Bob Cargill's Marketing Show

Episode 146 - Putting Yourself Out There on Social Media Unless you're a big brand or a celebrity, to be effective on social media means to put yourself out there. That's the SOCIAL in social media. You have to be willing and able to share content frequently that is educational, enlightening, entertaining even. You have to show the personal side of what you do for a living, not just the professional side, giving people a look behind the scenes, helping those on the receiving end of your messages get to know you and your colleagues as fellow human beings. The more your audience gets to know you on #SocialMedia, the more likely they'll be to do business with you when the opportunities arise.

Episode 145 - If I Were a Business or a Brand with the Budget If I were a business or a brand with the budget, I would hire people whose sole responsibility was to use social media on my behalf. They would cover everything that's going on behind the scenes, sharing content day in and day out with our audience of fans, followers and friends. The content they create and share would be educational, informative, insightful, supportive, inspirational, entertaining even. They would be conspicuous in their presence, responsive and engaging, friendly and dependable. They would interact with those on the receiving end of our messages and learn from them. They would be a better and more successful company in the long run because of this commitment to #SocialMedia.

Episode 144 - The Tree That Falls in the Woods  Don't be like the tree that falls in the woods, yet it doesn't make a sound because nobody is around to hear it fall. After all, you want to be heard - loud and clear - on social media. You want to make some noise. You want people around you to hear what you have to say. You want an audience.

Episode 143 - What Can You Do for Social Media?  What do you need to do to get social media to pay off for you? Sorry to disappoint, but it doesn't really work that way. It's what you need to do to make sure that social media pays off for those on the receiving end of your messages. If the content you have to share on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and the like is educational, entertaining, informative and insightful, your audience will reward you with their undivided attention and support. So yeah, it's what you're going to do for social media, not the other way around.

Episode 142 - New Belgium Brewing's Torched Earth Ale Would you ever make a good product into a bad product? Why would you do such a thing? Well, just ask New Belgium Brewing. They made Torched Earth ale, a bad-tasting beverage made with "smoke-tainted water," to make a statement about the climate change crisis. In the process, they got tons of PR and brought lots of attention to this important issue. Brilliant, if you ask me. Simply brilliant. Good for the people at New Belgium Brewing for taking such a strong stand as a brand. How could your business or organization do something similar that results in such a win-win situation?

Episode 141 - Ubiquity, Frequency and Quality on Social Media I am asked quite often about using social media for business. Many brands try. Many brands fail. Many brands don't even give it a shot. Using social media successfully as a business takes time, talent and tenacity, frankly. It's not easy. You need to be ubiquitous, conspicuous in your presence on as many channels as possible. That's my opinion. You need to share content frequently, not just every once in a while. And that content you share needs to be of the highest quality. Mediocrity won't cut it. Ubiquity. Frequency. Quality. That's how you market your business on social media.

Episode 140 - Satisfying Your Audience's Needs, Wants and Demands Can you meet, if not exceed, your audience members’ needs, wants and demands? That’s what it takes to be successful in marketing and sales. That’s what it takes to be successful in business, period.

Episode 139 - Preach Like Chynna Preach like Chynna, Chynna Phillips Baldwin. Yes, she’s not just a super successful singer, she’s a huge hit on YouTube, too, with her ridiculously awesome series, California Preachin’. To say she’s carefree and extemporaneous in her DIY videos - sharing what’s on her mind about her religious faith, family life and more - would be an understatement, but that’s how you do it on social media. Chynna is a perfect example of best practices in how to rock your personal or corporate brand, if you ask me. Just be authentic. Just be transparent. Just be yourself.

Episode 138 - Twitter Spaces, Customer Experience and More with Brian Hurst In this episode of my podcast, Bob Cargill's Marketing Show, I talk to Brian Hurst, who is a colleague of mine on the volunteer social media team for AMA Boston. You can follow Brian on Twitter... here https://twitter.com/BrianHurst01 About Brian Hurst (from Brian's LinkedIn profile)... Experienced Customer Service Representative with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Strong support professional skilled in Customer Relations, Microsoft Office, Social Media.

Episode 137 - The Four Ps of Marketing The four Ps of marketing have been around for a long time, but they are as relevant today as ever. The four Ps of marketing are product, price, place and promotion, otherwise known as the marketing mix. Ideally, what you have to offer your customers and prospects has all of the four Ps going on, but yes, of course, sometimes your offerings are stronger in one or more of them. In this case, I found a product that was super strong in all four areas, a six-pack of Summer | Limited Edition Polar Seltzer in Shaw's Supermarkets. I couldn't resist picking up not just one, but three of these six-packs - on sale - for 10 dollars. What do you think? How can you make sure your own products and services have it all going on when it comes to the four Ps? #Marketing #Branding #Sales

Episode 136 - Authenticity on Social Media  Authenticity on social media is so very important. If brands want to be successful on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and the like, they need to show their human sides. They need to keep it real. It's one thing to have great products and services to offer those on the receiving end of your marketing messages. It's another to have your audience trust you so much that they wouldn't think of buying from anyone else but you when it comes time to do business. Make it easy on yourself on social media. Just be yourself. P.S. Thanks to Pamela Bump for writing the ridiculously awesome post, "9 Social Media Trends Marketers Should Watch in 2021," on the HubSpot blog (https://www.startupjunkie.org/blog/2020/12/7/9-social-media-trends-marketers-should-watch-in-2021) that inspired this message of mine.   

Episode 135 - Jump on the Social Media Bandwagon Before It's Too Late Don’t fall behind. Jump on the social media bandwagon. It’s already a popular and prevalent communication channel, but it “will be the primary communication channel by 2024” if you agree with a prediction Brooke B. Sellas recently made on her agency’s, B Squared Media, blog here… https://bsquared.media/social-media-primary-communication-channel-2024/  That’s a bold prediction, but I couldn’t agree more with what Brooke has to say about social media. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like are being used by more and more people from all walks of life for both personal and professional reasons. If I were you, I would make sure I knew social media inside and out before it’s too late. #SocialMedia #Communication #Communications

Episode 134 - Marketing, Social Media, Healthcare and Teaching with James Gardner In this episode of my podcast, episode 134, I talk to fellow adjunct professor and marketing professional, James Gardner, for over an hour.  While our conversation covered everything from marketing to social media, teaching to technology, healthcare and more, this is the quote of his I want to leave you with today because I think it is a such a great example of James' words of wisdom. "I think the challenge for tomorrow's leaders is...keep the best of yesterday, but overlay it with the tools of tomorrow." ~ James A. Gardner About James Gardner James is a digital sales and marketing leader with 20 years of B2C and B2B experience. While his career’s roots are in consumer packaged goods and strategy consulting, James has held leadership roles with fast-moving tech startups, established Fortune 1000 leaders, and forward-leaning digital marketing agencies. James started his career with Procter & Gamble before earning his MB

Episode 133 - Put More Emphasis on the Social in Social Media Put more emphasis on the social in social media and you'll be more successful on social media. It's as simple as that. But you know and I know that being social takes time. Being social isn't easy to automate. Being social doesn't necessarily scale. Being social on social media, however, is a secret to success. Chime in personally from time to time, if not daily. Even if you're a big brand or a business, the more social you are on social media, the more likely you'll be to build a devoted, loyal audience that ultimately does business with you. #SocialMedia

Episode 132 - Marketing is Every Employee's Job  I’ve always believed that every employee is a marketer to some extent, especially when it comes to using social media on behalf of his or her employer. Employees need education and empowerment, of course, for which the company’s marketing team should be responsible. But once they’re properly trained, they can help amplify their employer’s messaging, helping to get the word out to an exponentially larger audience. This is collaboration. This is cooperation. This is a coordinated effort between every member of a team. This is any employee of any organization possibly making the difference between the success and failure of a campaign. Does your organization have this every-employee-is-a-marketer mindset? Do you contribute to, support or lead your company’s marketing efforts? P.S. Thanks to Norman Guadagno, CMO at Acoustic, by the way, for writing the article in ClickZ.com (which you can read here... https://www.clickz.com/marketing-is-every-employees-jo

Episode 131 - PR and Corporate Communications with Maura FitzGerald In this episode of Bob Cargill's Marketing Show, Episode 131, I talk to Maura FitzGerald, Co-Founder and Partner at V2 Communications, a Boston-based public relations and digital communications firm. During our conversation, we touch upon the challenges that businesses have faced during the pandemic, the importance of a solid internal communications program, hiring practices, employee empowerment and much more.  About Maura FitzGerald Maura is one of Boston’s most seasoned public relations veterans. With decades of experience and not one, but two, high-growth PR agencies under her belt, Maura was the 2019 recipient of Boston PR Club’s John J. Molloy Crystal Bell Lifetime Achievement Award. Over her career, Maura successfully founded and grew one of the premier U.S. brands in strategic technology communications, FitzGerald Communications. Under Maura’s direction, the agency immediately became one of the fastest-growing technology public re

Episode 130 - The Language of Global Marketing with Wendy Pease In this episode of Bob Cargill's Marketing Show, episode 130, Wendy Pease and I talk about her new book, The Language of Global Marketing - Translate Your Domestic Strategies into International Sales and Profits. We talk about why companies would want to go global, how companies can go global, which companies have gone global successfully, which languages are most common around the world and much more.    About Wendy Pease Wendy Pease lived in a small agriculture town in Taiwan when she was 8-9 years old.  From that experience, she learned what it's like to be different and not know the language. For the last 15 years, she's owned Rapport International, a foreign language services company that specializes in multilingual marketing, and translation.  Her passion is connecting people across languages and cultures for a peaceful and prosperous world.  Prior to this role, she served in Senior roles in marketing and business development.  She has a

Episode 129 - The Free Offer Works Wonders  Giving something away for free is a great way to get people’s attention. It’s one way to introduce what you have to offer to a new audience. When I had my own small business in the ‘90s, I gave away 50 half-pound bags of ground gourmet coffee to a list of prime prospects as a way of drawing interest in my marketing services. I told those on the receiving end of my outreach that “some opportunities aren’t meant for the back burner,” and this was one of them. This was their opportunity to get my very best work, as I had every intention of perking up their results. This campaign was a success in more ways than one, earning me plenty of publicity and some new business as well. Whether it’s a free trial of your products and services or a complimentary gift of any sort whatsoever, putting something for nothing into your audience’s hands is a great way to win their favor.

Episode 128 - Marketing Isn't Difficult  Marketing isn’t difficult if those on the receiving end of your messages know that you care about them. If those messages are cold, impersonal, calculated and repetitive, they will see right through you and ultimately ignore you. If you’re listening to them, engaging with them and supporting them, they will gravitate towards your brand and everything you have to offer. People do business with people.

Episode 127 - The Social in Social Media Don’t automate everything you share on social media. Don’t be all business, either. Be all human. Share your feelings and opinions, not just news and information. Show what’s going on in your life and the lives of your colleagues, not just what you have to market and sell. Be there for your audience, those who are following you and supporting you. Give them as much attention as they give you, even more. Listen to them and engage with them. Praise them and thank them. Help them as much as possible. Don’t overlook the importance of the social in social media.