Branding Archives - Page 10 of 20

20Jun 2018 by Bob Cargill

Podcast: Do Things the Opposite Way on Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

Try doing the opposite of what you’ve been doing up until now on social media. That’s right. Take off your sales and marketing hat, and put on a hat that says, “I’m just like you.” Not only are the algorithms on social media not working in your favor, but your audience is tired of the same old promotional messages you’re sharing with them. If you’re not paying to play, chances are you’re not reaching very much of an audience at all, anyway. So, put a face on your brand and a smile on your face. Show that you have a personality, not just a pulse. Do what George Costanza did in episode 86 of “Seinfeld.” Do things the opposite way on social media. Be less promotional and a lot more…

13Jun 2018 by Bob Cargill

Red Tape and Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

Red tape. Unfortunately, it prevents many businesses and brands from making progress in any way, shape or form on social media. Whether it’s because too many chefs are in the kitchen or there is just far too much adherence to outdated rules, red tape can undermine the success of your very best efforts. The most accomplished social media practitioners have a green light in front of them, not red tape. They get autonomy and support from colleagues and management, not questions and criticism. The most effective social media programs are authentic, transparent and immediate. They’re carried out quickly and seamlessly with very few interruptions. If you expect to be successful as an organization on social media, you’ve got to cut to the chase and cut the red tape.

29May 2018 by Bob Cargill

Create Social Media Moments and Memories for Your Audience

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

Look all around you. Everybody is taking pictures everywhere they go. You want to capitalize on this trend. Anything you do as a business or organization needs to be optimized for social media. Your people. Your office. Your content. Your events. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you want to be making it easy for your connections and customers to share something to do with your brand with their own respective networks. Your fans and followers want to talk about you. They want to amplify everything about you to a wider circle of people. They’re looking for something to capture and disseminate via their own feeds on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like. Give them the opportunities. Give them the inspiration. Create social media moments and memories for…

07May 2018 by Bob Cargill

Immortalizing Your Brand’s Audience on Social Media

Boston Marathon, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

It feels good to be able to run 26.2 miles on any given day, but I was particularly happy to finish the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018. For starters, this was the 11th time I've run Boston for charity, the fifth time for Christopher's Haven, raising nearly $2,000 this time around for this ridiculously awesome non-profit organization. It was also especially gratifying to be able to go the entire 26.2-mile distance despite such extremely inclement weather conditions. Pouring rain. Stiff headwinds. Cold temperatures. The long, challenging journey from Hopkinton to Boston this year was about as far from a walk in the park as you could imagine. After I crossed the finish line on Boylston Street, I asked one of the volunteers to take my picture, as I wanted…

29Mar 2018 by Bob Cargill

Social Media Isn’t Rocket Science

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

Social media isn’t rocket science. Yup. Using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like is easier than you think IF you make it a priority. But that’s just the problem. Many businesses, organizations, institutions and communities don’t get it. They are still giving short shrift to what they view as an unnecessary, newfangled way of communications. They think social media is a fad or something the cool kids may do, not something they have to make a priority. Think again. Employers should be training their employees TODAY how to use social media on behalf of their brands. Anyone in a leadership position should be immersing themselves NOW in everything to do with these online channels and making sure their constituents are right behind them. Team members are your advocates. Those…

16Mar 2018 by Bob Cargill

Music to the Ears of Your Audience on Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

Bruno Mars and Cardi B. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha. Performers in the music world do it all the time. They collaborate. They form partnerships. They join forces to produce music that they know they couldn’t have done on their own. You can do the same thing on social media. Hook up with other brands, businesses and people to produce content that you couldn’t do on your own. Guest post on their blogs and vice versa. Conduct interviews. Barter services. Tag-team projects. Engage with them in some way, shape or form. Mix it up. Put different faces and voices in front of your audience every so often. The results may pleasantly surprise you. Collaboration. It’s music to the ears of your audience on social…

01Mar 2018 by Bob Cargill

Use Social Media Like Chloe Kim

Branding, Social Media

Use social media like Chloe Kim. Chloe jumped, twisted, turned, somersaulted and flew her way to a gold medal recently on her snowboard in the women’s halfpipe competition at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. But what caught my attention almost as much as her prowess on a snowboard was the fact that she used Twitter during the competition. Yup. Chloe somehow found time to tweet between runs about being “hangry” because she hadn’t finished her breakfast sandwich. Kudos to this snowboarding superstar not just for winning gold, but for showing the world the prevalence, pervasiveness and power of Twitter. Despite the triviality of her tweet, it’s still received over 10,000 RTs and 100,00 likes. Businesses and brands (personal or corporate), that use social media like Chloe are more likely…

11Feb 2018 by Bob Cargill

Shouting It Out Loud on Social Media

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

Shout it out loud. That’s what your customers, connections, clients and constituents are doing on social media. They’re amplifying what you have to say about your business to their own personal networks, exponentially increasing the reach of your marketing messages. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity? Are you providing your audience with enough quality content to share on a regular basis? Are you capitalizing on the fact that your fans, followers and friends can help you get the word out about your products and services in today’s day and age? Like it or not, online communities are talking about you. Give them something to rave about. Give them something to share. Give them something to shout from the rooftops that will call more positive attention to your personal or…

25Dec 2017 by Bob Cargill

Video Rocks

Branding, Business, Marketing

People are asking me all the time now about my videos. They're seeing my videos on social media and wondering how I do them. My answer is always the same... Recording my videos is easy. Most of them I shoot by myself with just my mobile phone and a selfie stick. Sometimes my wife, Barbara, helps me shoot them. Nothing fancy. Very low-budget. But well-thought-out. Shooting videos like I do is something I think everyone in marketing, advertising, PR and social media should be doing today. Video rocks. It’s emotional. It’s easy. It’s effective. Video helps you deepen the relationships you have with your connections, constituents, clients and customers.

Category: Branding