Bob Cargill’s Marketing Show

March to the Beat of Your Own Drum on Social Media

My sister, Cathy, and I used to make-believe we were rock stars.

This was a long time ago, when we were just kids.

We’d play along to records by bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Monkees.

She would strum her guitar and sing. I would bang my drum sticks on a stack of magazines.

We were being improvisational. We were being spontaneous. We were being ourselves.

That’s how you should be on social media.

You need to make some noise that stands out among the cacophony of competition.

You need to create content that is music to the ears of your audience.

You don't want to overthink it. You just want to do it.

You need to march to the beat of your own drum on social media.

Video Killed the Marketing Star

Do Things the Opposite Way on Social Media

Lead Your Own Tribe

In his 2008, Tribes, Seth Godin wrote, "The essential lesson is that every day it gets easier to tighten the relationship you have with the people who choose to follow you." That was in 2008. This is 2018. There are no excuses anymore for brands, businesses and business people not to be leaders of their own tribes on social media. What about you? Have you positioned yourself and your brand as a leader on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and the like? Do you have your own tribe?

What Marketers Can Learn from Taylor Swift

Last summer, Taylor Swift came out with a great new song called, "Look at What You Made Me Do." And on that song, she said something like, "Sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone

right now. Why, oh, 'cause she's dead."

Marketers, advertisers, PR people, social media people, business people in general...what can we learn from those lyrics?

A lot of her fans, including myself, took it to mean she had grown up...and she has as an artist, a performer, a business person. She has grown up in so many ways. She has evolved. She has changed with the times. She is better than ever.

And we need to be better than ever.

Sorry, our old marketing, advertising, PR, social media, business ways can't come to the phone right now. It's 2018. We need to be better. We can be better. We need to be like Taylor Swift.

A Copywriter is Like a Performance Artist

A copywriter is like a performance artist.

A good, experienced copywriter can go in many different directions. We are like actors and actresses. We wear many hats. We walk in others’ shoes.

We are versatile, agile, nimble and flexible. We are enlightening and entertaining, interesting and informative, persuasive and personable. We write in many different voices, tones, styles, ways, shapes and forms. We connect with our audience members on cue...whoever they are, whatever they do.

I’ve been writing copy for years. At various times during my career, I’ve specialized in writing both commercial (B2B and B2C) and nonprofit copy for direct mail, email, print ads, banner ads, catalogs, websites, white papers, landing pages, blogs, social media…you name it, I’ve written for it.

A copywriter is like a performance artist. Don’t typecast us. Don’t pigeonhole us. Don’t think there is anything we can’t write.

Social Media is a Marathon

Social media is a marathon for brands, businesses, marketers and advertisers, not a sprint. A blog post here and a few tweets there just aren’t going to cut it. You need to be in it for the long haul if you expect to see a return on your investment. You need to be everywhere your audience is as often as possible. Don’t underestimate the importance of passion, persistence and perseverance if you want to succeed on social media. You need to be active on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the like day in and day out, always and forever.  There is no rest for the weary on social media. 

Don't Work in a Vacuum

Far too many businesses, organizations and teams of all sizes, shapes and forms have their people working in a vacuum. That's not cool. That's counterproductive. That's an easy way to eventually fail. 

Does You-Know-Who Tweet Better Than You?

If President Trump can use Twitter to make news, you can, too. Only your news will be good news. 

Red Tape and Social Media

Red tape. Unfortunately, it prevents so many businesses and brands from making progress in any way, shape or form on social media.

Whether it’s because too many chefs are in the kitchen or there is just far too much adherence to outdated rules, red tape can undermine even the success of your very best efforts.

The most successful social media practitioners have a green light in front of them, not red tape. They get autonomy and support from colleagues and management, not questions and criticism.

The most effective social media programs are authentic, transparent and immediate. They’re carried out quickly and seamlessly with very few interruptions.

If you expect to be successful as an organization on social media, you’ve got to cut to the chase and cut the red tape.