Director of Marketing Operations Paxton Gray talks innovation and what it means to be named "Agency of the Year" by the American Business Awards.
"We work really hard to meet our client's goals, but we don't stop once we hit those goals. We keep going and we spend that extra time innovating and finding new ways and new tactics. Really what matters is helping our clients build their businesses."
97th Floor was announced as Inc.'s The 50 Best Places to Work in 2016. Over 500 companies were judged in three categories, including how well companies look after their staff's financial security (retirement, insurance, benefits, PTO), employee feedback and performance innovation.
COO Wayne Sleight talks about what makes 97th Floor great, from the employees, to the work to the partnership with clients.
"We've got a group of people that just truly have a passion for marketing," said Wayne.
In addition to being a Silver “Stevie” finalist for “Marketing Agency of the Year” from the American Business Awards, 97th Floor was recently named as Inc.’s The 50 Best Places to Work in 2016.
97th Floor was announced as Inc.'s The 50 Best Places to Work in 2016. Over 500 companies were judged in three categories, including how well companies look after their staff's financial security (retirement, insurance, benefits, PTO), employee feedback and performance innovation.
As a recent Silver "Stevie" finalist for "Marketing Agency of the Year" from the American Business Awards, CEO Chris Bennett shares his thoughts on cultivating an excellent culture, one that attracts and keeps the best people.
For the full list of The 50 Best Places to Work in 2016, visit the official website.
97th Floor recently met again for our monthly book club meeting. This month, we read and discussed The Happiness Advantage, by Shawn Achor. Achor is the founder of GoodThink, co-founder of The Institute for Applied Positive Research (with his wife Michelle Gielan), and advocate for the field of positive psychology.
After a meal of Greek kebabs and salad, we dove into the discussion. In his book, Achor lays out seven different principles of positive psychology:
While we would have loved to dive deeply into each one of these principles, we knew that time would be a constraint, and so those participating decided on a few specific points to focus in on:
The 20-Second Rule discusses the concept of making the things you want to accomplish easier to access, and making behaviors you want to avoid more difficult. Adding or removing as little as 20-seconds worth of effort has an impact on how likely or unlikely you are to engage in an activity.
The Tetris Effect cites a study in which people who played the popular puzzle game Tetris for prolonged periods of time would begin to see the world through that lens—imagining ways to rotate real-world objects in ways that they would fit together. The principle explores how people are able to train themselves into different mindsets. This includes viewing things in a positive light or a negative one. As you try to recognize positive circumstances, it becomes easier, and eventually, it becomes natural.
The Zorro Circle refers to a training method seen in the film The Mask of Zorro, wherein the student is placed within a series of concentric circles. The first circle is particularly small, but the student is instructed to consider his entire world to be contained within that circle, excluding everything outside of it. As the student masters that inner circle, he then progresses to larger and larger circles. As we master our own spheres of influence, not focusing on the things that we cannot change, then that sphere of influence grows. Rather than despairing of the things we cannot change, or the overwhelming amount of work ahead, we can take each step as it comes, and eventually reach our goals.
Social Investment was the last principle we were able to discuss before separating. Too often, when faced with trouble, people will isolate themselves from others. This principle discusses the detrimental nature of this tactic, as social investment often is what gives us the energy to follow through with our work. Genuine connection with other people fuels our work, while isolation taken to extremes often leads to loneliness and despair, both in our personal and professional lives.
Overall, there was a very positive response to the book, and we definitely recommend it. You can also view the author’s TED Talk.
Due to the holidays, we will be reading our next book over the course of December and January. This time, we will be reading Drive, by Daniel H. Pink. As always, you can follow the #97thbookclub hashtag on Twitter for updates.
Previous Book Club books:
Creativity, Inc., by Ed Catmull
REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
How many ways can “20” help? 20 isn’t a particularly large number, but in the right context, it can make a big difference in someone’s life.
Last year, 97th Floor sent holiday cards, along with a video, to clients, partners, and friends and encouraged them to set aside $20 to help someone around them. Each card included an additional $20 bill to help them jump start the giving. People could then use the #20helps hashtag to spread the message to others.
This year, in addition to the $20, we are taking it one step further. Instead of focusing specifically on money, we are encouraging everyone who sees this year’s card and video to look for any way in which “20 helps.”
Here are a few ideas, just to get you started:
There are countless possibilities. Remember, 20 may not seem like much… but 20 helps.
This year's card includes the same $20 as last year's, which recipients are asked to use to help someone else, plus two artisan chocolate bars from Taste in Provo, UT
Last week, marketing executives, e-commerce managers, analysts, and more gathered in Milan, Italy for SMX Milan. SMX is one of the leading international digital marketing conferences, and is organized by Business International and Third Door Media. Sessions focused on SEO, paid search, social media marketing, mobile marketing, analytics, and more.
Paxton Gray, 97th Floor’s Director of Marketing Operations, was a featured speaker at SMX Milan this year. His presentation, The Elements of Viral-Worthy Content: Technical Operation, focuses on what it takes to create a consistent, targeted, and well-optimized content campaign. “How do I get my content to go viral?” is the wrong question to ask, according to his presentation. “If your goal is virality, you’ll probably miss the things that can help you go viral.”
“Viral” content is unpredictable; however, Paxton laid out three characteristics that are necessary for content to be considered viral. First, it reaches a mass audience. Second, it is promoted by its consumers. Finally, it is inexpensive to spread. Paxton then further breaks down the process, especially focusing on keyword research.
.@paxtonmgray #smxmilan: Build #content round #KW research. You’ll go #viral pic.twitter.com/5nia8NA7bx
— Filippo Poletti (@filippo_poletti) November 12, 2015
@paxtonmgray 60% of content market goes unused #smxmilan #11
— Mamadigital (@mamadigital) November 12, 2015
So what's the recipe for compelling #viral content? Wrong question! @paxtonmgray on stage at #smxmilan @smx pic.twitter.com/pkKCkr7MTr — Anna Chiara Sai (@chiarasai) November 12, 2015
In the end, the presentation was very well received. Paxton enjoyed his visit to Milan, and he was able to connect with people in several different industries, both in the US and Italy.
Great job, Paxton!
View the full deck from his presentation below:
At the end of October, we met for our second monthly book club meeting. This time, we read the book REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37signals, now called Basecamp.
REWORK is broken up into several bite-sized essays, none longer than three pages. Each essay focuses on a specific business principle the authors recommend, and is accompanied by a simple drawing that illustrates the principle being highlighted.
For example, one section, entitled “Draw a Line in the Sand,” emphasizes deciding precisely what your company’s identity is, and figuring out exactly what aspects of that identity you are willing to fight for. “As you get going,” the writers recommend, “keep in mind why you’re doing what you’re doing. Great businesses have a point of view, not just a product or service.” Not only does this help to create a cohesive identity for the employees, it also simplifies all future decision making. “When you don’t know what you believe,” the section continues, “everything becomes an argument. Everything is debatable. But when you stand for something, decisions are obvious.” Some of the other sections we discussed in our meeting include the following:
These are only a few of the topics the discussion touched on. The interesting thing, however, is that among those who attended, there were some strong disagreements on a few of the points made in the book. Each person had their own perspective, and offered different insights. Far from being divisive, though, the discussions led to new ideas on ways we can continue to improve 97th Floor.
This month, we will be reading The Happiness Advantage, by Shawn Achor, a Harvard graduate and founder of The Institute for Applied Positive Research. Follow the #97thbookclub hashtag on Twitter for updates!
Read about last month’s book club meeting, where we discussed Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull’s book Creativity, Inc., here.
Congratulations to Wayne Sleight, 97th Floor’s Chief Operating Officer, who this week was named one of Utah Business’s 20 in Their 20s for 2015!
Meet the #Utah20inTheir20s: @WayneSleight, Chief Operating Officer at @97thfloor https://t.co/zixNcYzhi0 pic.twitter.com/HZCxAEbpQW
— (@UtahBusiness) November 4, 2015
Wayne Sleight speaking at the Utah Business 20 in Their 20s receptionUtah Business selected 20 individuals who, before the age of 30, have already made a significant mark on the world—whether that means climbing rapidly on the corporate ladder; launching successful business ventures; or impacting business, government, or nonprofit territories. Last night, Utah Business held a reception and awards dinner in Salt Lake City for the honorees, which several of Wayne's friends and colleagues from 97th Floor attended to support him.
Paxton Gray, Josh Moody, Wayne Sleight, Chris Bennett, and Andrew Yeager at the Utah Business 20 in Their 20s banquetWhen asked about his achievement, Wayne responded, “This is a huge honor for me, and I'm grateful to be recognized for the accomplishments I've had the last six years at 97th Floor. That said, I fully recognize that I've surrounded myself with amazingly talented people at 97th Floor, and that is what has allowed me to be a part of really big successes and get this recognition.”
We at 97th Floor couldn’t be prouder of the work Wayne has done and continues to do. He is an integral part of the company and has made an impact on nearly every aspect of the business.
“Wayne is being recognized as someone to watch because he’s young, but the truth is, his accomplishments are significant regardless of age,” says Chris Bennett, CEO and founder of 97th Floor. “The current culture, company growth, and awesome client retention rate that we enjoy at 97th Floor all have Wayne’s influence behind them. The best part is, he’s just getting started.”
Great job, Wayne!
This week, MountainWest Capital Network announced the rankings for their 2015 list of Utah’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies. 97th Floor made the list, sitting comfortably at #72.
Thanks to everyone that was involved in the MWCN Utah 100 yesterday. It was a huge success and we had a great time. pic.twitter.com/O81DoeeEQ9
— MWCN (@MWCN) November 4, 2015
According to the Small Business Administration, only one in three companies survives 10 years or more, and just over a month ago, 97th Floor celebrated our tenth anniversary. It’s understandable, then, that ranking in the top 100 fastest growing companies in Utah, the state with the highest job growth rate in the nation according to Kiplinger, has us excited.
“It’s great to be recognized as an Utah Top 100 company in terms of growth percentage,” says Chris Bennett, 97th Floor’s CEO. “The best part is that we were not pushing to grow last year; instead, we were perfecting our systems and client services, which resulted in a 93% retention rate. Our inclusion on the list was a result of not ever losing clients, which I am very proud of.”
97th Floor’s growth as a company is largely due to an environment that encourages growth in its individual employees.
“Our culture of learning and growth has helped us to attract some of the brightest minds in the industry,” says Paxton Gray, Director of Marketing Operations at 97th Floor. “As we attract skilled marketers, the quality of our work improves, which has been the main driving force behind our growth.”
“At 97th Floor, we focus heavily on testing and innovation, which has helped us to produce better and better results for our clients. That consistent investment in development and experimentation is really what sets 97th Floor apart and has helped us to build comprehensive campaigns designed to deliver award-winning results.”
This rapid growth means that there is always work to be done. As we continue to build 97th Floor, we look forward to increasing our ability to elevate our clients’ brands, and to offer the highest quality marketing in the industry.
On September 30, 2015, we at 97th Floor had the first meeting of our book club. Every month, we plan to read a different book, then come together over dinner to discuss any ideas that stood out to us and how they could be applied to improving both 97th Floor and ourselves individually.
For our inaugural meeting, we read and discussed Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, the president of both Pixar Animation Studios and Disney Animation Studios. In the book, Catmull presents the history of Pixar, introduces key players in its creation and growth, and discusses several of the underlying philosophies behind the company’s operation and composition. Perhaps more importantly, though, he discusses several of the company’s failures and the lessons they learned from those failures. Several times, he mentions his colleague Andrew Stanton’s mantra of “Fail early and fail fast.”
He also emphasizes fostering an environment that welcomes candor, where people are encouraged to speak up if they feel they have something to add to a discussion or project. 97th Floor’s book club attendees seemed to embrace this idea, as people from all parts and departments of the company put forth their own insights from the book and had a lively discussion of ways we can continue to improve 97th Floor. Several suggestions were made, some of which may be implemented in the future.
So far, the book club seems to be a great success, and several employees who were unable to attend September’s meeting have already expressed interest in coming to our next meeting later this month. At that meeting, we will be discussing REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37signals and creators of the Basecamp project management software. Follow the #97thbookclub hashtag on Twitter for updates!
On September 30, 2015, 97th Floor officially marked its 10th anniversary, and to celebrate this milestone, we decided to throw a party! We rented out Cornbelly’s in Lehi, Utah, and invited clients, employees, former employees, friends, and family to come help us celebrate!
At 5:00 pm, people started arriving, and the celebration commenced. Attendees enjoyed a variety of activities for people of all ages.
The kids enjoyed “Corncob Beach,” where they played in a pit filled with thousands of kernels of corn,
and they had the chance to meet the Pumpkin Princess and the Pumpkin Fairy.
Meanwhile, the adults socialized with their friends, families, and coworkers,
got lost in the 12-acre Corn Maze,
rode the mechanical bull,
and enjoyed great food.
97th Floor’s Swag Machine also made an appearance, giving out phone chargers and 97th Floor t-shirts in exchange for a tweet with the #10yearsof97 hashtag. It was a big hit! You can see what everyone was saying about it here.
As it got dark, people began to gather around the firepits, and 97th Floor provided everyone with marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate to make s’mores.
Chris Bennett, our CEO, stood up to thank everyone, said a few words, and announced the winners of the three grand prizes from the Swag Machine — Congratulations to Jacob Parry, who won a set of gift cards to Burgers Supreme; Emily Paulson, who won a Golf Package, including a set of ladies’ golf clubs and two rounds of golf at the Thanksgiving Point Golf Course; and Kaylen Carter, who won an Apple Watch!
Altogether, there were almost 800 people there to help us celebrate! We want to thank everyone who came, as well as everyone who has given us your support over the last ten years. We’re looking forward to the next ten!
Take a look below for more pictures of the event.
Yesterday, September 23, was the final day of BrightEdge’s Share15 conference in San Francisco. Share15 is a Content Performance Marketing event put on “for digital marketers, by digital marketers.” The conference is a specific opportunity for BrightEdge users to get hands-on. This year’s conference had speakers from several big players in the industry, including BrightEdge, Salesforce, Google, and many others.
.@chrisbennett of @97thFloor shares how to bucket #keywords for #content success at #Share15 pic.twitter.com/JvsydGAGeD
— BrightEdge (@brightedge) September 23, 2015
Chris Bennett, 97th Floor’s CEO, had the chance to speak at the conference yesterday. 97th Floor is a certified BrightEdge Agency Partner, and several of our clients use BrightEdge in their business. Chris was excited for the opportunity to speak here, as this was his first year presenting at a Share conference. He also enjoyed this chance to speak alongside his old friend, Kirill Konrod from Adobe, who had some great insights on Google’s Quick Answer boxes. Chris’s presentation emphasized tactics such as focusing on keyword research, using those keywords to recognize and create better content, and making sure that you are creating altruistic content for the user.
For a session that @97thFloor claims doesn't include earth shattering news, I'm sure loving these ideas! #contentmarketing #share15 — Taylor Harker (@TaylorHarker) September 23, 2015
Not only was Chris one of the speakers at Share15, but 97th Floor was a sponsor of this year’s event, setting up a “swag machine" for use by conference attendees.
The machine was filled with shirts and portable chargers. To get their swag, participants could tweet a selfie in front of the machine, tagging @97thfloor, #share15, and a special hashtag the machine would generate. Once the tweet went out, the machine would dispense the loot.
We figured that Share15 was the perfect opportunity to showcase the machine. Where better than a Digital Conference to share a fun, innovative platform to build social engagement?
At #share15 with @97thfloor #dm858 how cool is this? pic.twitter.com/21KKbXTJ5K
— Lisa Brown (@bunltd) September 23, 2015
Not only did this generate buzz for 97th Floor and Share15, it also fell right in line with Chris’s message from his presentation, and 97th Floor’s own brand, combining creative tactics for bigger results.
@97thfloor #share15 #dm901 awesome swag machine!! pic.twitter.com/IXTsfqGHoy
— Jim Yu (@jimyu) September 23, 2015
Having a great time @97thFloor #share15 #dm042 pic.twitter.com/Tsas0gPgLP
— Sophia Eng (@sophianeng) September 23, 2015
We loved coming to Share15 and working with BrightEdge. Their staff was wonderful to work with and a real class act. They really proved just how much they care about their customers. Thanks, guys!
