We say it constantly – there is not enough time in the day. We all try so hard to finish daily to-do lists but there just isn’t enough manpower. Today, many businesses are leveraging their resources and expanding their talent profile and company assets by creating internship programs. There are many benefits to hiring interns, but there is tremendous value when hiring the right interns:
The right Interns are driven, motivated, and willing to learn
The right Interns bring a new skill set and interesting perspective to the business
The right Interns can achieve work that ultimately expands your business
Read on for helpful tips to consider when hiring an intern, what type of work a marketing intern can do, and an inside perspective from Twenty Over Ten’s intern team.
1. Is Hiring a Marketing Intern Right for My Business?
Now more than ever, many financial planning businesses have been expanding their online presence through their websites, social media outlets, email marketing, and more. However, getting around to these tasks can be extremely difficult, due to other work and tasks centered around clients. Having a marketing intern on your team can help alleviate these stresses by helping to carry out some of the marketing tasks for your business. Ask yourself these questions before hiring an intern:
- Do I have enough time to go through the process of developing a job post, conducting interviews, and training an intern?
- Can I afford to pay a fair wage for their work? (we recommend checking with the Department of Labor for the federal minimum wage)
- Can I map out specific assignments that I need help with?
- Will there be added value to both the intern and my business?
2. What Types of Marketing Projects Can Interns Take on?
Once you’ve decided that a marketing intern might be a good fit for your firm, you next want to consider the type of work that your intern can achieve. Here are some ways an intern can help with your digital marketing efforts:
Social Media
As a small business, it is incredibly important to develop and maintain an online presence. Doing so will ultimately help you stay connected with current clients, network with various business and thought- leaders in your area of expertise, and communicate with prospective clients. Have your marketing intern help you with your social media efforts in the following ways:
- Promote third party and original content.
- Develop content and schedule posts through an automatic system like Hootsuite.
- Create visual content for social sharing through platforms like Canva.
- Audit your social channels and make necessary adjustments and recommendations.
- Communicate regularly with your networks.
Email Campaigns
With third-party tools like MailChimp and Constant Contact, your intern can create a well designed email template to send to current and prospective clients on a timely basis, all while recording and analyzing results. He/she can also help cut your inbox clutter and assist in segmenting and builder subscriber lists.
Large-Scale Marketing Projects
Consider enlisting your interns help in your large-scale marketing efforts that you’ve always wanted to do but never have the time to execute. Some of which may include creating and distributing client surveys, competitive analysis, blogging strategy, and more.
3. What does an Intern Value?
As a marketing intern myself with Twenty Over Ten for the past two years, my experiences have been truly unforgettable. Working with a startup I have been able to see and contribute to the company’s growth. What I truly appreciate about my experience the most is the ability to share and discuss new creative ideas, while also being given the opportunity to execute those ideas. A valuable internship consists of growth – personal growth through gained knowledge, experiences, and work, and growth for the company through my work. If I know I am making a difference for the company I work for, I feel satisfied.
However, every intern values their experiences differently – see what my co-interns, Lauren Keeports and Emily Matyas, feel is the most valuable experience for them:
Lauren: “For me, the most valuable experiences I have gained in working with Twenty Over Ten is the tangible work I’m doing and working directly with clients. What I enjoy most is that our ideas are actually heard and often implemented, due to the flat organizational structure.”
Emily: “I’d have to agree with Lauren … Working for a startup in rapid-growth mode has been extremely valuable because we have been able to share our thoughts and ideas freely.”
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