Bob Cargill's Marketing Show

Episode 105 - A Few Words with Sharon Grimm In this episode, I talk to relationship marketing professional, Sharon Grimm, about everything from SendOutCards to marketing during the pandemic, social media to just plain having fun and being positive.  About Sharon Grimm (in Her Own Words) I am an Executive Relationship Marketer with SendOutCards! The system builds relationship by sending greeting cards and gifts of appreciation. Via our App or online website you are able to create REAL personalized cards that we print, stuff and mail for you. For a fraction of your marketing budget, you can be building better relationships which ultimately allows you to GAIN and RETAIN Clients! Sharon Grimm 978-618-2479 card.lady.shar@gmail.com Please connect on LinkedIn & Facebook!

Episode 104 - A Few Words with Julia Khazan In this episode, I talk to innovative marketing professional, Julia Khazan, about marketing during these difficult days, customer-centricity, marketing, social media, job-seeking and more.  About Julia Khazan (from her LinkedIn profile)... A marketing professional who has experience as a business development manager who works the sales enablement process and smarketing very well. I am able to turns leads into satisfied customers within days with both marketing and sales methodologies. My sales ration is 50% on average and am able to attract customers beyond the target market. Creator of ScaleBounder.com, I have now helped over seven clients in the past two years in various industries: an online education institute and artists among them. Scaling start-ups is my passion via effective business and marketing strategy, inbound/outbound marketing, SEO, social media campaigns, email marketing, event planning, website management, UX and marketing campaigns.

Episode 103 - Black Lives Matter Black lives matter. Saying so matters, too. To think that in the year 2020 this country still has a problem with racism. That is not just sad, that is shameful. As Nike has said so well in its timely, new ad, “Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America.” Whoever we are, whatever we do, wherever we live, we all have a responsibility to speak out and stand up against racism, bigotry, discrimination and injustice. In both our personal and professional lives, we can’t be silent when such a big problem exists. As brands, businesses, people and professionals, we all have a duty to stand together as one in the face of something so wrong and work hard to ensure that everybody in this country has equal opportunity to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. #BlackLivesMatter

Episode 102 - A Few Words with Elizabeth Schaul In this episode, I talk to marketing strategist and women's empowerment leader, Elizabeth Schaul, about marketing, social media, leadership and much more.  About Elizabeth Schaul (from Her LinkedIn Profile) Energetic and experienced Marketing Manager and initiative leader with proven success managing people and projects in every facet of marketing. Launched and managed multiple websites; produced and facilitated content; elevated corporate social media strategy and accounts; implemented corporate email strategies and programs; initiated and organized events; drove public relations and marketing communications, developed and streamlined budget; impacted SEO and relevant keywords; harnessed CRM capabilities; produced and distributed email automations; improved analytics and applied insights from data; enriched branding; managed vendors and cross-functional teams, and more. Solid foundation of digital and traditional marketing. Accustomed to delivering results

Episode 101 - A Few Words with Brad McCormick In this episode, I talk to digital marketing consultant, Brad McCormick, about marketing and sales during this pandemic, entrepreneurism, innovation, creativity and his role as Vice President of Social Media on the board of directors of the American Marketing Association Boston. About Brad McCormick (from His LinkedIn Profile) I am a self-motivated problem solver, product marketing innovator, and calculated risk taker with the ability to bring new ideas to market from initial concept to execution on delivery. With more than a decade in sales and marketing experience covering retail and e-commerce with a perspective on local, regional, national and international business operations. Currently managing a digital marketing consulting business in e-commerce and digital media space.

Episode 100 - Ridiculously Awesome Customer Service Businesses, especially small businesses, need to provide outstanding customer service to their customers and clients if they expect to succeed. That’s almost always the case, of course, but that’s truer than ever during this pandemic when people are purchasing considerably less than usual. How do brands and businesses, especially brick-and-mortar stores, survive these unprecedented times? How do they overcome a seemingly endless succession of obstacles and hurdles? A good customer experience can make a difference between success and failure in these tough times. Be responsive and available virtually 24/7. Listen to your audience and meet, if not exceed, their expectations. Make it easy for them to find you online, especially on social media. Reinvent what you have to offer to align with the new normal. Go above and beyond on behalf of everybody who reaches out to you, realizing how much they will appreciate you for the effort and reward you with the

Episode 99 - A Few Words with Meaghan Edelstein In this episode, I talk to social media consultant, Meaghan Edelstein, about her new social media crisis strategy deck and how brands should be tailoring their marketing strategies and tactics during the coronavirus pandemic.  About Meaghan Edelstein (From her LinkedIn Profile) Currently accepting new clients. I provide either short-term or long-term digital marketing consulting and execution. I am a sole practitioner and all work is completed by yours truly. I do not outsource any work. For the past 12 years, I've immersed myself in social media. In 2007, I began documenting my personal battle with cancer via my blog, I Kicked Cancer’s Ass. Within 6 months of my first post, I founded the nonprofit organization, Spirit Jump, a grassroots nonprofit organization. Through the strategic use of social media, I was able to reach thousands of cancer fighters, survivors & supporters. Through invaluable experience gained from running a highly successful blog &a

Episode 98 - A Chat with Kate Cwieka about Marketing During a Pandemic I had an excellent conversation recently with Avidia Bank's Katelin Cwieka recently about marketing and social media during a pandemic.   These are difficult times for everyone. We all need to hunker down and take care of ourselves, our families, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors, even complete strangers.   As professionals, of course, this is not business as usual. How can companies and organizations adjust what they're saying to their customers and prospects in order to show empathy, concern, support and understanding. That's what Kate and I talk about during this conversation. Listen...   Kate Cwieka, AVP - Communications Manager, Marketing, Avidia Bank  This social media marketing maven got her start with her own fashion and event blog.  After working as a freelancer and agency, she moved on to the financial marketing life at Avidia Bank.   Kate isn’t limited to marketing and banking.  Kate is a lover of music and IPA

Episode 97 - A Few Words with Wendy Pease In this episode, I had the pleasure to speak to Wendy Pease, a Sudbury, Massachusetts neighbor and friend of mine, about marketing, communications, her company, Rapport International - which provides written translation, spoken interpretation and multilingual communication services - and how we are both dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.  About Wendy Pease  Wendy Pease is owner of Rapport International, a translation, interpretation and language services company that eliminates spoken and written language barriers in 200+ languages. Prior to this, she served in corporate senior management positions in international marketing and business development.  She has an MBA from Dartmouth College, and a BA in Foreign Service from Penn State. She’s a frequent speaker and writer on language, culture, marketing, HR, entrepreneurship and exporting. Wendy has lived in Mexico, Taiwan and the Philippines and is passionate about languages, cultures and communications.  

Episode 96 - Staying in Touch With Your Audience During the Coronavirus Pandemic Al Roker is delivering his morning weather forecasts for NBC’s TODAY show from his kitchen. Late-night talk show hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel are presenting new DIY incarnations of their shows from home, too. Popular musicians and celebrities of all kinds are live-streaming on Instagram, Facebook and almost everywhere else on social media, performing hit songs and connecting with fans.   They are doing whatever it takes to keep the show going on, making a huge positive impression on viewers and listeners during these difficult days. Brands and businesses can be doing the same thing, too. In fact, some of your most meaningful communications could be taking place during these tough times. Your customers and prospects will appreciate hearing from you.

Episode 95 - How Marketers Can Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak  Amid the rapidly worsening coronavirus outbreak, marketers, advertisers, brands and businesses might need to adjust, if not pause their messages to consumers. It is important to be sensitive to the seriousness of this situation. The economy may be threatened, but lives are at stake. Take a look at any of your existing marketing campaigns and make sure to bring them up-to-date. Authenticity is always a priority in marketing, but now more than ever, what you say to your audience is a representation of how you feel as a brand. Business must go on, but think how you might be able to do things in a better way. Think like CVS Health. They announced the other day that they will deliver prescribed medications to customers for free. That's a win-win situation if ever there was one. That's how to do things in these tough times. What can you do now as a marketer, advertiser, brand or business to show that you care as much about - ideally, more tha

Episode 94 - A Few Words with Rebecca Lennartz  In this episode - recorded over coffee at Cafe on the Common in Waltham, MA, on Friday, February 21, 2020 - I talk to Rebecca Lennartz, a trade show marketer and exhibit consultant, about marketing, social media and much more.  About Rebecca Lennartz  A results driven, detailed and creative professional who can help create and orchestrate a message when more than words will matter. 

Episode 93 - A Good Bedside Manner Goes a Long Way My wife, Barbara, wasn’t feeling well one day earlier this winter. After talking to her doctor’s office on the phone, we decided to go to a local on-demand healthcare facility, CareWell Urgent Care in Marlborough, where she could get the quickest treatment possible. We didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes before she was seen by two different nurses and thoroughly checked out. Not only did she receive exceptional care at this facility, the medical team’s bedside manner was ridiculously awesome. They spent a lot of time examining her as well as just plain comforting her. They weren’t just extremely professional, they were incredibly personable as well. BIG thanks to Kristen and Virginia, the two nurses who took care of Barbara during our visit. You. Me. We can all learn a lot from this dynamic healthcare duo. Being good at what you do is one thing, being nice is another. Both are equally important. Affability matters as much as ability. Every bu

Episode 92 - A Few Words with Sarah Ginand In this episode – recorded on Thursday, January 16, 2020 – I talk to Sarah Ginand about her work as an independent marketing consultant and how she provides her clients with such exemplary service. About Sarah Ginand (From Her LinkedIn Profile) Proven strategic marketing consultant focused on helping small businesses grow. Recognized as a versatile leader with experience in driving marketing strategy, planning, execution, and implementation. Expertise finding innovative ways to present implementable solutions to clients in the areas of strategic marketing; market positioning, competitive analysis, process improvement, CRM, social media marketing, integrated marketing, corporate communications, and training, managing, and mentoring staff.

Episode 91 - How Close Are You to Your Customers and Prospects? In business, we want to think of our customers and prospects as relationships, not transactions. We want them to like and respect us, to think so highly of our businesses, brands, products and services, that they’re loyal to us forever. We want them to feel close to us, to know that we’ve got their backs, that we’re listening to them, that we care about them, that we want them to be happy with everything they get from us. I recently read a blog post written by Mark Schaefer in which he talked about something called parasocial relationships. As Mark explains in his post – which you can read here: https://businessesgrow.com/2019/12/12/parasocial-relationships – a phenomenon that started out in the ‘50s, with people feeling so close to the stars they watched on TV that they felt they were friends, is now associated with social media. You. Me. Anybody can take advantage of this idea. We may see it in ourselves as viewer, readers, listeners and

Episode 90 - Bad Ad, Good Ad You’ve probably seen the ad. Surely you’ve heard about it. I’m talking about the recent Peloton ad, the one where a woman is gifted a Peloton stationary bike by her husband and looks like she’s under pressure to use it. For many reasons, it’s not a good ad, if you ask me, and it has received a ton of negative publicity. The ad comes across as sexist, insensitive and out of touch with reality. In a word, clueless. The star of this controversial ad, however, Monica Ruiz, reappeared very quickly on screen in an entirely different ad for Aviation American Gin, which was clearly poking fun at the Peloton ad. This time around, she’s sitting at a bar with her friends, they toast to “new beginnings” and she guzzles her drink. Too funny. Not only did Aviation American Gin (actor, Ryan Reynolds, apparently has a stake in the company) move fast in rolling out this spot, they newsjacked the Peloton ad debacle and went viral for all the right reasons. Their ad was timely, funny, topical

Episode 89 - Humanize Your Brand Real success in business is achieved when you use real people in marketing and sales, real people in real time being really honest with their audience. When I saw Mark Schaefer speak earlier this year, he emphasized the importance of being human as marketers. I saw Seth Godin a few months later, and he pointed out that human marketing takes time. They're both right, of course. Consumers are tired of being bombarded by the constant cacophony of cries for their attention from brands. There must be a better way to win friends and influence people in business. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of social media. Social media levels the playing field, making it possible for companies to engage with consumers - and vice versa - as human beings. Social media keeps it real, allowing for discourse and disagreement, ensuring everybody has a voice, for better or worse. Social media, used correctly, works faster than you may realize to separate yourself from the competition, conne

Episode 88 - The Future of Advertising...It's About to Get Real  To break through the clutter and win consumers over, advertising and marketing need to get real. That’s what Bud Light did recently. During game five of the 2019 World Series, Washington Nationals fan, Jeff Adams, took a home run ball to the chest while holding on tightly to his two cold beers. That’s when Bud Light sprang into action. Not only did they take quickly to Twitter to call attention to the moment, they tracked down the fan and by the next game, had him the star of a television campaign that featured the actual video footage of him being hit by the ball. This scenario was remarkably well played by Bud Light, to say the least. Borrowing a page out of the social media handbook, they wasted no time in leveraging the equivalent of user-generated content (UGC) to take advantage of the moment. Including real people in real situations in real time (if possible) to connect with consumers...that's how all brands should be playing the adver

Episode 87 - People Don't Like Advertising and Marketing I hate to break it to you, but people don’t want to be interrupted by advertising and marketing. I know. That’s the last thing I want to hear, too, as I’ve earned my livelihood in this business for years. But we can’t bury our heads in the sand. We can’t look the other way. We can’t say we weren’t warned. Not after reading a recent article in The New York Times (“The Advertising Industry Has a Problem: People Hate Ads" (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/business/media/advertising-industry-research.html) that painted a very pessimistic picture of what my colleagues and I do for a living. Consumers are turning off and tuning out, going so far as to pay extra to receive news, information and entertainment without being bothered by brands’ incessant cries for attention and engagement. This is what I’ve been saying for a while now in my videos and presentations, advertisers and marketers have to change how they do business or else. This is why I beli

Episode 86 - What's Your Goldfish?  "The goal of marketing is to capture the mind and ultimately conquer the heart of your target audience,” says Stan Phelps, CSP. I couldn’t agree with him more. Brands and businesses need to provide their customers and prospects with an exceptional experience they’ll remember for a long time and rave about among their own respective networks. If you don’t know Stan, you’re missing out. He’s an acclaimed public speaker, a best-selling author, a rock star of a marketer and a great guy, too. He’s written a bunch of books about marketing using the goldfish as a symbol for that little something extra that makes a mighty big difference to the consumer. What’s your goldfish? What do you do differently to stand out from the competition? Are you capturing the minds and conquering the hearts of those on the receiving end of your marketing messages? Are you going above and beyond to provide those in your audience with a remarkable experience, one that will keep them coming back