Green Apple CEO and Founder Named 2023 Gold Stevie Award Winner

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run. We’re so proud to announce that Green Apple CEO and Founder Samantha Pyle has been crowned a 2023 Gold Stevie Award winner for Best Female Entrepreneur! 

Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. By honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the awards recognize outstanding performance in the workplace.

This accolade underscores Sam’s exceptional leadership and innovative approach to running a business. From leading strategy for clients to implementing paid VTO and successfully managing the transition of Green Apple into a remote office, Sam’s forward-thinking ability to navigate challenges is inspiring to her team and to her fellow entrepreneurs.

Green Apple’s process places as much value on strategic thinking and planning as it does on creativity and hard work. By starting with strategy, Samantha has built an agency that helps clients transform marketing from an obligation into a desirable, habitual practice in creative storytelling that is mutually beneficial to her clients, their customers, and their communities.

Representation and inclusion are a cornerstone of Green Apple Strategy’s success. With a core employee group composed of 90 percent women, Sam prioritizes diversity in her hiring and business development practices. A diversity of experiences and perspectives in any workforce, especially within the marketing industry, drives creativity and productivity and empowers organizations to genuinely empathize with their audiences.

Samantha’s influence and efforts extend far beyond the agency she’s built. She currently serves on the board of Thistle Farms, an organization that has provided a loving community, hope, and healing for women for over 25 years. In the past, Sam has served as board president of the Survivor Fitness Foundation and on advisory boards for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, the American Cancer Society of Middle Tennessee, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She recently completed her term on the EO Nashville board as the co-chair of Catalyst, an entrepreneurial development program for small businesses in Nashville, after her own participation in the Catalyst program.

Sam is currently pursuing her MBA at Lipscomb University, one of the nation’s top-ranked business programs, and is slated to graduate in the spring of 2024. We’re delighted to see our CEO recognized publicly for all that she brings to the table. 

2023 Wrapped: Green Apple’s Top Moments & Marketing Campaigns of the Year

As the year draws to a close, it’s natural to look back and reflect on all that’s happened. And for anyone with an Instagram account, it’s that time again when our social media feeds transform into a musical montage of friends’ top tracks and favorite artists courtesy of the Spotify Wrapped campaign. Whether you’re thrilled or slightly overwhelmed by the influx of Wrapped recaps, there’s something undeniably heartwarming about the collective effort to reminisce and rejoice in the memorable moments of the past 12 months. 

Here at Green Apple Strategy, we’ve caught the Wrapped fever and decided to create our rendition, celebrating the harmonious blend of creativity and hard work that went into our favorite marketing campaigns of the year. Just as Spotify songs transport us back to specific moments, our 2023 Wrapped is a chance for our team to relive the marketing magic generated through countless hours of brainstorming, planning, and execution. 

2023 Wrapped: Green Apple’s Top Moments & Marketing Campaigns of the Year

Without further ado, join us as we unwrap the highlights and unveil the stories behind Green Apple’s 2023 Wrapped: 

United Communications’ Project UNITE Celebration Event

Our partnership with United Communications has provided us with the privilege of supporting Project UNITE, their groundbreaking initiative to bridge the digital divide in Middle Tennessee. In January, we had the honor of organizing a newsworthy celebration event to commemorate the remarkable impact of Project UNITE.

We started 2023 off with the planning and promotion of a marquee event for our client, United Communications. United realized the size and scope of the celebration they wanted to have would require all hands on deck, so their marketing team reached out to Green Apple for support. United Communications leveraged our event planning expertise to create a celebration that would support the company’s brand promise of providing a world-class connection with a local commitment. Green Apple also played an important role in the timing of the event, coordinating efforts with government agencies to ensure Governor Bill Lee and other elected officials could attend prior to the start of Tennessee’s state legislative session.

The celebration was a huge success, generating significant interest from local TV news outlets in Nashville and Knoxville that resulted in 24 print and digital news articles. Green Apple’s PR and Content Marketing Strategist Chris Song played a vital role in this event’s success and says it’s certainly a project he won’t soon forget.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team to make this event such a success for United Communications. Through a single event, we promoted our client’s close partnerships with community leaders throughout Middle Tennessee, galvanized more public support for Project UNITE, and helped shine a light on the largest broadband infrastructure investment in our state’s history.”

Survivor Fitness’ Website Launch 

We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Survivor Fitness, an organization that empowers cancer survivors to reclaim their health and well-being through personalized training and nutritional guidance. Driven by its remarkable mission, Survivor Fitness has experienced rapid growth in recent years, extending its reach to thousands of cancer survivors across Middle Tennessee. To make an even greater impact, Survivor Fitness sought a new website to effectively convey their transformative story. Our team wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity to partner with this exceptional organization. We meticulously crafted the website’s design, content, strategy, and project management, ensuring it accurately reflected Survivor Fitness’ dedication to empowering cancer survivors on their journey to holistic wellness. 

Crain Construction’s 90th Anniversary Celebration 

Crain Construction, a Nashville-based commercial contractor, has shaped the city for 90 years. Their dedication to building strong relationships alongside their impressive portfolio of construction projects has earned them a well-deserved reputation in the industry. Earlier this year, Crain Construction marked this remarkable milestone with an unforgettable celebration at one of their signature projects, The Prancing Horse of Nashville Ferrari Dealership. The event brought together generations of company leadership and employees, clients, and industry trade partners who have been integral to Crain’s journey.

Green Apple took care of the strategy and execution behind every detail of the party, including designing and sending the invitations, scheduling a video shoot, and coordinating PR coverage. Green Apple Client Relations Specialist Lindsay Lanahan and Assistant Client Relations Specialist Allison Gordon put a lot of work into this project. They both agreed it was one of the most memorable of 2023.

“It was so fun working with the client to create a memorable night commemorating their longstanding success. Plus, having the event at a brand-new Ferrari dealership was a cool experience!” Allison said.

Lindsay agreed, saying, “We got to celebrate in person with so many of the Crain employees we’d been interacting with for so long and hadn’t gotten to meet yet. We even got to meet Mark and Michael’s parents! The video shoot we did at their office was also a great experience.” 

Volunteering Together at Thistle Farms

Thistle Farms, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and empowering women, has been a beacon of hope and healing in Nashville for years. As an agency committed to giving back to our community, we had the privilege of volunteering with Thistle Farms several times throughout the year. These enriching experiences have allowed us to contribute to their remarkable mission while strengthening our team bonds. From assisting in candle preparation to decorating Christmas trees, each volunteer opportunity has been a testament to the power of collective action and the spirit of selflessness. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to partner with Thistle Farms and make a meaningful impact on the lives of the women they serve.  

Sip & Sample Grand Opening for The Skylight  

The Factory at Franklin, a cornerstone of Franklin’s vibrant community, has undergone a remarkable transformation this year, redefining itself as a hub of connection for the community. Following its renovations, we had the honor of conceptualizing, planning, promoting, and executing a grand opening event to unveil the reimagined space and introduce the community to The Skylight Bar. The event was a success, drawing in over 300 enthusiastic attendees and selling out within 24 hours. The carefully crafted promotion generated over 1,300 Instagram and Facebook followers for The Skylight within weeks and garnered an astonishing $400,000 in advertising equivalent value. This grand opening event is a testament to the power of creativity, coordination, and the unwavering dedication of our team.

A few members of our team worked at the launch, including Assistant Client Relations Specialist Jordan Forbes.

“It was amazing seeing the great turnout,” she said. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and it generated excitement for the new bar and all the new restaurants opening. I loved seeing the Green Apple team show up for the client and do everything we could to ensure the event was a success.” 

textLIVING’s ProTalks by Joe

textLIVING, a rapidly growing white-label software company, recently embarked on an intentional journey to support its current partners and enlighten aspiring entrepreneurs and sales professionals seeking to venture into the white-label realm. In collaboration with the textLIVING team, we proudly launched ProTalks by Joe, a captivating masterclass-style video series. The success of ProTalks by Joe is a resounding affirmation of our ability to seamlessly collaborate with The Orchard, our esteemed team of marketing specialists, to transform the creative idea into a reality.

Maxwell Roofing’s Culture Walls and Video Shoot 

With a history spanning nearly 70 years, Maxwell Roofing’s values have been a cornerstone of its success, and our team eagerly embraced the opportunity to visually encapsulate this rich heritage by working with Maxwell Roofing to create Culture Walls, large-format signage that reflects their company’s values and inspire their employees. This project was a great example of our ability to combine different marketing strategies to achieve a common goal.

In 2023, we got the green light to move forward with Maxwell Roofing’s recruitment video. In October, members of the Green Apple team spent an entire day working alongside the company’s leadership team, coaching them through their portions of the video, and conducting multiple interviews with their employees. Olivia Cooper, Client Relations Director at Green Apple Strategy, has worked with the Maxwell Roofing team for years and says this memorable project provided her with some unique insight into the company. 

“Roofing is a hard career, so hearing these employees’ stories from behind the camera on why they chose this career and why our client, Maxwell Roofing, is such a great place to work was unique for us. One of the best parts of our job is getting to tell the story for Maxwell, via video, about why they’re such a great place to work.”

Survivor Fitness’ GivingTuesday Campaign

The 2023 GivingTuesday campaign for Survivor Fitness also stands out as one of our most impactful and inspiring marketing projects of the year. The campaign’s theme, “Because of You..,” resonated deeply with donors, highlighting the transformative impact of their contributions on the lives of cancer survivors. Another noteworthy milestone has been the organization’s remarkable year-over-year impact of GivingTuesday, expanding from supporting 300 training sessions in 2019 to 530 sessions this year. The growth is a testament to the dedication of the Survivor Fitness community, board, and team. 

The Gardner School Campaign Photos

The Gardner School has been a Green Apple client for over a decade. Every spring, ahead of a new school year, we head out for a photoshoot to collect a massive amount of content to use for TGS’s annual campaign. Months of prep work go into designing the look, feel, and messaging of a new campaign, and photos play a huge role in helping us tell a story. The Green Apple team works with the client to select a photographer, organize a day-of schedule, and create a comprehensive shot list for every photo that needs to be taken on that day. Client Relations Specialist, Kayla Reyes, says the effort is well worth it.

“These campaign photos are used regularly in all that we do for TGS year after year. We use them in paid media, advertising, social media, and the website (just to name a few). I know the client loves looking at them, and so does our team, after months of planning. I just think it is a resounding success that we can curate, create, and use these beautiful photos all year, ” she said. 

Working Remotely (from around the world)  

Several years ago, Green Apple embraced a hybrid agency model. Throughout the year, we witnessed the transformative power of remote work as our team members​​ worked from new and unexpected locations while seamlessly delivering exceptional service to our clients. Whether they were enjoying pretzels in Germany or taking Zoom calls from Ghana, working remotely has fostered a sense of connection and camaraderie and enriched our lives with experiences that extend far beyond the confines of a traditional office setting. 

Growing the Green Apple Family 

This year, our Green Apple family welcomed various new members who brought joy and encouragement. We celebrated the addition of several new team members, each one bringing their unique talents and perspectives to our agency. We also welcomed the heartwarming addition of a few new babies, whose smiles and playful spirits warmed our hearts. And to top it off, we celebrated our adorable four-legged friends who added their furry presence and unconditional love to our team.

Green Apple’s Soundtrack for Success: Our Team’s Spotify Wrapped

As we reflect on 2023, we’re filled with immense gratitude for the incredible moments and marketing campaigns we experienced. This year has been a testament to the dedication and passion of our team, who have worked tirelessly to implement creative ideas and celebrate our clients’ growth. 

And, of course, as Spotify fans, we’d be remiss not to share some of our favorite songs that kept us motivated and inspired throughout the year:

  • On My Mama – Victoria Monét (Allison Gordon)
  • Karma – Taylor Swift (Allison Gordon)
  • The Story – Brandi Carlile (Christa Spencer)
  • Pennies From Heaven – Louis Prima (Christa Spencer) 
  • Chloroform – Phoenix (Lindsay Lanahan)
  • Witchoo – Durand Jones & The Indications, Aaron Frazer (Olivia Cooper)
  • Barbie World – Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (Courtney Cochran)
  • Banks – NEEDTOBREATHE (Kayla Reyes)
  • Northern Attitude (with Hozier) – Noah Kahan (Katie Shayotovich)
  • East Side of Sorrow – Zach Bryan (Katie Shayotovich)
  • As It Was – Harry Styles (Sam Pyle)
  • I Remember Everything – Zach Bryan with Kasey Musgraves (Sam Pyle)
  • Two Step – Dave Matthews Band (Sam Pyle)
  • Maine – Noah Kahan (Eden Hutchinson)
  • Summer Rain – Zimmer90 (Eden Hutchinson)
  • Bluey Theme Song – Bluey feat. Joff Bush (Chris Song)
  • How Deep Is Your Love – PJ Morton (Chris Song)

Discover How Green Apple Can Help You Amplify Your Success In The Year Ahead

Green Apple Strategy is more than a marketing agency. We partner with businesses to help them grow. Whether you’re planning your next event or looking for ways to help your brand grow, our team is here to help. Let’s schedule a time to talk about your marketing goals for the year ahead!

Tour The Orchard: Green Apple’s Powerhouse of Freelance Marketing Specialists

The Orchard has been a part of Green Apple Strategy from the beginning. When we started, we wanted to create a marketing agency that did things differently. We firmly believe that strategic marketing is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Each client has unique needs and goals, requiring a specialized approach. That’s where The Orchard comes into play. 

The Orchard became a way to build a team of specialists who could focus on what they do best and provide our clients with the highest level of service possible. Our Orchard is a diverse collection of talent from various areas of expertise, including graphic design, content creation, SEO and social marketing, video production, email marketing, and more. 

The Fruit: 5 Benefits The Orchard Offers Our Clients 

The Orchard has transformed our ability to work with top talent and provide clients with a team built just for them. Here’s how we do it:

We’re able to hire the best possible talent for every single project.

We’re not limited to a full-time team of creatives who may have limited experience in certain industries or lack specific skills. Instead, we can tap into a network of specialists from all over the world to find the perfect person for each job.

We can match Orchard members to our clients’ needs. 

The experience and expertise of Orchard members to our clients is crucial. This reduces the learning curve significantly and allows our team to hit the ground running. Our Orchard members take time to understand the industries they serve, providing tailored solutions and insights from day one.

Our team members take the time to know the clients they serve. 

In many marketing agencies, creative specialists are inundated with last-minute requests and projects. By dividing the workload effectively, our freelance specialists can delve into the nuances of each client’s business. This allows our content specialists to truly grasp the voice, messaging, and tone for each client and craft highly effective creative that matches brand standards. 

We’re able to work with specialists from around the country. 

As we transitioned into a hybrid model agency, The Orchard became even more valuable to our process. Having a diffuse network of specialized talent means that we can build a skilled team that will best serve each client, regardless of where they’re located.

Our Client Relations Team can focus on what they do best. 

With The Orchard handling specialized tasks, our Client Relations Team can focus on what they do best: high-level strategy and complex project management. Our Client Relations Specialists are freed up to focus on strategy without having to worry about who is going to staff certain needs. Our Assistant Client Relations specialists can focus on project management by collaborating with Orchard members who are quick to respond. And if specific needs or client load increases, additional Orchard members can be onboarded to meet that need. 

Experience a Partnership with Green Apple Strategy 

The Orchard is one of our proudest achievements as an agency. It’s something that truly sets us apart from other marketing agencies. It’s also the reason we’re able to provide our clients with such a high ROI and measurable results.

If you’re looking for a marketing agency that can help you achieve your business goals, we’d love to learn more about your unique needs. We’re confident in our team’s ability to meet your needs and help you take your business to the next level. And if you’re a freelance marketing specialist, designer, content writer, video editor, or SEO specialist, we’re always looking for good folks to join The Orchard! Sign up for our newsletter to stay in touch. 

Beyond the Books: 4 Insights Learned from My Marketing Internship by Eden Hutchinson

At Green Apple, our top priority has always been hiring good people and fostering their development in a way that helps them grow professionally and personally. Over the past few years, we’ve collaborated with local universities in Nashville to provide marketing internships to aspiring undergraduates. This summer, we were fortunate to welcome Eden Hutchinson to our team. Eden’s unwavering passion for marketing and dedication to our clients make her an invaluable asset. She seizes every chance to acquire new skills and knowledge. In this blog post, we’re handing the keyboard over to Eden, allowing her to share some of the invaluable lessons she’s gathered as a marketing intern at Green Apple.

As a business and marketing double major, I read about countless marketing principles in school. But this internship has taught me even more valuable lessons that can’t be learned from books. Working at Green Apple, I’ve had the chance to discover how marketing is applied in different industries. I also learned how to tailor marketing strategies to each client’s specific needs. But more importantly, I learned the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and real-world experience. These practical skills are essential for marketing success. 

In this blog post, I wanted to highlight the most valuable lessons I learned from my marketing internship. These lessons have helped me go beyond marketing basics and provided a holistic understanding of the field.

 

4 Insights Learned from My Marketing Internship

1. Project management is the cornerstone for marketing success. 

During my internship at Green Apple, my primary focus was collaborating with the Client Relations team, who are responsible for collaborating with clients and executing marketing ideas. I quickly grasped the importance of having a well-structured system to keep track of all the marketing activities and elements for each client. I’ve learned the value of embracing a process-driven approach to marketing and implementing proven project management best practices to work smarter rather than harder. For example, most of the work executed by the Green Apple team happens in Basecamp, a project management tool that enables us to create and execute tasks methodically.  

Over the summer, I honed my ability to break down complex objectives into manageable steps, and I now find myself applying this skill to other areas of my life.

 

2. Team culture makes a tremendous difference in how people show up to work every day. 

As a business undergraduate student, my classes often discuss the significance of company culture. However, I’ve learned that culture is often a concept you must experience firsthand to grasp its importance. After multiple internships, I’ve been immersed in various company cultures, and it’s been fascinating to experience the difference.

At Green Apple, I’ve seen how a positive culture directly impacts productivity. There’s a deliberate focus on fostering a positive and enjoyable company culture. Some of the things that make Green Apple’s culture so great include bi-weekly team meetings where everyone shares a “weekend happy,” and employees are encouraged to travel or take volunteer time off. 

I’ve seen the difference it can make when you work in an environment that is kind and uplifting. I’m more motivated to do well because I’m surrounded by supportive people who want me to succeed.


3. Getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn.

One of the things I’ve loved most about my internship is getting the opportunity to help with numerous projects for the agency and our clients. This has taught me that getting involved in many projects is the best way to grow. By working on various one-off projects, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how the company functions and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into success. No class can fully prepare you for this, but Green Apple’s culture of encouraging employee success has allowed me to dive into projects I would never have had in another internship. And because my work matters to the company’s growth, I know it’s making a real difference.


4. Don’t ignore the analytics.

One of the most valuable aspects of my internship has been learning about the reporting process. I had no prior experience in this area, but I quickly realized how important analytics are for making informed business decisions.

The idea that analytics can help teams improve their marketing efforts makes sense in theory, but seeing it in practice has really driven home the importance of a data-driven approach. Marketing for any client requires an adaptive mindset, and analytics can help teams make the necessary adjustments to improve their efforts and achieve their long-term goals continually.


Get Your Hands Dirty with the Green Apple Team 

We’re incredibly grateful for the ideas and support Eden has offered during her internship and are excited about the opportunity to keep her on for another semester. If you’re a marketing professional or undergraduate student looking for an internship in the Nashville area, you can learn more about what it’s like to work at Green Apple or reach out to our team to apply.

The Impact of Volunteer Time Off for Your Employees & Company Culture

volunteering at Thistle Farms

At some level, every human wants to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We may want to make an impact while feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day to make it a priority. Volunteer time off (VTO) makes it possible to balance giving back and collecting a paycheck. When coupled with a company’s mission to create a thoughtful work environment, VTO can boost an organization’s reputation and company culture. 

Since Green Apple was founded, we’ve placed great emphasis on the importance of community outreach and have offered pro bono services to nonprofits and organizations across Tennessee, including Survivor Fitness and Thistle Farms. Now, every member of the Green Apple team has the opportunity to receive paid time off to volunteer with organizations of their choice. 

How Volunteer Time Off Works

Companies that offer paid time off for volunteering typically give one or two days a year to do so. Hours that can be used for volunteerism are usually separate from PTO for other uses like vacation or sick days. 

Green Apple provides 16 hours a year of volunteer PTO. The system at Green Apple allows us to choose our own activity and submit a request for time off to volunteer on our own. In addition to volunteering on our own at the place of our choosing, we also volunteer as a team several times throughout the year. In 2022, Green Apple began volunteering with Thistle Farms. Since then, we’ve been working to strengthen our relationship and expand our support for the organization. In December 2023, Green Apple CEO Samantha Owens Pyle joined the Thistle Farms board and was appointed as the organization’s first External Affairs Chair in July 2024. In this role, Samantha (joined by several Green Apple team members) has collaborated with Thistle Farms’ Marketing Director and Vice President of External Affairs to develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at achieving record-breaking Q4 results in fundraising, retail sales, and volunteer engagement.

Benefits for All 

Paid time off for volunteering is a win-win-win situation. For starters, a UnitedHealthcare study shows that of the respondents who volunteered in a 12-month period, 93% said they experienced an improved mood, and 79% reported lower stress levels. There is a real link between personal happiness and productivity at work. By encouraging your employees to volunteer, you may boost their mental health, which would benefit the whole company.

volunteering at YUMEast

Studies show that companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147% and are 21% more profitable. In a recent blog, we also suggested several other strategies to boost employee engagement and morale. 

Volunteer time off can be a workplace perk that helps your company stand out from the competition. Adding VTO to an existing list of people-supportive perks (such as remote work and flexible schedules) will also have an impact on engaging current and future employees alike. 

Finally, VTO is a great way to build camaraderie among your team members while they give back. Members of the Green Apple team recently participated in YUM!East, an annual fundraising event benefiting Fannie Battle Day Home in Nashville. Our team in Charlotte also volunteered their time for a cause benefiting the Move For Jenn Foundation. 

TN Titans stuff the bus

Acknowledging social responsibility and volunteerism in your marketing is even a powerful way to leverage your company’s community to create deeper, more personal connections with your customers. 

VTO is a growing employee perk that can set your company apart. A strong internal culture not only attracts top talent but also boosts your external brand, making your business a sought-after place to work and partner with. Ready to align your recruitment, engagement, and brand strategies? Green Apple Strategy can help. Contact us today to build a strategic plan for long-term success, and don’t forget to sign up for The Core, our monthly newsletter, via the Subscribe button in the footer below for the latest marketing insights and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox!

Kayla Reyes Promoted to Client Relations Specialist

Kayla Reyes

Green Apple Strategy is excited to announce Kayla Reyes’s promotion to Client Relations Specialist. Kayla joined Green Apple as an Assistant Client Relations Specialist in 2021. For the past year and a half, Kayla has leveraged her detail-oriented skill set and relationship-focused approach to lead project management efforts for a number of Green Apple clients. Kayla’s ability to “keep all the plates spinning” by effectively communicating between Green Apple’s team, our Orchard members, and clients has been an invaluable asset for our team. During her time at Green Apple Strategy, Kayla has leaned into every opportunity to grow professionally and learn about the unique characteristics of each industry for the clients she serves.  

To recognize and celebrate Kayla’s hard work and dedication, we wanted to highlight a few specific ways her promotion will empower her to make an even greater impact on our clients.

Offering Strategic Direction and Leading Collaboration 

In her new role as Client Relations Specialist, Kayla will focus on providing leadership and strategic direction for the clients she serves. This shift will allow her to leverage her natural abilities to focus on the end goal and identify areas of improvement to accelerate marketing efforts. She will work closely with Sam Pyle, Olivia Cooper, and others on the Green Apple team to help develop marketing strategies and manage individual projects outside of our client’s ongoing scope of work. 

“I am excited about the opportunity to work with clients on ‘bigger picture’ ideas,” Kayla shared. “I love collaborating with our team to care for our clients and support their marketing needs.”  


Balancing “Day-to-Day” Marketing and the Bigger Picture

In her previous role as an Assistant Client Relations Specialist, Kayla has seen (and managed) all of the steps that make an effective marketing strategy come to life. From brainstorming ideas to analyzing results, Kayla knows what it takes to execute a successful campaign. Her experience will be an invaluable asset for our team as we develop strategies and ideas based on a client’s specific goals and budget. 

“Learning the daily aspect of marketing management has helped me recognize all the little steps that go into helping our clients achieve their goals,” Kayla said. “I’m grateful for the ability to use that knowledge to help our clients make more informed decisions about their marketing campaigns.” 

“It’s been such a joy to watch Kayla grow since joining the Green Apple team, and I’m excited for that to continue in her new role,” said Samantha Pyle, Owner and Chief Strategist of Green Apple Strategy. “Her dedication to creating exceptional results, along with her infectious positive energy, is so valuable for our clients and our team.”

Improve Employee Recruitment with Strategy and Creativity

Our team at Green Apple is acutely aware of today’s tight labor market. We listen to reports that tell us job openings are continuing to decline. Since opening our doors in 2012, we have learned to adapt to the many changes and challenges outside our scope of influence, including shifts in the labor market. Our team quickly pivots when necessary and has applied strategic and creative thinking to the recruitment and hiring process with outstanding results. Here are a few of our top tips for finding, recruiting, and retaining employees: 

Where to Recruit 

With much of our lives intersecting with the digital world, recruiting also needs to shift online. But rather than relying on mass online job boards, our team strives to be more intentional with where we conduct our employee searches. 

Green Apple’s current openings are shared on LinkedIn, where we can vet applicants based on their profiles and see if we share any connections. We also network with an online marketing group and post to the online job boards at our respective alma maters. Because we are products of those schools and programs, we already have a good idea of the knowledge and skill set their graduates will bring to our team. 

There is immense value in the quantity and quality of applicants we can reach online, but we still enjoy recruiting in person. We regularly attend local college career fairs to get to know potential graduates. While this helps us find talented employees, it also promotes brand awareness and fills our pipeline with potential applicants.  

Consider Unconventional Arrangements

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world discovered a new way of working. Remote work was an excellent fit for our team and allowed us to bring the best talent on board, no matter where they lived. 

More and more companies are forgoing remote work in favor of a complete return to the office. While this may be necessary for some lines of work, we found it was not for ours. Strategy and creativity can be performed anywhere and are not bound by office walls. With this in mind, Green Apple maintains a hybrid work environment. We are 100 percent remote, with available space to gather in person for meetings, brainstorming, team building, open-space working, and team collaboration. 

Ensuring a Good Fit 

So you’ve found a potential employee you think will be perfect for your job and company culture. Recruitment can be costly, so it’s important both parties are happy from the beginning. How can you ensure it’s a good match? The Culture Index can help. 

The Culture Index is an assessment that evaluates how people communicate, solve problems, and use or alter their innate traits to adjust to their work roles. It is one of the first steps in our application process to help determine if someone matches the position they applied for. The candidate will move on to the interview phase if their Culture Index indicates a match. This process helps Green Apple add the right people to our team who can best serve our clients and help reach our strategic goals. 

Join Our Marketing Team

Over the years, we’ve built a creative recruitment approach that has shaped and supported our team. If you’re looking for insights on creating a marketing team or are interested in joining our team at Green Apple, we’d love to connect. You can check out our current openings or learn about the services we can provide for your business.

The Culture Index: Transforming How Marketing Teams Work Together

Effective marketing requires a combination of strategy, operations, and detailed execution. Because of this, most marketing teams are best equipped when people function in a variety of roles. As Seth Godin puts it, you need a scientist, an engineer, and an operations manager. The challenge, of course, stems from ensuring that your people are in the right role and know how to work together in order to achieve your goals. Workplace culture is created through the everyday interactions and experiences that team members have with each other. 

Green Apple Strategy is a hybrid agency, so the culture we cultivate with our team is incredibly important. We’ve worked hard to build a structure where people are working out of their strengths and communicating effectively to serve our clients. The Culture Index has become one of the most helpful tools for achieving this goal. It’s something we discuss on a regular basis. We’ve also included it as part of our hiring process to ensure we find the right people for each new role. 

In this article, we wanted to provide an overview of The Culture Index and highlight a few specific ways it has transformed the way we work together as a marketing team. 

An Overview of The Culture Index

The Culture Index Survey is an assessment that evaluates how people communicate, solve problems, and use or alter their innate traits to adjust to their work roles. The Culture Index Survey can help you assess:

  • Do you prefer to work alone or collaboratively when solving problems?
  • Are you more likely to follow established processes or think outside the box to create a campaign?
  • Do you work quickly or need time to methodically think through an idea?

The survey allows you to identify patterns for each team member based on these traits. From there, it allows you to analyze the findings in a peer-to-peer format and provides an action plan for how your team can improve processes. The ultimate goal is to transform the way you work and create a more productive and enjoyable environment. 

How The Culture Index Can Transform Your Marketing Team

Here are a few specific ways the Culture Index has transformed the way our team works together: 

1. You can recognize and understand personality differences.

Most communication breakdowns between team members stem from differences in personality, approach, and personal strengths. One of the greatest benefits of the Culture Index is that it helps you recognize how another person operates. This creates greater empathy and understanding among the team rather than staying in a constant loop of miscommunication and frustration.

2. You can maximize your team’s impact by allowing people to capitalize on their strengths.

The Culture Index Survey helps you get a full understanding of employee satisfaction and experience within your company. If a team member is frustrated by their day-to-day experiences, they may not mention that to leadership. The Culture Index is a low-pressure way to shine a light on where your team members fit and what type of role they might enjoy best. As Jim Collins famously explained, it’s important to get the right people on the bus. But getting them in the right seat is another important step to ensuring your employees are more engaged and happy at work.

3. Your team is equipped with resources to resolve conflict.

Any time you work with someone for a period of time, there’s bound to be conflict. It’s important to normalize this reality. When conflicts arise within your marketing team, it’s important to address them promptly. Your team can refer to the Culture Index Survey to better understand the root causes of the conflict and develop targeted strategies for resolving it. 

4. You can enhance strategic planning for your long-term goals.

Every marketing team requires strategic planning. The Culture Index allows you to maximize your planning efforts by allowing people to focus on areas in which they’re naturally gifted. It also allows you to give plenty of time for those who rely on methodical thinking to discover ideas while allowing others to respond in real time. 

We’re incredibly grateful for the way The Culture Index has shaped and supported our team. If you’re looking for insights on how to create a marketing team or are interested in joining our team at Green Apple, we’d love to connect. You can check out our current openings or learn how we can be a marketing partner for your business.

Connecting to our Community: Thistle Farms

Green apple team

Generosity and making an impact on our Nashville community are two values that shape our work at Green Apple Strategy. We don’t want to be an agency that’s simply known for our work. We want to be known for making a positive difference in our community. From the founding of our company we’ve offered pro bono services to nonprofits and organizations serving people across Tennessee. We’ve also encouraged our team to take time off to pursue volunteer opportunities. Our new partnership with Thistle Farms in Nashville combines both of those values into a relationship we’re excited to grow. 

Thistle Farm’s Mission & Impact in Nashville (and Beyond) 

Thistle Farms is a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, sex trafficking, and addiction. The organization was founded in 2001 to offer women sisterhood and a safe place to heal. Today, it supports hundreds of women across our community by providing a safe place to live, meaningful work, and other resources to gain financial independence. The organization has become a staple of our community in Nashville and is widely known for its remarkable self-care products and welcoming cafe. 

The company also supports women around the world through its social enterprise efforts that span 21 countries and support 1,400 artisans through product sales and small business development.

Green Apple’s Desire to Help Them Grow

While there are dozens of incredible nonprofit organizations in our area, we were particularly inspired by the way Thistle Farms raises up women in our community. Their mission is to empower women who have been through extremely difficult times. Thistle Farms’ commitment to helping individuals get back on their feet resonated with our whole team.

Green Apple began volunteering with Thistle Farms in 2022. As our relationship has grown, we wanted to provide additional support. Currently, we’re collaborating with leadership to envision how we can deepen our commitment through quarterly team volunteer days and ways to serve their mission. 

Thistle Farms has helped thousands of women flourish because its leadership recognizes that healing love is the strongest force for change in the world. It’s an honor to partner with such an incredible organization.