Social Media Archives - Page 24 of 29

17Oct 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Nine

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Public Relations, Social Media

9. Sweat the small stuff. It's one thing to be a creative genius, to be that extra special someone in the room who can come up with surprisingly brilliant ideas practically on demand, time and time again. That's the glamour and glory of the business. But the consummate copywriter is actually a stickler for details, someone who's as strong on the left side of the brain as the right, who's as analytical and obsessive as conceptual and extemporaneous, who's as aware of the importance of being an accurate, fact-based tactician as much as an original, award-winning craftsperson. That part of the job is not as exciting as it is necessary. Yes, it's not good enough to be just a great wordsmith and marketer. If you want to earn a living as a copywriter, you also have to be…

03Oct 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Eight

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Cause-Related Marketing, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media

8. Be a team player. Most copywriters are accustomed to working alone, sequestered away from the rest of the team, doors closed, blinds drawn, working feverishly against time. It's what we do out of necessity, when there's no room for distractions and we just need to put our heads down to get the job done as soon as possible. Yet while it's certainly not unusual for a copywriter to do his or her thing in isolation, battling loneliness as well as the clock, it really shouldn't be the norm. Sure, to succeed as a copywriter, you need to be a self-starter, capable of working independently for long stretches of time. But you also need to be a team player, someone who works well with others – especially designers, creative directors and…

19Sep 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Seven

Advertising, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media

7. Meet your deadlines. If you’ve been around the block once or twice as a copywriter, you know better than to think anyone's going to just give you enough time to do your very best work. You have to make the time. Yup. Over the course of my career, I’ve rarely seen a schedule that permits a copywriter the luxury of putting in the time he or she would really like to dedicate to a project. Every assignment is a rush. Everything is due yesterday. That's the nature of advertising and marketing, the bane of a copywriter’s existence. That’s the one thing you have to understand if you want to succeed in this business. Incredibly tight deadlines come with the territory. And those deadlines had better be met. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for an extension if you don’t have enough…

05Sep 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Six

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Social Media

6. Exercise good judgment. A copywriter has meetings to attend and research to conduct, but the majority of his or her work hours are spent, well, writing copy – and often under the pressure of exceedingly high expectations and incredibly tight deadlines. Talent is important. But so is good judgment. Whatever you’re writing, you have to have both the experience and intuition to choose just the right words for the assignment time after time. You also have to decide for yourself when to let go of your work and share it with your colleagues and clients. As Roger von Oech writes on page 110 of his book, “A Kick In The Seat Of The Pants”… “The judge performs the evaluation function of the creative process. When you adopt this role, you…

16Aug 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Five

Advertising, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

5. Keep your head out of the sand. It’s no coincidence that some of the best copywriters in the business have eclectic tastes and varied interests. When they’re not hunkered down on the job, sequestered under tight deadline pressure, they’re taking in all that life has to offer as both spectators and participants. They’re bookworms, moviegoers, sightseers and pop culture junkies, people with insatiable appetites for news and information. They’re social butterflies, night owls and day-trippers, free-spirited individuals who are curious by nature. They read everything from best-selling business books to celebrity gossip blogs. They watch everything from game shows to talk shows, Mad Men to Desperate Housewives, sitcoms to soap operas, reality TV to Glee. They do everything from hiking and biking to attending concerts, fundraisers, sporting events, museums and the…

03Aug 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Four

Advertising, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

4. Develop strong presentation skills. It’s one thing to be able to write well. It’s quite another to be able to present your work with the utmost confidence and conviction. But some of the most successful copywriters I've met over the years have had as much command of the spoken as the written word. Those with strong presentation skills are more effective in selling their work to both their colleagues and clients. They’re also given more opportunities to attend important meetings, speak at conferences and assume positions of leadership. If you’re uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience, consider joining Toastmasters International, a nonprofit educational organization that helps people improve their public speaking, communication and leadership skills. As I wrote here on this blog more than six years ago (May…

27Jul 2010 by Bob Cargill

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Three

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

3. Walk in your readers’ shoes. In Stephen R. Covey’s best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #5 is “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Well, that’s also one of the habits of highly effective copywriters. They seek first to understand everything they possibly can about their audience before they even begin to attempt to be understood themselves. Yes, the more you know about your customers and constituents, the easier it is to make a potentially valuable connection with them. Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done. Tight schedules and small budgets often supersede any opportunity to look closely at the demographics – and psychographics – of those whose attention you covet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find out what makes them tick. What…

07Jul 2010 by Bob Cargill

Three Reasons Why I Like Writing for Nonprofits

Copywriting, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Social Media

As much as I've been using social media for business lately, copywriting -- writing, period -- has always been my stock in trade. Over the course of my career so far, I’ve written a countless number of direct mail packages, ads, brochures, inserts, flyers, web pages, emails and tweets for a multitude of both B2B and B2C clients. I’ve written copy to help promote everything from business cards to books, healthcare to software, insurance coverage to investment advice, magazines to music, travel to tuxedos and much, much more. I’ve also written copy to help dozens of charitable organizations raise funds. And honestly, as much as I enjoy writing about almost any product or service, some of the most satisfying writing I’ve done is included in my portfolio of nonprofit fundraising work. Yes, there are many reasons…

28Jun 2010 by Bob Cargill

The Best of What I’ve Posted Here in the Last Year

Blogging, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

On July 2, 2009, I published a list -- a "retrospective," if you will -- of some of the posts I had written about social media in the last year. And now I'd like to share with you a similar list of the best (in my humble opinion) of what I've posted here on this blog, A New Marketing Commentator, in the last 12 months. Over the course of the last year, I've tried to post something new once a week. But, for a variety of reasons, that's not always been possible. Yes, I've been helping clients with their own social media programs. And, as Cargill Creative, I've been hanging out on Twitter and Facebook, too. Finally, I've been keeping very busy as a copywriter, creative director and public speaker. Of course, it should go without saying that I also spend as…