09Feb 2020 by Bob Cargill

A Good Bedside Manner Goes a Long Way

Branding, Business, Customer Service, Marketing
My wife, Barbara, wasn’t feeling well the other day. After talking to her doctor’s office on the phone, we decided to go to a local on-demand healthcare facility, CareWell Urgent Care in Marlborough, where she could get the quickest treatment possible. We didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes before she was seen by two different nurses and thoroughly checked out. Not only did she receive exceptional care at this facility, the medical team’s bedside manner was ridiculously awesome. They spent a lot of time examining her as well as just plain comforting her. They weren’t just extremely professional, they were incredibly personable as well. BIG thanks to Kristen and Virginia, the two nurses who took care of Barbara during our visit. You. Me. We can all learn…
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29Dec 2019 by Bob Cargill
Humanize Your Brand

Humanize Your Brand

Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Seth Godin, Social Media
Real success in business is achieved when you use real people in marketing and sales, real people in real time being really honest with their audience. When I saw Mark Schaefer speak earlier this year, he emphasized the importance of being human as marketers. I saw Seth Godin a few months later, and he pointed out that human marketing takes time. They're both right, of course. Consumers are tired of being bombarded by the constant cacophony of cries for their attention from brands. There must be a better way to win friends and influence people in business. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of social media. Social media levels the playing field, making it possible for companies to engage with consumers - and vice versa - as human beings.…
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09Nov 2019 by Bob Cargill
Selfies on Social Media

Selfies on Social Media

Branding, Marketing, Selfies, Social Media
Selfies can be some of your most popular content on social media. People like to see pictures of other people, especially those with smiles on their faces. Do you remember that famous selfie that Ellen DeGeneres took at the Oscars in 2014 with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and a group of other celebrities? On Twitter, that selfie garnered over 3,000,000 retweets and more than 2,000,000 likes. Former Boston Red Sox slugger, David (“Big Papi”) Ortiz, took a great selfie of him and President Barack Obama on the team’s visit to the White House a few years ago. Kim Kardashian, of course, is famous for her selfies. I take a lot of selfies myself, many of them group selfies using my selfie stick at industry-related events like American Marketing Association, Boston's.…
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30Oct 2019 by Bob Cargill
What’s Your Mud?

What’s Your Mud?

Branding, Marketing
What's your mud? What's your secret sauce? What's the one thing you can offer to your audience members that they can't get anywhere else? I read an article in Sports Illustrated recently about this guy who provides Major League Baseball with the mud that's rubbed on baseballs before they're used in games. Apparently this mud makes it possible for a pitcher to get a dependable grip on the ball. This mud is unique. This mud is valuable. This mud, according to this article, has been the only mud used by MLB for decades. Every brand and business should have the equivalent of this mud as their own product or service. Something exclusive. Something rare. Something no one else can offer. After all, there is a lot of competition in the…
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05Oct 2019 by Bob Cargill

Advertising is Everywhere

Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
Advertising, marketing, PR and social media …all this is changing at breakneck speed. What strategies and tactics worked for us a few years ago, or as recently as last year, could easily backfire on us today. We can’t afford to have whatever messages we’re sharing with our own respective audiences be anything but relevant, timely, engaging and even amusing. Never mind the glut of content people are trying to sort through and digest, many consumers, customers and clients won’t tolerate anything that even resembles a sales pitch anymore. Stop begging for business and start earning that business. Stop trying to fool those on the receiving end of your messages and start trying to help them. Stop hitting listeners, viewers and readers over the head time and again and start listening…
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09Jul 2019 by Bob Cargill

Personalities as Publishers

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
Thanks to social media, every brand and business today is a publisher. The people within those organizations are usually the ones who are responsible for those publishing efforts, though. They are the rock stars, the lead magnets, the only way – in many cases – their employers would have any worthwhile content to share with their constituents in the first place. I listened to a ridiculously awesome podcast recently, the Digiday Podcast hosted by Brian Morrissey, in which the host spoke to Barstool Sports’ CEO, Erika Nardini. You can listen to this episode here. Among other things, Nardini talked about the success of her company’s many podcasts, monetizing content and building a subscription business that isn’t necessarily dependent on advertising. “Personalities are the new publishers,” she said at one point…
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01May 2019 by Bob Cargill
Age Doesn’t Matter on Social Media

Age Doesn’t Matter on Social Media

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
Age doesn’t matter on social media. In a recent issue of AARP The Magazine, there’s a series of profiles on “older Americans” who are crushing it on social media. People like Lili Hayes, Scott Wadsworth, Herbie Russ, Irvin Randle, Judith Boyd, Angie Schmitt and others. These people are looked up to like rock stars and celebrities on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. They’re influencers and authorities, thought leaders and entertainers, gurus and trendsetters. And yes, they’re all over 50 – like me. Age doesn’t matter on social media. Age shouldn’t matter anywhere. Nobody should be looked at differently because they are older than you. No one should be judged, stereotyped, underestimated or treated unfairly because of their age, young or old. There are no boundaries to talent and ability. There…
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20Apr 2019 by Bob Cargill

Use Social Media Like John Legere

Branding, Social Media
He is outgoing and outspoken, transparent and transformative. He is not afraid to put himself out there and show he’s human just like us. He is a ridiculously awesome example of how senior-level business executives should use social media, if you ask me. He is John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. Not only does he know how to call attention to himself and the company he presides over, he is also very thoughtful of others, altruistic and philanthropic. In fact, this super successful UMass Amherst grad recently raised $4.5 million for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, thanks in large part to the large, loyal following he has on social media. John Legere knows what he’s doing, folks, in the C suite and on social media. Follow him and learn from the best.
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27Mar 2019 by Bob Cargill

Your Brand Is Not What You Say You Are

Branding, Marketing
If you think you define your own brand, think again. Your customers, clients and connections define your brand. They say what your brand is, not you. Do you practice what you preach? Do your actions match your words? Do you not just talk the talk, but walk the walk, too? The best brands among us live, breathe, work and play what they say they are day in and day out, time and time again. They don’t rest on their laurels. They don’t ever stop evolving. They listen to their audience’s feedback and don’t just meet but exceed their expectations. Whatever they have to offer – products, services, advice, support, you name it – is always more than appreciated by those on the receiving end.
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