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Search Influence Is a Proud Keeper Sponsor of Zoo-to-Do and Zoo-to-Do for Kids
Search Influence is pleased to announce our continuing partnership with Audubon Nature Institute as a Keeper Sponsor for the 46th annual Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do and the 35th annual Zoo-to-Do for Kids presented by Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.

This marks our thirteenth year of sponsoring this event and over a decade of helping Audubon Nature Institute craft results-driven digital marketing campaigns.

Learn more about our distinguished partner’s one-of-a-kind fundraising event and the vital conservation work it helps to finance.

About Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do

Held at Audubon Zoo in beautiful Uptown New Orleans, Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do is a party with a purpose.

This event promises an elegant evening of exceptional cuisine, live entertainment, and unique activities that capture the essence of New Orleans’ cultural heritage.

This year’s entertainment lineup includes live performances from:
- Phunkey Monkeys
- Sierra Green and the Giants
- Casa Samba
Other forms of fun at this year’s Zoo-to-Do include:
- Lexus luxury car raffle
- Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry Pick-A-Present
- Online silent auction
While attendees enjoy craft cocktails, gourmet dishes, and live music, their dollars go to support conservation efforts and the maintenance of critical facilities at Audubon Nature Institute.

As this year marks the 100th anniversary of Audubon Zoo’s historic Odenheimer Complex, it’s only right the original home of the Audubon Aquarium gets a facelift courtesy of Zoo-to-Do. Proceeds from this year’s event will enable Audubon Nature Institute to undertake renovations of the Odenheimer Complex’s rotunda, scheduled for completion in late 2024.

The 2024 Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do will also allocate funds to support Audubon Nature Institute’s efforts to protect the decreasing population of Louisiana pine snakes. Through its Louisiana Pine Snake Conservation and Recovery Program, Audubon Nature Institute has successfully bred and reintroduced hundreds of these endangered snakes into the wild.

This important work is why Search Influence has been committed to our Audubon Nature Institute partnership for over a decade.

Zoo-to-Do for Kids Presented by Children’s Hospital of New Orleans

The kids deserve some fun, too, right?

Presented by Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, Zoo-to-Do for Kids offers a family-friendly evening packed with live entertainment, large inflatables, various games, delicious food, and plenty of good times. This delightful event creates an enchanting atmosphere where children and their families can explore a world of wonder while supporting their friends in the animal kingdom.

Search Influence’s Commitment to Community

Since we started helping businesses optimize their potential back in 2006, Search Influence has been dedicated to volunteering and community involvement.

Along with sponsoring Zoo-to-Do for nearly 15 years, we have committed to many other worthwhile causes, including:
- Breastoration
- Audubon Scales & Ales
- PowerMoves NOLA
- YouthForce NOLA
- International Women’s Day
Partner With Our SEO and Digital Marketing Agency

Search Influence is a digital marketing agency in New Orleans that values long-standing relationships, like the one we have with Audubon Nature Institute. For over a decade, Search Influence has helped Audubon Nature Institute craft digital advertising campaigns that drive growth and conservation efforts.

Interested in partnering with Search Influence for your next digital marketing campaign?

Contact us today to learn more about all of our services.
May 1, 2024
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

During 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.

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.
April 17, 2019
Diversity in the Workplace: Why Who’s at the Table Matters

In the corporate landscape, it’s easy to overlook words like diversity or inclusion, which often get tossed out as buzzwords lacking real meaning. But building an inclusive workplace where employees with different backgrounds, viewpoints, and identities can succeed is a benchmark for company success as well. In fact, a 2015 McKinsey report found that ethnically diverse companies are 35 percent more likely to outperform the national industry median and 15 percent more likely to have better financial returns.

But let’s be real—diversity in the workplace is far from the norm.

According to the New York Times, there are more male CEOs at S&P 1500 companies named John or David than the total number of female CEOs. And of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, only five are African American.

This issue isn’t just for leadership either. A study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that 41 percent of managers surveyed said they were “too busy” to create structured diversity efforts in the workplace. Even so, more than half of employees surveyed by Glassdoor said they think their companies should be doing more to increase diversity.

This data shows that there’s immense work to be done. But we can look to companies who have successfully incorporated diversity into their operational ethos as an example for what works—both for the employees and for the bottom line.

Defining D & I in the Workplace

Diversity and inclusion can’t be achieved without first setting a clear definition for what these words mean, how they align with the business’ values and mission, and what systems are in place to create them. Building an inclusive workplace means being accepting and accommodating for gender and race, but also for sexual orientation and identity, religious affiliation, disabilities, age, and even thinking styles or backgrounds.

By creating a workplace with diversity of thought—as in, collaboration among people with vastly different perspectives and viewpoints to solving problems—organizations can create systemic change. A study from Deloitte found that diversity of thought can help prevent “groupthink,” allowing for more creativity and more thoughtful decision making.

But how does diversity of thought become a reality in the workplace?

It Starts at the Top

If diversity is built into the company ethos, then its leaders should be advocates on the frontline. For example, Arne Sorenson, president of Marriott International, regularly advocates for LGBTQ equality in the workplace. Marriott was ranked #7 on the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity list and scored a 100 on HRC’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index. Ethnic minorities make up 64 percent of Marriott’s workforce, with 2.7 percent of employees identifying as LGBTQ. Sorenson has fought for LGBTQ rights publically, even writing an open letter on his LinkedIn account about diversity in government and business.

You can also include the LGBTQ community at large in your brand’s marketing efforts. Take a look at these ideas.

Offer Benefits That Enhance Inclusivity

On an operational level, businesses can also build inclusion into the brand identity by offering benefits that defend their stance on diversity. Rather than just relying on an annual cultural sensitivity class or a blanket statement in the employee handbook on diversity, companies should take a multi-faceted approach that includes diversity in the training, communication methods, and employee benefits.

For example, AT&T offers Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Employee Networks (ENs) connecting over 130,000 members from across the company’s global workforce. The ERGs are nonprofit organizations that support, mentor, and advocate for communities in the company, including ethnic groups, the disabled, women, LGBTQ employees, and military veterans. The ENs are more informal, employee-led initiatives that convene around specific professional development issues.

Groups like this give a voice to individuals who might feel marginalized and help individuals find common interests—both key for building a culture of inclusivity.

Other ways to help enforce and validate inclusivity include offering English as a Second Language classes for foreign employees, providing benefits for employees with same-sex partners, and working with other companies that share the same values (or saying no to companies that don’t).

Make Diversity Measurable

While meeting quotas doesn’t determine your company culture or employee morale, it does make a difference. Including diversity goals in annual reviews for managers and building it into hiring practices can help set the baseline for what diversity really looks like in your company’s daily operations.

Some companies have even created positions dedicated solely to diversity. Abbott, ranked #10 on DiversityInc’s 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity, has a Director of Next Generation Recruitment, Diversity, & Inclusion who focuses on using technology to hire and retain employees with diverse perspectives. While not every company has the budget to devote an entire position to D & I, small businesses can still make diversity part of the recruiting, hiring, and review processes in order to measure success.

When diversity is measurable, employees feel accountable and empowered to make it a priority. Give employees outlets to share feedback anonymously about the success of diversity initiatives, and be transparent about what is working and where the company can still improve.

In today’s globalized economy, a diverse workforce can better reflect the needs and wants of a much bigger, much more varied consumer base. By building diversity and inclusion into every facet of your company, you’re building a workforce that is more empowered, innovative, and ready to take on the complex problems of our ever-changing, increasingly-connected world.

At Search Influence, we realize that we still have a long way to go in order to foster an inclusive and diverse community—especially in the tech industry. Learn some ways we fight for women in the workforce and read more about our company culture.

October 27, 2017
“Where You At?” 4 Attractions That Are Owning and Winning the Social Media Game

If you’re anything like me, you’re likely to experience an immediate rush of nostalgia when you hear the phrase “where you at?” Probably because you can recall the early 2000’s when Boost Mobile coined the famous tagline. However, with updates to technology happening all around us, the popular tagline has never been more applicable. Thanks to social media, we’re no longer limited to experiencing some of the world’s greatest wonders and destinations through a fashion magazine or a dusty book at the neighborhood library. Now, with a finger scroll, you can experience live snaps from the Louvre in Paris by night and wake up to astounding images of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace by morning.

Although some attractions have found the path to social media enlightenment challenging, enticing content can generate the right kind of attention and turn your historic venue or neighborhood candy store into the next viral sensation. Here’s a look at four different attractions that have used social media to help skyrocket their brand’s popularity and engage audiences.

The Tate Collective

It’s not every day that you see dancing art from the 1840s, but The Tate Collective, a collection of four UK art galleries, managed to change the way millennials saw classical art with their 1940s GIF party. Using their wide reach in the area and the innovation of a growing young population, their site saw one GIF re-blogged over 100,000 times, increasing the Tate Collective’s Tumblr followers by 25,000 users throughout the campaign.

Grand Central Station

While it’s not your typical attraction, Grand Central Station provides a great example of an entity whose making the most of social media. With 750,000 people trekking through the station every day, this travel hub has turned into a true social experience. Creating their own easy to remember hashtag (#ShareGCT), their Instagram, @GrandCentralNYC encourages visitors to share the sights and sounds of one of the world’s busiest travel stations. Not only does this provide visibility through user sharing but it also creates great content for them and an awesome way for travelers to occupy their time.

The Metrograph

Utilizing a cool backdrop to attract visitors, the Metrograph has made the most of their newly acquired foot traffic by also using it as a teaching experience. Metrograph’s designer accidentally created one of New York’s hottest new Instagram backdrops by “Sharing the magic of cinema beyond the rectangle of the movie frame.”

New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation

Last but not least, we have the city of New Orleans. The city has perfected its social media campaigns just in time for its tricentennial celebration. With what’s slated to be one of the city’s largest celebrations, the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) took to social media to coin the giant fête’s theme and slogan, “One Time In New Orleans.” Having had ample time, they’ve perfected the pitch using their captivating #FollowYourNOLA campaign across all social media platforms. NOTMC has set the precedent for how an entire city can showcase itself to the world!

Although you may lack the budget of an entire city, not to worry—you too can generate revenue simply by capturing engaging photos and videos from some of your city’s most unique landmarks and busiest hubs.

How to Make Yourself #Instagrammable

Becoming a viral sensation doesn’t require in-depth knowledge of string theory, but it does take some strategic planning in order to execute it effectively. So, how can you do it? We’ve gathered a few simple tips:

Pay Attention!

Make sure to pay close attention not just to the trends on social media, but also your customers’ behaviors. If you notice that your visitors are drawn to a particular window or centerpiece, then encourage them to share it on their social media! Whether it’s a cool Instagram frame prop or your own clever hashtag, encourage avid and amateur photographers to capture and share their vision with the world. Consistency is key here—the more engaging the content the better!

Keep It Simple, Silly!

Social media, while ever-changing, has always stayed true to one principle: Everyone can do it.

Ease of access to social media has made networks like Twitter and Instagram catapult to the forefront of experience sharing. Don’t believe me? Try social listening to gauge just how many users are on board with Instagram’s change in chronology, or Twitter’s new testing feature that now allows users to tweet with a 280-character limit.

#DontOverkillTheHashtagTitle

When curating your hashtag, make sure it’s easy to remember. The last thing you want is for a spelling error to donate your hard earned traffic to another profile. Not only will your hashtags generate lots of attention, but also the constant onslaught of user-generated content will make for weeks of recyclable posts! You’ve filled your content calendar without even having to schedule a professional photo shoot. Keep it simple yet provocative, and you, too, can be #Instagrammable.

Time to Empty Your Plate

Got the creativity but don’t have the time? Or, have the time and not the creativity? There’s a professional for that! Let our team at Search Influence help you create a social media campaign that will engage your clients and potential customers.

Here at Search Influence, we’ve established ourselves as leaders in digital marketing by executing social media strategies for the likes of The National WWII Museum and the Audubon Nature Institute. Learn more about how you can Up Your Social Media Game!

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October 11, 2017
Search Influence Makes Inc. 5000 List for 7th Straight Year

Inc. magazine has recognized Search Influence on its 36th annual Inc. 5000 list, making this our seventh straight year achieving this coveted recognition! It’s important to note that the Inc. 5000 list includes an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies and represents the most comprehensive look at the most esteemed segment of the economy—America’s independent entrepreneurs. The distinguished ranking started in 1982 and has since become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success.

Recognized as one of 47 Louisiana firms included in the 5,000 fastest-growing companies, we remain amongst the ranks of groups such as Yelp, Pandora, Timberland, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, LinkedIn, and Zillow, as well as many other industry leaders who gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 5000.

A Company Built From Search Discovers Its Niche

Our company founded on the basis of search engine marketing began its journey in 2006 when Angie and I obtained our first client in need of SEO services. Three years later, we began delivering Google, Bing, and Facebook paid ads, becoming a Google Partner in 2011 and a Premier Partner in 2016. Having handled paid media budgets from as little as a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands per month, we were able to achieve direct and sustainable results for our clients. Our successes span the nation and even bolster the initiatives of major-league companies like ALCC American Language with their international goals. It has been milestones like these that have fueled our expansion and ultimately become the cornerstone of our agency’s mission in helping our customers to successfully market themselves online by developing tools, technology, and the knowledge of experts who support them.

By 2010, we had begun redirecting our focus on the homefront and started our first enterprise work in the local community with Audubon Nature Institute, thus establishing our dexterity in the areas of tourism, non-profit, and event marketing. Other current and past local clients of note include industries of expertise, like New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, Center for Restorative Breast Surgery, The National World War II Museum, and Tulane School of Professional Advancement.

Recognition as a Result of Innovation

We’re certainly excited to celebrate this recent accomplishment, especially on the heels of our newest announcement which details notable advancements to our employee experience. Our dedicated team consists of 50+ in-house employees and dozens of contractors. Our team includes specialists in content marketing, online advertising, technical SEO, local SEO, social media marketing, advertising, and online PR.

Our ability to sustain long-term growth can be attributed to the dedication of many key employees, like Gabrielle Benedetto, who joined our ranks in January 2012 and has spent 5 years deep in technical challenges & strategies for digital marketing.

Gabrielle notes, “Search Influence is known for crafting a team of collaborative, enthusiastic, and dedicated employees. Around the office, you see tenure flags covered with stars representing the number of years Influencers have spent with Search Influence. It’s our long-standing employees who drive this company forward. We’re encouraged to be leaders and pledged to do what’s best for our clients. When you empower a team to put the client first, the company will always move forward. I’m so excited to be part of this growth, and can’t wait to see what we tackle next!”

It is precisely this kind of dedication that has been the basis for the restructuring of our compensation philosophy. Our recently updated perks and pay reflect a leading-edge approach to talent management reflecting our belief that only with happy employees can we have successful clients.

We recognize our employees are our greatest investment and we’re hopeful that with the recent changes, prospective employees and current team members will see Search Influence as a progressive employer when it comes to pay, benefits, and paid time off, providing the ability to work hard, do great work, and take advantage of all of the great things that life in New Orleans has to offer.

Interested in Learning What Sets Us Apart?

Our drive to help clients find more customers online has enabled us to become the largest digital marketing agency on the Gulf Coast. It has been our ability to achieve reliable results and our desire to teach what we’ve learned that has made us a recognized national leader in digital marketing.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we help businesses grow, please get in touch. To learn more about our approach to talent management, read about our recently updated compensation philosophy and please visit our current openings to learn how to join our team of dedicated professionals.

August 24, 2017
Search Influence Compensation Philosophy, New and Improved for 2017
We’ve made some big changes for the Search Influence team in 2017, and the year is only half over.

Whether you’re an employee (current or future) or a client, these changes will have a direct impact on you. Our goal is to improve the employee experience so that our employees continue to produce great work for our clients.

We know that an investment in our employees is an investment in growing our capabilities as a business. It benefits us all—employees, Search Influence, and the clients we serve. That’s why we’re excited to share with the world what we’ve been working on.

Read on for a discussion with Angie Scott, COO of Search Influence and my co-founder in all things since around 2002, on how all of this came about. A detailed explanation of what we changed and what you can expect from our team moving forward will follow the Q&A below, so read to the end!

Will: So Angie, why after 11 years a shift in pay and benefits? Isn’t this a big change?

Angie: The idea of checking in on our compensation isn’t really a new thing.

We did a pay analysis a couple of years ago and there was another done prior to that. So the team who’s been with us throughout all of those has seen this happen before. As the New Orleans tech community grows, we have to be agile in our approach to comp. This time, though, we wanted to be more transparent with the team on the process and decisions that were made.

This analysis also resulted in some broader, more sweeping changes than our analyses did in prior years. And, we touched more perks and benefits than just base compensation, too.

It was clear to us (and the market was reinforcing) that comp is not just about the salary you make for the job you do. Compensation can and should be a total package including base pay, monetary benefits like 401k and health insurance, as well as perks and flexibility.

Will: So you’re saying it’s not a new thing. That, in fact, we’ve gone through and looked at pay and benefits before, and in each case come back with what seems to be better opportunities for the team that stays with us, right?

Angie: Right.

Will: So tell me a bit about the process which got us here?

Angie: We made a game plan, which included a survey by a third-party HR consultant, reaching out to our talent competitors throughout New Orleans, including tech companies, marketing companies, a bunch of different industries around New Orleans. The goal was to figure out what their pay structures look like and try to compare them to our team.

That wasn’t as fruitful as we had hoped, but it still helped us frame some of our perks discussions. And then we looked at PayScale.com which provides employee reported compensation, and we looked at Salary.com for employer reported pay structure.

Will: So what are some of the things that changed in this analysis? As you already said, what started with just pay turned into a pretty big review of comp and perks overall, right?

Angie: Right. In addition to base compensation, we also analyzed our paid time off, health insurance that the company covers, and working remotely. We reviewed our core hours to see if we could change so that we could allow for more flexibility for the team. And we looked at doing a transportation stipend.

Will: So we got the information we could from New Orleans companies, which wasn’t much. We got aggregated information from these big websites. And in the process, some of our team reached out to friends and family who were in markets that might be more advanced in the employment market, including New York and some on the West Coast, to see what some of perks they have access to involved. What came back from that was actually this idea of core hours.

When we started the process, we weren’t even thinking about core hours, were we? It was about “summer Fridays,” which was kind of a hot button for some folks. But then, we live in New Orleans, we’ve got summer, pretty much, year round. So we decided instead to create what we’re calling “core hours” where our team can decide the length of their day as long as their day includes being in office during those times that we specify as must-haves.

Our new core hours are:

Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Now, this is not to say that they only have to come to work six hours a day. If they want to work 2 10-hour days and take a half day off on Friday, then they can do that.

Angie: Right! Because our core hours on Friday are 9 – noon.

Will: We were hopeful that the team will balance out with different people having different desired times off, and we’ll keep an eye on it. It seems like a great way to accommodate the desire for more control over time off and to be really flexible.

There was something else, too. We’ve gotten, historically, a lot of requests for working remotely. So why don’t we set the stage for that?

Angie: We decided that the team could work from wherever they want two days per month, as long as they have internet access. So anybody on the team, after you’ve worked with us for six months, can go and work from a coffee shop, or from your house, or from a friend’s house, whatever it is.

Will: This is one of those which was interesting to us because we’ve always been very accommodating with people that have a special need to be somewhere else. The feedback we got was that some employees felt like they were taking advantage when they asked for a slightly different treatment. This way, we can accommodate the desire or need to work remotely and employees don’t feel like they’re asking for special treatment or getting away with something.

Angie: Two of the biggest perks that we’ve heard the most excitement around were actually paid time off getting increased (we went up quite a few days for each tier, based on how long you’ve been with the company), and the transportation stipend.

Will: Oh, and Lundi Gras.

Angie: Lundi Gras, that’s right.

Will: Such a challenge.

Angie: I knew there was something else.

Will: Yeah, a challenge that our non-New Orleans colleagues might not be aware of is that Mardi Gras is not just a holiday. The entire city shuts down for Mardi Gras. And in the weeks leading up to it, there are parades many evenings. And Lundi Gras, Lundi being French for Monday, is the day immediately prior to Mardi Gras day, the culmination of a big party leading into the observance of Lent. And many of our team members didn’t understand why they had to work while their other, local friends had Lundi Gras off.

In the past, we believed that we needed to be available to our clients since we have customers all over the United States, and, throughout the North American continent.

But still, it was a pain point for our team. We’re hopeful that in support of a great team dynamic, and hopefully the kind of work that they’re looking to us to provide, that our clients will understand why on one Monday and Tuesday in February or March, our team is not there.

Will: So, Angie, what’s your favorite of the perks?

Angie: Hmm… my favorite is the core hours, because they’ll allow the whole team to have more flexibility. When I think of people who are like me, I think of our working moms. I hope the new core hours will enable them to pull a couple of longer days, and then go pick up the kids early from daycare or school. I’m proud that we can offer them the opportunity to be more flexible with their hours so that they can be there for their team at work but also be there for their family at home.

Will: I think that’s a great one. The idea that as long as you’re getting your work done, you can do it on your time is the most important thing. And I’m glad that through the inclusion of core hours, and the remote work benefit, that we are going to start living this belief as well.

Angie: So what’s your favorite perk?

Will: It’s a tough one. Honestly, my favorite perk is the transportation stipend. Because we’re in a downtown location, and I know that transportation costs have been a challenge for some folks. But the real reason why I like this one is that we didn’t just say, “We’re gonna cover parking.” We said, “It’s for whatever transportation looks like for you.”

Because we’re in New Orleans, it’s a great environment to ride bikes, and we’ve got public transportation. The way that we’re doing it is through a stipend. We don’t need to see receipts. It’s not a reimbursement, but it is specifically for transportation. And therefore, if your version of transportation is two new tires for your bike and a couple of Po-Boys, then you can do that and nobody’s going to give you a hard time about it. So that’s my favorite. Do you have any last thoughts, Angie, on these changes we’ve made?

Angie: I’m really excited to see how it plays out with the team, and to actually get all of the perks into action so that we can have a lot of happy faces around the office.

Will: Yeah, I’m with you. I think that the key here, and you’ll see this in greater detail when you read the actual, outline of the new philosophy, is that we want to be able to expect the best of our team. We want to work like professionals, with professionals, in the kind of professional environment which I think is becoming more the norm in other parts of the country, but to which New Orleans has not yet caught up. I’m hopeful that with these changes, prospective employees and our current team members, will see Search Influence as a very progressive employer when it comes to pay, benefits, paid time off, and the ability to work hard, do great work, and also have a life and take advantage of all of the great things that the New Orleans area has to offer.

Search Influence Compensation Philosophy

The Search Influence Compensation Strategy is designed to:

…compete for the best talent

Our employees are our greatest investment and we’re selective about whom we hire. We will conduct regular market analyses and make adjustments to compete for the best talent in the most relevant labor market(s).

…live our core values every day

To enable employees to “live CHARGED” at every level, we offer a progressive total compensation strategy including abundant benefits and flexible perks that support a healthy balance and encourage productivity and creativity.

…incent individual & team contribution & retain talent

We encourage dedication by rewarding individuals who contribute above and beyond their job descriptions, deliver excellent client results, and support colleagues in their pursuit to do the same.

…expect excellence from our team

We won’t settle for less than excellence for our clients or in our employees’ work.

Outline of Perks
- Monthly transportation stipend for each employee
  - No need for reimbursements or submitting receipts
- Total of 10 paid company holidays annually
  - Including the addition of Lundi Gras beginning in 2018
- Generous and progressive Paid Time Off accrual rates, for employees to use as they choose whether sick or vacation (no doctors’ notes needed!)
  - Employees with the company less than 2 years = 15 days annually
  - Employees with the company 2 – 5 years = 20 days annually
  - Employees with the company 5+ years = 25 days annually
- Remote work opportunities
  - Employees with the company for 6+ months are allowed 2 remote working days per month, no questions asked
- Core hours and flex time allowing employees to design their own work week around 24 core in-office hours
  - Core hours:
    
    Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
    
    Friday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
In addition to other benefits, which include:
- Benefit-rich health insurance plan
- Voluntary Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability
- Employer-Matched 401(k)
- Team Building events and activities
- Paid maternity and paternity leave
August 7, 2017
Join Us in Welcoming Our Newest Team Member!

SI is happy to have new team member Shelby Emens in the office, adding a bright new face to our endless summer of Influencers.

Shelby Emens (Junior Web Developer)

Recently relocated from rural Michigan, Shelby completed her Bachelor of Science in Technical Writing from Grand Valley State University. She is excited to join the Search Influence team and is looking forward to not dealing with snow during the winter! Outside of work, Shelby enjoys spending her free time reading, playing video games, and spending time with friends.

Welcome to the team, Shelby!

July 31, 2017
Three New Team Members Join Search Influence

While New Orleans is busy with festival season, Search Influence has hired three new Influencers. We are excited to welcome Rob Monk, Sierra Kellogg, & KD Minor!

Robert Monk – Junior Software Developer

Born and raised in southern Louisiana, Rob grew up building and taking apart computers and any other electronic he could get his hands on. After advancing his skills through a coding boot camp in Boston, he decided to come back to the city he loves. Rob enjoys poboys, crawfish, and local festivals. In his free time, he can be found riding his bike around the city, enjoying anything and everything it has to offer.

Sierra Kellogg – Junior Graphic Designer

Born & raised in New Orleans, Sierra graduated from Delgado Community College with an Associates Degree in Graphic Design & a Certificate in Photography. Previously, she worked at a newborn photography studio. In her spare time, you can find her doing arts & crafts & watching (highly addictive) makeup tutorials on YouTube.

KD Minor – Sales Executive

A native of Lake Charles, LA, KD got her start in marketing at the InterContinental New Orleans Hotel as their Content Marketing Manager. To stay ahead of the curve, she became a certified Advanced Social Media Strategist and enrolled in Tulane’s School of Professional Advancement where she studied Media Arts. In her free time, KD enjoys spending time with her kitten “Dr. Manhattan,” cooking for friends, and visiting her favorite bartenders for their latest cocktail creations.

Welcome to the Search Influence team, Rob, Sierra, & KD!

May 1, 2017
Meet Amy Cannon, Our Hardest Working Woman in New Orleans Contest Winner!

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017, and in the spirit of last month March being Women’s History Month, Search Influence held a contest to honor the hardest working woman in New Orleans. Local businesses and individuals were encouraged to nominate a woman who either owns her own business or works 40+ hours making a difference with a New Orleans company. The goal of the project was to raise awareness about the importance of equal pay for women and company benefits that allow women to succeed in the workplace without sacrificing the responsibilities of motherhood. After receiving countless nominations, Search Influence selected Amy Cannon as a true example of a hard-working woman who has made a difference and achieved great success.

Amy Cannon is a Corporate Director of Human Resources at Hammerman & Gainer Inc., a Louisiana-based firm that provides a wide range of third-party administrative management services, business process outsourcing, and project management services. Amy works at the New Orleans office where she plans, develops, and implements the firm’s HR functions and performance to build a world-class human resources department.

Outside of her dedication and long hours at work, Amy is committed to her family. She is a single mother to three children—one in college, one in high school, and one in elementary school. It’s no easy feat, but Amy manages to financially and emotionally support her children, as well as work immeasurably hard at her job. Her family, friends, and colleagues who nominated her describe Amy as selfless, amazing, hard working, kind hearted, and genuine.

Search Influence is thrilled to have presented Amy Cannon with a spa day of relaxation for her continued hard work, contributions to her job, family, and community, and for not sacrificing being a wonderful mom.

April 3, 2017
We Are MAD About These Two New Influencers

Search Influence is kicking off March Madness with two new Influencers on our team. We are excited to welcome Alula Amare and Liesbeth Vigil!

Alula Amare – Sales Assistant

Alula was born and raised in Kenner, bruh. He went to NYU and majored in Marketing and Creative Writing. Although he loved the city, he missed New Orleans. So a couple years ago, he moved back on Endymion. In his free time, he’s probably playing soccer, listening to music, or using the Oxford comma.

Liesbeth Vigil – Executive Assistant

Liesbeth joins Search Influence as our new Executive Assistant. She is from the greater New Orleans area, where she graduated from Tulane with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Spanish. Shortly after college, Liesbeth lived in NYC for 5 years and is happy to have recently returned to her hometown. In her spare time, Liesbeth enjoys morning runs, takes salsa dance classes, loves cooking, and attends sporting events and music shows.

Welcome to the team Liesbeth and Alula!

March 14, 2017