Matrix Group International

Month: May 2009

  • NFIB Web Site Redesign

    NFIB Web Site Redesign

    Matrix Group International collaborated with National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) an association that supports small and independent businesses. NFIB needed a web site that highlighted its membership benefits and advocacy.

    Our worked involved:

    *A member-focused navigation system that focuses on small business topics and concerns
    *A content management system that allows staff to easily update content and tag articles according to a business taxonomy
    *A taxonomy that lets NFIB showcase how its lobbying, member discount program, legal activities and how-to articles benefit businesses
    *A discussion forum that lets members connect with each other.
    *Integration with NFIB’s membership database so that members can register to use the new site and access protected content
    *A join form that makes it easy to become a member

    Visit the National Federation of Independent Business Web site

  • Tweeting While On Vacation

    Tweeting While On Vacation

    Phone at the BeachI’m headed out for a short vacation today. Before I left the office, several co-workers asked me if I will be tweeting while I’m out. I had to pause for a second before responding with a “no, yes, maybe.” Hmmm….. Just what are the expectations these days about being on vacation and tweeting or maintaining your status on the various social networks?

    When I’m on vacation, I like to really unplug, which is why my husband and I go to places like Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Prague, Costa Rica. We go to places where we’re not tempted to go online and work because there is so much to see and do; often, the time difference makes it difficult to stay in touch. (more…)

  • Whale Hunting as a Metaphor for Landing Large Accounts

    Whale Hunting as a Metaphor for Landing Large Accounts

    Whale HuntingAt a recent Vistage meeting, I had the pleasure of hearing Tom Searcy, author and CEO of Hunt Big Sales, a sales consulting and training company, talk about how small businesses can land big sales that will transform their companies. Tom likens the process to whale hunting, which:  requires planning and skills, can’t be done by one person (it takes a village, actually), and can keep a large number of people fed (or employed) for a long time.

    Tom says that whales are like large companies and we all know that large companies usually buy from other large firms because they:

    • Are perceived as having more resources
    • Have a more well-known brand and reputation
    • Speak the language of whales
    • Represent less risk and more security

    We’ve heard it before: “nobody gets fired for picking (fill in large company name).”  So how is a small business supposed to compete against the big guys? Tom says that large companies pick small companies when they are looking for an advantage in their business, specifically:

    • Innovative solutions that are usually  not associated with larger, bureaucratic companies
    • Access to the brightest talent
    • Speed and nimbleness
    • Knowledge of a niche market
    • A relationship with a company where they’re not just another customer

    Ultimately, small businesses can only the land the big sales when:

    • Executive management is involved in the sales process because whales will only talk to senior staff
    • Someone on the customer side believes the small business can help them move the needle in their business in a big way

    (more…)

  • Sometimes We Just Need to Ask Our Customers What They Want

    Sometimes We Just Need to Ask Our Customers What They Want

    People talkingAll day long, I sit in meetings where my staff, clients and I try to intuit what customers and members want.  We look at usage reports, search logs, customer feedback forms, guestbook entries, and survey results.  All of these sources give us insight into what customers do, seek and want.  But after conducting a focus group for a client this evening, I’m reminded that we need regular face time with our customers and we need to just ask them what they want.

    Tonight’s focus group was amazing.  Nearly two dozen people gave up two hours of their day to discuss why they are members of an organization, what they like about the Web site, and what would make their jobs easier.   Some of the ideas were mind-blowingly simple, while others were flat out brilliant.  If half of the product ideas prove economically feasible, this organization has a product road map for the next year.

    Speaking of product road maps, I am in the habit of calling a couple of customers after each release of our association management software, MatrixMaxx.  I call to check-in, get feedback on new features, and, most importantly, ask them for  the one thing they would like to see in a future release.  For the 9.1 release, the suggestions were all spot on, some were so easy to implement we wondered why we hadn’t done the work earlier, and some proved to be blockbusters.

    But what do you do when you have zillions of customers and you get a flood of customer requests on a regular basis?  Google Moderator allows communities to post suggestions/questions and then vote on all ideas submitted.  President Obama used Google Moderator to accept questions for an electronic town hall meeting; citizens submitted and then ranked questions; the President answered the most popular questions. (more…)

  • How I Became a Cool Kid and Why It’s All About the Platform

    How I Became a Cool Kid and Why It’s All About the Platform

    PlatformWhat do the iPhone, Facebook, Twitter and Google have in common?  They have great platforms that have contributed greatly to their success!  What’s a platform and why does it matter?

    Wikipedia defines a platform as “a place to launch software. It is an agreement that the platform provider gave to the software developer that logic code will interpret consistently as long as the platform is running on top of other platforms.”

    I’m convinced that Facebook zoomed past MySpace because it launched a developer platform earlier.  The developer-friendly platform lets developers create zillions of cool apps and suck more of our time, energy and loyalty.  How many quizzes have you filled out on Facebook?

    The iPhone is no different.  Apple opened up its platform, hosted a user-friendly store and nine months later, iPhone users had downloaded 1 billion applications, most of them free or under $5.  My husband says he can purchase or download apps for his Blackberry but it’s not easy and the apps are on multiple sites.  No fun at all.

    Twitter’s platform lets developers capture streams of data from the millions of tweets posted every day.  Born from these streams are apps that let us visualize tweets, manage tweets, search tweets, map tweets.
    (more…)

  • Don’t Like Facebook? Try Another Social Network!

    If Google and Twitter seem to be getting all the press, but they’re not your cup of tea, don’t despair!  There is a social network out there for nearly every interest group and demographic.  Here are some I’ve tried out recently:

    • FoodBuzz is a social network for people who like food.  You can create a profile and share your recipes, restaurant reviews and photos. In addition, FoodBuzz aggregates content from food blogs and allows food brands to create a presence and interact with users.  Here’s a link to my jmpineda profile, although I’m new so it’s still sparse.
    • TeeBeeDee is a social network for “grown-ups” aka mostly the 40+ crowd.  You can invite your friends, join and create groups, and participate in discussions. As expected, the top topics are: Work, Sex Over 40, Relationships, and Health.
    • Bebo is AOL’s social network.  It allows you to aggregate streams from other social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. I really like how you can create an interactive timeline of your life through LifeStory.
    • If you want to create your own social network, there’s Ning.  Ning lets you create your own social space, invite people, and customize what people can do through the hundreds of applications.  Associations might use Ning to create a closed network just for members where you control the brand experience and ways that members can interact.

    How about you?  What social networks are you on?  Which best suits you and your interests?  Which one is your favorite?

    • Little Big Planet

      Little Big Planet

      The best PS3 game ever! Great for kids and grown-ups alike. Best played with a group.

    • Election Day Needs a Marketing Plan or How To Get Voters to the Polls

      Election Day Needs a Marketing Plan or How To Get Voters to the Polls

      Empty voter boothsIt’s Election Day in Alexandria, VA. Today, we voted for Mayor, City Council and School Board. These are pretty important positions in our City government. Here’s the problem: voter turnout was ridiculously low. When I went to vote at lunchtime, I was the only person in the entire polling station. The volunteer told me that about 5% of registered voters in my precinct had voted.

      Low voter turnout, especially for a non-Presidential race, is nothing new. Mid-term elections are notorious for having low voter turnout. Evidently, the millions who turned out for the 2008 Presidential race that elected President Obama have tuned out again and  are skipping local elections.

      Know what I think?  Election Day needs a marketing plan. We market our meetings, conventions, products, and tradeshows.  I say that we need to deploy some of the tactics we use to get people to attend a tradeshow, register on a Web site or buy a product and get people to the polling stations!  Here are some of my ideas:

      • Create a sweepstakes. Every person who votes is entered into a contest to win $10, $100, $10,000 or whatever amount is available.  The dollar value doesn’t matter; the excitement of a sweepstakes is what counts.
      • Give out points for voting. We all love gold stars.  My polling station should have my voter record and give me a gold star for consistent voting.  A bell should ring when a longtime voter checks in.  I should get a $25 Starbucks card for a perfect voting record in the last 24 years.
      • Voting should be fun. Let’s face it.  We all want to be entertained.  Why not have the local school bands perform at the polling stations?  We should have stand-up comics making fun of the candidates. Let’s have  magicians entertain the folks waiting in line.

      (more…)