04Apr 2012 by Bob Cargill

Talking about Social Media at the Sudbury Social Tweetup

Advertising, Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I was very happy to co-host -- along with Phil Hollows -- the eighth Sudbury Social Tweetup last week. Phil and I started this series of networking events for people who are interested in social media in July of 2011, not really knowing what to expect. How many people would we attract? How often would we meet? What about an agenda? These were just a few of the questions we had at the time. But we're now more than up and running, hosting a gathering of about 10-15 people on the last Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM at Bistro 20 in Sudbury, Massachusetts. At the March 29 Tweetup, Ashley Hin treated the group to a fabulous presentation about Foursquare. And I had the opportunity to ask four of those…
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27Mar 2012 by Bob Cargill

Hashtags in Advertising and Marketing

Advertising, Business, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
This post was initially published on BostInno on March 21, 2012. To read the original post there, click here.  Advertising and marketing pros know how important it is to engage their constituents and entice them to take action. One way or another, it’s up to them to convince those on the receiving end of their messages to pick up the phone, mail in an order form, cut out a coupon, click on a link, visit a website, download an offer, attend an event or respond in some other way, shape or form… such as saying something on Twitter about their products and services. That’s right. Many brands are now going out of their way to get people to talk about them in 140 characters or less. And one way they’re doing…
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22Mar 2012 by Bob Cargill

Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero, Part Two

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
This is second and final installment of "Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero." Part One of my Q & A with Joe Kyle was published on this blog yesterday... [caption id="attachment_2218" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Joe Kyle, Aspiring Social Media Superstar"][/caption] I met Joe Kyle for the first time in September of last year. After talking about social media over lunch, we agreed to stay in touch and provide assistance to one another when the opportunity arose. I asked Joe a few questions recently about social media, marketing and his ambitions at this juncture in his career. Here's the second part of our Q & A... Bob: What do you think are some of the biggest benefits of using social media? Joe: Well, it’s the fastest form of media we have.…
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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…
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21Feb 2012 by Bob Cargill

The Power of Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Anyone who knows me knows how much I believe in the power of social media. Ever since I started blogging in 2004, I've been hooked on the public, open-ended dialogue that takes place online among those who can appreciate the benefits of sharing what they know and how they feel with not only their closest friends and allies, but often with complete strangers as well. It's the idea of building communities that I like so much, the notion of broadening one's horizons to the point where you're establishing new, mutually-beneficial connections with like-minded people and learning exponentially more about the world at large. But it's also how terrific Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media networks – such as the phenomenally popular Pinterest – are for simply maintaining relationships with friends,…
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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…
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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.…
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27Nov 2011 by Bob Cargill

How I Use Twitter to Follow Boston-Area News

Boston, Media, Social Media, Twitter
I'm a news junkie. I admit it. I can't go much more than a few hours without a fix of the latest headlines. The weather forecast is important to me. If there’s been a crime committed, a notable death, an accident, a fire or any tragedy or disaster whatsoever, I like to know about it. I’m a huge sports fan. Celebrity gossip amuses me. Significant milestones and achievements impress me. I’m entertained by pop culture and fascinated by anything to do with business or politics. And if any of this news is local, I find it even more interesting. That’s why I spend so much time listening to the radio, watching TV and reading articles on such online properties as Boston.com, BostonHerald.com, Sudbury Patch and Wicked Local Sudbury. And that’s one…
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02Nov 2011 by Bob Cargill

50 Reasons Why People Use Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Since I included a list of 50 reasons why people don’t use social media in my most recent post, I thought it only made sense to follow up with a similar list, only this time focusing on the opposing point of view, the reasons why people do use social media. Sure, as I wrote in that last post about those who are reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon, “there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound.” But as I also pointed out, there are more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter. There's certainly a critical mass of people using social media today,…
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