Category: News

  • Search Influence Hosts Careers Open House December 10 and January 14

    Potential candidates are invited to meet the team, learn about open positions and company benefits.

    Search Influence Careers Open House Recruiting EventWe invite interested applicants to the office for an evening of networking, followed by presentations about the company, various departments, open positions, and company benefits.

    We are hiring for six open positions across four departments and experience levels, including director, mid, and entry-level. Open positions include:
    – Director of Operations
    – Account Manager
    – Account Coordinator
    – Product & Marketing Manager
    – Sales Executive

    Job postings can be found in our careers section.

    “We know that finding the right fit at work is key to professional growth,” says Angie Scott, COO & Co-Founder. “We are opening our doors to potential applicants and community members in hope of making it easier to find the right fit for both the company and employees. We know applying for a job is as much about interviewing our team as it is about us learning more about the candidate. We want to make sure candidates get to experience our genuine and collaborative environment of which we are so proud.”

    “We have been lucky to see growth in both new and existing clients over the last year. We are also lucky our clients drive us to grow and improve. Our success is defined by their success. We are looking for CHARGED individuals who are committed to both customer success and their own professional growth,” says Will Scott, CEO and Co-Founder.

    Attendees will get a preview of the new Search Influence offices which offer unique and personalized spaces to deliver the needs of each department. Search Influence offices provide the space in which the team excels. “This new office space allows us to create an environment that fosters creativity and sets us up for success,” added Scott.

    Careers Open House

    Tuesday, December 10, 2019 and Tuesday, January 14, 2020
    5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

    Schedule of events:
    5:30: Arrival and networking
    6:00: Brief presentations about Search Influence, values, benefits, and open positions, including the responsibilities of each department.

    1610 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70113
    (504) 208-3900.

    Advance registration is recommended via EventBrite

    For any questions about the event, email [email protected].

    Hope to see you there!

  • Search Influence Moves Headquarters to Central City, New Orleans

    Search Influence Moves Headquarters to Central City, New Orleans

    We moved on UP-town! After 5 years in our downtown headquarters on Gravier Street, Search Influence has moved our world headquarters just over a mile uptown, where we’ve taken over a 3-story building on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. We’ll be joining the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), Café Reconcile, Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB), and the New Orleans Jazz Market in this recently revitalized area of Central City in New Orleans.

    The historic 19th-century building, made up of two townhouses, was once two “Main Street” style storefronts—Lane’s Shoe Store and Mill End Remnants. After many years of exposure to the elements, the building went through a significant rehabilitation in the last decade and was awarded a 2013 Merit Award for Adaptive Reuse by American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Orleans.

    1608-1610 dryades 1962 sept 27

    1610 och blvd present day

    Building history and historical photos courtesy CCWIV Architecture. Present-day photos courtesy of Will Crocker. View the full gallery of historic and present-day images on CCWIV Architecture’s website.

    Our new location is just five blocks outside of the Central Business District, so we’re still conveniently located to our downtown clients while making it even more convenient for all our clients and partners to visit our office, thanks to the plethora of free parking near Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

    The new building offers a large courtyard and multiple balconies, where we plan to have outdoor collaboration sessions and space for individual work. The ease of access to the outdoors will be cherished with the beautiful fall weather coming up in New Orleans.

    “I’m glad Search Influence held out for a space that fits our company culture and workplace dynamics. Exploring our new location will be fun, but I’m most excited about the opportunity to work outside!” says Emily Breaux, Digital Copy Editor.

    Courtyard of present day 1610 och blvd

    We’ve been very agile in the way we approach our office space throughout our 14-year history. As our business changed over the years and our team size and dynamics have changed, so too did our office needs. The added bonus is that we have the chance to explore the offerings (in particular the restaurants!) of so many different neighborhoods of our city.

    Planting new roots in this part of town aligns with our core purpose: We Optimize Potential. We are investing in this developing area in hopes that more businesses will continue to be attracted to this part of town. This is much like our move to Oak Street in 2011 and to Gravier Street in 2015. Each location was early in their revitalization when we made them our home. Both areas are now bustling with new and now well-established businesses that our team was there to support in the early days.

    We look forward to welcoming our clients, prospects, and partners to our new space!

    Search Influence
    1610 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
    New Orleans, LA 70113

    Images:
    New office building

  • Influencers Take Part in Super Saturday at City Park

    Influencers emily borne and jenna mire holding up gardening tools while volunteering

    On July 6th, a group of Influencers took part in City Park’s Super Saturday. This is a community volunteer event that’s typically held on the first Saturday of the month. With the guidance of the volunteer coordinator, we ventured into the Couturie Forest to help re-mulch and clear a trail that had been blocked by a fallen tree.

    Building a Stronger Park

    We arrived at the volunteer center on Harrison Boulevard promptly at 9 a.m. Equipped with pitchforks and wheelbarrows, we got to work re-mulching one of the many trails in the Couturie Forest. The mulch used in the forest is actually made in the park. They recycle and break down broken tree limbs, utilizing any natural resources they can. Tyler, City Park’s volunteer coordinator efficiently organized the team into three groups that shoveled mulch, wheeled it to the trail, and dumped it. This was no easy feat, as this particular Saturday was close to breaking a historic temperature mark, tying the 1998 record of 99 degrees. All things considered, our team powered through and made a lot of headway on the trail in the three hours we volunteered.

    Our Partnership with City Park

    Approximately twice the size of Manhattan’s Central Park, City Park offers New Orleanians 1,300 acres of diverse greenery, recreational facilities, and outdoor fun. Historically, it has been maintained through self-generated funds and a small level of funding from the State.

    Earlier this year, we contributed to the success of the Support Parks and Recreation millage vote by running various digital advertising campaigns to spread awareness and building a temporary website that housed all of the information about the impact of the vote. Citizens of New Orleans voted on May 4, 2019, to decide if existing tax money should be reallocated fairly amongst all of the prominent parks and recreations organizations in the New Orleans (City Park, NORDC, Parks and Parkway, and Audubon). The vote was a success! For the first time in their 165-year history, City Park will receive city funding. Beginning in 2021, these parks and organizations will receive close to 2 million dollars annually that will contribute to infrastructure investment, security upgrades, forest management, stormwater management, and much more.

    Influencers working Super Saturday at City Park in New Orleans, LA

    In the coming months, we will also be helping to spread awareness about the Storyland Revitalization project. This new project will enhance existing attractions and also debut several new exhibits. Visit City Park’s website for more information about the revitalization of Storyland, which will reopen in Fall 2019.

    Our team was grateful for the opportunity to volunteer and give back to our city, and our client. Super Saturday is open to anyone who wants to volunteer and is of high school-aged or older. The events take place on the first Saturday of every month, with some exceptions. It’s a great way to meet people from all walks of life who share a common interest in the revitalization of the Park. Check out City Park’s Twitter, Facebook, or online calendar to confirm the date of this monthly volunteer event. Our team will be back at Super Saturday sometime soon.

    Search Influence is proud to help support local organizations and parks. To keep tabs on our team, follow us on Instagram.

  • National Emoji Day – Katelyn Mulkey on WWL

    Katelyn Mulkey, Account Coordinator at Search Influence, joined Great Day Louisiana on National Emoji day to share her knowledge on:

    • The history of emojis
    • New emojis being released in 2019
    • How emojis relate to inclusivity and the all-inclusive-web
    • Misused emojis

    Emojis have been popular since they first appeared on Japanese mobile phones in the late ’90s, and in the past few years they have become a hallmark of the way people communicate. They show up everywhere—from texts and Facebook posts to press releases and corporate emails. At Search Influence, we’re always up-to-date with social media best practices. Learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help your business get found online. Reach out to a strategist today to get started.

  • Seven New Employees Join Search Influence

    New Search Influence Account Manager Anita ShahAnita Shah 

    Anita Shah has been hired as an Account Manager.

    Anita is a Midwest native, growing up in Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan where she received a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Outside of work, Anita loves to travel; specifically, backpacking trips are her favorite. A bucket list item is she wants to make her way through every national park in the US.

     

    New Search Influence Account Manager Raquel Paiz

    Raquel Paiz

    Raquel Paiz has been hired as an Account Manager.

    Raquel is from Reston, VA but has lived in New Orleans for ten years. Raquel joined the Marine Corps out of high school and then ultimately received her B.A. from Tulane University in Public Relations. Her most recent experience includes working at a full-service agency in NC and doing Public Affairs work for the Marine Corps. Raquel loves food, music, and travel almost as much as working in the communications field. You can usually find her binging Game of Thrones on a continuous loop while eating some sort of Asian food.

    Kaitlyn “KJ” JohnsonNew Digital Marketing Associated Kaitlyn "KJ" Johnson

    Kaitlyn “KJ” Johnson has been hired as a Digital Marketing Associate.

    Although she is a native of New Orleans, she traveled to Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA for school where she earned a B.A. in Mass Communication and a minor in Publishing. After graduating, she entered the digital media industry and never looked back. Like a true NOLA local, food and music are two of her favorite things. So, you can always spot her at a local festival reveling in her southern roots. KJ also enjoys going to concerts, traveling, and visiting art museums. She is a firm believer that immersing yourself in different forms of art and culture is the key to a well-balanced life…When life is well-balanced, good things will always find you.

    New Search Influence Senior Web Developer David FransenDavid Fransen

    David Fransen has been hired as a Senior Web Developer.

    David is in his second stint with Search Influence, having joined the company as an IMA in 2012 and moving into Development, where he worked on all varieties of clients and projects for nearly five years, eventually making a move to start building out full websites elsewhere in 2017. After soaking up a lot of knowledge and experience over nearly two years in this role building websites, he realized his best skills and general energy was far better suited to Search Influence, and he was fortunate to be welcomed back home. He is a native of Kenner but has lived in Uptown New Orleans for the last 5+ years. Naturally, David studied English—and nothing even remotely related to Web Development—at Trinity University in San Antonio. He is a hopeless music nerd, having played in bands and DJ’d throughout his roaring 20’s and beyond, and he spent seven strange, exciting years in Brooklyn chasing ill-advised rock n’ roll dreams before moving back to the New Orleans area and deciding to grow up. He is a borderline psychotic NBA fan who takes any opportunity to be smug and pompous about the extended success of his beloved San Antonio Spurs.

    Paige Nulty New Search Influence Digital Copy Editor Paige Nulty

    Paige Nulty has been hired as a Digital Copy Editor.

    A GNO native, Paige majored in English at UNO, concentrating in local literature as an excuse to read more Kate Chopin than she already was. Since then, she has worked freelance gigs—contributing to Gambit and New Orleans Magazine—as well as cut her copywriting chops in the B2B world. When not writing, Paige can be found trying too hard to be funny with her improv troupe and growing her comic collection. She’s excited to be a part of the team at Search Influence and keep growing creatively.

    New Search Influence Content Marketing Team Lead Crysten PriceCrysten Price 

    Crysten Price has been hired as a Content Marketing Team Lead.

    Crysten is a native Louisianan and loves the outdoors. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and French from Loyola University New Orleans. Prior to her career at Search Influence, Crysten worked in several industries: information technology, nonprofits, and advertising. Outside of work, she can be found participating in pickup volleyball games and traveling.

    Katie Whittington New Search Influence Account Manager Katie Whittington

    Katie Whittington has been hired as an Account Manager.

    Katie has a unique story to where she was born and raised like many residents of Louisiana. She is originally from St. Bernard Parish where she spent most of her childhood until Hurricane Katrina, which caused her to move to Covington. Katie is excited to be back on the Southshore living right outside of the New Orleans Metro Area. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University where she earned a B.A. in Social Work and continued her education at Tulane University where she earned an M.A. in the same discipline. For the last few years, she has been working as a school counselor and softball coach and she is extremely excited to finally follow her passion in marketing. She is joining Search Influence as an Account Manager and she is hungry to help her clients grow. Outside of work you will find her biking through the city, trying out new restaurants and bars, working out at her gym, or creating content for her blog, The Bailey Method.

    If you’ve been hoping to expand your business’ digital marketing campaign, look to Search Influence. Our experts, whether tenured or new to our team, can help boost your company’s online presence while tracking leads and analyzing trends. We’re committed to helping you reach your marketing goals. Start a conversation with one of our strategists today.

     
    Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions!

     

  • Planning Your Vacation Destination Using Instagram – Ariel Tusa on WWL

    Ariel Tusa, Account Supervisor at Search Influence, joined Great Day Louisiana to share how you can use Instagram to plan your vacation like a local. Learn how to build your next trip itinerary using:

    • Hashtags
    • Geotags
    • Creating and organizing Instagram “Collections”
    • Travel bloggers and travel magazines

    Instagram is a dynamic tool that can be used for more than just scrolling. At Search Influence, we know how to leverage Instagram for our clients, and we’re always up-to-date with social media best practices. Learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help your business get found online. Reach out to a strategist today to get started.

  • Client Spotlight & Campaign Success: Caluda’s King Cake

    If you are from or live around New Orleans you are VERY familiar with the delicious treat that is king cake. One of our client’s, Caluda’s King Cake, is a top king cake bakery in the New Orleans area and continues to see success year-round. Caluda’s King Cake is a local business with over 35 years of experience. We have been pleased to work with them for the last two years and love the knowledge and success our collaboration has brought.

    2018/2019 Digital Marketing Strategy and Success:

    During the 2018 Holiday and 2019 Mardi Gras season, Caluda’s King Cake saw a 2,393% return on investment (ROI) during their digital marketing campaign with Search Influence. With target advertising, smart branding, and relationship building, Caluda’s continues to bring high value to the market. Let’s take a look at some of the efforts Search Influence completed to support this ROI and success:

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

    When comparing 2019 to 2017 we saw a 158% increase in organic sessions. This means more than two times the amount of users were able to discover Caluda’s site from search results. When comparing 2019 to 2018 we saw a 45% increase in organic sessions. Efforts to support this were a new website build, content creation, and continual website optimizations throughout the campaign.

    Mardi Gras King Cake from Caluda's getting ready to be shipped via FedEx

    Social Media:

    Social following and post engagement have continued to be an important and successful strategy for Caluda’s. During their 2018/2019 social media campaign they gained over 3,000 NEW fans. They currently have over 10,400 fans on Facebook and 2,000 followers on Instagram. Their social posts continue to reach high audience engagement, ensuring that their brand is top notch with the community!

    Examples of social posts done by Search Influence for Caluda's King Cake

    Review and Testimonials:

    Caluda’s King Cake gained over 580 new reviews during their campaign. They also gained over 1,000 page views on their onsite reviews page. With more than 80% of consumers admitting that they trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation, this gain in reviews is extremely beneficial to the brand!

    Accumulated reviews for Caluda's King Cake during Search Influence digital marketing campaign

    Caluda’s King Cake Unique Propositions

    Eat Fit King Cake

    In 2019, Caluda’s collaborated with Ochsner Health System’s Eat Fit team to develop a king cake that’s gluten-free, grain-free, low carb, and keto-friendly! Centered on an all-natural clean ingredient label, the Eat Fit King Cake is made with almond flour, coconut flour, and Greek yogurt. It’s sweetened with Swerve, a natural, plant-based sweetener based here in New Orleans, with no artificial sweeteners or food dyes. This collaboration was a HUGE success for both Caluda’s and Eat Fit. Caluda’s continuation of brand awareness and providing high-quality products continues to open doors for exciting new ventures.

    Low carb king cake from Caluda's King Cake in New Orleans

    King Cakes Year-Round

    Caluda’s King Cake offers king cakes year-round! You heard that right—you can get delicious king cakes any time! They offer specialty king cakes via online or phone orders. Whether you are a local or live in another state, Caluda’s offer you the opportunity to enjoy king cake 12 months a year. Bring a delicious treat to your next holiday event or party and be the hit of the event

    If you’re ready to grow your business like Caluda’s King Cake, start a conversation with one of Search Influence’s digital marketing experts. We’re ready for you to become one of our success stories!

  • THANK YOU to Our Small Business Clients!

    THANK YOU to Our Small Business Clients!

    Happy Small Business Week from the Search Influence team!

    We were founded in 2006 with the goal of helping small businesses succeed online. Today, we work to optimize the potential of businesses of many sizes, but this week, it’s all about our small business clients!

    Today we share with you five small business clients and a little bit of their story—it was hard to choose just a handful to feature, as we have so many that inspire us each day to help them grow their businesses.

    Nugget Markets

    CaliforniaNugget Markets logo

    Nugget Markets is the grocery store we all we wish we had right down the street. Their 12 locations in Northern California offer specialty items and “Gourmet to Go” at lower prices than conventional grocery stores. No wonder they’ve been thriving since 1926!

    Pascal Architects

    New Orleans, LA Pascal Architects logo

    Pascal Architects is a well-established architecture firm in New Orleans. The company and its principles have been involved in some of the most impressive projects in the city, including the original construction of the Superdome, the restoration of the Cabildo, and the creation of the Ritz-Carlton from the historic Maison Blanche department store.

    Paisano’s Pizza

    Virginia and Maryland Paisano's Pizza logo

    Paisano’s Pizza is a Virginia-based local pizza chain. We began working with them in 2011 when they had 10 locations. They now have over 40 locations across Virginia and Maryland, and even one in Florida! Talk about a small business success story.

    Oracle Lighting

    New Orleans, LA

    Oracle Lighting is a New Orleans-grown auto light manufacturer, specializing in premium LED halo lights,owned by husband and wife Justin and Tiffanie Hartenstein. They have hundreds of resellers across the country and were named Exporter of the year by The Small Business Administration!

    Caluda’s King Cake 

    New Orleans, LA

    Caluda’s began focusing on direct-to-consumer king cake sales in 2018. They were breaking into a crowded market with lots of long-established competitors. With some smart branding, relationship building, and targeted advertising, Caluda’s is now a top tier king cake in New Orleans!

    We express a sincere THANK YOU to all our clients and those we’ve had the honor of supporting in the past. We truly wouldn’t be Search Influence without you!

    If you’re looking to grow your small business and become one of our success stories, start a conversation with the digital marketing experts at Search Influence.

  • Influencers Take Part in Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ Build and Boil Event

    On April 6, a group of Influencers took part in the Build and Boil event hosted by Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO). With the guidance of our group leaders (and a few Influencers who are particularly handy), we helped make the home of a Korean War veteran with a disability more suited to his daily needs by improving its accessibility. The team spent several hours working on the home before heading back to the RTNO warehouse to enjoy crawfish and drinks.

    Giving Back to Our Community

    Alula Amare with great waves and Search Influence CEO Will Scott at Rebuilding Together New OrleansDuring the build portion of the event, we had the privilege of working on the home of Clarence Gabriel. Mr. Gabriel was medically discharged after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked for 35 years as a self-employed craftsman and has always enjoyed working with his hands. Mr. Gabriel has lived in New Orleans his entire life and purchased his 7th Ward home in 1996.

    Mr. Gabriel is wheelchair-bound, and his decreased mobility makes it difficult for him to get around. When we arrived at his home, we were greeted by his daughter Melissa, who gave us a bit of background on Mr. Gabriel and the house. A ramp had already been built at the front of the structure, so we got to work adding the finishing touches. Our team cut pieces of lumber with a chop saw, fit the wooden planks with brackets, installed them along the sides of the ramp, and then treated the handrails and latticework with sealant.

    After a day of hard work, we took part in the boil. We made sure to try the crawfish of as many participants as possible by keeping tabs on whose boils we had already sampled. We couldn’t agree on a winner, but we had a great time trying to decide on one.

    Lauren Griffin from Search Influence working at Rebuilding Together New Orleans

    Our Partnership With RTNO

    Rebuilding Together New Orleans is a program of the Preservation Resource Center that works to “improve the quality of life of low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, veterans, or single heads of households with minor children, through home repair and revitalization of New Orleans’ neighborhoods.”

    Previously, Search Influence partnered with RTNO to secure them a much-needed website redesign and updates to make it more user-friendly and easier for their staff to maintain.

    The goals of RTNO’s new website included the following:

    • Making it easier for those in need of assistance to apply for help
    • Increasing volunteer sign ups
    • Increasing donations

    Based on the success of this April’s Build and Boil event, it seems like RTNO is well on their way to accomplishing those goals.

    Search Influence is proud to help support members of our community and local nonprofits. To keep tabs on our team, follow us on Instagram.

  • Taking the IDK & WTH Out of Texting With Teens – Shawn Kelly From Search Influence on WWL

    Shawn Kelly, Sales Manager at Search Influence, helped WWL crack a difficult (but v important) code—teen textspeak. With two teenage daughters, he’s had to adapt his keyboard fast. Watch now for tips about:  

    • Keeping up with ever-changing text acronyms
    • Establishing open, honest communication with your teen
    • What it means when someone wishes you a “hmg”

    Text acronyms seem to change (almost) as quickly as teens type. At Search Influence, we may not all be fluent in textspeak, but we’re always up-to-date with digital marketing and SEO strategies. Learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help your business get found online. Contact a strategist today to get started.