15Dec 2009 by Bob Cargill

The 30 Best Blog Posts on Social Media I’ve Read in 2009

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
With only so many days left until a new year is upon us, it's only natural to want to take pause, look back and reflect on everything that's transpired in 2009. And what a year it's been for those of us involved in social media and marketing. Change has been the only constant in the nature of what we do on the job. Me? I'm a copywriter and direct marketer by trade, someone who's earned his livelihood for well over 20 years helping brands to sell their products and services. And that hasn't changed. But many of the strategies, tools and communications channels I'm using nowadays to help my clients achieve their goals are different. Today, I find myself working with blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube and the like much…
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07Dec 2009 by Bob Cargill

What You Should Include on Your Next Set of Business Cards

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
No matter how much I enjoy communicating with others online via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media platforms (including this blog), I still think the most powerful connection you can make with someone is face to face. I've always liked attending conferences, trade shows and networking events, making new friends and meeting new people, shaking hands and schmoozing. I appreciate the camaraderie of being under the same roof with a group of like-minded professionals. I take comfort in knowing that I'm not alone as a businessman and entrepreneur, that we're all in this together, literally smack dab in the middle of the same basic search for new leads, new resources, new allies and new opportunities to succeed. And if you ask me, there's something very special about the exchange of business cards. It's an age-old ritual, a tradition remarkably still alive given today's relaxed…
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30Nov 2009 by Bob Cargill

The Black Door, Bravery and Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
  Blog Post on Video: The Black Door, Bravery and Social Media Let me tell you a story.  It’s a parable that’s been around for a long time. It's about a spy who had been captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, however, permitted the condemned person to choose between the firing squad and the black door.   As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him to receive the doomed man's decision.  This was not an easy decision, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon he made it known that he preferred the firing squad.  Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced the grim sentence had been fulfilled.  The general turned…
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22Nov 2009 by Bob Cargill

From Direct Mail to Social Media, My 13-Year Evolution

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter
On November 17, 1996, I was happy to be featured on the front page of the Sunday Business section of the local daily newspaper, the Middlesex News, in an article about direct mail, my specialty at the time. And on November 18, 2009, 13 years and one day later, I was fortunate to have an interview of me about social media appear in the same newspaper (which now goes by the name, The MetroWest Daily News). Talk about an evolution. Yes, I can't tell you how excited I was to receive a phone call earlier in the month from Daily News editor and reporter, Jeff Adair, who asked me if I would be willing to answer a number of questions about my experience with social media. This interview was a great chance for me to put into words just how passionately I felt as a marketing professional about using blogs,…
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14Nov 2009 by Bob Cargill

The Cornerstone of Some of the Best Social Media Programs

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Given all the attention such social media channels as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube have been getting lately, it's easy to overlook the importance of having a good, old-fashioned blog as the cornerstone of your social media program. Sure, other social media channels may be sexier (and, frankly, easier to manage), but a blog is typically where your more substantive content lives, where you're going to earn the most respect for your willingness and ability to share your thoughts with others. As I wrote here on this blog ("Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog," December 2004) nearly five years ago ... A blog is tailor-made for storing and managing your intellectual capital. It’s a centralized repository for experience and expertise, an incredibly easy way to disseminate key, timely information to an audience of readers who are already interested in what you have to…
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05Nov 2009 by Bob Cargill

Introducing My New Facebook Fan Page for Cargill Creative

Blogging, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter
Ever since I joined Facebook in 2007, I've been using it more for business than personal reasons. But it wasn't until earlier this week that I had a dedicated outpost on this phenomenally popular social networking platform where I could talk strictly about marketing, social media and everything else that I do for a living. Yes, I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have my own Facebook Fan Page for Cargill Creative, my business as an independent copywriter, creative director and social media marketer. On my new Facebook Fan Page, I'll be sharing links to great articles on the trends, topics, developments and issues that are on the minds of marketers today. I'll also be importing the feeds to this blog, my YouTube channel and my Twitter stream, all of which will make it easy for fans to follow…
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26Oct 2009 by Bob Cargill

My Social Media Webinar Series for the Printing Industries of New England

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
As I’ve said before here on this blog, if there’s one thing I enjoy almost as much as using social media, it’s speaking about this exciting, relatively new phenomenon in online communications to anyone who is willing listen to me. And lately, I’ve been fortunate to have had many such opportunities. After all, there’s nothing hotter in the industry in which I earn my livelihood right now than social media. And as my friends and colleagues know, I've been enamored with the power of blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and the like since their emergence on the scene. So it would be an understatement for me to say I’m happy that corporate America is finally beginning to understand what the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto meant when they wrote back in 1999 that… In just a few…
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19Oct 2009 by Bob Cargill

GM’s Satisfaction Guarantee Offer: Good Faith, Great Marketing

Advertising, Branding, Direct Marketing, Marketing
I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that General Motors was giving customers (specifically, "eligible buyers" of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles) a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Personally, I believe every company should be willing to go to such lengths in order to reassure prospective customers that they will meet, if not exceed, their expectations -- even if it means the possibility of doling out refunds to those who might be dissatisfied. A guarantee is a strong demonstration of good faith. Of course, the direct marketer in me also knows just how much a guarantee can lift response rates and, ultimately, sales.  As I wrote here... ...a strong guarantee will go a long way toward mitigating any concerns your constituents may have about buying your products or services. In fact, when I had my own…
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12Oct 2009 by Bob Cargill

Inbound Marketing Summit Boston (’09): The Best Conference I Never Attended

Blogging, Branding, Facebook, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
While I was fortunate enough to attend the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston a year ago, I wasn’t able to attend this social media extravaganza here this time around... ...but I can tell you for a fact that it was the best conference I never attended. Yes, thanks to the live, exhaustive coverage of this two-day event by a slew of those in attendance via Twitter and many timely reports filed on other social media platforms (blogs, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, etc.), I don’t feel like I missed much of anything. Okay, so I didn't get the opportunity to network with my colleagues face-to-face, shake their hands and exchange business cards, but I definitely got the gist of pretty much all the presentations in snippets and headlines, video clips and sound bites. Starting with…
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