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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14Jul 2013 by Bob Cargill

10 Reasons Why People Engage with Brands on Twitter

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Today, many marketers, brands and celebrities are using Twitter to engage with their customers, prospects and fans. Yet while some of them have already experienced tremendous success in this arena, others still haven’t found the sweet spot that lies between self-promotion and making real-time, meaningful connections with their followers in this channel. The fact is that there countless reasons why people follow — and engage with — accounts other than their friends’ and colleagues’ on Twitter. In this survey of more than 1,000 consumers in Australia, more than half were interested in discounts or offers and exactly one third were looking for specific product and service information directly from the brand. Those are two good reasons for brands to have an active presence on Twitter. After all, followers are sometimes customers, prospects…
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02Jun 2013 by Bob Cargill

Workshop: How to Use Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter
Given how common it is today for businesses and brands to use social media, more people than ever not only want, but need to know the ins and outs of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and the like. It’s true. No longer is it optional to have knowledge and skills in this area. It’s mandatory. As someone who’s been immersed in social media from the get-go, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see these new digital communication channels and tools being used so much by both individuals and professional organizations today. After all, we’re talking about a revolutionary, new way of interacting with others online, a method of messaging and marketing that is nothing short of transformational. The benefits of using social media are innumerable, including the following… •…
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18May 2013 by Bob Cargill

Presentation: How To Create Lists on Twitter

Marketing, New England Direct Marketing Association, Social Media, Twitter
I was so happy to have the opportunity to speak about social media at the New England Direct Marketing Association conference last week. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I enjoy being in front of an audience. It’s always a big thrill for me and an extremely rewarding experience. This gig was no different. As the moderator of a panel discussion – featuring Craig Blake (Director of Business Development at SourceLink), Myles Bristowe (Chief Marketing Officer at CommCreative) and Carla Gates (Digital Strategist at 3to5 Marketing) – I was responsible for introducing my fellow speakers and making sure our session stayed on topic and time. And if you ask me, Craig, Myles and Carla simply rocked the house. But I wasn't just the moderator. I was also the…
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17Feb 2013 by Bob Cargill

How to Use Twitter in More Ways Than One

Social Media, Twitter
With more than 200 million monthly active users, Twitter is a much bigger, more versatile communications vehicle than those who aren’t using it may realize. Nowadays, not only is Twitter used to connect and chat with others, it is also used for everything from public relations to customer service, branding to broadcasting, education to entertainment, marketing to sales, newsgathering to job-seeking and much more. Yet despite its obvious popularity and countless uses, Twitter is still widely misunderstood -- and, if you ask me, severely underestimated -- by a multitude of holdouts, people who would benefit in more ways than one from using it if they only knew where to begin. So in the spirit of enlightenment and education, I’ve amassed a small library of articles, posts and resources on Twitter, each and…
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30Sep 2012 by Bob Cargill

Presentation: 10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Social media isn’t rocket science, but it is a big departure for businesses, nonprofit organizations, brands and institutions that have been historically dependent on traditional methods of communicating with their constituents. So to help educate those who are new to using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the like for marketing, advertising, PR, publishing and networking purposes, here's a new presentation of mine based on a list of 10 ways to succeed in social media that I originally wrote and published as a series of blog posts. I invite you to view, download and share this presentation with your friends, colleagues and industry peers. And if you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about social media, I'm always…
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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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