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Category: News

Five for Friday: Facebook P2P Payments, Social Media Madness, SXSW recap, & more!

1. Are P2P Payments on Facebook Messenger Just the Beginning? – Marketing Land

It seems that every other week, Facebook rolls out a new feature to keep the social media mammoth at the forefront of its industry. Now, Facebook is looking to become a leader in peer-to-peer payment. Recently, Facebook added the option to send and receive money via its messenger app, immediately positioning itself as a direct competitor to successful companies like PayPal and Venmo. Marketing Land discussed how the new process works and the possible next innovations for Mark Zuckerberg and the team.

2. Social Media Lessons from NCAA Top 10 Men’s Basketball – Rival IQ

March is clearly the month for madness. These teams have excelled on the basketball court this season, but how have they performed on social media? Rival IQ takes a look at six social media lessons we can learn from 10 of the top men’s college basketball programs.

3. The Ultimate Roundup of 2014’s Biggest April Fools’ Day Pranks – Mashable

April Fools’ Day is almost here. In previous years, this holiday has become a successful way for companies to spread their brand across the Web. Mashable provides a nice recap of the greatest corporate April Fools’ Day pranks from 2014. Do you think this year’s pranks can live up to them?

4. SXSW Interactive Wrapping Up: 5 Things to Remember – Inc.com

South by Southwest—a set of film, interactive, and music festivals—recently wrapped up in Austin, Texas. Among the topics discussed, one highlight was a panel discussion on gender bias in tech. WWL-TV and WDSU-TV recently featured Search Influence in stories about New Orleans leading the way for women in tech. Inc.com put together a great list of five things to remember from SXSW 2015.

5. 7th Annual Shorty Award Winners for Best Use of Social Media, Apps and Video – Adweek

Each year, the Shorty Awards attempts to recognize the top brands and organizations producing real-time short form content across various social media outlets. The seventh annual Shorty Award winners were recently announced, and Adweek featured a recap of all the winners and honorable mentions. Check out the full list of winners, and who knows, maybe you’ll make the list next year!

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April Fools’ Dog Image

Awards Reaction Image

March 27, 2015
The Spring Influence: Our Team Continues To Blossom!

Search Influence continues to grow! We are very excited to announce that three new Influencers have joined our Content Team.

Jesse Laier – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Jesse defines himself as a bit of an eccentric. Originally from Miami, he spent most of the past decade going to school in Tallahassee and Chicago. In his free time, he conceives new story ideas, even if he never actually writes them. The most important things to know about him are that he’s a staff writer for a music blog and an avid NBA fan, and his secret talent is that he’s a trained mime!

Josh Shelton – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Freshly returned from two years in Cameroon with the Peace Corps, Josh grew up in Shreveport and went to school at Louisiana College in Pineville, once known (locally) as “Harvard on the Red.” He put his English degree to good use by working for private ambulance companies in Shreveport and New Orleans. Josh is thrilled to finally have a job focused on writing and editing. His free time is spent folding origami frogs and making fruity wine.

Raymond Whitlow – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Ray Whitlow grew up in California, but he bounced around Iowa and Upstate New York before eventually settling in New Orleans. He studied anthropology in college and graduate school, all while conducting research in Romania, where he visited many of Dracula’s castles (all fake). Ray started editing in college and has since worked with a number of corporate, academic, and governmental clients from around the world. Now he lives in the Upper Ninth Ward, where he’s slowly rebuilding a shotgun double into a little paradise for him, his partner Claire, and their rescue dogs.

Welcome to Search Influence, Jesse, Josh, and Raymond! We’re glad to have you on the team.

March 26, 2015
Five for Friday: Ditch the Phone, Google Your Cells, and Reconnect to Real Life

In the past few decades, we’ve seen a major shift in communication venues. We used to meet in the town square or pick up the phone, but now we belly up to a screen to share stories. In a world full of devices, it’s easy to feel disconnected, so this week’s Five for Friday highlights some of the ways companies have begun using digital assets to connect users with the world around them.

1. Getting the Party to You Gets You to the Party! – Tech Crunch

Event and ticketing site Splash just received $6 million in funding to further develop its invitation and ticketing platform. This engaging events management platform entices (no doubt hungover) party attendees back to the site the morning after. Splash allows party hosts to capture and share video footage and photos for days after the event. Both the opportunity for engagement as well as Splash’s advanced event page analytics make it intriguing for the host of any party, from a backyard kegger to a multi-million dollar event.

2. Don’t We All Just Want to Feel Special? – Marketing Land

British apparel brand Ted Baker may have cracked the code on how to engage loyal followers on Instagram. The company recently began posting coded images that require diehard fans to regram them using a new filter in order to crack the secret message. Is this a cool new way to leverage those Insta-followers, or will fans of the brand be reduced to advertisements on autocorrect?

3. Google: It’s in Your Blood – SEO by the Sea

Google’s latest patent is getting so up close and personal that it may even gain access to your cells. The company recently filed a patent for a device that can zap cancer cells as they’re forming in the bloodstream. Google has changed so much more than the way we search, but this patent provides further evidence for our theory that Google’s on a path to take over the world.

4. Absence (of Your Phone) Makes the Heart Grow Fonder – Mashable

What if keeping your phone private could enhance your real-life relationships? Recent studies show that limiting phone use with colleagues and friends can make you seem more trustworthy and empathetic. After a week without public phone use, one writer reported more in-depth conversations and connections with his colleagues. It just goes to show you that losing your phone can actually be beneficial for your social networks.

5. Think Twice Before You Swipe – CNN Money

Tinder claims that in an effort to get users to be more willing to connect with each other, they have set limits on the number of rejections a user can make within a twelve-hour period. This limit directly corresponds to the release of Tinder’s paid version, Tinder Plus, which allows users unlimited left swipes on subpar suggestions. To add insult to injury, the app’s Plus version is more costly if you’re over the age of 27. Tinder, can’t you see your users are lonely and desperate enough?

March 20, 2015
You Don’t Just Need Good Culture In Your Yogurt, You Need It In Your Workplace!

Quality Over Quantity

Until recently, a company’s success was based on the fundamental principle that quantity outweighs quality. The better your numbers were, the better the chances that your company would outperform its competitors. However, recent studies have begun to offer insight into the importance of a company’s internal environment, which influences its success. The amount of sleep employees get and the relationship between an employer and its employees are major contributors to a company’s overall performance.

Don’t Lose Sleep Over Your Workload

In the past, there was a common misconception that longer work hours were key to a thriving business. Fortunately for workers nowadays, studies have shown that fewer work hours—and subsequently more sleep—have actually led to a more efficient workplace. Prominent CEOs like Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post, have praised the importance of sleep and its contribution to a more productive workplace. “Ultimately, at work, the most important thing is our energy. It’s not exactly how many hours we are sitting at our desks, but how present are we when we’re there,” she explains in an interview with Business Insider.

Open Door (and Mind) Policy

Many corporations have implemented an open door policy between the company’s leaders and its employees. Even more important, though, is the idea behind an open mind policy. It is becoming more evident that monetary compensation isn’t the only driving force behind an employee’s happiness. The trust that a company builds with its employees—as well as a company’s ability to keep an open mind to the ideas and concerns of its employees—are invaluable tools that have made companies such as Internet giant Google stand out above the rest.

Search Influence Gets it Right

In a day and age where merely finding a job can be a challenge all its own, I’m fortunate enough to work at a place like Search Influence, a company that doesn’t take these important elements to success lightly. Their flexible 9-to-5 work hours, quarterly team building events, and company-wide “suggestion box” are just a few factors that helped to name Search Influence one of New Orleans’ 50 Best Places to Work in 2014.

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Sleep Image

February 27, 2015
From Search With Love, 007 New Influencers Are On The Case!

Search Influence looks forward to continued growth in 2015! As February comes to an end, we’re excited to welcome our newest Influencers.

Adrienne Myers – Junior Account Associate

Adrienne recently graduated from Mississippi State University, where she studied marketing and French. She is originally from Covington, but she spent some time working as a District Sales Leader Intern for Frito-Lay in Jackson, MS. Adrienne enjoys traveling, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

Anthony Armstrong – Junior Account Associate

Anthony is from New Orleans and has lived here all his life. He loves music and spends most of his free time writing acoustic songs. He sings and plays guitar for a post-hardcore/metal band called Eye for an Eye. He also thoroughly enjoys reading and creative writing.

Chris Roberts – Software Developer

Chris was born and raised in San Jose, California. Years later, he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of New Orleans. Chris arrived in Louisiana nearly a decade ago, and he has been an avid programmer ever since. Chris enjoys playing guitar and attending various festivals in his free time.

Cory Agular – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Cory was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in English. Prior to accepting the position at Search Influence, he did freelance writing, and his articles have been published by Tulane’s athletic department and the NCAA’s official website. In his spare time, he loves to catch live music and sporting events. He looks forward to working at SI.

Jason Vermaelen – Junior Account Associate

Jason is a fun-loving, quick-witted karaoke superstar. He is also a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been training for almost nine years. He is from Baton Rouge, and he graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in marketing with a concentration in advertising this past December. Jason is looking forward to starting his career at Search Influence and meeting everyone!

Mikel Pak – PR & Marketing Manager

As the daughter of an Air Force pilot, Mikel Pak has lived everywhere from Oklahoma to Kentucky and Idaho to Texas and beyond. She brings more than eight years of experience as a public relations professional and journalist to her post at Search Influence. Her expertise spans media relations, marketing, social media, crisis, and political communications. As a journalist, she got her start in the newspaper business covering health care, technology, higher education, and real estate, among other industries. You can follow her on Twitter @MikelPak.

Serena Hirasawa – Account Associate

Spending almost all of her life in Richmond, VA—from preschool to college at Virginia Commonwealth University—Serena needed a change of scenery, but with a river still close by. Prior to Search Influence, Serena’s professional life included appearances in higher education and the transportation industry, but she’s finally ready to put her Communications degree to good use. Serena recently arrived in New Orleans and is looking forward to warm winter months, crawfish season, and playing roller derby with the Big Easy Rollergirls.

Join us in welcoming Serena, Chris, Mikel, Adrienne, Cory, Jason, and Anthony. We’re very lucky to have all of you on board!

February 25, 2015
Five for Friday: Pay for Twitter Verification, Snapchat Goes Local, and More!

1. If You Want to Be Verified on Twitter, All You’ll Have to Do Is Pay! – Mashable

If you’ve ever tried, you know that getting verified on Twitter is a lengthy process. Twitter does not accept requests for verification, so users just have to wait until the site feels that your page should be verified—and the process can take an extremely long time. But not anymore: Twitter is considering letting people pay to get that little blue check mark symbol. Hopefully, if this change is adopted, the days of waiting for verification will be gone!

2. Google Answers the Question “Is Link Building Good?” – Search Engine Round Table

In any discussion about link building, the conversation usually turns into a debate about whether the strategy is good or bad for a website. If you’ve been searching for the answer, you may finally have it: in a recent Google+ hangout, Google’s John Mueller was asked to answer this common question. Ultimately, Mueller stated that he would “try to avoid” link building in general, but he also gave helpful tips on how to allow others to link to your site.

3. Snapchat Wants to Show You What’s Happening in Your City – Tech Crunch

Have you ever ignored a Snap from Team Snapchat because it relates to an event taking place in a different state or even a different country? Well, Snapchat has caught on. The company is currently experimenting with regional Our Stories, which will add content that will be visible only to locals within a specific area. Keep an eye out for these relevant Our Stories!

4. 4 SEO Landmines to Avoid if You’re Updating Your Website – Search Engine Watch

From time to time, it becomes necessary for all of us to update our websites—but how do we manage the change without losing the authority our sites have built up? Whenever you update your website, you may leave yourself vulnerable to changes in domain authority and search engine indexing. If you’re thinking about changing your website, a few tips from this recent Search Engine Watch article can teach you what to avoid in order to keep your SEO intact.

5. Facebook Will Be Revealing the Relevance Score of Your Ad – Marketing Land

Ever wonder how Facebook chooses which ads to show? The company uses a combination of bid price and relevance scoring to decide which ads will make an appearance, but the process might seem confusing. Well, Facebook has begun to allow marketers to see the relevance score of their ads. In doing this, Facebook hopes to incentivize the creation of better ads that are more relevant to target audiences.

Image Sources:

All You Have To Do Is Pay

February 20, 2015
Five for Friday: The Analytics Glitch, Google’s Beginnings, Mardi Gras Madness, & More!

1. Google Analytics Data Drops Off On Monday, February 9th – SEO Roundtable

Did you notice that all of your customers suddenly decided to boycott your website this past Monday? You’re not the only one. Luckily, this is not an issue with your website or your business; it’s actually a brief glitch in the data of Google Analytics. This problem appears to have affected thousands of websites. Though Google has yet to give an official statement on the matter, they have assured us that they are looking into the problem.

2. Your Guide to Everything Mardi Gras – New Orleans Online

Mardi Gras celebrations are in full swing this week, and New Orleans Online has released an infographic to help us navigate and understand the chaos! Filled with tidbits on the history of Mardi Gras as well as helpful hints for making the most of this year’s events, this infographic can guide both newbies and veterans through the Carnival season in New Orleans.

3. Lessons Learned from the Early Days of Google – Matt Cutts

Today, we know Google as the wooly mammoth of the Internet—large and in charge. Whether we are aware of it or not, no company has had a greater impact on how we navigate the World Wide Web. But it wasn’t always that way. Google, like all huge companies today, had humble beginnings, with a lot of blunders and a lot of lessons learned. Matt Cutts revealed all in his presentation at UNC Chapel Hill last month.

4. Is Yahoo Stealing Mobile Search Share from Bing? – Marketing Land

Yahoo is beginning to make its first divergence from its search alliance deal with Microsoft. The search engine has its eyes set on the mobile market, a segment that was not part of the search alliance deal made five years ago. The search engine has gained traction on mobile devices not at the expense of Google, but at the expense of its ally Microsoft.

5. 8 Sure-Fire Ways to Beat Out Your Top PPC Competitors – Hanapin Marketing

Yesterday, Jamie Smith and Cassie Oumedian of Hanapin Marketing presented a webinar on the eight ways to beat out your top PPC competitors. Some of the expert tips included competitive intelligence and monitoring insights, why location targeting is a must, and bid strategies to outrank your competitors. If you weren’t able to catch the webinar live, you can go to the Hanapin Marketing website to get the full recap.

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Dog Typing Image

Mardi Gras Parade Image

Google Doodle Image

February 13, 2015
They Don’t Call it Fat Tuesday For Nothing!

How much king cake has your office consumed since the start of the new year? Those who don’t live or work in Louisiana will respond to that question with a forlorn “zero,” but at Search Influence, the answer is probably somewhere between “not enough” and “infinite.”

King cake season is a prime opportunity for the office to bond over our uncontrollable gluttony, but it also has something to teach us about paying it forward and supporting our coworkers. In addition to having the Mardi Gras spirit baked into every buttery bite, king cake is a great office snack because it is self-replenishing. Depending on how thinly you slice it, one king cake can feed 15-20 people in your office, and by the time the last crumb has been devoured by a ravenous coworker, the provider of tomorrow’s king cake has already been chosen by the plastic baby of fate.

For the uninitiated, the individual that discovers the baby hidden in their king cake slice is obligated to bring in the next one for everyone to share. In other words, the responsibility of providing this seasonal pastry to the entire office is continually passed from person to person, allowing everyone to enjoy infinite king cake without having to buy infinite king cake. By continuing this chain of goodwill and endless baked goods, you are paying it forward to the entire office.

Fortunately for your cholesterol, this strategy of passing the torch and spreading the wealth doesn’t have to end with king cake. When individuals take turns bringing in snacks, giving out thank you notes, taking the lead for projects, and volunteering for office chores, the entire office feels the benefits.

Don’t wait to find the fake baby surreptitiously hiding in your food to pay it forward king-cake style. Try one of these pay it forward ideas in your office today.

Image Sources:

Matilda Chocolate Cake Gif

King Cake Meme

February 6, 2015
Three New Influencers to Start Off the New Year!

Sarah Felton – Account Coordinator

Sarah is a native to New Orleans and an enthusiastic pet lover (Three cats and one dog that she frequently plays dress up with). She received her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, where she still attends football games in the student section every fall. Her work experience is mainly in the hospitality field, as Sarah worked for Caesar’s Entertainment from 2007–2013 here in New Orleans and also in Las Vegas and Biloxi.

Kim Koelling – Junior Graphic Designer

Kim was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She received her degree in Graphic Design from the University of Kansas. Shortly after, she was accepted into the U.S. Peace Corps and hopped on a plane to Cameroon in West Africa, where she lived for 27 months. She taught computer science and English at her village high school, and she worked closely with a local women’s cooperative on marketing. She now lives in New Orleans and is very excited to be joining the Search Influence team!

Brenna Benson – Operations MBA Intern

Born in Tampa but raised in Gainesville, Brenna is a native Floridian who managed to eventually find her way to New Orleans. Brenna graduated with a degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. She welcomed her first son in December 2014 and (like any New Orleans mom) is excited to introduce her son to king cake (although we may need to wait until next year). She’s also very excited to kick off the new year with the Search Influence team as an Operations Intern!

Join us in welcoming Sarah, Kim, and Brenna to the Search Influence team. We’re glad to have you on board!

January 27, 2015
Five For Friday: Do You Like Your Friends, Busting SEO Myths, and More

1. You’re Doing It Wrong: This App Tells You If You Actually Have Friends – Tech Crunch

Ever wonder if you actually like your friends? There’s now an app for that. The app, called “pplkpr,” monitors your heart rate through a wristband and sends you text message updates about your relationships. It even helps you schedule time to hang out with people it deems “better friends.” So next time you want to bail on plans to sit around and watch Netflix, just say “My app thinks I shouldn’t hang out with you.”

2. Is Google Making You Dumber? – Mashable

By keeping your browser homepage set to the default page, usually Google, you’re missing out on the opportunity to see something new every day. Changing your homepage to a more engaging site could allow you to learn a new word every day or to expand your horizons through photos. There are no limits on what page you set it to, and this article offers some great options if you’re looking for a daily knowledge boost.

3. …But When Will I Get My Robot Butler? – Tech Crunch

When Siri plays Hall & Oates instead of finding the nearest Walgreens, it makes me wonder if it’s even possible to build functioning, humanoid robots. Though constantly portrayed in popular culture, robots that mimic humans might never be a reality. Issues with artificial intelligence and voice recognition hold us back from being able to send a robot to take the trash out. Till large advances are made, it looks like I’m still going to have to do my chores myself.

4. A Special Set of Skills: How to Not Let Your Phone Get “Taken” – CNet

Though you might not need Liam Neeson to get your device free, hackers are taking phones hostage at alarming rates. By hiding ransomware links or apps, hackers can threaten to encrypt your device or lock your phone entirely unless you pay up. If you keep to reputable app sites and stay away from sketchy links, you can avoid having your phone “taken” right in your very hands.

5. Myths Busted! 5 SEO Myths That Need to Be Debunked – Search Engine Watch

SEO is always changing and updating (with the help of “P” named animals). With such a fast-paced industry, misconceptions easily find their way into common thinking. These myths can encourage unrealistic goals and set impossible standards. By demystifiying these myths, we set ourselves up for greater success and more satisfied customers. After all, the best place to hide a dead body is on the second page of Google results…

Image Sources:

Bye Felicia Image

January 23, 2015