Marketing Archives - Page 9 of 37

04Mar 2021 by Bob Cargill

How to Get Your Audience’s Attention

How do you get your audience’s attention as a marketer? How do you get your prospects to take the first step in the buyer’s journey? When I had my own business in the early ‘90s as a freelance copywriter and creative director doing a ton of direct mail marketing, I sent dozens of colorful, hand-painted metal mailboxes stuffed with samples of my work to potential clients. It was my way of introducing myself to them, my way of prompting them to take notice of me and my professional services. And it worked wonderful well. It wasn’t an inexpensive campaign for me, but it was a successful one. It resulted in an abundance of attention and plenty of new business. For years, people would refer to me as the guy who…

11Feb 2021 by Bob Cargill

Nobody Trusts Anybody Anymore

Marketing, Social Media

Nobody trusts anybody anymore. At least that's how it seems. I recently read a ridiculously awesome article on Heidi Cohen's blog about five marketing trends, one of which had to do with the erosion of public trust. Unfortunately, this lack of trust can have a negative impact on the success of your marketing and sales efforts. The less people trust, the less likely they are to support brands and businesses unless they're already loyal customers. That's where social media can help. Social media makes it possible for you to build mutually beneficial relationships with those on the receiving end of your messages. Social media gives you the opportunity to show that you have a personality, not just a pulse. The more people learn about you on social media, the more…

24Jan 2021 by Bob Cargill

Boston-Area Agencies on Twitter

Advertising, Boston, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media

Hey, Boston-area agencies involved in marketing, advertising, PR and social media. I see you. I see which ones of you are on Twitter and I’ve added you to my list there. I read the content you share there and take notice of how often you post. I like a lot of your tweets and even retweet some of them. I may not have found all of you on Twitter yet, but I’m constantly on the lookout. I invite you and anybody else who’s interested to take a look at this list I’ve put together of agencies in the Boston area. Use it to learn more about who you may want to partner with or hire. Use it to you learn more the industry in which you earn your livelihood. Use…

10Jan 2021 by Bob Cargill

Being Incessant on Social Media

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

Incessant creating. Incessant sharing. Incessant listening. Being incessant in everything you do on social media is one of the keys to success there. In the documentary, “ZZ TOP: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas,” the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Billy Gibbons, talks about the “incessant touring” they did in the early stages of their career and how that helped them become so popular. The rest of their story, of course, is history, as they went on to become iconic, international superstars on the music scene. As it was for these ridiculously awesome rock musicians, it is for you, me and anyone else who wants to perform successfully on social media. We have to be incessant.

29Dec 2020 by Bob Cargill

Put on a Show

Branding, Business, Communications, Content, Marketing

Chris Brogan is on to something. In an article he recently published on LinkedIn here, he said he was going to be changing his title to “Showrunner” and that he would be helping companies turn their business into a show. Chris is perfectly suited to do just that for his clients. He's a master communicator, whether he's hosting his daily video show, The Backpack Show, keynoting a conference or writing a blog post. Imagine what he can do for your digital brand if he does just a little of what he does for himself and others already. I concur with Chris completely. With the emergence of social media years ago, we said that every brand was a publisher. I say that they’re now broadcasters, too. Whether we’re talking about independent…

14Dec 2020 by Bob Cargill

Ephemeral Content on Social Media

Branding, Content, Marketing, Social Media

Ephemeral content. Now you see it, now you don’t. It’s around for only so long. It comes and it goes. Instagram Stories. LinkedIn Stories. Twitter Fleets. All examples of ephemeral content. All great ways to put yourself in front of your audience on social media. Ephemeral content is lightweight and informal, easy to both produce and consume. Ephemeral content appears at the top of your followers’ feeds, so the odds are that your audience will see it. And because they know it is going to be there for only so long, they feel a sense of urgency to check it out before it disappears. There are many reasons why ephemeral content is so popular right now on social media. There are many reasons why you should be incorporating it into…

24Nov 2020 by Bob Cargill

Come Down from Your Ivory Towers

Business, Marketing, Social Media

Come down from your ivory towers. That was a big takeaway for me after reading the book, The Cluetrain Manifesto, back in the day. That point was made loud and clear to me. Business executives needed to stop distancing themselves from their constituents and instead start talking to them and even more importantly, listening to them on the internet. It’s been some 20 years since this book was published, but its main message holds true now more than ever. Thanks to social media, there is no excuse anymore not to be engaging with your customers, prospects, connections, followers, subscribers, fans and even critics. The savviest and smartest marketers and advertisers get it. They’re conspicuous in their presence online day in and day out. They’re joining the conversations on LinkedIn, Twitter,…

15Nov 2020 by Bob Cargill

Employee Advocacy on Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media

If I had employees, I would make sure they knew how to use social media. I would teach them how to use LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and the like on behalf of my business. I would encourage them to share content online that helped promote my brand. I would provide them with incentives and rewards for doing so. This would be a win-win situation. They would be learning new skills, expanding their own respective networks, keeping on top of industry news, positioning themselves as thought leaders and building better careers. My business would have a stronger workforce, one that would help me amplify the reach of my marketing communications and tee me up for greater success. What about you? Do you have employees? Are you training them to advocate on…

08Nov 2020 by Bob Cargill

The Secret of Success in Marketing and Life Itself

Branding, Business, Marketing

Empathy. It’s one thing we could all use more of if we want to be more successful in both our professional and personal lives. Yup. Think more about others and less about yourself. It's that easy. That’s the secret to success in marketing, the field in which I earn my livelihood, in business in general and in life itself. When you walk in someone else’s shoes, you learn a lot about how they think, feel and live. You gain an understanding of their needs and wants, their shortcomings and strengths, their wins and losses. You can relate better to them and vice versa. It is easier to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with them. Empathy towards others – friends or family, colleagues or clients, teammates or neighbors, even complete strangers…

Category: Marketing