Matrix Group International

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  • Doorways for Women and Families Blog

    Doorways for Women and Families Blog

    Matrix Group partnered with Doorway for Women and Families (Doorways) of Northern Virginia to design and launch the DoorwaysVA Blog.  The goal of the blog was to create a new platform for the Doorways blog was to provide an opportunity for Executive Director Linda Dunphy to showcase the agency’s leadership on issues related to domestic violence and family homelessness in Northern Virginia, provide her perspective on the agency’s fundraising and legislative environments, and connect with supporters through real-life stories.

    Matrix Group:

    • Created a custom blog design that aligns with Doorways Web site and branding identity, and provides a platform for Linda, and other Doorways staff  to post in order to give visitors a personal, inside look behind the statistics of domestic abuse.
    • Incorporated an interactive tag cloud visually shows blog visitors the topics that Linda covers most in her posts.
    • Integrated elements of Doorway’s social media strategy, with a sidebar displaying the latest post from the Doorways Twitter page, and links to the Doorways Flickr and Facebook fan pages.
    • Provided advice and guidance to help Doorways move beyond traditional communications channel and spread its mission to a wider audience of advocates, volunteers, donors and the general public.

    Visit the New DoorwaysVA Blog

  • Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Amplify, Posterous – Which Social Networks Should You Be On?

    Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Amplify, Posterous – Which Social Networks Should You Be On?

    I’ve been on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for some time now.  I’m also on FoodBuzz, Plaxo, Delicious and StumbleUpon.  Most recently, I signed up for FourSquare, Amplify and Buzz.  FourSquare is a location-based social network that allows  subscribers to check-in from their current location using their mobile phones and provides tips and recommendations.  Amplify asks “users to share news and information they find thought provoking and conversation-worthy,” not anything and everything about their lives, status and locations.  Buzz is the latest offering from Google that lets you share updates, links, photos and videos.

    Now that I’m signed up for all of these services, I’m asking myself these questions:

    • Which social networks should I be on personally and professionally?
    • Most of the social networks let me share out updates from one network to another; should I share out my tweets or does that defeat the reason to be on multiple networks?
    • Am I reaching a different audience on each network or will I be talking with the same group of social network-obsessed friends and colleagues?
    • Just how many networks is practical for me to keep updated without losing my mind?

    To try and get some perspective on these questions, I turned to my friend Jill Foster, social network guru, video blogger, and co-founder of DC Media Makers.  Jill has over 5,000 followers on Twitter, nearly 600 Facebook friends and she’s prolific on what seems like every major social network.  Here’s what she has to say about being active on at least a half dozen platforms:

    There are online networks where my content may overlap but that’s intentional and less frequent.

    Twitter:
    It’s my central hub of online conversation plus a place to observe other users’ content –  and share content I produce.  Twitter frankly goes beyond a business platform for me.  Twitter is a liberal arts engagement pool (with a water cooler chat mentality mixed in) that never stops.

    Twitter Search:
    If I want to virtually attend a conference – I follow that conference’s hashtag or the feeds for those able to attend in person.  Also, to observe and engage on core topics of interest with people, I keep certain Twitter feeds active, e.g., women entrepreneurs, public figures, public speaking, social media.
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  • Direct Selling Association Web site Redesign

    Direct Selling Association Web site Redesign

    Matrix Group partnered with Direct Selling Association (DSA) to launch a new and enhanced Web site, www.dsa.org.  In collaboration with DSA and Moire Designs, the goal of the updated site was to make it easier to find information by freshening the design and branding, more effectively market DSA’s meetings, publications and research, promote DSA members through an improved member directory and showcase DSA’s government relations activities.

    Matrix Group and Moire Design work included:

    • A revamped navigation system coupled with a new site search to make finding information easy and intuitive.
    • A New design that represents DSA’s new design aesthetic and image.
    • Enhancements to DSA’s content management system (CMS) that give DSA staff more control over the site, with more options for content formatting and uploading images and multimedia.
    • An interactive map that allows site visitors to click on a state and get information about direct selling activities and legislation for that state.
    • An upgraded member directory that features enhanced member listings that include logos and videos.
    • Cross linking of DSA products and services to market all DSA programs better.
    • Integration with DSA’s membership database (MatrixMaxx)

    Visit the new DSA Web site

  • Why Do We Get So Upset When Facebook Changes Its Interface?

    Why Do We Get So Upset When Facebook Changes Its Interface?

    In the last twelve months, Facebook has made some major and minor changes to its interface. Each time they did this, there was hundreds of blog posts decrying or applauding the changes.  There’s even a group called “I Automatically Hate The New Facebook Home Page.”

    Why do we get so upset when Facebook changes its interface?

    In looking at some of the blog posts and news articles, I can understand many of the complaints. For my part, I cannot figure out the difference between News Feed and Live Feed. But I love that it’s easier to get to my Inbox and see which of my friends is currently online. I also think that Facebook generally does a great job of explaining why they have implemented specific changes.  I thought this Guide to the new Facebook Home Page was especially good.

    Psychologists tell us that most humans are averse to change. With over 350M users, any change then to Facebook, no matter how small, is bound to upset some segment of the user base. And if just 1% is unhappy and vocal, that’s still 3.5M people.  If 0.1 were unhappy, that would be 350,000 people!

    All of this got me thinking. Matrix Group is in the business of redesigning Web sites. We work with clients who want to redesign their sites for all kinds of reasons: name change, the navigation is not intuitive, the company’s focus has changed, yada, yada. But if Facebook users are any indication of how averse we are to change, no matter how rational, articulated or needed, there is always going to be a segment that is unhappy. This unhappy user base may be vocal about it, which I think is a good thing because then you have an opportunity to respond to the concerns.  If the user base is unhappy and silent, then you’re in trouble because you don’t know you have a problem.
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  • Half the Sky

    Half the Sky

    Authors make a compelling case for improving the education and treatment of girls and women worldwide. You will be changed forever if you read this.

  • Companies Beware! Unhappy Customers are Turning to Social Media

    Companies Beware! Unhappy Customers are Turning to Social Media

    Last week, I blogged about how a social media site like YouTube represent the future of advertising. But social media can also represent the anti-advertisement: bad reviews from unhappy customers who are eager to spread the word about a company’s failings. Witness the following:

    • My friend Tanya runs a blog called NitpickyConsumer.com.  Tanya blogs about good and bad customer service, companies that don’t seem to care, companies that just don’t get it.
    • This disillusioned Dell customer created a Dear Dell rant on YouTube that has garnered over 32,000 views and nearly 1,600 comments!
    • Check this one out.  Dave Caroll wrote a song and created a video about United Airlines breaking his guitar.  The video has been viewed over 8 million and generated nearly 43,000 ratings (average 5 stars).  Ouch.
    • And don’t forget the millions of updates that subscribers to various social networks fire off every day about their experiences.  Many are about lousy customer service.  Do a search on Twitter for “comcast sucks” or “verizon sucks” and you’ll never run out of tweets.

    As marketers, we’re always trying to position or brand our companies.  But Harvard Business Review says “your brand is no longer your own” because anyone can go online and talk about your company and its offerings. And when our family, friends and colleagues talk, we listen.  A recent survey sponsored by Tealeaf.com found that “74% of online adults said negative comments read online have an influence on whether they will do business with a company.”  Wow.
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  • The Future of Advertising

    It’s got to be tough being in the advertising business these days. DVRs (digital video recorders) are allowing viewers to skip commercials, premium channels offer fewer advertising opportunities, circulation numbers for print publications continue to spiral downwards, and research shows that most users avoid anything that looks like a banner ad on a Web page.

    Ugh, so what’s an advertiser to do?

    This morning, I had the pleasure of seeing Dave Nelsen, President of Dialog, talk about social media for business.  While discussing YouTube, Dave showed us a video that he called “the future of advertising.”  The T-Mobile Dance is a 2:41 minute video of commuters at Liverpool Station in England dancing their hearts out.  As more and more people join in, onlookers snap photos, take video and share the experience with their friends through their T-Mobile phones, of course.

    Dave made the point that this video represents the future of advertising because:

    • The company got me to willingly watch a loooong ad. This would never happen on TV!
    • Because YouTube allows comments, over 16,000 people have commented on this video, creating incredible buzz and feedback for the company.
    • The video was so successful that T-Mobile created a YouTube channel for its “Life’s for Sharing” campaign.  Fans can even create their own videos and T-Mobile posts the best of the bunch.  There’s a video of a Korean baby singing Hey Jude and a singer jamming from atop a bus. How’s that for a user-generated content strategy?

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  • In Business, I Get the Chance to Win Gold Every Week

    In Business, I Get the Chance to Win Gold Every Week

    I’m watching the Women’s Downhill competition during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics this evening.   I saw several women crash on the course, their Olympics dreams and year of preparation, go up in smoke.  Business books are full of sports analogies, but for my part, I’m glad that the world of business is not really like the Olympics.  Here’s how:

    The Olympics are for the Young

    Although there are a few 30-something and 40-something athletes, the Olympics are dominated by elite competitors in their teens and 20s. After a dozen years of competing, their careers are over. I’m grateful that after 18 years in the online business, I still have many years ahead of me. Perhaps I’m a late bloomer, but I feel like it’s really only in the last five years that I’ve really hit my stride and seen Matrix Group really thrive and expand.

    In Business, Teams Rule!

    Although there are a few relay races, the Olympics are dominated by the talents and achievements of individuals. In business, you can’t complete projects of any significant size and scope without a team effort. Take any redesign project at Matrix Group; these projects involve a project manager, an information architect, multiple designers, at least one front-end developer, at least one developer, and at least one tester. The work of one person affects every other team member and if one team members screws up, the whole project is threatened.

    In Business, You Want a Lot of Winners

    It’s easy to compare the world of sales with the Olympics: lots of competitors, one winner. But I would argue that the true race or competition begins once the sale has been made and implementation begins. Paradoxically, at this stage, you don’t want any losers. You want the client, the vendor, the third party partners, and the customers to all win with whatever widget, Web site or product you are building. (more…)

  • The Great “Work From Home” Experiment

    The Great “Work From Home” Experiment

    Man Working From Home with LaptopLast Thursday, when the National Weather Service was calling for a blizzard in the DC area, I had a choice to make:  open on Friday but probably close early, close the office OR keep the office open but let everyone work from home.  On Sunday night, with roads still largely impassable, federal and local governments announcing closures and public transportation down for the count, I faced a similar choice: declare the office closed on Monday and give everyone a snow day OR keep the office open and let everyone work from home.

    While I’m sure most of my staff would have loved a snow day or two, as a small business owner, I know that when my staff isn’t working, we’re not generating billable time, which means a bad month in revenues, or worse.  So, since Friday, I’ve kept the Matrix Group office officially open but let everyone work from home. Here’s why:

    • Most staff appreciated not having to battle the bad roads to keep working and avoid taking vacation days.
    • Although most of our clients are in the DC area, we have clients all over the country; the latter expect us to be open.
    • It’s precisely when our clients are not able to serve their customers and members physically that they rely on their Web sites to be open for business virtually.
    • Letting staff work from home let us put our pandemic/DR plans to the test.

    The results have been mostly good. With the exception of staff who lost power at home, everyone scheduled to work has been able to work.  Here’s what helped: (more…)

  • Is it Easy to Do Business With Your Company?

    Is it Easy to Do Business With Your Company?

    Two figures shaking handsI was arranging lunch with a vendor and suggested Kora, the hip, new Italian restaurant in Crystal City.  I wanted to e-mail my contact Kora’s address, phone number and a link to a Google map.  Alas, the entire Kora site is in Flash, which is beautiful, but it’s not very user-friendly.  The biggest problem?  I can’t copy and paste the contact info to include in an e-mail and  paste into Google Maps.  I know, I know, it’ s not a big deal to retype the address, but I’m a picky consumer.  I want to be able to copy and paste easily.  Even better, I’d love a way to share the address page or just click on a map.

    This got me to thinking.  What are all the ways, big and little, that we make it difficult for our customers and potential customers to do business with us? Consider these examples.

    • A few years ago, my husband and I were shopping around for a mortgage.  I called three bankers.  One was only available between 7am and 3pm.  Another sent me 20 pages to fill out about our assets.  The third asked me when it would be convenient to call (7pm), asked me to send bank and 401(k) statements so that he could fill out all the paperwork.  Guess who got the business?  At that point, I knew each banker would give us a competitive rate, but Craig Miller from BF Saul made it easy for us to work with him.
    • During the planning for our office move, I called several vendors about office furniture systems.  One never called back.  One asked me to send her the architect’s drawings and information on what we wanted (I didn’t yet know what we wanted so I didn’t call back.)  The third, Michelle Ferrari from Office Images, offered to come by with catalogs, look at the architect’s drawings with me and discuss our needs.  There was no contest.
    • I called a company to get a reference for someone applying for a job at Matrix Group.  It took me 3 tries before I could figure out how to leave a message in the general mailbox.  I couldn’t even imagine calling as a prospective customer.
    • I’ve had a relationship with Insurance Designers for a very long time.  Every time I have a question, I call or e-mail Neal or Wendy Cohen and they get back to me promptly.  One time, Matrix Group was applying for some new type of insurance and Neal’s office sent over a very long questionnaire, which I couldnot figure out.  I called Neal and he said, “don’t worry about it, let’s fill it out over the phone.”  I love the guy.

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