21Jun 2019 by Bob Cargill

Social Media Can Change the World

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Far too many brands and businesses are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole on social media. They’re using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like as broadcast channels, places to promote themselves instead of to share and engage with others. They're not posting nearly enough, either. They're still not getting it. Marketing, advertising, sales, PR, heck, whatever line of business you're in…it’s all changing rapidly before our very eyes. Consumers don’t believe anything anymore. So, transparency wins. You want to have your audience’s attention? You want to earn their trust and loyalty? Stop manipulating them and start listening to them. Put yourself out there on a frequent basis and let them get to know you as a human being, not a corporate logo or a company…
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04Jul 2016 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways Brands Can Use Facebook Live

Branding, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media
It was only a matter of time. On the heels of Periscope’s wildly successful run as pretty much the only game in town over the course of the last year or so, Facebook has finally released its own live streaming app, Facebook Live. While Twitter’s Periscope basked in the glory of having grown to over 10 million users after only four months in business, Facebook Live promises to be even more popular. Never mind the fact that Live works almost the same as Periscope – seamlessly, easily, instantaneously – its potential user base and audience of over 1.5 billion casts more than a large shadow over any predecessors and competitors in the live streaming app space. How do you use Facebook Live? It’s simple. Just go to Facebook on your…
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09Aug 2014 by Bob Cargill

10 Types of Visuals to Boost Your Social Media Engagement

Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
As a writer by trade, it's not easy for me to utter these words, but I'm not going to lie: On social media, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's true. Content may be king, but visuals rule. All the latest studies and statistics suggest that images on social media command more attention than text alone. If you want more likes, comments, shares, retweets, and clicks, you want to include pictures with your social media posts. You want to be more visual. As Carla Gates says here on her 3 to 5 Marketing Blog... "Images used in your social media (and by definition, your blog content) are far more attention-grabbing than text or plain old links, more likely to be shared, evoke emotional reactions in viewers (and emotion SELLS),…
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26Jul 2014 by Bob Cargill

Smile, You’re on Social Media

Facebook, Social Media, Twitter
When Ellen DeGeneres pulled together some of Hollywood’s biggest superstars for a group shot at the Oscars this year, it may have been a moment of spontaneous fun, but the resultant tweet of this selfie will go down in social media history. Having been retweeted over 3.4 million times at last count, this one epic tweet from @TheEllenShow easily surpassed a tweet of President Barack Obama’s as the most retweeted ever. Statistics aside, this tweet served to underscore a point that social media practitioners like me have been preaching to businesses and brands for a long time. Lighten up. You heard me. Take your work, not yourself, seriously. If the likes of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey can strike a pose for a rather silly selfie…
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02Jun 2013 by Bob Cargill

Workshop: How to Use Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter
Given how common it is today for businesses and brands to use social media, more people than ever not only want, but need to know the ins and outs of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and the like. It’s true. No longer is it optional to have knowledge and skills in this area. It’s mandatory. As someone who’s been immersed in social media from the get-go, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see these new digital communication channels and tools being used so much by both individuals and professional organizations today. After all, we’re talking about a revolutionary, new way of interacting with others online, a method of messaging and marketing that is nothing short of transformational. The benefits of using social media are innumerable, including the following… •…
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07Apr 2013 by Bob Cargill

Four Questions for Ashley Hin about Social Media

Business, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Sudbury, Twitter
[caption id="attachment_4626" align="alignright" width="300"] Ashley Hin[/caption] As co-founder and co-host of the Sudbury Social Tweetup, a networking group for those interested in learning more about social media and marketing, I've had the opportunity to meet some very smart people, many of whom have become mentors, sounding boards and really good friends. Ashley Hin is one of them. Blessed with an incredibly upbeat personality, Ashley is someone I've looked up to her for her creative thinking, open mindedness, high energy and free spirit since the first time I met her. She's quite the trooper, too, as she travels all the way from Manchester, New Hampshire to join our group in Sudbury to talk shop and have fun. Thanks, Ashley, for being such a valuable contributor to the Sudbury Social Tweetup and…
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25Nov 2012 by Bob Cargill

If We’re Talking about Social Media, We’re Talking about a Revolution

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Thanks to the crazy amount of time I spend talking to others about blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, I've had plenty of opportunities to hear practically every reason in the book why some people still haven't jumped on the social media bandwagon. Many of these folks claim there aren't enough hours in the day for them to be spending any more time online, while others say they just don't understand how to use these new digital tools and technologies. My own personal theory is that a good percentage of these laggards and stragglers are more concerned about their privacy than they care to admit, afraid of revealing themselves so openly and publicly across the social web. But to all of these people, I don't know what to say…
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12Oct 2012 by Bob Cargill

A Few Words with Victoria Smith about Music, Social Media and More

Facebook, Music, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
[caption id="attachment_3429" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Victoria Smith"][/caption] She’s a prolific songwriter and an incredibly passionate vocalist, a self-proclaimed “rock chick” with a warm, hungry heart. She’s as bold as she is sensitive, as rugged as she is tender. She’s Victoria Smith, a smart, sassy musician who makes it no secret that she plans to take the music world by storm. That’s what I wrote about my good friend and former colleague, Victoria Smith, for her official bio on her website. But you’re about to learn a lot more about her here on my blog. I’ve worked with Vickie, so I can vouch for her industriousness and ambition. She's a go-getter. I’ve seen her perform live, so I can tell you she’s a fantastic singer with a fabulous future ahead of her.…
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30Sep 2012 by Bob Cargill

Presentation: 10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Social media isn’t rocket science, but it is a big departure for businesses, nonprofit organizations, brands and institutions that have been historically dependent on traditional methods of communicating with their constituents. So to help educate those who are new to using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the like for marketing, advertising, PR, publishing and networking purposes, here's a new presentation of mine based on a list of 10 ways to succeed in social media that I originally wrote and published as a series of blog posts. I invite you to view, download and share this presentation with your friends, colleagues and industry peers. And if you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about social media, I'm always…
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