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Happy Working Parents Day: 10 Influencers On Lessons From Their Working Parents

As someone who grew up with working parents, I learned a lot through my parents’ experiences.

My dad was the “troubleshooter” at the automated and environmental control systems company he worked for. So, his ability to solve problems at work and around the house was something I learned. He always approached things with a can-do attitude and would just sit down and get what needed to be done, done. I’m definitely a problem solver at work, and I love to empower my team members to solve problems they encounter, too.

My mom was a VP of a publishing company. While I can’t think of anything that sticks out that I learned from her growing up, other than a general hardworking attitude, she’s been an invaluable resource to me for general work best practices and how to do well in interviews in the past. I’ve also gotten a lot of management tips from her as I’ve grown in my career.

So, in honor of Working Parents Day on September 16th, I sat down with 10 of my fellow influencers across our company to find out more about their experiences having working parents growing up. Here’s what they had to say.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRGR-owCFm4&w=640&h=360]

Gabrielle Benedetto, Partner Relationship Manager

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Susan Benedetto – High school English teacher and Teach For America mentor turned Librarian who is now back in the classroom teaching high school English!
Tim Benedetto – Self-employed contractor

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
Visiting my dad on the job usually meant I was sick.

Since my dad was self-employed, it was easier for him to leave work and pick us up from school when we weren’t feeling well. But, instead of going home, we would go on the job with him. He would make a little bed for us by flipping over two 5 gallon mineral spirits buckets, laying a piece of plywood on top, and covering us with a paint splattered drop cloth for a blanket.

Depending on how bad you felt, you would be asked to pick up a piece of sandpaper or a caulk tube. The smell of fresh paint still reminds me of a sick day. I would complain, but in that moment, I was being taught work ethic.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
After being on her feet and teaching hormonal teenagers for 8 hours, Mom would come home and cook a full course meal for us. Dinner was on the table every single night at 7. We would sit and eat as a family every night and homework was never an excuse to skip. After dinner, we would clear the table and Mom would sit right back down and start grading papers and preparing for the next day’s lesson plan.

While she did bring work home, like many working parents, I think one of her favorite parts of the day was cooking and serving dinner for her family. For just a few hours she was Mom and not “Mrs. Benedetto.” Seeing her work all day long, and then come home to transform into a different role, was pure dedication. She taught me how to balance work and family, which may be one of the hardest tasks any working parent faces, but she made it look easy—even though I know it wasn’t.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
“Work as if you are being filmed and speak as if you are being recorded” Meaning—don’t do or say anything you wouldn’t want anyone to see or hear. It sounds a little mafiosa… but it stuck with me!

Michelle Boyd, Internet Marketing Team Lead

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Cyndi – Store Manager for Kroger
Carl – Worked for the state as the Director of Budget

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I remember one time when the power went out from a snowstorm during the holidays. We all went as a family to check on the freezers and coolers at the store. At the time, I thought it was crazy that my mom had to worry about that kind of stuff when she wasn’t even working. Even at an early age, through her actions, my mom taught me that your individual success is directly dependent upon the success of the company you work for.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
Many people tell you not to bring your work home with you. What my parents taught me was the exact opposite. It is important to have a good work/life balance, and oftentimes, these two things will intermingle. What’s more important is to strive to do your best every day, learn from your mistakes, and celebrate your successes.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
My parents told me to hire people whose creativity and ingenuity exceed my own. They said I should want to work with people who will challenge me to be better and who will help the company to succeed, and therefore, help me succeed.

Stephanie Burnison, Account Associate

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Debbie Alexanian – Clinical Neuropsychologist
Gary Burnison – CEO Korn/Ferry International

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I used to visit my dad’s office a lot out in LA—it was so cool to see how everyone interacted with him, and also to see him in that light versus how I saw him every day: the swim-trunk-wearing, chill Southern California dude I knew him to be.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
It taught me to be independent, confident, determined, a hard worker, a fast learner, and to not accept failure.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
Attitude is Altitude.

Courtney Cummins, Senior Quality Assurance Analyst

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Jack – Distribution Manager for a grocery store and later for Revlon
Catherine Cummins – Security Guard for a distribution store

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I remember being about eight years old and going into work with my dad on a Saturday morning. I was so excited that I even picked out what I was going to wear the night before (It was a basketball jumpsuit. It wasn’t great.). He worked at a distribution warehouse and I remember him giving me some product transportation logs to highlight. It was probably just busy work, but at the time, it felt like the greatest responsibility in the world.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
One of the biggest lessons I learned growing up with working parents was the importance of having a strong work ethic. It isn’t enough just to have a job and show up for it. They stressed the importance of giving your best to everything you do in life, and how determination and perseverance can go a long way.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
I can’t remember an exact piece of advice my parents gave to me when I started working; there was just an understanding of “you have a job that you are physically and mentally able to perform, so make sure you do so to the best of your ability.”

Ryan Eugene, Senior Account Associate

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Jennifer – Specialty Sales Manager at a natural gas company
Ronald – A contractor for Verizon

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I visited my mother at work a few times, and it was great to see her with a high position in the company and see her co-workers’ respect for her.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
Work ethic and the importance of being prompt.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
Be prompt and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Kayla Fletcher, Junior Internet Marketing Assistant

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
My dad owned a computer company, and my mom worked with my dad and she was a paralegal for some time. (I don’t remember her being a paralegal because I was too young because she ended up working with my dad full-time). Fun fact: my dad used to be a DJ, then technology started to take off and he became interested in that as well.

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I went to their office building sometimes. I used to sit at another desk while my dad worked. I don’t remember much because that was long ago, and when I got to middle school, I didn’t go to the office much.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
My parents stressed the value of saving and investing, whether it was investing in stocks or renting out property. Even though my parents talked about saving a lot, they also think it’s best to spend money on things you really want. Whether it’s luxury items or a new home that’s more convenient for everyone. However, they don’t think it’s best to splurge a lot. They also stressed about doing something that you love. People always find it surprising when I tell them that my parents fully support me with writing. My parents never told me anything negative about it, or told me to pick another major/career because “you can’t make money being a writer.”

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
My parents told me (and my older sister) that even though you got the job you wanted, you still have to work hard. You should set goals for yourself, always be on top of things, and never talk negatively about anyone who you are working with to another person.

Angie Hernandez, Junior Bilingual Internet Marketing Associate

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Martha Hernandez – Personal Banker
Islaal Hernandez – Body Shop Mechanic

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
I remember one time being sick on a field trip and my mom needed to pick me up. There was no one to take care of me so she brought me to work. I laid down on my mat under her teller stand. I just remember seeing how dedicated and precise she was in handling money. Every now and then I’d gently kick her to remind her I was down there, and she’d break her concentration to give me a smile and an “I know you are still down there” face.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
I have nothing but the utmost admiration for my mom. It’s incredible to see, even to this day, how she works hard and still comes home to be a mother and wife. She is a boss. And I’ve seen my father do what it takes to work, even if that means being treated unfairly as an immigrant. My dad’s job is physically demanding, but he never gives up. He’s the “work hard, play hard” type, which I think is cool. He looks like a GQ model on the weekends; you’d never think he is a grease monkey during the week.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
My mom has always told me to never give up, even if everything seems hard at first. Because of her, I’ve never given up on any challenge that was placed before me.

Serena Hirasawa, Senior Account Associate

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Mom – Special Education Teaching Assistant
Dad – Chef

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
My dad worked as a sous chef at a country club until I was about 10 years old. I remember going with him and my younger sister to visit the property on many occasions, and he would show us around to all of his coworkers. We were really adorable back then, so we would always get little gifts from people. My favorite person was the groundskeeper, who would find pretty and/or shiny rocks for us and we would get so excited to see what he would bring. I also loved being able to visit where my dad worked and see the food that he got to make every day for the guests.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
It taught me about discipline, but also about balance. When my dad was a chef at the country club, he would work lots of long hours and weekends, due to the food industry. But he always managed to be available for my childhood memories—things like my softball games and school picnics. He worked really hard to provide for us, which sometimes meant making sacrifices, but he always made time for us when we needed him and he was home every night to say goodnight.

It also taught me about being challenged. My mom worked in special education, which can be very taxing on people. Every day is something different because you are working with children who have learning disabilities and other difficulties. Her job was a challenge every day, but not in a bad way, because she was constantly learning something new about herself or her students. Sometimes, you just can’t plan how your day is going to go and you have to step up to the challenge.

Andrew Jones, Junior Editorial Internet Marketing Associate

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
My mom (Ann) worked for Delta Airlines until I was about 4 years old, then retired to take care of my two brothers and me.
My dad (Greg) is an attorney and retired from his firm a couple of years ago. He is now a Dean of Business at Troy University in Alabama.

A Memorable Experience Visiting Your Parent(s) On The Job:
Since my mom worked for Delta, it meant my family got to travel a lot for free. Believe it or not, one of my earliest memories is sitting in a chair in First Class, apparently on the way to Oahu. My feet didn’t even reach the end of the chair. I’m sure that was a great flight for everyone else who got to share First Class with a clearly spoiled baby.

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
Both of my parents were very successful in their careers, and enjoyed their work, but they never let their careers define them. As a kid, when my dad would get home at the end of the day, we talked about sports, history, politics—anything but work. In my opinion, they found a healthy balance between work and life.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
Working hard and always treating people like people are two bits of guidance that I have certainly tried to carry over into my professional life. It sounds corny, but my parents were pretty big on the Golden Rule. My dad, for example, lobbied the City of Mobile pretty hard when they tried to move a local homeless shelter out of the downtown area because it discouraged tourism and was “unsightly.” He wasn’t very popular with some of the society folks in Mobile, but he wore that as a badge of honor.

Paulina Rodriguez, Web Developer

Parent(s) And Their Jobs:
Jesus Rodriguez and Juana Rodriguez

What Having A Working Parent Taught You:
Both my parents moved to California from a small town in Mexico. My father attempted many times to work in farms in California and kept getting deported. But he wanted a better life for his 6 children so he kept trying. Eventually, he got a job cleaning and cooking for a hospital in California. When he was able to save up some money, he brought my mom and my brothers and sisters to America. Alone in a new country where they didn’t know the language, both my parents enrolled my brothers and sisters in school, and my mom found a job cleaning houses. Eventually, the rest of us were born and both my mom and dad worked. The drive and bravery of my parents to go into the unknown and raise a family has always pushed me to better myself. Their honesty and hard work drive my work ethic. Their relentlessness pushes me to take on any challenge. I know that things do not come easily, but with hard work and dedication I can work towards any goal. Their sacrifice has shown me that anything is possible.

Memorable Advice From Your Parent(s):
My parents would always say to work hard. Be presentable and respectful. Always be early and prepared. Save your money.

It certainly goes without saying that parents have a great influence on their children and sharing the experience of worklife and responsibility only make the impact greater. What has your family taught you about the working world?

September 16, 2016
Don’t Feed the Trolls: A Crash Course in Dealing With Twitter Trolls

Beware of Trolls

Bridges, the mountains of Skyrim, and Twitter. What do these places all have in common? You have a chance of running across a troll that can ruin more than just your day. Bridge trolls aren’t much of an issue since human society has pushed them into barren lands where we’ll never see them again. If you happen to visit Skyrim, you’re sure to have learned how to cast at least one fire spell that can dispatch a troll with haste. If you’re on Twitter, you must adapt to conquer these trolls. They’re smart, resourceful, crude, arrogant, and once they lock in on a target, they won’t stop until it’s gone. It takes one to know one, so I will take it upon myself, a self-admitted troll, to help you identify and eradicate trolls that are attacking you.

What’s a Twitter Troll?

A Twitter Troll, or an Internet Troll in general, is someone who uses the magic of the internet to sew seeds of hatred wherever and whenever they can. No one really knows how it starts, but once it does, it can be very difficult to stop. Unfortunately, Twitter is infamous for being very lax when it comes to individuals spewing hatred, so oftentimes, you will be left alone and cold to deal with them.

How to Combat a Twitter Troll

In my opinion, Twitter doesn’t offer up enough support to deal with toxic entities that troll your business online. Luckily, they don’t have to. Trolls are very predictable, which means dealing with them can be a cinch if you know what you’re doing. Here are some guidelines to follow when engaging in combat:

1: DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!

I swear on everything I hold dear, feeding the trolls will tarnish your image and make you appear just as immature as they are. This, of course, will end negatively for you and your business. Feeding trolls refers to responding to them in a negative fashion. This only fuels their ego and will make them continue to troll you. It may be tempting to be rash since they will likely come at you in a very aggressive, abrasive, crude, and rude manner, but I assure you that will only lead to them setting up shop in your mentions for the Twittersphere to see.

2: Develop an Action Plan

As I mentioned earlier, trolls are very predictable in their attacks. Though they are difficult to deal with, the predictability of their actions and responses makes a premade action plan with some flexibility your best friend. Having some example responses for your social media manager to use is a good way to defeat trolls before they have a chance to really get rolling.

3: Limit the Number of Responses

A hard limit on the number of responses given to trolls is a necessity. A constant back and forth will only fuel their strength and eventually drive you away from the realm of logic and reason. Continuing to engage in their toxic conversation will only succeed in eroding your own mental constitution to the point where your responses look as trivial and childish as the troll’s responses.

4: Don’t Give Them a Platform

In May of this year, a three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure of the Cincinnati Zoo. He was confronted by a 17-year-old lowland gorilla named Harambe. Zookeepers were forced to kill the gorilla in an attempt to prevent him from injuring the boy. People were upset; Twitter was furious. Of course, heavy-hearted memes were shared, but eventually the pro-Harambe side devolved into an expletive-laced hashtag that was used in response to almost every tweet they sent out. All memes eventually die, but during an interview with the Associate Press, the Cincinnati Zoo director stated that, “We are not amused by the memes, petitions, and signs about Harambe.” This reignited the trolls with such a fierce intensity that they were forced to temporarily shut down their Twitter account. It takes more finesse than just saying, “stop” to truly shut down a troll.

5: Don’t Ignore Them

Possibly worse than telling a troll to “stop” is to not say anything at all. This will more than likely make them extremely volatile and cause them to find a new home inside of your mentions. Also, ignoring a troll allows them to spam you however they seem fit and provides no deterrent since they aren’t being addressed. Confronting them in a professional manner shows them that you don’t tolerate those actions and helps to deter other trolls from setting their sights on your business.

6: Know the Difference Between a Troll and a Customer

Sometimes, a troll isn’t a troll at all. The anonymity of the internet is known for adding otherwise absent machismo to some people. Knowing that tracking them down can sometimes prove an unfruitful waste of time can make people act quite recklessly. Your business needs to be able to determine the difference between a legitimate troll and an angry customer. This takes time, but one telltale sign is if the alleged troll is attacking your product versus attacking you. If they have an issue with your product and not with you, offer a direct message (DM) exchange to try to make things right in a more private manner. Being able to admit a mistake shows a level of authority and passion for your business and can keep customers that may otherwise leave.

7: Speaking of Mistakes…

Admit when you’re wrong. If you own a small local pizza restaurant, people obviously prefer to give you their money over a giant corporation like Domino’s, and don’t mind more than likely paying a premium price for your product. If you deliver an incorrect order, mess up a pizza en route, arrive later than promised, there’s no need to even try to argue. If you’re wrong, admit it, ask for their information via DM, and make an attempt to correct the mistake. The difference here is that your apology is public due to the nature of the complaint.

8: Utilize Available Tools

Twitter is admittedly terrible when it comes to dealing with trolls, but in light of recent events, they have gotten better. In addition to the standard block and mentions settings list, you can customize your settings further to ensure that users aren’t able to mention under certain circumstances. The quality filter will use a newly formed algorithm to help “ignore” low quality tweets and some toxic tweets as well. Tailoring your discovery and mention settings can create an environment that can stave off trolls to a large extent.

Twitter Is a Scary Place

The Twittersphere is not the easiest place to navigate and can be made even more difficult when trolls descend upon you. Top that off with actually running your business instead of being on Social Media all the time and your plate will end up fuller than mine when I go to the buffet. Here at Search Influence, we offer a full suite of social media services so that you can rest a bit easier and focus on running your business instead of running from trolls.

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September 13, 2016
Search Influence Adds 3 New Hires in August

August is traditionally the hottest month in New Orleans each year. This past month, the City and Search Influence were sizzling. Not only were we ranked as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies by Inc. magazine (for the 6th straight year I might add), but we also hired three new Influencers to our growing staff of online experts. Meet Matthew Bains, Moneca Macaluso, and Radhika Mathur.

Matthew Bains

Matthew is excited to join Search Influence as a Junior Editorial Internet Marketing Associate. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, he graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, with a degree in English and creative writing. Prior to Search Influence, he worked as a researcher for a national publication before moving to New Orleans in 2009 to pursue his MFA in creative writing. He has most recently worked with a local writing collective as well as in a screen-printing shop. (He is thankful he longer prints T-shirts.) In his spare time, he likes to read, watch gritty crime dramas with his wife, and train for an upcoming marathon.

Moneca Macaluso

Moneca joins our team as an Account Associate. Though New Orleans homegrown, she took a long hiatus in Texas after Hurricane Katrina. She was in Houston to attend UH for business, then in Dallas growing as a professional in the hospitality world, where she honed her client management and marketing skills. After finally returning to NOLA, Moneca realized marketing and advertising is her niche. Her free time involves doing anything creative, cycling to new parks or lakes, mastering savory vegan cooking, taking random road trips, occasionally doing freelance makeup artistry, and bringing her Pomeranian, Aubry, wherever she goes.

Radhika Mathur

Radhika is delighted to join the Production Team as a Technical Internet Marketing Associate. Born and raised in New Delhi, India, she moved to New Orleans last year. She brings five years of prior work experience as a marketing manager with an international business consulting firm in India and lots of energy and enthusiasm. Radhika holds an MBA degree in International Business, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, cooking, and listening to music from way before she was born. She loves to dance to peppy Bollywood songs and aspires to be a dancer someday.

Do you know someone who is CHARGED (find out more on that here) and wants to work for a growing tech firm in New Orleans? We’re hiring. Go to townsend.bunksite.com/jobs for more information.

September 8, 2016
Here’s How to Capture Mi Corazón This Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off on September 15 and runs through October 15. These dates are actually quite significant because the 15th marks the independence days for several Latin American countries. For those who still believe that Cinco De Mayo is Mexico’s independence day, well, it’s actually September 16. And trust me, those parties put Cinco De Mayo to shame.

For me, my Hispanic heritage can’t be confined to a month. My heritage is in the food I eat, the music I listen to, and the way I speak. At times, it can be exhausting! But I wouldn’t trade my culture or traditions for the word! The Hispanic experience is so interesting because there are 21 Spanish-speaking Latin countries, each with their drastically different accents, slang, food, national dance, and their own unique way to translate the word, “banana.”

Hispanics are a growing population within the United States. According to Hispanic Marketing Blog, in 2015, a total of 22.7 million Hispanic Americans are millennials. Not only do we represent 42% of the total U.S. population, but we also make up 27% of the U.S. Generation Y. Such a large representation requires different marketing strategies to reach a Latino heart and its dinero. Here are just a few to keep in mind.

1: Biculturalism

Latinos are fluid. Since birth, we learn how to effortlessly weave in and out of our American and Latin identity. Many of us still uphold our culture’s traditions, but we also believe in the American dream. Don’t ask us to choose one over the other; we are simply both. Lovers of tacos and pizza, fútbol and football, telenovelas and Scandal, Don Francisco and, well, you get the idea.

2: Family Focus

Latinos are extremely family-oriented people. Which is why some of us don’t move out of our parent’s house until we get married! Many of us don’t do this because nothing beats mami’s cooking, and you know she’d go into meltdown mode at the thought of her niño bonito leaving. But, we genuinely love to be around crazy Latino families. Who understands you better then them?

3: Speak Our Language (Both of Them)

I can’t tell you how excited my Papi gets when he hears someone speaking Spanish on an English channel. Unlike the French, we love it when you speak Spanish, even if you butcher it. Our language is an essential part of life as it connects us to our roots. But there is a confusing exception because some Millennial Latinos don’t speak Spanish. Even the ones that are bilingual almost always consume media in English.

4: Cater To Us

If you want our business, you need to cater to us. I must admit, a lot of companies already have marketing campaigns directed towards Latinos. My favorite commercials are from Allstate. Our version of Mayhem, known as La Mala Suerte, is way better.

5: Be Careful Not To Offend

Last but not least: Be careful not to offend Latin Americans. If you don’t want to unleash the fury known as La Chancla, don’t refer to a Spanish speaker as “A Mexican.” Not every Hispanic is Mexican. As I said before, there are 21 dramatically distinct Latin American countries. Just like the US, we are a melting pot with influences coming from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. There is a whole lot more to us than Hollywood’s misguided stereotypes.

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September 7, 2016
How To Be A Pokémon Master in 15-Minute Breaks

The world of Pokémon Go has reached us, and the race to become master before your friends has long begun. Of course, there are only so many hours in a day, and work takes priority over a virtual game, but there’s a lot that you can do during even a 15-minute break.

Go for a Walk

Before actually stepping outside, check the Pokémon Go app to scope out nearby Poke Stops, and plan out a path that you can walk in 15 minutes. Besides incubating eggs and picking up items, many poke stops will likely have lures set up throughout the day, sometimes attracting rare pokémon.

Start a Facebook Group

With an online group, start looking for pokémon with other coworkers or anyone who works in the same building. Organize walks on breaks, poke crawls at happy hour, or battle plans to conquer a gym in the name of your building. A Facebook group is a good way to find motivation through friendly competitive rivalries.

Use Lures to Your Advantage

After checking those poke stops, see which of them are restaurants. Chances are, someone will regularly add lures to keep bringing in pokémon. With a Facebook group, it’s also possible to start organizing the use of lures with other people, thus sharing the load and the benefits of purchasing these lures.

Capture Pokémon

Last but not least, there’s the ever-present challenge of catching pokémon. The best bet is to check to see what might be nearby and walk around the building or block in search of it. Be sure to look up and practice throwing curveballs accurately for a better chance at catching pokémon quickly. While this is usually better suited for time spans greater than 15 minutes, you would be surprised by what you might find during that short time.

Remember that since Pokémon Go is a new game, it is constantly being updated, which might necessitate a change in strategy. Ideally, the tips offered here will not see much change as a result of any updates, but it’s always good to check out tips from another Pokémon Go master just to be sure.

Good luck on your Pokémon journeys!

August 19, 2016
How to Leverage Pokémon Go to Drive New Sales for Your Business

From the first time I booted up Pokémon Blue in my Gameboy Pocket way back in ‘98, I dreamed of being the very best—like no one ever was. Fast-forward to July 7th, 2016, and we all actually live in a Pokémon World. Once Pokémon Go was released, it quickly smashed the previous records of most downloads in a week, fastest app to ten million downloads, and in less than a month after its release, it has topped over twenty million downloads. This is great news for Nintendo. Prior to the release of Pokémon Go, their market share was showing a strong downward trend. The Wii U console was not keeping pace with the powerful technology of the PS4 and Xbox One, they had to liquidate most of their majority share of the Seattle Mariners due to new management, and they had not released a new handheld system (or even talked about a new one) since November 2014.

How Does This Affect Me?

After a little more background, I’ll make this relevant to the business world, I swear. In addition to the 151 unique Pokémon that people are running around trying to catch, there are two very important structures that have been placed in this game — Gyms and Pokestops.

The image above is a Pokémon Gym. Once a player reaches Level 5 in the game, they join the blue Team Mystic, the yellow Team Instinct, or the red Team Valor, represented by the “legendary” birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, respectively. These three teams constantly battle their Pokémon for control of these locations and can train with their teammates to help their gym gain more prestige, which allows more teammates to add their Pokémon to it.

This image is a Pokestop. These locations were selected as landmarks to add the travel aspect of the game. By tapping on a Pokestop, a detail screen pops up which has the name of the location; a photo of the location; and in some cases, a brief description of the location. Swiping the image causes it to spin, which makes it drop a few items and gives the player 50 experience points towards leveling up their avatar. Pokestops can only be activated every five minutes so, under normal circumstances, it is beneficial to collect your items and continue moving on towards the next Pokestop. However, even the most seasoned Pokémon Trainer needs a break every now and then. Unfortunately, to be the very best, training can’t stop. Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go, thought of this and included an item called a Lure Module in this game.

When a Lure Module is set at a Pokestop, Pokémon are attracted to its location and appear without having to walk around constantly. With enough trainers present, it is even rumored that rare Pokémon show up to the Pokestop. Lure Modules are very seldom given to players as they level up but they are also available for 100 Pokecoins, which is equivalent to $0.99. They only last for 30 minutes, so players are constantly purchasing them and placing them at their favorite Pokestops.

Okay, So How Does This Actually Affect Me?

Yes, there is actually a point to all of this, but it requires a little bit of creativity. Businesses that normally serve as gathering places for large groups of people make ideal candidates for utilizing Pokémon Go to bolster their business. First, you need to see if there is a Pokestop near your business. If a player can stay at your business with the Pokestop active, you’re golden. At the base level, it costs a Trainer a dollar per half hour to keep a Lure Module active on a Pokestop. Once the Lure Module is set, other trainers will be attracted just as much as the Pokémon. The Lure Module owner is the particular subject that you want to collaborate with.

Offering the owner of the Lure Module a small discount is one way to attract business. The chance of getting more business increases as long as you continue to have Lure Modules active. If your business is a coffee shop, maybe consider offering a pastry with a coffee if a customer shows you that they set up a Lure Module. If your business is a bar, maybe consider offering the Lure Module owner a $1 discount on a well drink or domestic beer if they decide to set a Lure Module. The potential is limitless. Some larger locations, such as zoos and parks, can have multiple stops. A zoo, for example, could advertise all of their Pokestops and offer a discount for Pokémon Go players.

Pokémon Gyms may seem harder to work around than Pokestops, but once you consider that every player has already pledged feverish allegiance to their team, a Pokémon Gym all of a sudden becomes the best thing that could’ve happened to your business. In this case, there’s really nothing that you actually have to do. People will eventually migrate towards your business to try to maintain control. It would be worth mentioning that your establishment is a Pokémon Gym on your social media profiles to help spread the news. Maintaining team neutrality would be a good idea; no one really goes into a New Orleans Saints bar and proclaims the Atlanta Falcons are the best team in the league.

That’s a Lot to Poke-think About

Though this may seem very straightforward, any sort of campaign, especially those that involve online presence, is oftentimes left up to the pros. Here at Search Influence, we offer a full suite of online presence options, one of them being Social Media Optimization, which would allow you to relax and let us create your PokeAds for you.

Image 1 Credit | Image 2 Credit | Image 3 Credit | GIF 1 Credit

August 9, 2016
Spirit of Giving: Good for Your Business, Better for Your Community
When you work with great people, not only do you produce great work and have fun doing it, but together as a team you can do great things outside of the office. This year, my colleagues came through for two families in need, and I’m so proud to tell you this story.

If you follow our blog, you may remember our employee-driven holiday charity drive last year benefitting the Covenant House of New Orleans. To shake things up this year, we chose to “adopt” two families in need through The Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans. In our two families were a total of nine “angels,” children ranging in ages from 12 months to 12 years. Without the support from The Salvation Army, these families would likely not have experienced a holiday like yours or mine. Santa may have only been able to deliver essentials like shoes, coats, and food.

Source: giphy.com

Once again, we focused the drive to a one-week period, which really kept the momentum going in the office. We dubbed it “Operation: Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag!” and kicked things off by setting up our office tree and setting a goal fundraising amount. My co-lead Gabrielle and I weren’t afraid to grovel a bit on behalf of our adopted kids! We stopped by each department’s morning meetings to tell the team about our families.

Slowly but surely throughout the week, the donations racked up. On Friday, we were close to our goal but worried we’d be short of providing the gifts and clothes we hoped to purchase for the families. Back to groveling it was. We passed our donation boxes around the office, willingly accepting loose change. Shout out to our Production team, who donated the entire contents of their “rude jar” to our cause! The “rude jar” is comparable to a swear jar, where team members have to make a contribution each time they are rude or demonstrate negativity. They’d been collecting all month and planned on using the funds for a happy hour but chose to support our adopted families instead.

In less than an hour, by passing the donation box and collecting loose change, we raised an additional $100 and came darn near close to our overall goal.

All that was left to do was to go shopping and deliver our gifts to The Salvation Army. Three of us headed to Target, where we were able to purchase three toys and some clothing for each child, gift wrap, and a $100 Visa gift card for each family. It was so rewarding to see everything come together and to think of the joy these gifts would bring to the kids! Major thanks to Gabrielle Benedetto and Amanda Ball for helping to bargain hunt and find all the perfect gifts!

Why Workplace Charity Is Good for Business

Many studies have shown workplace charitable giving and community involvement can have a tangible impact on employee morale and retention. Making sure the work and the company contribute to a greater purpose is important, especially in companies like ours that are filled with a majority of Millennial employees.

Ensuring employees have something good to focus on (and helping make sure the focus is there) can actually relieve stress and enable employees to detach from their work at the end of a day or week.

“What most people don’t realize is that positive experiences—even small ones—provide you with valuable resources that can be used to reduce stress, including physical symptoms such as headaches or muscle tension. They make it easier for you to detach yourself from work at the end of the day,” says Joyce E. Bono and Theresa M. Glomb for the Harvard Business Review.

Source: giphy.com

If you’ve ever been challenged by low morale in your office, you know it can be damaging and difficult to keep your team engaged in the work. Charitable giving can be a great, positive thing your employees can remember in times of stress or low morale.

Starting a Charity Drive in Your Office

If you’re wondering how you can get your company involved this holiday season or beyond, here are a few tips for how to engage your company in a charitable giving drive. You may even see an increase in employee engagement, morale, and retention as a result!
- Choose your cause. Find a cause that means something to your company’s mission or your employees. Consider your company mission or the time of year you want to implement your initiative.
- Identify an organization in need. Research non-profit organizations focused on your cause of choice. Depending on the size of your organization, you may even opt to have employees nominate or vote on the organization to benefit from your company’s support.
- Make it 100% voluntary. It’s important to make the effort voluntary and make it possible for employees to donate anonymously if they choose. You don’t want to create undue pressure or stress.
- Set a goal and make it known. Setting a goal helps employees understand how much their contribution means in the big picture and increases motivation to participate.
- Keep employees updated on progress. At our company, we talk about metrics and goals quite a lot. Keeping everyone aware of our collective progress toward the goal helped to increase participation. Our team stepped up in the last hour when we had some more ground to cover.
- Drum up some friendly competition. One idea is to get the various departments in your company engaged in a friendly competition to see who can raise the most money or accumulate the most volunteer hours. One great idea I saw recently was called “penny wars” where each group had a jug to fill with loose change to donate to charity.
- Keep it going beyond the holidays. Charitable giving doesn’t have to focus on the holiday season, although about 34% of all charitable giving is done in the last three months of the year. Some companies offer ongoing charity opportunities for employees, and the most successful make it easy for their employees to participate.
How YOU Can Help Outside of Work
- Support the Salvation Army red kettles and bell ringers this season. As you shop for gifts, you might encounter some bell ringers outside of popular retailers. Instead of just passing by, drop in your spare change or a few bucks. Every little bit helps.
- Skip Secret Santa. This time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and constant retail advertisements for stuff on stuff on stuff. Try to remember the reason for the season! Many families or groups of friends will participate in gift exchanges or “Secret Santa” games. Consider skipping it this year and collecting the money everyone would have spent on their gift to donate it. My family chose to do so this year, and as a result, we’ll be helping to fund the New Orleans Mission’s annual Christmas dinner.
- Donate Online. Consider making it a holiday tradition to donate to an organization that supports your cause. There are so many organizations doing good, so choose one that means something to you or your community.
To support the Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans, visit the website to find out how you can help. A donation of just $65 will support a hungry family in the area with a basket of food and gifts. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays from me to you!
December 21, 2015
Rebuilding Together: New Orleans Nonprofit Celebrates 25 Years of Service

Next weekend kicks off the 25th annual October Build for local nonprofit Rebuilding Together (RT). Comprised of two weekends of service on homes for low-income families, the elderly or disabled, and military veterans, October Build is the organization’s largest event and hosts hundreds of volunteers both from New Orleans and all over the country. I’m pretty excited to be one of them.

My first hands-on experience with Rebuilding Together was during the Citywide Day of Service for Katrina 10. I, along with about 20 Tulane, Chevron, and other corporate volunteers, met a woman named Ms. Fernanda in St. Roch, and we all worked on removing lead paint and priming her home. Hers was one of five sites that RT worked on that day, from painting to building new stairs and helping with other more intensive carpentry projects.

Shell Volunteers and RT Staff Member at K10 Service Day, Photo Credit: Jon Skvarka

Needless to say, I really enjoyed the experience of volunteering and seeing a new side of New Orleans. So it seemed fitting to write about my experience and about the organization that facilitated it. To learn more about Rebuilding Together and put it in an online marketing scope, I interviewed Executive Director Jon Skvarka.

We met at RT headquarters in the Resource Preservation Center on Tchoupitoulas and sat down at a conference table on the ground level, surrounded by an exhibit of the historic neighborhoods of New Orleans.

The Origins of Rebuilding Together New Orleans and October Build

Rebuilding Together was formed in 1988 in tandem with its sister program, Operation Comeback. Operation Comeback, says Jon, began in order to preserve and restore historic homes in New Orleans in preparation for sale. Conversely, Rebuilding Together would preserve and maintain homes of lower income, but long-standing, homeowners in order to preserve neighborhoods.

Volunteers from Regions Bank – Christmas in October 1992, Photo Credit: RT Staff Member

Originally called Christmas in October, October Build formed out of the original service day that Rebuilding Together produced. It’s continued to grow since its inception and now services seven neighborhoods with the help of individual and corporate volunteers and a team of Americorps members.

Leveraging Their Online Presence

Social media and an online presence aren’t always the highest priority for nonprofits, but Rebuilding Together maintains a simple but updated website, along with profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. These, says Jon, are meant primarily to “thank and engage” volunteers for their help, with before-and-afters, sponsor shout-outs, and volunteer photos available to the public. Updated and rebranded in 2008, the website serves more as a landing for potential and current national volunteers. According to Jon, the site is invaluable for those looking for volunteer opportunities outside of the more well-known national organizations like Habitat for Humanity.

And in terms of online marketing, they send out one or two emails per year to volunteers and focus heavily on maintaining quality content for their website. Though they may try to focus more on building their online presence in the future, RT has been steadfast in keeping up with basic online and digital trends, and, as Jon says, it shows with how well they’ve been able to retain and build their volunteer base, both for October Build and year-round projects.

The New Orleans Experience

As something of an Americorps groupie, I’ve noticed that New Orleans has a high retention for its members. This includes Jon, who first started at RT in 2007 as an Americorps member, and most Rebuilding Together staff are former Americorps members as well. Jon explains that it was the opportunity to participate in preserving New Orleans culture and community that first led him to stay with RT, and I think this is the case for many volunteers, too.

One of the organization’s future goals is to build their base of local volunteers, which falls in line with their focus on sustainable post-Katrina funding. The challenge, Jon says, is getting them on-site. Once they’re there, it’s hard not to be hooked. I can most definitely attest to that; I’ll be on-site for all four days of October Build.

If you’re interested in learning more, visit the Rebuilding Together website. October Build takes place October 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th!

September 30, 2015
Why Were 80 Adults Running Around The Quarter With Selfie Sticks? Find Out!

What sets Search Influence apart from other companies is a deep appreciation for its employees. SI embraces the generosity and culture of the city around it, planning a little lagniappe during each quarter in the form of team building events.

These events are put on by different departments in the company. Events held in the past include crawfish boils, SI Field Day, inflatable obstacle course fun, and an afternoon at the ballpark to cheer on the Zephyrs. This quarter, SI held the first SI Scavenger Hunt in the French Quarter.

Preparing for the Hunt

For the scavenger hunt, the company was divided into nine color-coded teams, mixing the different departments. Each team came up with a team name and a team hashtag to use in addition to the event hashtag, appropriately named #ScavengeDat.

The rules of the hunt were simple: solve as many riddles as possible during the hunt, and post a team selfie to Instagram at each of the different stops.

Time to #ScavengeDat

The morning of the hunt, Friday, Sept. 25, started out with anticipation, as the office was filled with different team colors and props. By the afternoon, people were in and out of the bathrooms painting and glittering their faces (note: the hallway to the bathroom still looks like the floor at the end of a rave). When 2 p.m. hit, the teams were ready to begin.

The Results

After making their way through the city with selfie sticks and lists of riddles, the teams met back at the Roosevelt Hotel Bar for pizza, drinks, and of course the results of #ScavengeDat.

Once the photos were tallied, the navy team—Team Ship Faced—came out on top of the SI French Quarter Scavenger Hunt!

For more from #ScavengeDat, check out all of the fun on Instagram!

September 29, 2015
Celebrate Good Times: The Birthday Experience at SI

Here at Search Influence, we take our colleagues’ birthdays very seriously. With cards, delicious treats, and amazing desk decorations, you can definitely feel the love on your birthday at SI.

There are many ways we have celebrated colleagues’ birthdays, but one of my favorite times was when we all dressed in black t-shirts and jeans to celebrate our lead developer’s birthday. Another favorite was when we recently decorated our partner accounts team manager’s desk with balloons, confetti, and a banner. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE confetti? Finally, my all-time favorite is when a few of my colleagues (work besties) decorated my desk with the ultimate One Direction desk decorations, treats, and pictures.

Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be any more celebrating to be done…you are wrong! Every month, a member of our team begins planning a birthday brigade to celebrate all employees’ birthdays for that month. The birthday brigade has celebrated at Happy’s Irish Pub, Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant, and The Rusty Nail. Employees who have birthdays in that month all decide together on where the team will branch out to party!

I can’t wait to see where the team will venture out to celebrate for September birthdays and what other birthday surprises will emerge in the office. Comment below with what special ways your office celebrates birthdays.

Image Credits:

Birthday Kid Celebrate Gif

Excited Birthday Kid Gif

August 31, 2015