The team welcomed me into the fold right away & the open-plan office allowed me to get to know everyone quickly and become acquainted with the company culture. The firm boasts an extensive client roster, spanning several industries with which I became rapidly familiar by working on various accounts from the outset.
The Matrix team are always incredibly busy so there was no time for a soft introduction, but rather it was made clear to me that I should never hesitate to speak up if I had any questions. This ‘learning on the job approach suited my personality much better than being handed a company playbook!
One of the first assignments I received was to analyse Matrix Internet’s own website. Although at first glance, this would appear to place a new hire in a bit of a predicament, the team reassured me that there was no reason to feel conflicted – a fresh perspective on their site, was precisely what they sought from me.
With my reservations thus assuaged, I proceeded to compile a very short snag list (their website is a testament to the fantastic work the team produces) which, to my relief, was well received.
Some of my recommendations were even incorporated into the site, for example reducing the number of clients featured in the “our work” section. In addition to analysing Matrix’s own website, I was immediately put to work on specific aspects of several client accounts.
I wrote eZines, composing blog posts, scheduled tweets & Facebook posts, ran advertising campaigns using Facebook Business Manager, pinned relevant items & created boards on Pinterest.
I also used Adobe Photoshop & PicMonkey for graphic design, created customised shortened links, conducted competitor research & benchmarking, optimized clients’ keywords for SEO in Google Ads & interpreted data from Google Analytics, to name but a few tasks.
However, it wasn’t until I was invited to participate in a UX workshop for potential client Club Manager 365 that I really got to experience the comprehensive Matrix approach to web design & marketing from inception to completion. From the first client meeting I attended, Jeff, Matrix Internet’s MD entrusted me with “driving” the project.
I’ll be forever grateful to him for taking this leap of faith (now that I know him better, I recognise it as indicative of his management style – he ensures Matrix is a meritocratic environment, affording everyone an equal opportunity to prove themselves), but at the time, I had just joined the company, so it lent me confidence that he felt I could handle the task.
Club Manager 365 is a joint venture between The Church – an existing Matrix client – & Neil Lovatt, the web developer who created the Racquet Club Management Software.
Fortunately, I had previously been in contact with the marketing team at The Church when writing blog posts for their website, so I was able to build on this relationship when forging new ground with Club Manager 365.
Matrix began by collaborating with CM 365 to draw up Personae which represent their target audience. It was great to see how helpful the client found this exercise to be. Frequently, companies wishing to launch an eCommerce website skip this vital step, instead launching straight into graphic design.
This proclivity is precisely what prompted Matrix to develop this interactive exercise, whose results inform all subsequent activities such as graphic design. Similarly, conducting competitor analysis with the client whilst noting their preferences on post-its, was equally important with regard to the construction of their website’s information architecture & wireframe.
These UX workshops were invaluable to the client & illustrated to me where Matrix’s focus lay. Once psychological profiles were put in place & CM 365’s brand DNA & product offering were defined through the post-it exercise, the various silos of Matrix Internet could begin to work on their respective tasks.
The responsibility of coordinating the activities of Matrix’s web development/graphic design, UX expert & Digital Marketing teams fell to me in addition to my own Digital marketing responsibilities whilst liaising with CM 365 to keep them abreast of progress.
From an account management perspective, both the client & Matrix Internet’s staff were a pleasure to liaise with. Both sides always communicated respectfully & delivered top-quality work on time.
My personal digital marketing responsibilities for the project included:
Working on this account has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, both in terms of taking the reigns as the lead point of contact & gaining invaluable empirical knowledge of Matrix’s process.
It’s been an educational and rewarding project to be at the helm of. At the time of going to press the new CM 365 website is on the cusp of ‘going live’, so I wait with bated breath to see the product of our collective efforts. Who knows what the next month holds in store?
More clients have been added to the roster so one thing’s for sure, I’ll be kept busy. Whatever my second month may bring, I look forward to working with group of talented people, whose work ethic is infectious but who also know how to have a good time.
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By Jeff Sheridan
By Conor McCaffrey