Marketing Archives - Page 23 of 34

21Mar 2012 by Bob Cargill

Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero, Part One

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

Rare is the day that I'm not approached by friends, colleagues or even complete strangers with questions about social media. Joe Kyle was the latter. Introduced to me last September by a mutual friend, Joe was between jobs and determined to learn everything he could about Twitter, Facebook, blogs and the like. I was more than happy to oblige his request to pick my brain. I enjoy meeting new people and being asked to provide assistance. I'm always glad to help. Over lunch at Panera Bread in Waltham, MA, Joe and I hit it off from the get-go, going on and on about his career goals, the business world and our shared passion for the latest online communications and marketing tools, technologies and tactics. Among other things, what impressed me…

29Jan 2012 by Bob Cargill

Twitter for Business in Five Easy Steps

Business, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

When Phil Hollows and I met for the first time over a cup of coffee in June of last year, little did we know that it would be just one of many conversations about social media that we'd be having on a regular basis. The difference between that initial meeting between us and every other since is that many others who share an interest in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs and the like have joined us for what we call the Sudbury Social Tweetup. At our most recent Tweetup last Thursday night at Bistro 20 in Sudbury, I had the opportunity to speak to the group about "Twitter for Business in Five Easy Steps," including... 1. Find and Be Found 2. Use a Good Dashboard like TweetDeck 3. Engage Your…

15Jan 2012 by Bob Cargill

A Few Words with Vistaprint’s Jeff Esposito (@jeffespo)

Blogging, Business, Direct Marketing, Facebook, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter

When I was asked to host a Tweetup at the New England Direct Marketing Association’s annual holiday party last month at Tavern in the Square in Porter Square (Cambridge, MA), I knew right away who I wanted to have on the program. [caption id="attachment_2152" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Victoria Smith"][/caption] For entertainment, I turned to Victoria Smith, a very talented singer and songwriter, who put on a fabulous show for us. As for the educational piece, I asked my friend and former colleague, Jeff Esposito, to permit me to interview him about his experience with social media as a public relations manager at Vistaprint. Jeff is one the most prolific people I know in social media, having tweeted over 48,500 times to date, not to mention all the blog posts he writes and videos he records.…

18Sep 2011 by Bob Cargill

Ten Tips for Hosting a Successful Tweetup

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

This post was initially published on BostInnovation on September 14, 2011. To read the original post there, click here. There’s a palpable camaraderie among most people who use social media, a strong sense that we’re all in this together and out for the same things — new friendships, opportunities and experiences. Unfailingly, we jump onto Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and our own blogs to listen and learn, chat and connect, educate and entertain, inform and inspire, publicize and promote. Sure, you see a fair share of debate and dissent in social media. It’s not always sunshine and roses. But more often than not, you see a rousing demonstration of mutual respect and quid pro quo, the golden rule being put into practice. That’s what I like about social media. More often…

03Aug 2011 by Bob Cargill

4 Lessons Marketers Can Learn from Local TV News Reporters

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

This post was initially published on BostInnovation on July 28, 2011. To read the original post there, click here. Today – thanks to social media, smartphones and other new digital communications platforms and tools – what the savviest of consumers are asking of their favorite brands is almost as much as they’d expect from their best friends and family. They want your time, support and undivided attention – and they want it at their convenience. It’s not just due to modern technology, though. It’s a bold, new sense of entitlement that’s been enthusiastically adopted by those on the receiving end of your messages. In this era in which the corporation has ceded control – albeit reluctantly – to the customer, businesses can’t afford to be seen as out of touch, behind…

10Jul 2011 by Bob Cargill

Talking about Social Media in Sudbury, Massachusetts

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

I've created a lot of lists on Twitter, including one for copywriters, another one for New England social media professionals and even one that I call All Star Bloggers. But out of all of these lists, the one that's been on my mind lately is the list which includes the people and companies (38 and counting) I've found on Twitter from my hometown of Sudbury, Massachusetts. You see, while I really only know personally a handful of these Sudbury-affiliated account-holders, my goal when I created this list was to get to know as many of them as possible. So little by little, I've retweeted them and reached out to them, thinking that you never know what might come of this small community within, well, a small community. But it wasn't until I recently sat down…

02Jun 2011 by Bob Cargill

The 10 Qualities of the Professional Freelancer

Advertising, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing

For about seven years in the 1990s, I was self-employed, doing my thing as a freelance copywriter and creative director for my own small business, Cargill Creative. It was the time of my career, a period of exhilaration and entrepreneurship I'll never forget. As challenging as it was to have to fend for myself, it felt good to know that almost everything I achieved was dependent on my own abilities and actions, not necessarily on any outside factors. I was working on a high wire without a safety net and I liked it. As I wrote here on this blog back on June 1, 2004, about this experience... Cargill Creative was a “virtual” agency with unlimited potential but resources that were only so deep. Schooled as a creative, I recast myself out…

17May 2011 by Bob Cargill

Guess Who I Met at AMA Boston’s Connect Community Tweetup

Marketing, Social Media

If you haven’t joined the AMA Boston Connect Community yet, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Created on the Ning platform by Myles Bristowe, AMA Boston Past President and CMO at CommCreative, this popular online network recently celebrated the fact that over 2,000 marketers – including yours truly – have now established a presence there. Indeed, to commemorate this milestone, a bunch of us pulled ourselves away from our desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones for a couple hours of good, old-fashioned socializing recently at the Connect Community Tweetup held at Performable, a marketing automation and analytics company in Cambridge. I was happy to catch up with a few good friends in the business, including Jamie Bradley and Lew Sabbag, as well as to meet a handful of people for the first…

18Apr 2011 by Bob Cargill

How a Tweet Led to a Sale

Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

Even though Twitter recently celebrated its fifth birthday and there are now some 200 million users of this micro-blogging site, there's still plenty of skepticism among marketers regarding its viability as a sales channel. I understand. After all, those who are most successful on Twitter are those who are listening intently, sharing great content and engaging with others, not pitching their own products and services. And all that, well, socializing requires an investment of time and resources that many businesses have trouble justifying. But apparently not The Quaker Oats Company. Let me explain... One of the people I follow on Twitter is Dianna Huff, a very talented web marketing expert in the B2B world and someone I know quite well from my involvement in the New England Direct Marketing Association. After reading her March 27…