Don’t Outsource Your Online Identity

Don’t outsource your online identify. Hire an intern and teach them about your company’s values. They’ll do a better job.

Social media is an incredibly powerful and dynamic tool. Regardless of the business you’re in, your customers can be found and reached through these online platforms. This makes marketing via social media essential.

Social media is an incredibly powerful and dynamic tool. Regardless of the business you’re in, your customers can be found and reached through these online platforms. This makes marketing via social media essential – a fact that successful business owners today understand and build into their communications strategies.

What is less understood is how to effectively harness the power of these tools within your business. This is understandable since this new and rapidly changing space can be a challenge to navigate. As a business owner, your inbox is likely full of solicitations from gurus, wizards, and experts in social media marketing. Some are better than others, but often the best solution is to bring someone in-house. (1)

Managing your social media presence means creating and disseminating content over Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and, if appropriate, Instagram. It also means communicating with people through these channels and driving positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Google.

For the large majority of small businesses, this is probably a five-hour-per-week job. However, it’s an important one that needs to be done by someone who understands your brand, your voice, and your values. The likelihood of an outside agency, with hundreds or thousands of clients, truly understanding your business and being invested in its success is marginal.

How do you find someone willing to work just minimal hours per week? An internship is a win-win solution. Social media marketing can be an ideal opportunity for an undergraduate marketing student studying the evolving world of digital media communications. Students will be excited to put into practice the skills they’ve been developing, and you’ll have a knowledgeable social media expert in-house. (1)

Having someone who represents your business in the digital world physically in your building has a distinct advantage. Ongoing, in-person communication with your social media intern will help accurately portray who you are as well as your target audience. You’ll also gain a more complete understanding of the communications tactics and how they impact your business.

Having an in-house social media intern will help establish an online presence that comes across as genuine and authentic. Often, when a small business employs a social media marketing agency, the material is formulaic and generic. It’s almost always too “safe;” it doesn’t stand out in a crowded landscape, resulting in ineffective outreach efforts. Working with an in-house intern, even for a few hours a week, can help you craft a unique online brand.

A social media internship presents an advantageous opportunity to find and groom a young person for a more permanent position in your business. Marketing graduates can do more for your business than just manage social media channels. As your business grows and their skills develop, five hours a week may very well turn into 20 and eventually a full-time position.

To find a social media outreach intern, contact the business or marketing department at a local university. Contact individual professors who are easily found on university websites. Inform the professor what you do, what you’re looking for and ask if they would pass along the opportunity to some of their top students. Universities also have online job boards, and many student newspapers accept internship advertisements.

While the upside is tremendous, keep in mind that a student intern is also a responsibility. It may be the first time they’re in a professional situation and they could require training and more attention. As with any other hire, interview a few candidates, check references, and bring on the person who best fits the culture of your business.

The business world is constantly changing with the impact of social media being one of the most disruptive and powerful forces propelling that change. Be smart in building and maintaining your social media presence by employing, training, and developing a social media outreach intern.

(1) It’s important to understand and obey the labor laws of your state and country in regard to internships, as well as the regulations and requirements of the university if the internship is intended to earn college credits. Offering minimum wage for just a few hours a week should yield a great return on investment and will guarantee you stay on the right side of the law.