorite REVA
Kathy

Kathy Goldman
REVA Online
…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!
www.REVAonline.com
www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA
www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman
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Filed Under: Agents, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Stuff I Like Tagged With: mountain biker, pummeled by antelope, ran over by antelope

Simon’s Cat Double Trouble – Good for a Monday Morning Laugh

October 10, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

As some of you may know I adopted another new kitten. We got her from the Waukesha County Humane Society and she is a blast. We also have two other cats. One is 18 mo. the other is 2 1/2. It’s funny how they all interact. Sammi, the oldest, just chooses to ignore the kitten. She is not mean at all. Just ignores her. Max, our 18 mo. old, still thinks he is a kitten and plays with her. That is actually pretty funny because Max is about 15 in. tall and all muscle. It’s pretty funny. Here is a video I took of them wrestling: Max and Maya Kitty Wrestling.

The reason I mention my kitties is because there is a guy out there on YouTube who has been publishing videos about cats for several years now. It is so funny because he really “gets” cats. Their attitude, their demeanor and everything! He takes normal kitty situations and makes them into cartoons. They are hilarious and I thought, well with it being Monday and all, i would share!

Simon really understands the cats and how they act. I am telling you I have seen every one!

Until next time,
Your Favorite REVA
Kathy

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Stuff I Like, You Tube Tagged With: double trouble, love cats, love simons cats, simons cat, smile

Minnesota Humor – Yeah Baby!

October 2, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

Although I live in Wisconsin now, I was raised in Minnesota. If you are not familiar, Minnesota has a humorous trio of natives that we love to tell jokes about. Ole and Lena (they are married) and Sven, their friend. Over the years there have been many, many jokes about the odd trio. Here is one I just heard and thought I would share. They are a very clean, down-home style joke that you could even tell your kids! Even better if you do it with a Norwegian accent!

Enjoy!

A hooded robber burst into a Minnesota bank and forced the tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out the door, one brave customer grabbed the hood and pulled it off, revealing the robber’s face. The robber shot the customer without a moment’s hesitation.

The robber then looked around the bank and noticed one of the tellers looking straight at him. The robber instantly shot him also. Everyone in the bank, by now very scared, stared at the floor in silence.

The robber yelled, “Well, did anyone else see my face?”

There are a few moments of utter silence in which everyone was plainly too afraid to speak.

Then, one old Minnesotan named Ole tentatively raised his hand and said, “My wife got a pretty good look at you.”

Tee Hee!

Until next time,
Your Favorite REVA
Kathy

Kathy Goldman

REVA Online

…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!

www.REVAonline.com

www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA

www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman

www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman

Get your FREE WordPress Blog Here

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Filed Under: Agents, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Stuff I Like Tagged With: minnesota, nforwegian accent, ole and lena, sven

Social Network Metrics for Success

August 12, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

When you are pondering what articles to add to your Real Estate Blog or to Tweet on Twitter or to Post on Facebook, consider this…What you post IS important. Let’s discuss why.

#1 What are you using as your social networking metric!? First and foremost you should already know this. Are you trying to generate traffic, create leads, get more mentions (BUZZ), become the local expert or all of the above? You can’t reach your goal if you don’t know what it is. How do you decidee if your networking is successful if you don’t understand what “success” means to you?

#2 What tools do you use to measure this success?

Traffic: Google Analytics, HubSpot
Leads: Website tools, email tools, etc.
Reach (Local Expert): Facebook Insights, Twitter Counter
Buzz (Mentions): PostRank

#3) How to reach these goals is important as well.

1) Blog and Post Consistently and Intelligently
2) Comment on other posts and blogs consistently
3) Track your metrics – which posts receive the most hits/likes
4) Use the 60/40 method of posting: 60% of other content and 40% unique.

Follow this plan and track your efforts to find out if your social marketing is working for you. Consistency and quality are really the answer. Don’t be afraid to re-post other people’s blogs or to give credit to their post. Not only are you contributing to quality content, but you are showing other people that you value their content and they may be more likely to return the favor!

Your Favorite REVA…Because Sanity Begins with Systems!
Kathy

Kathy Goldman
Assistance For Agents
…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!
www.REVAonline.com
www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA
www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman

Get your FREE WordPress Blog Here

Filed Under: ActiveRain, Agents, Brokers, Building Your Real Estate Business, Facebook, Featured, Kathy Goldman, LinkedIn, Niche Marketing, Real Estate, Real Estate Virtual Assistant, Social Marketing Plan, Social Networking, Twitter, You Tube Tagged With: facebook, Metrics, real estate blog, Social Marketing Plans

6 Twitter Tips for Real Estate Agents (Part II)

August 1, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

On Saturday you read the first three tips that I posted for Twitter. Here are the “must read” remaining three tips with some sound advice. Don’t be intimidated, be consistent and you will do well. Read on fierce Twitter warrior!

4. Become a leader/ influencer:

Leaders are increasingly thinking of how they can build the strengths of their teams.” Real Twitter leaders are also constantly thinking of how they can build the strengths of their team (also called followers). How exactly does someone develop into a leader on Twitter? If you want to learn how to play basketball, you watch Michael Jordan. If you want to learn how to play golf, you watch Tiger Woods. It’s the same in social media. If you want to learn how to be a Twitter leader, you watch those who have already mastered it.

To become influential, follow influential people.
Klout is possibley one of the most popular services to measure your overall online influence based on the activity of your Twitter profile.

5. Create good content:

Providing interesting content on twitter is important if you want to grown your network.
• Join a few newsletters that contain topics of interest to you and your readers.
• Post Market Stats a few times a week for different quotes
• Talk about what is happening locally

• Announce when you are going to upcoming local events (fairs, parades, charity events, art showings, FREE happenings)
• Tweet While you are there
• Tweet your thoughts about the event afterwards
• Tweet Quotes! Do a Google search for quotes. I like to use keywords for the day, event or emotion.
Search Examples: Tuesday Quotes, Love Quotes, Happy Quotes, Famous Quotes
• Content of Interest:
If you are all about a product, place, blog, website, hobby or whatever you are into, then tweet using those keywords that will connect your followers to you.
• STUMBLE! Join: Stumbleupon.com.
• Download their toolbar.
• Open up a second window and start stumbling items!
• When you find an interesting site, tweet it!
• ENJOY! Be positive! Avoid negativity and drama!

6. Share often:

Starting out on twitter can be quite hard at times. After all it is by now an established service, where a mutual understanding of certain dos and don’ts exist. In order to truly understand how it works, listening is the best start. Focus on what your folks have to say and share, then start out with only a few tweets a day to get a proper feel of what is right for you.

Recommended daily tweets: 2-5
Twitter is a different medium. Things drop off the stream, so if you are trying to get a message out, remember that you have to tweet it often. At the same time, it has its own etiquette and, like most social networks, heavy, blatant self-promotion is not acceptable.

Your Favorite REVA… Because Sanity Begins with Systems!

Kathy

Kathy Goldman
Assistance For Agents
…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!
www.REVAonline.com
www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA
www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman

Services include listing coordination, website content and maintenance, social media planning and implementation, virtual tours, lead management, Realtor.com enhancements and more.

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Real Estate Virtual Assistant, Social Networking, Twitter

Target Marketing for Real Estate

May 13, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

Let’s see what Bob learned and what steps he took after reading The Story of the Shoe. Bob sure was surprised at how his marketing strategy could save him money if he only niched.

So, Milwaukee Realtor Bob did some research about his area and the types of inviduals who may be looking for what he is selling. So he also started on Google.com:

After considering who his target market might be, Bob began searching these phrases.
Milwaukee Homes – About 20,300,000 results
Milwaukee lake homes – About 1,930,000 results
Milwaukee lake homes frontage – About 41,500 results
Milwaukee lake homes frontage + $3,000,000 – About 112,000 results

Sure, more people are searching for Milwaukee homes. But as he narrowed his target market the numbers dropped, but don’t you think that someone who is entering this type of keyword search phrase is pretty serious about buying a home wth lake shore frontage in Milwaukee priced at $3 million+? Wouldn’t that be nice?

So how does real estate niche marketing save you money?
How does it make you money?
What are some of the benefits to you?

These are all good questions. Stay tuned to see what Bob learns about this and what he does with the information he has learned.

Sanity Starts with Systems!

Your Favorite REVA!
Kathy
Kathy Goldman
Assistance For Agents
…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!
www.REVAonline.com
www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA
www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman
Services include listing coordination, website content and maintenance, social media planning and implementation, virtual tours, lead management, Realtor.com enhancements and more.

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Building Your Real Estate Business, Business Plan, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Niche Marketing, Real Estate Tagged With: business, google.com, make money, milwaukee, niche marketing, plan, save money, target market

Niche! Niche! Niche! The Story of the Orange Shoe

May 11, 2011 By Kathy Goldman Leave a Comment

One day there was a Realtor in Milwaukee. His name is Bob. Realtor Bob has a website. This website can only be found on google on Page 21…This Realtor did not do well. This Realtor did not have a real estate niche, so they were not able to define a market to narrow their marketing strategy. So Sad. This agent did not realize the

However, one day this Realtor read a story about a shoe on their favorite blog, www.AssistanceForAgents.com. This was a story about a lady and a Shoe.

Once upon a time there was a lady. She needed a new pair of shoes. So she began her search online.

She went to google.com and searched:
Shoes – She got about 839,000,000 results
Nike Shoes – 17,100,000 results
Orange Nike Shoes – 2,980,000 results
Orange nike walking shoes – 949,000 results
Orange Nike Walking Shoes Size 6 – About 238,000 results
Orange Nike Walking Shoes Size 6 $40 – $50 – About 184 results
So she went to one of those 184 sites and she bought her shoes immediately. Now she shops here all the time and tells her friends about this website!

And everyone lived happily ever after.

The End!

….we will continue with the story of the Realtor and how this strategy worked for him tomorrow!

Your Favorite REVA…Because Sanity Begins with Systems!
Kathy
Kathy Goldman
Assistance For Agents
…where “location” finally doesn’t matter!
www.REVAonline.com
www.Facebook.com/AskAREVA
www.Twitter.com/kathygoldman
www.LinkedIn.com/in/kmgoldman
Services include listing coordination, website content and maintenance, social media planning and implementation, virtual tours, lead management, Realtor.com enhancements and more.

Filed Under: Agents, Brokers, Building Your Real Estate Business, Business Plan, Featured, Kathy Goldman, Niche Marketing, Real Estate Tagged With: marketing, niche real estate market, orange shoes, promote website, save money, website marketing

Happy New Year – Something Fun and Something Cool

Cyber Monday – November 28th

Mountain Biker Pummeled by Antelope!

Simon’s Cat Double Trouble – Good for a Monday Morning Laugh

Minnesota Humor – Yeah Baby!

Target Marketing for Real Estate

Niche! Niche! Niche! The Story of the Orange Shoe

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Social Networking

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