My Life-altering Internship at Razoyo

Over the past 7 months I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside some great minds during my internship at Razoyo. I have been able to grow my skills immensely, contribute to the team in large ways, and develop personal relationships with incredible colleagues who are superb at what they do.

I found Razoyo through my professor, and head of the Digital Retailing program at UNT, Richard Last. Razoyo’s president, Paul Byrne, attended the 2015 Ignite Conference in Dallas where he attended a presentation by Professor Last. Afterwards Paul reached out to him to inquire about potential interns from the Digital Retailing program. From there, Professor Last informed me of the opportunity, and my venture with Razoyo soon commenced.

When I began my tenure at Razoyo I had quite a bit of experience with web development and design already. I built my first website in high school, PoliticsMadeSimple.com. (In case you are curious, it was aimed at informing the youth about the ‘08 candidates and party policy positions.) I have also built websites for clients over the past decade. In addition, I’ve used a variety of applications including Google Analytics and Adwords.

My experience and knowledge of e-Commerce expanded exponentially during my 7 month internship at Razoyo. Needless to say, I feel immensely fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of the team. The 40-50 active clients that Razoyo has, as well as the wide variety of applications used across client websites, have given me the tools I need to apply what I have learned into practice. Of course, this internship has boosted my knowledge of eCommerce. But it has also shown me the value of a highly collaborative team with technical skills and the desire to better the company, the clients, and themselves.

What I Learned in My Internship

Bronto

The bulk of my internship experience revolved around Razoyo’s preferred email marketing service, Bronto. For those unaware, Bronto is the “#1 email marketing provider to the Internet Retailer Top 1000.” With that level of prestige, I’d say it was the perfect platform to gain experience on. During this project I migrated Razoyo clients from our agency account to their own individual sub-accounts. This required me to export lists, replicate segments, and copy HTML email messages, to mention a few of the tasks. This was a great way to immerse myself within the platform and learn the ins and outs.

A major component of the Bronto project consisted of replicating Workflows, the automation technology used by Bronto. With this assignment, I learned the power of digital marketing automation as I implemented the links between form data, email messages, and customer information. I’ve used Bronto so much that the boss jokes about me knowing as much as he does about it. (I humbly reject this assertion.) Ultimately, my time spent with Bronto gave me experience that I will use for years to come.

Google Analytics and AdWords

I was also given the privilege of leading Razoyo’s house accounts marketing initiatives. By harnessing the power of Google Analytics, I transformed Shop Junior Golf into a more aesthetically-pleasing and cohesive user experience. I worked alongside Razoyo’s graphic designer to create a new logo. In addition, I amended template colors and category-specific images. Then, I implemented their placement on the home page.

In addition to this I ran several marketing campaigns for Razoyo’s house accounts using Bronto and Google Adwords simultaneously to drive revenue and performance of KPIs on the sites. Through this internship, I gained the knowledge needed to get me cretified in both Google Analytics and Adwords.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I have gained a tremendous amount of experience with digital marketing during my time at Razoyo. Really, the projects mentioned here are but a dent of what I have accomplished.

Is it possible that an internship can have a life-altering experience on an intern? If you had asked me that question last year, I would have probably said not likely. My time at Razoyo, however, has taught me that personal dedication combined with the opportunity to grow and learn is the most effective way to find your passions. E-Commerce is an enormous industry and I am thankful for my time at Razoyo, because it not only gave me priceless experience but also showed me that my true passion is digital marketing. Due to the experience gained during this internship I will soon be graduating and following my passion as a Digital Marketing Specialist for Jack Black.

To the team at Razoyo, thank you for the knowledge you bestowed upon me, for giving me the platform and tools to grow my skills, and most importantly, for showing me the value of a great team who is dedicated to empowering their customers.

Zoy out.