Rockfish Blog

Happy Holidays (To Me!)

Posted by Laura Gardner on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 in Happening At Rockfish

Written by Kayla Bond, Digital Strategist - Dallas

With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s only fitting that we take a moment to reflect on the past year. We’ve made momentous strides in terms of the size and growth of our company/family, but also in the individual skills and talents that each of us possess. I am amazed each and every day at the creativity and brilliance of my coworkers – and they deserved to be thanked. 

Enter “Rockfish Rewards.” 

Want to thank that Designer for pulling an all-nighter to get your comps out on time? 
Think that Strategist did an awesome job with a digital roadmap? 
Can’t believe that your Developer cranked out a mobile app in four weeks? 
There are points for that. 

Rockfish Rewards allows us to award points to our coworkers for a job well done, whether it’s going the extra mile, being helpful (when they really didn’t have time to be), or exemplifying one of the company’s core traits: InnovativeVersatile & Driven. The beauty of this system is that it allows you to personally show your coworkers that you care (let’s be honest – sometimes saying “Thank You!” as you’re running to your next meeting doesn’t really cut it). 

The other beautiful thing about this system is that it actually works. Once you’ve accumulated a few points, you can trade them in for actual goods. That’s right – the points have value! The Rockfish Rewards catalog is updated bi-annually and includes items for just about anyone. From stand mixers and luxury accessories to electronics and gift cards, there’s bound to be something that catches your eye. 

In my case, it was love at first sight. 

 

 

As I sat in the lobby of our Dallas office at 5:30 on a Friday, waiting patiently for the FedEx truck to deliver my hard earned, self-indulgent reward… I couldn’t help but realize how incredible this system truly is. While I know how and when I earned the points (jumping in on projects, cleaning the kitchen, etc.), I wasn’t motivated by the thought of getting something in return – I was just doing my job.

Some people are unfortunate enough to have employers that don’t acknowledge or reward hard work. Some people are unfortunate enough to also have coworkers that wouldn’t stop in the middle of a dead-sprint towards a deadline to help you with a task – no matter how small. I’m lucky to have both – and a pair of Louboutins to prove it. 

 

 

PR for Startups: Lessons from Zaarly

Posted by Laura Gardner on Monday, December 19, 2011 in Interactive Marketing

Have you ever baked a dozen cupcakes for a stranger and delivered them for $20? Or maybe you couldn’t get those concert tickets you really wanted, but found them for the exact amount that you were willing to pay (and $50 under what they originally cost) from someone you’ve never met? If so, you may have used Zaarly, a virtual marketplace for the buying and selling of pretty much anything. The startup has only existed for 7 months and already has a solid base of passionate users and is a popular subject of both tech and retail reporters across the country. Their success can be partially attributed to stellar PR efforts, a subject that often befuddles startup founders. I was lucky enough to sit in on a presentation by Heather Whaling (or @prtini) from Geben Communications, a PR agency in Columbus, Ohio. Below are the top 4 takeaways from Heather’s case study on Zaarly and for more information, check out the Slideshare below.  

1.    Craft consumer friendly messaging – Simplifying your company’s communication means losing the industry talk and keeping the message simple and flexible. Illustrating what your company does with a colorful story is much more PR friendly than a four line description from CrunchBase.

2.     Act as your own media – Creating content is half the battle and social media is the perfect channel to spread the word. Building this into your launch will help keep your communications on track. Also, don’t forget to keep everyone in your organization in the loop too.

3.     Use social media to track media – Twitter is an ideal way to both learn about what reporters are interested in reporting and a perfect way to initially reach out to them. The list function also makes it easy to privately or publically group together reporters who are at the top of your list. Sidenote: Many reporters also have their own public pages on Facebook, with the advent of Facebook subscriptions. For example, Liz Heron, Social Media Editor for the NYT, is always updating her page and there’s always a lot of conversation happening in her posts.

4.     Find the right person, not the right firm – There seems to be a lot of disagreement in the startup world over whether or not to hire a PR firm. Working with startups and in PR, my opinion is that a company should base this on their individual needs and goals. Zaarly wanted to scale quickly and carefully planned PR – with a bit of luck – helped them achieve what they are today. Heather’s point is that startups shouldn’t hire a PR firm based on their accolades, but instead of on how the individual handling their account would fit into their own organization. As a small business owner, Heather is passionate about startups and isn’t a stranger to hustling and pivoting, like so many startup founders. So hire the person, not the firm. 

 

how to be awesome at twitter

Posted by Laura Gardner on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 in Digital Innovation

By Laura Gardner, Marketing & PR Manager, Cincinnati 
@lauramgardner

In the most general sense, there are three different types of users when it comes to Twitter: Regular users, those who avidly use Twitter to connect, communicate and explore; lackadaisical users, those who have an account, but rarely post and interact over the platform; and non-users, those who need a little explanation and a lot of experimenting to understand the meanings of “@” and “#”.

For the latter group, there are a few ways to break it down. I used to point to the example that likens Twitter to a bar, telling them “you don’t want to be that obnoxious guy talking loud on his cell phone and blowing cigar smoke around the joint, do you”? With some additional detailed description this works for many, but it’s nice to have an online reference that clearly explains EVERYTHING. I haven’t found one that is as easy to understand and just plain fun as this one by @princess_misia. This Slideshare entitled “How To Be Awesome At Twitter” serves as both an introduction for beginners and a good reminder to those of us who are super users, but may have gotten a bit lost along the way. 

 

 

America's Health Rankings launch this year with new site design and increased social media presence

Posted by Laura Gardner on Tuesday, December 06, 2011 in Rockfish Work

Today marks the annual release of America's Health Rankings, a project that we're very proud to be involved in. The rankings are essentially a report card of our state's health measured by various factors and this year we did an aesthetic redesign of the site and strenghened their social presence for a greater call to action. 



There is also an interactive map that shows various health statistics state-by-state. As you click through the map, you can compare states measured by different factors such as air pollution and early pre-natal care. 

 

You can also go to the new Facebook app called "Take Action For Change", where users can pledge an "Act of Health" and vote for a non-profit partner that will receive a donation from the United Health Foundation.
 


 

Also don't forget to follow @AHR_Rankings to learn more. 

 

Movember comes to a close

Posted by Laura Gardner on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 in Happening At Rockfish

A month of men's health awareness comes to a close tomorrow, with almost a million men around the world sporting more facial hair than their fathers did the 70's and we here at Rockfish are no exception. As you may remember, our 4 offices put together the first Rockfish Stash Off. Until we're able to reveal the results we leave you with mustache data visualization

 

Don't forget to donate to the cause by visiting movember.com. Infographic originally appeared on dailyinfographic.com

 

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