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Social media is no longer all about selfies and hashtag. It is where the brands establish their voice, where businesses develop their loyal community, where the marketers create trends. In case you are the kind of person who is a little fascinated about entering this somewhat hectic world, there is a good possibility that you have considered doing a social media marketing internship. This is quite correct.
However, the most important thing is that this internship may launch your career, or keep you on the verge of unpaid intern status. Intrigued? You ought. By the fact that in the following several minutes, we are going to sink deeply into how this single decision could be a groundbreaking point.
So, how about we dissect the good, bad and transformational?
1. Real world > Book
The thing is, no matter how many courses one binges on online, there is no alternative to working. As an intern in social media marketing, you will find yourself stuck right in the middle of client briefs, content calendar, updates of the algorithm and last-minute changes to run campaign. You begin to learn what engagement and reach are and why they both matter.
The first thing that will strike you is that each brand possesses its style, audience and the purpose. One thing is that it can be brand awareness. The second one is conversions. Participating in this vibrant learning culture avails you of practical experience that goes a long way ahead of classroom studies. You will also observe the critical nature of correlating content with emerging trends, seasonal campaigns, and a shift in a platform.
Although it is possible to work on minor activities during some internships at the beginning, you will be able to work on larger projects such as organizing influencer collaborations or conducting Facebook Ad campaigns over time. And believe me, when you get to see real-time figures and how even slightly altering one of the captions could result in their doubling, you are sold.
You also get to learn how to read analytics dashboard. Impressions, CTR or bounce rates, these words that seemed to be the corporate gibberish start being appealing to your choice. There is exposure to the real world that makes you realize that marketing is a form of art and science.
2. You Build a Portfolio (Not a Resume)
We both know that today, recruiters will never be bothered whether you passed your theory tests with flying colors. What they are interested in is result. Therein lies internalizing.
Consider your portfolio to be your epinion in career. In the course of your internship with social media marketing, you will be undertaking real life tasks such as:
· Editing and creating content on social media
· Composing captivating captions with the voice of brand
· Hashtag research Conducting hashtag research
· As an A/B test to stories
Every activity that is done will be another chapter in your growing portfolio. This document supported by data with visuals becomes an evidence of what you can do. Browsing portfolios during an interview is not a unique thing among recruiters. And there is nothing better than presenting a campaign you were involved in which resulted in thousands of interactions or increased the visibility of a brand.
There are also a lot of interns who are taught the usage of tools such as Canva, Hootsuite, Buffer or Later. Presenting your work with those tools can make your portfolio stand out. Even better, did you record any short-form video or write any blog posts, be sure to emphasize them through engagement measures.
This kind of initiative will actually be a better profile and will go a long way compared to a generic resume. A decent portfolio is an indication to the recruiters that says, I have done the work. I am not a theory-trained individual-I have produced outcomes.”
3. Networking (Yes, Even You Can be an Introvert)
Think that it is just grunt work at an internship? Think again. The contacts you create in the process of being an intern may lead you to opportunities that are manifestly unknown to you.
Majority of companies do not operate in silos. You will work together with content team where you are supposed to liaise with design with the client servicing and other times even directly to the client. Every experience shows you how to act in professional relationships and organize a network naturally.
The fact here is, that majority of the jobs, particularly in the online marketing world, are either available after referrals and internal recommendations. When your boss realizes that you are a dependable person, who do you think he/she would think about the next time they have a mind to hire someone? You.
Your team leader or manager may even mentor you in case you are lucky. And mentors can be lif changers. They will correct your weaknesses, impart some industry knowledge on you and even suggest good books or programs to read/enrol in.
And this is the sweet part about it, some interns were able to walk out with part-time freelance jobs with the same company that they were interning at. So do not deprive yourself of taking the plunge. At the end of a project, as simple as a thank you can also make an impression.
4. You Find Out What You Like doing
To be honest, social media marketing is a catch-all term. You have to have a plan, and that plan would include content creation, analysis, community management, outreach to influencers, and the list continues.
An social media marketing internship will provide you with an opportunity to take the waters in all these areas. Perhaps you had a passion to be a copywriter and jump so much at the idea of writing captions, but in actual sense, you are a data geek who enjoys joking with the click through rates. Or maybe you were dreaming about it because you are on the stage, but you were afraid to say the ideas in the team meetings now.
The internships will enable you to learn your areas of strength and weakness. There are individuals that are good at making thumb-stop creatives. Some do not even have to make an effort at client negotiation and team organization.
And what is better? You have everything going on in a realistic environment through direction and assessment. It is somewhat a trial run of your life after you sign.
Knowing what you love, or do not love, will guide you into the appropriate career path in your long term marketing career. No fetching up the years, no retrospective full-time. Just clarity.
5. It trains you on the soft skills that nobody talks about
Deadlines. Feedback. Conflict resolution. Ownership. Initiative.
They are not buzzwords, these are survival skills. And to train them internships are the best training place.
Take a campaign as an example, and you are late in the campaign because of slow creative approvals. So do you up it, change the plan or stay up late and do the midnight oil? Situations such as these train you on how to focus, to communicate and to think on your feet.
You will get to know how to:
· Receive criticism with grace
· Take care of revisions (even several rounds of them!)
· Strict deadlines at the work place
· Be ahead of the game, rather than behind it
And with the digital marketing roles it overlook time management. Balancing between activities, meetings and in some cases college work compels you to spend time as a pro. These soft skills usually define how successful you will be in the long term not only how much you know in Instagram insights or hashtag hacks.
The Bad News: The Flip Side: When Internships Go Wrong
It is not all sunshine and strategy meetings that are found in internships. Some are disorganized, wild and even worse predatory.
One would not be surprised over hearing interns complain about:
· Working of just pure admin stuff
· No effective learning or tutoring
· No exposure to the real marketing tools
· The wicked ones are capable of draining out your enthusiasm.
How therefore to escape this pitfall?
Pro Tips:
· Before submission, research on the company. Visit their social networks and linkedIn.
· Find out during the interview what your day-to-day will be.
· Do not be scared to say no when it is fishy. Time is money.
Among red flags, one can note vague job descriptions, the companies requesting full-time employment but not paying an employee, and a lack of a mentor or a point of contact are considered to be red flags as well.
On the one hand, the structured supportive internships can be transformational.
Translating Internship to Employment: The Process
Getting a full time job, usually begins with your performance as an intern. Most of the firms see internships as prolonged interviews. This means that it is an audition day, day in, day out whether you like it or not.
Look to impress long-lastingly?
Here’s how:
· Before waiting to be told what to do be ready to volunteer and offer ideas.
· Keep a count of what you did–a brag sheet.
· Stay open to feedbacks and do it.
Be able to prove that you delivered mercury, and you will not be only an intern, but a future asset.
In addition, request references or letters of recommendation. These will serve you gold when you are applying elsewhere. And of course, do not be embarrassed to get your LinkedIn updated with your new achievements.
Freelance, or Full-time: Which One is Next?
After you develop experience, the world opens. You can:
· Become part of an agency
· Towards work in-house on a brand
· Get a career as a freelancer and serve a number of customers
· Why, even start own social media consulting business!
The advantages and disadvantages of every route exist. Agencies present warp speed learning because of the range of clients. In-house opportunities allow you to mine a single brand. Freelancing is free and flexible.
This clarity will come after your internship experience and you will know which is the most suitable one to take.
You will understand whether you like working in a team or you like independence as a freelancer. And you will be skilled, experienced and confident enough to support your decision.
Summing Things Up: Now, Is It Worth It?
Short answer? YES. Long answer? Yes, still, however, with a few qualifications.
Social media marketing internship can actually become the catalyst in your career development. However, it is how you use it as with any golden opportunity to get ahead.
Approach with an open mind to learn, remain curious, remain regular and above all remain hungry.
The first internship could be the start of your marketing career. And whether you go full-time, on freelance gigs or even a personal brand of your own, the experience that you can take is priceless.
