08Feb 2014 by Bob Cargill

How Over 100 Boston-Area Restaurants Use Twitter

Boston, Restaurants, Social Media, Twitter
You've probably heard of them. You may even have been to them. But do you follow them on Twitter? They are the over 100 different restaurants in the Boston area that you will find tweeting about eating that are included in a list I created recently on Twitter. From a great gastropub like Deep Ellum to a classic steakhouse like Abe & Louie's, a legendary sports bar like the Cask 'n Flagon to a highly acclaimed Italian bistro like Figs, they’re some of the most popular restaurants around, places you can count on for good food and good times. In this Twitter list, you can read what these restaurants are up to in 140 characters or less. You can learn more about their menus, their specials, their personalities and their…
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22Jan 2014 by Bob Cargill

Using Signage to Drive Social Media Traffic

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
In this day and age, most businesses and brands realize the importance of having a presence on social media. However, far too many still don’t know how to attract an audience to these channels. They either mistakenly subscribe to the notion that if they build it, they will come, or they simply have no idea how to drive such traffic. The good news is there are countless ways to generate more likes, followers, fans and friends. You can cross-promote your Twitter account on Facebook and vice versa. You can put your social media credentials on your customers’ receipts. You can promote your social channels on your own website, on your business cards, in your email signature, in a company newsletter and even in paid advertising campaigns. But perhaps the easiest…
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17Jan 2014 by Bob Cargill

How I Use Twitter to Keep Up with the Weather

Social Media, Twitter
Over the years, I’ve created nearly 20 lists on Twitter, each of which you can see – and subscribe to – on my Twitter account here. I’ve put together a list of marketing, advertising and PR agencies, a list of nonprofit organizations and a list of those who have attended the Sudbury Social Tweetup, a monthly networking event in Sudbury (MA) that I co-host with FeedBlitz's Phil Hollows. The biggest list I’ve created consists of 563 (and counting) media people, companies, outlets and organizations in and around Boston. And the smallest one is comprised of more than 20 Boston-area meteorologists, a list I turn to quite frequently to keep up with the latest weather forecasts, especially lately, given the fact that we’re in the throes of yet another cold, snowy…
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22Dec 2013 by Bob Cargill

Instagram’s New Feature, Instagram Direct

Marketing, Social Media
Introducing Instagram Direct from Instagram on Vimeo. If you use Instagram to establish meaningful connections with your customers, prospects, fans and followers, your job just got a little easier. Instagram, the popular visual communications network that was founded in 2010, introduced Instagram Direct last Thursday, making it possible for users to send photos and videos directly to up to 15 of their followers. How cool is this new feature? Cool enough for none other than Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian to have used it already to promote the Kardashian Kollection, their line of fashion, jewelry and more. For reposting one of their promotional messages with the hashtag, #KKDIRECT, 15 of their followers were awarded an exclusive, “behind the scenes” pic from the 2014 Kardashian Kollection campaign shoot. While it’s too…
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07Dec 2013 by Bob Cargill

How I Was Surprised and Delighted by Pretzel Crisps on Twitter

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media, Sudbury
Anyone in marketing knows what it means to surprise and delight your customers and prospects. It means to reach out to members of your target audience in an unexpected manner, providing them with a positive brand experience out of the blue that leaves them with a favorable impression of your products and services. It’s a proven, age-old strategy that every brand and business should leverage once in a while, one that I was on the receiving end of recently, compliments of Pretzel Crisps. That's right, several weeks ago – November 11, to be exact – I received an unsolicited tweet from Pretzel Crisps complimenting me on my Twitter bio and offering to send me a free gift pack. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve such a treat,…
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25Oct 2013 by Bob Cargill

The Red Sox Rock (Not Just on the Field, But on Twitter, Too)

Boston, Boston Red Sox, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
To say I’ve been a big Boston Red Sox fan for a long time would be an understatement. Yup, I’m old enough to remember The Impossible Dream season of 1967, when the Sox went to the World Series for the first time since 1946. In those days, I looked up to players like Carl “Yaz” Yastrzemski, Jim Lonborg and Rico Petrocelli. Those guys were revered baseball idols and real-life heroes to a small Little League ballplayer like me with a young, impressionable mind. Over the years, I’ve stuck with this team through thick and thin, cheering them on year after year, rooting for Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Dwight Evans, Mo Vaughn, Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and a whole cast of larger than life superstars to go…
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13Oct 2013 by Bob Cargill

How to Use TweetDeck to Schedule Tweets and Monitor What’s Important to You

Business, Marketing, New England Direct Marketing Association, Social Media, Twitter
I was happy and honored to speak recently at the New England Direct Marketing Association’s Marketing Technology Summit. Moderating a discussion on the “Tools and Technologies for Social Media Success,” I was fortunate to have Jamie Pappas, Director of Brand Communications and Social Media at Akamai Technologies, and Eric Andersen, Senior I/T Architect at IBM Interactive, alongside me. My topic was how to use TweetDeck to schedule tweets as well as to monitor lists, hashtags and individual accounts. I’ve been using TweetDeck for a long time to keep up with the activities of others on Twitter and maintain my own steady presence on the channel. It’s a tool I rely on day in and day out to communicate with my followers and listen carefully to those whose tweets I just can’t miss. One tactic…
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14Sep 2013 by Bob Cargill

Crowdsourcing Photos to Engage the Audience at a Live Event

Boston, Marketing, Social Media
I was very happy to have the opportunity to attend the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series recently with my wife, Barbara. After all, what could be more exciting than watching some of the world’s best divers jump off the roof of the Institute of Contemporary Art building some 92 feet or so into Boston Harbor? But besides the enjoyment of watching these guys somersault, tumble, flip, pirouette, spin and fly through the air to the water below, I was particularly impressed with the coverage at the scene of the event. First of all, the announcer had a ton of energy, which went a long way toward keeping the crowd of spectators into every moment of this extreme sports spectacle. He may have been loud and a little over the top, but his enthusiasm…
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01Sep 2013 by Bob Cargill

What Brand Apps Can Learn from RunKeeper

Apps, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
At a recent networking event, I was talking to someone I hadn’t seen in a while about how great it is to keep up with each other through Facebook. I enjoyed the conversation, except for a remark he made about the fact that I share so much about my running regimen via RunKeeper, a very cool app that not only makes it easy to track your runs and other fitness activities, but distribute the details to your friends. “What’s with you and RunKeeper? Do I really care how many miles you’ve run?” Those weren’t his exact words. But that’s what I heard. The impression he gave me was that he could care less about something that means so much to me. Ouch. The truth is, though, everybody else in my social…
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