GiftCard Partners Blog

Social media is rapidly becoming a prime element for businesses.  It's utilized to increase brand exposure, generate leads, and help create meaningful relationships with customers all with little to no budget.  While this is great for marketers and sales representatives, what about other employees?  Should any employee be allowed to tweet, post, or otherwise about your company? The common practice of many companies is to discourage employees from talking to the world about their company.  Many employees are even banned from using any form of social media to discuss their place of employment.  One communications company,
Mitel, has been in business for more than four decades but their name may not resonate with most because of their low profile.  The company’s chief marketing officer, Martyn Etherington, is going against the grain and using social media to change that.  In March 2014, the company had 30 employees actively engaged in social media, by November that number had grown to 1,600 people.  That's 1,600 brand ambassadors who are actively engaged and growing the Mitel brand. Your employees can be your biggest brand ambassadors and having that "social trust" in them can result in big payoffs.  Here are some ideas to help get your employees involved in social media while protecting your brand:

Love is in the air, or it will be tomorrow. As we prepare for a holiday full of chocolates and roses,
CVS/pharmacy has both classic and non-traditional gift options available. With everything from perfumes, photo cards, razors and male grooming equipment on sale, to bonuses for ExtraCare rewards members on certain purchases and purchasing thresholds, it's easier than ever to make your special one feel special this Valentine's Day. While some may view the holiday as hokey and only meant for the love birds, Valentine's Day can be used as a unique opportunity to show gratitude and appreciation for the employees in your office. Your support staff, your junior level employees, the people in the mail room (heck, even the person who delivers the mail!) are great people to thank on Valentine's Day. Simple "Thank You's," especially during these dark, cold winter months, can be a great morale boost. Thank you gifts don't need to be big either. A
$10 gift card to retailers like CVS/pharmacy can be a great way to say thanks without breaking the bank, especially with the variety of merchandise on sale. For healthier options that can support new year's resolutions and employee's healthy lifestyle the
CVS Select® Gift Card can help with the temptation by limiting the merchandise the card can be redeemed for (so skip the chocolate when using this gift card!). So who do you want or need to thank this Valentines Day? Think beyond the cupid interpretation and show "love" as gratitude to the people who make your business great!

Scaling your business can be challenging. It can affect everyone from the executive management team to the most junior employee.
Growth and scaling can provide instability, lack of faith in leadership and employee turn over. All of these events can have a negatively impact your business. Here are a few tips on how to
scale successfully for your employees and your business to provide stability and success.

Military discipline is known to transform people and form the incredible individuals who keep our country safe every day. The military also instills incredible leadership qualities that can help you keep your business on tract and build your team into the picture of efficiency. Here are
three qualities that Amit Kleinberger, CEO of Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, learned in the military that he applies to his business.

Safety incentive programs can be hard to design and even harder to implement. They should be designed to encourage teamwork, discourage non-reporting of incidents and obviously encourage safe behavior. The biggest obstacle employers face in implementing safety incentive programs is to make them a seamlessly integrated part of the employee culture, not a feared element. Here are three suggestions that will enhance any safety incentive program.