Positive IT

By Joshua Flail

There are a gazillion ways to promote your company through marketing campaigns. And like the modern US Presidential elections or the Cola Wars, these campaigns generally fall into two categories: positive and negative.

The instinct to compare and contrast is great, and it’s not necessarily the wrong way to go. People need to know the differences between two companies offering similar services. An entire industry has grown around the need to research and review difference businesses and products (Angie’s List, Consumer Reports, Yelp, Carmax, etc), which is great. Near instant access to information is certainly a perk. Unfortunately, some companies pollute their brand by marketing themselves through talking smack about their competition.

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To the Bat.. err Ripplemobile!

By Joshua Flail

First, a rebrand with new logo and site design. Then, a billboard in Midtown, Atlanta. Now, the first Ripple-branded MINI® is on the road! You just might spot our field tech, Alfredo, driving this slick piece of modern machinery around town, but please hold off on getting him to come out until there’s a naturally occurring IT problem at your office. Until then, we’ve got some pretty pictures to satisfy the curious. No need to spill kool-aid on your keyboard just to get a peek.

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Making IT More Human

By Joshua Flail

Marketing carries with it the baggage of being a one-way conversation. So, the question for those in the field becomes, “How do I make people aware of something without it seeming like a blatant ad?” For me, personally, I had always assumed that the key was dressing up promotion in flowery descriptions and big words. But what I thought made me seem like an authority on the subject was actually keeping people from connecting with my writing.

When I started at Ripple, my boss (he hates it when I call him that — sorry Mike) knew that I had been raised in a sales-friendly family. More specifically, my parents were self-employed insurance agents for over 30 years. They had always told me that sales were the reason we could go on camping trips, vacation at the beach, and watch cable tv. And that’s definitely true. But what I didn’t quite get until I started working at Ripple, is that the sales they brought in weren’t what made them successful. It was their attitude toward their clients that created loyalty, and kept food on the table.

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Ripple ♥’s Mac® & PC Networks

By Joshua Flail

Not so long ago, it was rare to see Macs and PCs in the same office. Rarer still were those Macs that received decent IT support. It was a time when a lot of IT people were saying things like, “Real companies don’t use Apple®” and “Those are toys, not computers“. Thankfully, most are now onboard with the idea that Macs are here to stay, and all agree they need the same serious support as PC workstations.

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I Dream of Ripple

By Joshua Flail

Last December, our boss, Mike Landman, introduced The Ripple Team to something he called a Dream Bond. After apologizing for the name, he handed out vouchers worth $500 to each Rippler and our significant others. In the past, our stocking stuffers have all been the latest tech innovations. But before we could boohoo about not receiving an iPad, Mike explained the significance of the name and why this gift was more than just a little loot to spend at the Apple Store. The Dream Bonds were intended as a way for us to visualize and work toward our life goals, both in and outside of Ripple.

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Email Resurrected…Again

By Mike Landman

Email is often proclaimed to be dead, so much so that I often assume its replacement is right around the corner. So far, it hasn’t happened. A recent survey found that email dominates as the preferred channel for permission-based messages. #2 is so far behind that it could be an asterisk ( direct mail of all things).

So why is email so pervasive and beloved if it sucks so much that it’s supposed to be dead? continue reading

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