Employee Spotlight: Noelle Gutierrez
Noelle Gutierrez serves our team as Client Support & Marketing Director/Office Mom! We’ve asked her a few fun questions to get to know her a little better:
Q. What is your job at eTekhnos?
A. I am the Client Support & Marketing Director, but I also play the role of Office Mom! I help clients manage their web portals, social media channels and facilitate partnerships with new clients. As Office Mom, I encourage the health and well-being of the rest of the staff by making health shakes and providing impromptu therapy sessions!
Q. What is your favorite aspect of your job?
A. I love to interact with people and offer helpful service. Providing quality support that assists clients in meeting their goals is the most rewarding part of my job.
Q. Do you have a favorite sports team?
A. As a Midwest girl who lived outside of Chicago, I was super excited to see the Cubs win the World Series last Fall! I rep the team down here in Texas by flying my Cubs flag off our front porch!
Q. What did you want to be when growing up?
A. When I was younger I wanted to be a judge for the Supreme Court. In pursuing that goal, I got a B.S. in Paralegal Studies at Southern Illinois University where I also met my husband. I enjoyed working for several years as a paralegal in Illinois before starting a family and moving to Texas!
Q. Do you have any hobbies?
A. I love to eat healthy and workout. I devote a lot of time outside of work to helping people reach their health and fitness goals. It’s very rewarding to see people get healthy, fit and active and watch them pass that on to future generations. I love seeing my kids adopt healthy habits that I know they will model for their children down the road.
Custom Content for Benefit Agencies | How Paid Parental Leave is Changing the Benefits Landscape
There’s no doubt that original content boosts your search engine rankings, establishes credibility as an industry expert, and generates interest in your services. Yet many benefit agencies struggle to produce timely, quality content simply because they don’t have the bandwidth to get it done. At eTekhnos we offer customized social media marketing plans to fit your agency. Along with curated relevant content on compliance issues and top HR and benefit trends, we prioritize creating custom pieces on the latest hot topics! Here’s a sample blog article we recently produced for our clients on the rising 2017 benefit trend of paid parental leave:
How Paid Parental Leave is Changing the Benefits Landscape
When you hear the term “paid parental leave”, what do you think of? Here in the U.S., paid leave benefits are somewhat of a luxury. Although the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has made it possible for parents working at companies with 50 or more employees to secure 12 weeks of unpaid leave, the U.S. is one of only three countries on a list of 185 that does not mandate a period of paid parental leave. This leaves the country ranked below Iran and Mexico, who both offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave. On the other end of the spectrum, employees in the UK benefit from up to 40 weeks of paid leave.
As a result of having no mandated paid parental leave policy, approximately a quarter of U.S. women who become pregnant while employed quit their jobs upon giving birth, one third of women are forced to borrow money or withdraw from savings to cover time off from work, and 15% utilize public assistance. The June 2015 Enforcement Guidance on Pregnancy Discrimination from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was the first legislation to make a case for offering equal parental leave to mothers and fathers, setting a new precedent for the evolution of the paid leave benefit.
Why Should You Offer Paid Parental Leave to Employees?
The EY & Peterson Institute for International Economics recently released a study revealing that 38% of millennials would move to a new country if they would be afforded better paid parental leave benefits. Millennials now make up the largest demographic in the American workforce, and companies will need to increasingly take statistics like this into account when building benefit plans that will attract and retain top talent.
Aside from talent acquisition, the study goes on to show the positive impacts a paid parental leave benefit can have on keeping women in the C-Suite, as men who would usually be considered secondary caregivers take advantage of the time off and allow women to get back to work more quickly. In addition, change.org, who has implemented a generous paid parental leave policy, observed that dads who took leave in their company encouraged other new fathers to take advantage of the benefits as well, creating a culture of safety in which to utilize leave and invest more fully in their family life.
Ultimately, employees are happier and are empowered to do better work when they are allowed to honor their priorities. Whether this means a new mother is allowed to take stress-free, paid time off to bond with her child, or a father takes advantage of leave to be with his family or allow his partner to return to work, the ability to balance work and life is of the utmost importance to younger generations.
Case Studies – Top Companies Doing it Right
American Express
American Express recently announced that they were changing their paid parental leave policy from three months for primary caregivers and two weeks for secondary caregivers to five months of paid parental leave for all full-time and part-time employees.
All genders are eligible for the benefit, and employees may become parents via birth, adoption or surrogacy. In addition, American Express offers up to $35,000 for adoption or surrogacy fees with a limit of two events. A lifetime maximum of $35,000 is also allotted for fertility treatments.
The company also announced a unique supplemental benefit of 24-hour lactation consultants available to nursing mothers, and a breast milk shipment program available to mothers traveling for business who need to send milk home.
Bank of America
Bank of America offers 16 weeks of paid leave for biological and adoptive parents. A unique feature of their policy allows parents to take leave any time during the first year of the child’s life, enabling partners to take overlapping or subsequent time off, whichever best fits their family’s needs. The company values providing this option, as they see almost half of parents in today’s society raising their kids together at home while both holding jobs.
The banking giant also tries to make life after baby easier for working parents by offering a more flexible work-from-home program and providing $240 in monthly childcare reimbursement for employees whose household income comes in under $100,000 annually.
Netflix
Netflix took the spotlight when it comes to paid parental leave benefits when they announced that the company would offer unlimited paid leave with no loss of benefits during the first year after a child’s arrival. Leave can be taken at any time during the year, and employees may choose to work part-time, or come back to work and then leave again if desired.
Netflix chief talent officer, Tawni Cranz, said of the monumental decision, “Experience shows people perform better at work when they’re not worrying about home.”
While Twitter offers 20 weeks of paid leave for mothers and 10 for fathers and adoptive parents, the most innovative benefits this company offers come through its pre and post-natal programs for parents. Twitter offers quarterly “New Moms and Moms-To-Be” roundtables, a Mommy Mentor Program, Working Mom lunches and most lately, “Dads on Leave” roundtables. In-house support for employees when it comes to family life provides a safe place to embrace new roles as parents while still progressing in their careers.
How Can You Adopt This Benefit?
Job participation by women in peak years is declining, and paid parental leave is a way to help remove barriers in the workplace that leave women in only 5% of CEO positions at Fortune 500 companies. Karyn Twaronite, EY global diversity and inclusiveness officer, said, “Companies that view parental leave as something solely for mothers are becoming extinct, as more modern and enlightened companies are realizing that many people, especially millennials, are even more interested in co-parenting given most are part of dual career couples.”
If your company is unable to keep up with the generous paid leave packages larger businesses can afford, consider taking a page out of Twitter’s book and offering mentoring programs and support groups for new parents. Budget for childcare reimbursement costs like Bank of America. Even smaller changes that are made thoughtfully, with the employee in mind, will increase the appeal of your benefits package.
As the benefits landscape changes with shifting demographics, consider carefully how offering paid parental leave could positively impact your employees, and ultimately, your bottom line as workers are motivated to work harder and smarter, knowing things are taken care of at home.
By Kate McGaughey – Social Media Director, eTekhnos
New Website Launched for The Megro Benefits Company | eTekhnos Web Design
What’s the latest and greatest trend in web design?
Mobile responsiveness. Most of us do business through our phones at some point during the day. If you share a link to your website via social media or an email campaign, you want prospects to see a fully functional, visually appealing site that easily converts into leads! Our latest website redesign for The Megro Benefits Company shows off our mobile-friendly sites!
We recently launched a new website for The Megro Benefits Company in long-page format with a stunning Philadelphia skyline photo, creating a modern feel that is easy to navigate with a little local flair. The site is mobile-responsive, clean and concise, and provides a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new Megro Benefits website at megrobenefits.com!
Megro Benefits also utilizes our social media marketing solution which includes posting relevant blogs on industry topics, creating and managing social media company pages on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and publishing personalized content from company outreach initiatives!
Contact us to learn more about custom website design, SEO optimization, email marketing and social media solutions!
How to Develop a Killer Content Marketing Strategy for Benefit Agencies
Why You Need Content Marketing
As social media marketing becomes more popular with companies whose clientele consists of other businesses, it’s important to understand how a quality content strategy can enhance your online brand. Creative content serves your business in two important ways.
First, content crafted to tell your company’s story in an interesting, innovative way helps your audience connect with your brand and better understand your product. This is vital for turning social media interactions into leads and customer action.
Second, the more relevant and valuable content you produce and publish, the higher you will be ranked in search engine result lists. If a potential client is Googling “2016 ACA compliance,” and you’ve published a recent blog on deadlines and reporting, your content will show up in search results, prompting the searcher to click through to your website. The more unique and niche content you produce on a topic, the more likely you are to show up high in Google results, and the more prospects you will drive to your website.
In the age of technology, the average person is bombarded with thousands of advertisements a day. Because of this, it is essential that companies are intentional and innovative with their content marketing. We’ve put together a list of some of the best ways to ensure you develop an effective strategy for your company.
The Content
In a study conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, creating engaging content ranked as a top priority at 72% for developing new material to post on your blog and social media. In the benefits industry, it is essential that you clearly convey how your company stands apart from other firms as the best option for crafting unique benefit packages, streamlining compliance and developing HR solutions. Focus on choosing relevant industry topics to present in an innovative way. To optimize your creative approach, try implementing the following best practices:
Visuals
Use pictures, infographics, and charts to inform your clients about your process and services visually. These mediums effectively grab clients’ attention and can help you convey information in a simple yet informative manner.
Long-Form Content
Be more analytic with lengthy and complex written content. Make sure to research thoroughly and back up your key points with real facts. Not only does long-form content give you room to explain fully to clients what needs your benefit agency meets, but also sets you up as a go-to industry source.
Specialized Experts
The benefit industry has a very specific target market, so to consistently create cutting edge content, an industry expert is an essential part of your marketing team. According to Curata, in 2017, 51% of companies will have an executive whose role is solely devoted to content marketing. Your company should employ or contract an industry expert (like eTekhnos!) to produce content and advise on how to best reach your preferred customers. Expert-informed content boosts your brand’s credibility and ensures that clients have somewhere reliable to turn to when they need help with difficult or complex benefit questions.
Stay Up-To-Date and Be One Step Ahead
As you create your own company-specific content calendar, it is equally important to stay up-to-date on what your competitors are talking about on their blogs and social media. Reading blogs, posts and articles that discuss how to create optimal content can help foster new ideas and also reveal what’s trending in employee benefits and human resources. Content marketing is always changing and evolving at a fast pace, and staying current on best practices and hot topics gives you a crucial advantage.
Implement these best practices, and contact us today for help developing a custom content marketing strategy!
By Nicole Federico and Kate McGaughey
Employee Spotlight: Kate McGaughey
Kate McGaughey joined our team this Spring as our Social Media Director! We’ve asked her a few fun questions to get to know her a little better:
Q. What is your job at eTekhnos?
A. I am the Social Media Director. I help clients find their brand’s voice by selecting and producing content on relevant industry topics, scheduling posts for their blogs and social media accounts, and creating special campaigns and email blasts. In addition, I write about social media and technology best practices and how they can be best utilized by employee benefit agencies on our eTekhnos blog, as well as blasting fun and helpful content on our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!
Q. What is your favorite aspect of your job?
A. I love when a client comes to me with a new product or service they want to get people excited about, and I have the opportunity to work with them on both the promotional strategy and the actual implementation of the campaign. It’s fun to work with a client to achieve their vision, and get to be creative in the process!
Q. Where is the furthest you have traveled?
A. I previously worked as a flight attendant for a major airline where I had the opportunity to travel all the time! My furthest trip (as well as one of my favorite) was to Moscow, Russia! I was there for two days during their annual Moscow Day Festival and had the chance to take in their unique architecture, delicious food and thought-provoking art!
Q. What is your favorite book?
A. I loved The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place in Germany during WWII and follows the life of a young girl who steals books, each that is connected to a person or a significant story. Her German family ends up harboring a young Jewish man from the Nazis, and their friendship causes the reader to think in a broader sense about how even though we are different from many people in our world, at the end of the day we are all human, and are all deserving of love and respect.
Q. What is an ability you wish you had?
A. I wish I had the ability to fly! Although I spent a year marveling at the world from above when I was working for the airline, I’ve always wished I was able to fly from place to place and float over beautiful landscapes on my own. I may or may not try to find Neverland 😉
New Website Launched for BJA Partners | eTekhnos Web Design
We’re excited to show off our latest website redesign for BJA Partners, based in San Diego!
The new BJA Partners website was recently launched in long-page format with a San Diego skyline graphic creating a local, modern feel that is easy to navigate. The site is mobile-responsive, clean and concise, and provides a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new BJA Partners site at http://www.bjapartners.com/
BJA Partners also utilizes our social media marketing solution which includes posting relevant blogs on industry topics, creating and managing social media company pages on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and publishing personalized content from company outreach initiatives!
Contact us to learn more about custom website design, SEO optimization, email marketing and social media solutions!
How To Turn Your Employees Into Your Top Social Media Advocates
Almost every business today is on social media. Whether you’ve opted for a Facebook or LinkedIn company page, are active on Twitter or even post videos on YouTube, you’ve most likely bought into the need to have an online presence.
But have you considered how a social media strategy that includes online employee advocacy can drastically impact your brand?
Research shows that employees are the most powerful advocates a company has, and should be invited into the process of raising brand awareness. Let’s look at L’Oreal as a recent case study. Their digital marketing team implemented the use of the hashtag #LifeatLoreal in an effort to familiarize corporate with local level employees by documenting interesting or humorous happenings at the office.
The benefits went beyond expectation – employees generated interest among their personal networks in employment with the company and along with another similar hashtag campaign, it increased L’Oreal’s unique Instagram impressions to 200,000.
Other examples of companies doing social media employee advocacy programs well are Starbucks, who brought in $180,000 in direct sales in less than a month with their Tweet-a-Coffee campaign, and Zappos, who offer special social media training to their employees and have a leaderboard to show which employees have the most followers.
Think about it this way, when your social media manager shares content on your company channels, your reach (how many people see your post) is limited to your followers. When your employees start to actively share, your reach is then increased to their networks as well. This can quickly add up to more impressions and ultimately – conversions.
In fact, leads generated through employee advocacy on social media convert seven times more frequently than any other leads.
Convinced yet? Here’s where to start.
Create an Engaging Company Culture
Employees need to believe in what they’re selling. Social media advocacy programs should be voluntary, and to attract the most possible employee brand ambassadors, you need to create a culture of trust and authenticity. Be real with your employees about why you need them and how their advocacy makes an impact on achieving important sales or marketing objectives. If employees enjoy where they work, feel appreciated and understand their value, they will willingly share your content with their personal following.
Develop a Social Media Policy and Explain How It Works
Too often companies resort to the negative when implementing social media policies at work. Instead of focusing so much on what can’t be said on social media, highlight the positive ways sharing appropriate content can have an invaluable impact on growing and engaging new audiences. Help employees who aren’t tech-saavy by outlining liking, sharing and commenting etiquette and if necessary, provide periodic, pre-drafted copy for them to include when sharing. Of course the best shares are organic as employees get excited about a new service, special campaign or company outreach event. Give them the freedom to share their own content as well as what you make available.
Start Small With Sharing
Implementing a social media advocacy program doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small with your initiatives. If you already post regular content on your blog and to your company social media channels, ask employees to share these on their personal accounts. For special campaigns, consider creating some extra Tweet copy and emailing these to your staff as options for sharing. Make it fun! Send email reminders when new blogs are posted and or create a hashtag specifically for your next company event or retreat that employees can use when they share photos.
Set Goals and Track Your Results
As an employer or manager, you need to know what’s working and what isn’t. Set reasonable goals. What do you want to get out of an employee advocacy initiative? Do you want to promote a certain product or service? Are you looking to expand brand awareness and turn leads into new clients from a previously untapped audience? Understand what you want employees to share about first. Then, identify key metrics that you will use to track the results. Examples of top metrics to follow are traffic driven to the website from social media, increased post reach, increase in sales, employee conversions from passive to brand advocate, a change in your customer base’s perception of your brand and any demographic change in customers.
Share Your Success
Finally, share your success with the people who made it happen! Did you meet a sales goal because of increased employee advocacy? Did you hit record high website traffic? Tell your employees. It’s important that employees see the impact of their advocacy, understand their role and contribution to the brand and that they also understand what works and what doesn’t. Top influencers should also be rewarded. Always recognize the people who are doing an awesome job at representing your company in front of their peers. Not only does this inspire further action, it brings you full circle by contributing to an engaging company culture.
Want to learn more about engaging your employees as social media advocates? Set up a call with our team!
By Kate McGaughey
New Website Launched for Synergy Solutions Group of Virginia
Here is our latest website redesign, just launched for Synergy Solutions Group of Virginia.
The new SSG website was recently launched with rotating home page images creating a professional, modern feel that is easy to navigate. The site is mobile-responsive, clean and concise, and provides a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new SSG site at http://synergysolutionsgroupofvirginia.com/.
4 Easy Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn | Employee Benefits Technology
As employee benefit agencies, we know it can be hard to figure out the best way to leverage social media for your company, so we’ve made it easy. Follow these four steps to get more out of LinkedIn today!
Want to learn more? Go in depth with our post 5 Ways to Optimize LinkedIn for Your Benefit Agency.
New Website Launched for Beacon Advisors Group
Here is our latest website redesign, just launched for Beacon Advisors Group.
The new Beacon website was recently launched with an iconic home page image creating a local, modern feel that is easy to navigate. The site is mobile-responsive, clean and concise, and provides a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new Beacon site at http://beaconadvisorsgroup.com/.
