We’ll be talking about about all the great things going on in the New Orleans economy, from the tech scene to fashion houses, and all the reasons everyone should start a business in our city.

You can also hear me tell a story about being a roadie for Ringo Starr, why you should invest in Salesforce, and what my former greatest fear was.

Listen on the web here, or better yet you can download the WWNO app for iOS and listen there!

The post Apptitude on WWNO’s Out To Lunch Today appeared first on Apptitude.

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Thanks again to everyone involved for a wonderful night!

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After celebrating Apptitude’s first birthday back on April 2nd, I took a moment to reflect on how much things had grown in such a short amount of time. What at first felt more like a toy plane had grown into something substantial, and had very much taken flight. And now that we had reached cruising altitude, it became clear to me that there was a need in the company for a Community Manager. Someone that had a knack for marketing, social media, brand visibility, and customer happiness.

What I didn’t anticipate when I posted the position was the overwhelming response I would get. So many talented and impressive people submitted applications. Within a few days I had more qualified applicants than I’d ever expected, and soon I had interviewed some of the strongest candidates. One week in late April, they participated in a round of Social Takeover. Each candidate took over Apptitude’s Twitter or Facebook account for a day, was given some simple guidelines about posting, and was set free to post whatever they felt would be relevant.

While each candidate from that week did an amazing job and brought unique and refreshing approaches to Apptitude’s social channels, Susana Bobadilla‘s approach was tremendous. Her attitude, work ethic, diverse background, and impressive experience building brands both in the US and abroad showed me that she would bring great things to Apptitude.

If you’ve never met Susana, you’re missing out, because she’s as cool and hilarious as she is talented. We came up with this quick round of Q&A to help you all get to know her.

Q&A

Who is your celebrity doppelgänger?

People tend to say I look Andie MacDowell, although I’ve also been told I look like Rebecca Gayheart (aka the Noxema Girl) as well as Meryl Streep in her “Out of Africa” years.

What brought you to New Orleans?

I’ve always loved this city’s culture; there’s something about it that just enchanted me and made New Orleans unlike any other city the United States. Every time I came to visit I tried to find reasons why I had to stay. Plus, my best friend Carol Starr had been trying to get me to move down here for years as well, so I also had some coaxing.  I’m a by-product of a Spanish father and a Virginian mother – raised with Southern values in an international environment.  Maybe that’s why New Orleans has always just made sense to me. So when I decided to move back to the United States from Madrid Spain in early 2012, I knew New Orleans was my next home!

What do you look forward to in your new role as Community Manager at Apptitude?
I am very much looking forward to working with Chris Boyd!  I think he’s a brilliant guy with great ideas and an awesome project that is about to grow immensely in the next year. I am certain we are going to make a great team and learn a ton from each other.  I am also really looking forward to being an active member of New Orleans’ thriving tech industry, engaging with the New Orleans business community, as well as a developing Apptitude’s brand through social media and networking.  I am a very social individual so I can’t wait to start developing business relationships for Apptitude both online and in person!

What’s your favorite mobile app?
Tough question, I have too many.  I am a self-proclaimed  an app-addict and tend to have an app for everything I do- be it working, playing, cooking, planning, or listening to music.  Twitter is probably my long-term love, although I’m currently having an affair with Vine.

What is your favorite spot in NOLA?
Another tough one. I love too many spots in this city and I feel like I discover a new favorite spot on a weekly basis.  I like to experience life through my palette, so the New Orleans’ restaurant scene is a great playground. One of my favorite spots is Root- I think Philip Lopez is a really innovative chef, plus it’s always a fun experience!

Temple of Literature,
Hanoi, Vietnam

If you could travel to 5 places where would you go?

1. Hanoi, Vietnam
2. Ooty, India
3. Zanzibar, Tanzania
4. Turks and Caicos
5. Kyoto, Japan

* * *

I’m very excited to have Susana joining the team, and I can’t wait to see all the great things she’ll be sharing with us as Apptitude climbs to new heights.

The post Meet Susana! appeared first on Apptitude.

The post Photo Friday: What’s Your Favorite Street in New Orleans? appeared first on Apptitude.

It’s also a huge honor because of the company I have in the list of nominees. David Crais has been the founder and CEO of several impressive biotech startups and organizations, both here in NOLA and around the country. I am a huge fan of Gary Solomon‘s breathtaking work, and see it nearly every day, whether I’m marveling at the beauty of the Superdome at night, or hearing about the amazing new extensions opening at the World War II Museum. I heard about Arman Sadeghpour’s incredible product, Theodent, when I was a participant in the NOLAbound project. And that same week I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Wisdom and hearing about the beginnings of Turbosquid and all the things they’ve been able to accomplish since.

All of these people are New Orleanians who chose to stay here after the storm, or moved here in the immediate years after to help rebuild. My respect for them–and for every New Orleanian who was here for NOLA in her darkest days–knows no bounds.

We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish at Apptitude in just a single year. We’ve grown from a handful of small projects to an impressive portfolio of enterprise-grade apps around the country. We’ve partnered with some of New Orleans’ most cherished brands to create beautiful things. We’re growing, expanding, and sharpening our tools. Expect even greater things from us in the coming years.

I love that our success at Apptitude helps spread the message of New Orleans’ success. As Jennifer Medbery from Kickboard so eloquently said, “The entire entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans understands that when one rises, we all rise.” And while I lament not being able to be here to help with the heavy lifting in those dark years, I take the responsibility of carrying the message that New Orleans is the greatest city in America very seriously. Because I believe it.

And I’m not alone. Anthony Bourdain agrees. Bob Schieffer agrees. Bloomberg agrees. The list goes on and on and on.

But there will always be fools like Geraldo Rivera who will say uninformed, foolish things about our city. And therefore, even as we get to be here during this incredible renaissance period, Apptitude’s role as ambassador for New Orleans remains as important as ever.

I look forward to having our successes continue to help show the world just how magical and amazing a city New Orleans is, and I’m honored to have been nominated for our efforts here.

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The conveniences of living in the future are not only time savers but also present a myriad number of ways to stay in the know. And as New Orleanians, we always need more ways to save time so we can focus on the important things that unite us all as citizens. Like traffic. With this in mind, I came up with a list of 10 great New Orleans apps that can help you save time and stay in the know while you battle traffic on I-10.

1. Google Maps

   This is kind of a no-brainer but it must be listed because I personally use it to get around New Orleans every day. What would I do without my Google Maps? I’ve lived here my whole life and I still get turned around now and again. I have worked out of my car for years going on appointments in and around the city. The amount of time I’ve saved not having to write down directions from clients or having to print out a route from the computer is insane. Just because we have lived here forever doesn’t mean we know exactly where we are going 100% of the time. And the built-in Apple Maps app that first appeared in iOS 6? Lame.

2. NOLA.com

   Keeping informed about all the top news in NOLA is easy with the NOLA.com app.  We have a virtual newspaper at our fingertips!!  Quite handy to say the least.  Living in NOLA it’s a must to stay up to date on current events, because you know we love to talk around here and you can’t be caught slipping!

3. Urbanspoon

   You can’t live without restaurant apps in New Orleans. Yelp, Urbanspoon, Ness, just to name a few. These apps get us out of some serious binds when we’re faced with the anxiety of trying new spots. And in NOLA, new spots pop up every day. Restaurant owners cringe when they read a bad review but in New Orleans food is in our hearts, keeping the owners on their A-game is a must. We are a tough crowd when it comes to our cuisine. These apps make it possible to weed out the bad and stuff our faces with the quality!

4. New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

   Jazz Fest is upon us and if you’re planing on going but haven’t checked out their mobile app, you need to. It breaks down the schedule into days and stages, has bios of all the bands playing, gives you a map of the grounds, and even tells you where the food tents are located. Hello Crawfish Monica!  Organizing your day is so much easier with all the information right there with you.

5. Soundcloud

   Music apps like Soundcloud, Pandora and Slacker Radio make our walks, bikes, and trolley rides around NOLA so much more fun. Keeping up to date on the latest tunes is so easy these days. Even our local musicians and DJs put up their latest tracks on Soundcloud to test them out before they even begin to think about putting them on iTunes, so you can find some really cool tracks way ahead of time using this app.

6. Facebook

   Pretty obvious, but the Facebook app is a must-have to keep up with friends and events in New Orleans. How many times have we sat there on the couch saying “Man, is there ANYTHING to do tonight?” Newsflash! We live in New Orleans: There is ALWAYS something to do. So check your Facebook events. The Big Easy isn’t always so easy when you look at your weekend events and you are forced to choose between tons of awesome shows over the course of two days.

7. Shazam

   How many times have you been at your local bar and been there just enough time to get a bit buzzed to where it is impossible to remember what song is playing on the jukebox? Rather than admitting your ignorance and getting up to look, you can just look like a dork and hold up your phone. The future is amazing!

8. Barnotes

   If you’re like most inhabitants of the city or Louisiana in general it’s good to know your drinks. With apps like Johnny Love’s Guide, the Bartenders Guide, and the NOLA-developed Barnotes, we’re sure to be as informed and professional as possible with our stirring and shaking.  Knowing your ingredients and your measurements make concocting a sazerac or a mint julep an easy task!

9. New Orleans Explorer Guide

   We all know how it is to have friends coming in from out of town that we need to entertain. But unfortunately we’ve got to go to our jobs while they bounce around NOLA acting like tourists. So having your friends download a few tourism apps like New Orleans Explorer Guide or Go NOLA will ensure you will have fewer phone calls throughout the day asking dumb questions. You’ll never have to give them directions to Tropical Isle again!

10. Parade Trackers

    During Mardi Gras things get crazy, we all know this. Parades are going, and you’re usually either trying to find out where the parade is, what time it’s rolling or some way around it.  WDSU & WWLTV both have parade trackers that are essential during the 2 weeks of madness!

The post 10 Great Apps for New Orleans appeared first on Apptitude.

Customer engagement aims to create long term relationships that will encourage loyalty and advocacy for the brand through word-of-mouth.

In addition, these relationships allow companies to understand the demographics of their buyers, to create dialogue with buyers, provide new means of customer service, as well as opportunities for buyers to learn about the product before they even know that they want to purchase it. Customer engagement has gained heighten importance to businesses as the average consumer spends more than 32 hours a month interacting online, shopping through websites and apps, and learning about products through word-of-mouth on social networks and blogs. Customers can gain information about brands and products through a myriad of sources, so companies have to create space where they are the first to engage customers and shape their opinion.

There is no one single way to promote customer engagement; therefore, companies must develop a strategy that includes a handful of methods to mobilize, personalize, and socialize.  Here are 3 ways that you can engage your customers now:

1 – Create an active personalized voice for your business.

Did you know that if Facebook was a country it would be the largest in the world?  Did you know that Affluent Millenials, defined here as those aged 18 to 29, spend more than 40 hours a week online, essentially a full-time job? Customers are more likely to learn about products and companies through their friends online than through traditional media. It’s your company’s responsibility to make sure you are easily found on social networks sharing your wealth of knowledge, products, and sense of community.

2 – Create a Mobile App.

Google’s ZMOT says that 41% of product research is done on our phones and in turn purchased on our phones. Not only do mobile apps respond to buyers’ needs, they create endless opportunities for companies to engage directly with customers delivering their products, message, and community through their individually created channel. With a simple swipe of a screen, customers can engage with the company’s mobile app to get the most up-to-date information about products, contact customer service, share their experience with the product as well as join other fans on in app-based community.  Smartphone apps allow companies to have one key point communication to engage customers allowing brand personalization and interaction to reflect the company’s vision, mission, and customer care. Click here to learn how Apptitude can help you get started with your own app.

3 – Create a Blog.

Blogging allows companies and brands to create content which can then be used on all other aspects of a company’s mobile marketing strategy, but more importantly it allows the company to share their story and what makes the company special with customers. Blogs allow companies to create an online voice, show their expertise, let people know that they are listening, that they’re up to date with current trends, and most importantly keep web content fresh.

Fifty percent of the world’s population is made of people under 30 years of age who live, shop, and virtually engage online and through mobile at all times of day. Your company’s ability to engage with customers will influence their buying decisions, share your industry know-how and create opportunities to easily market new products and services!

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As a growing business based in the CBD that loves good food and loves New Orleans, we were both excited and appalled to see the coming policy changes regarding food trucks in our city.

The New Orleans Food Truck Coalition has been working tirelessly with City Hall to pass legislation to update our woefully outdated laws as they apply to “street food.”

Our city’s current policy treats food trucks as if they were fly-by-night carnival food vendors that travel the country and have no roots in NOLA. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our growing food truck scene is just like that of every other great American city’s food truck scene: wildly popular, diverse, delicious, and locally based. We don’t know of a single food truck that isn’t owned by a New Orleanian, or, just like Apptitude, a new New Orleanian.

Thanks to Stacy Head‘s excellent leadership, the need for change is readily apparent and understood by our City Council. However, the need for additional regulations and bizarre rules for the food trucks to follow is not. While it makes sense to get rid of the 600-foot buffer zone that food trucks have to put between where they set up and any restaurant, it does not make sense to simply reduce this to 300 feet, as some local restauranteurs are pushing for.

It also makes absolutely no sense for our city that an additional requirement was added by another City Council member, seemingly at random, that food trucks have to have a bathroom within 300 feet at all times. We’re all adults here, nobody needs the government to tell them when and where to go to the bathroom.

Last month, the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision that says states and cities may not pass laws simply to protect one business from competition by another.  The court’s decision was in response to a lawsuit brought by Louisiana monks who faced the prospect of fines and jail simply for making and selling caskets without first becoming morticians and opening a full-fledged funeral home. It is clear to us that many of these new regulations that have been added to the proposal are simply Old Louisiana-style politics: using legislation and political ties to try to stifle competition and a growing, grassroots movement.

Don’t let City Hall stifle our delicious and amazing food truck scene in New Orleans. Email them right now and let them know you want fewer regulations for food trucks in New Orleans, not more!

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