Bob Cargill’s Marketing Show

Take a Stand Like a Big Brand

Episode 33 - Take a Stand Like a Big Brand

Good for Nike.

I think it's incumbent upon brands and businesses to speak up for what they believe in...not just on behalf of sales.

It doesn't matter how they feel about the issue.

What matters is that they realize they have the platform and the responsibility to say something...as long as they believe they can make a positive contribution to the dialogue.

The marketer in me thinks this may even help, not hurt Nike's revenue.

But much more important, as a human being, I have greater respect for those who are authentic, transparent, open and honest.

People do business with people, not corporate logos.

Iconic swoosh or not, Nike just let consumers know that they are just like us.

Like it or not, they dared express an opinion and join the conversation.

In this day and age, that's more part and parcel of marketing than we may realize.

In the very near future, that just may be the norm, not the outlier.

Good for Nike.

Good for America.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind on Social Media

Episode 32 - Out of Sight, Out of Mind on Social Media

Don’t be out of sight, out of mind on social media.

Fans, followers, customers, connections…they expect to see you here, there and everywhere on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, wherever they congregate online.

If you want to build a business or a brand, you can’t afford not to be active on social media.

Opting out for personal reasons is one thing. No worries. Some people like their privacy.

Your friends and family may think you’ve gone into hiding, of course, but that’s your prerogative.

As a professional, though…it is expected nowadays that anyone who has anything to do with marketing, sales, advertising and PR has plenty to do with social media.

Anyone in business, really, should at least have a presence on social media. It’s the way we communicate today.

Satellite Stages on Social Media

Episode 31 - Satellite Stages on Social Media

I heard Bono on Sirius XM Satellite Radio recently say something about satellite stages.

His band, U2, uses these types of stages, often set up in the middle of the audience, to get up-close and personal with their fans.

That’s how it is for brands, businesses and anyone who uses social media for professional reasons, too.

Your website is your main stage, your presence on social media your satellite stages. Use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like to give your own audience the opportunity to see and hear more from you as a human being, not just a corporate logo.

Put yourself out there.

Connect with your followers.

Engage with your fans.

Use social media like a series of satellite stages on which you display a more believable and authentic you.

How do you drive traffic to your website?

Episode 30 - How do you drive traffic to your website? 

There are countless ways to drive traffic to your website, but social media may be the best among them. Listen. 

Be Busy Like Busy on Social Media

Episode 29 - Be Busy Like Busy on Social Media

Be busy on social media.

Be busy like Busy Phillips.

She’s a successful actor, but she’s becoming almost even more famous lately on social media, specifically Instagram, where she shares a ton about both her personal and professional lives.

Good for her. And good for her more than 1,000,000 followers on that channel.

She’s a social media superstar, a perfect example to the rest of us how you should be using these online communications channels.

And her fans…they’re able to feel closer to someone they know and love.

That’s how it should be for any celebrity today. 

That’s how it should be for any popular executive or brand, too.

Don’t be hesitant about putting yourself out there. 

Don’t think twice about sharing with your audience who you are day in and day out.

Be busy like Busy Phillips on social media.

Be the Algorithm

Episode 28 - Be the Algorithm

Anybody who creates content wants as many people as possible to see it.

Nobody wants their efforts and energy to go to waste.

You want to think like the algorithm, you want to act like the algorithm.

You want to create content that is impossible to miss on social media.

You want to know your connections, constituents and customers so well that everything you share with them is exactly what they want to see.

You want the content you publish to be so perfectly aligned with your audience’s needs and desires that LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like can’t help but show it to them time and time again.

You want to be the algorithm.

A Few Words with Joe Gill

Episode 27 - A Few Words with Joe Gill

At #LinkedInLocalBoston last night, I had the opportunity to talk to social media jedi, Joe Gill. Listen. 

Create Content Constantly

Episode 26 - Create Content Constantly

I was listening to a podcast the other day.

Bill Simmons was interviewing Judd Apatow.

They were talking about how difficult it is for comedians to come up with new routines day in and day out.

It got me thinking.

That’s how it is for those of us in the fields of marketing, advertising, PR and social media.

We need to come up with new content on a constant basis if we expect to be seen and heard by our customers, connections and constituents.

We need to inform, educate, persuade, convince, entertain, even demonstrate that we have a sense of humor if we want to succeed in this revolutionary, new business era.

Everybody is Important

Look all around you.

Walk through an airport terminal.

Stroll along main street.

Ride in an elevator.

Sit on a bus.

Everybody is important.

Everybody thinks the world revolves around them.

You. Me. Everybody.

That’s human nature.

That’s what you have to understand if you’re a business or brand.

Everybody is important, especially your connections, customers and constituents, especially those on the receiving end of your messages.

The world revolves around anyone you happen to be trying to communicate with and convince at this moment in time. Their wishes are your command.

Everybody is important, especially those whose attention you covet.

Are You Trending?

Are you trending?

Seriously, as a brand or a business, you always want to be trending.

You want to be trending for a good reason, too. You want to be trending upwards.

Multiple times a day, I look at what’s trending on Twitter.

I watch for news and views that I need to know on behalf of my clients.

I look for signs of what’s to come, indications of what’s popular and what’s not.

I tell them you want to be trending, too.

You want to be making headlines as long as it’s for the right reasons.

You want to be trending.

What can you do to find yourself as a trend?

What can you do to stand out among the competition?

What can you do to be a leader of the pack?

What can you do to make sure people see you, know about you and want to do business with you?

As long as it’s for the right reasons, you might need to make some noise if you want to make the headlines.