Social Media Internships: What’s on the other side of the digital-generational divide by Suzanne McDonald of Designated Editor and University of Rhode Island

Designated Editor Speaking Series
Social Media Internships What’s on the other side of the digital-generational divide Suzanne McDonald | Content & Social Strategist @Sue_DesigEditor #URISMS

suzanne’s experience www.designatededitor.com 2 6 years Page 1 Masters in Journalism & Mass Communications BA in Journalism Social Media Strategies professor

challenges for digital natives www.designatededitor.com 3
Non-native colleagues & bosses
A lack of experience, which is natural
Work-ethic ideology differences

challenges for non -digital natives www.designatededitor.com 4
Assumptions about digital natives
Can figure it out
Know your business
They don’t understand tools & limitations
Social can’t solve all your problems
Doesn’t take much investment

Let’s address those challenges www.designatededitor.com 5
Where does this information come from?
URI Social Media Strategies students
Designated Editor staff, mostly in their 20s
I’m a Gen X, they said similar things about us
Widely read Social Media books
LinkedIn Answers survey with 30+ respondents

www.designatededitor.com 6 VP of Creative Services Vanessa Montes ^
Social Media Adviser, Nexus Marketing Social Media and e-Commerce
New hires have to be
Creative
Marketing-oriented
Savvy: mobile, web, video, design, apps, social
Great communications skills
And astute
Expect very little training. Pick it up quickly.

what can brands expect? www.designatededitor.com 7
Interns Make Coffee Not Social Media Strategies
They don’t know your brand / culture / perspective
They have no vested interest
Should an intern plan a major PR event?
Do they know marketing?
Can they relate to your target market?
They are gone before you know it
Social Media Marketing by Li Evans Chapter 3

digital natives’ advantages www.designatededitor.com 8
What are your assets and how do you present?
Not just getting you, also getting your network
You're willing to be accessible at any time
They’ll know you more by your profiles

www.designatededitor.com 9 quick to skill up Susan Payton President, Egg Marketing & Communications: The Marketing Eggspert, Internet Marketing firm Be quick to pick up new skills & take on more than their job description. For marketing, certainly a solid grasp of social media is necessary.

larger issues at hand www.designatededitor.com 10 Lionel Sim Director of Sales at TravelClick hotel e-commerce The problem often lies with the senior management who may not be that tech-savvy or inclined toward social media. These gaps and expectations will be a conflict source, especially with social media campaigns.

it's not all about Facebook www.designatededitor.com 11 Dave Delage Senior Web Marketing Manager, Ottawa, Canada I find most Gen Y hires coming in are very in tune with the latest technology, and are eager to apply it to any situation, without performing the due diligence... I think they need to spend more time thinking through why an idea will work.

don’t overlook little things www.designatededitor.com 12 Graham Clarke founder, Dealicio.com, web service for web publishers We want people that can learn, solve problems and be responsible for what they do. Good communication skills are also important. Constantly amazed by grammar and spelling errors.

who should you intern for? www.designatededitor.com 13
Look at the website
Who is on the team?
Is the brand social?
Who are the clients?
Match up with you goals?
Social Media Marketing by Li Evans Chapter 44

tools can be taught www.designatededitor.com 14 Douglas Haslam Client Services Supervisor, Voce Communications My fear is that people will say "fluent in social media" or some such nonsense. Tools can be taught. I would look for good writing skills, the ability to work quickly and creatively, and, I know this is a vague word, courage.

multimedia & copywriting www.designatededitor.com 15
Amy Rutter
Digital Marketing Consultant at zero G media Ltd, Brighton-based digital media agency

A new hire essentially needs to be
Able to be a copywriter/copyeditor
Adapt writing style for print/web etc.
Make & edit videos & podcasts

be smarter but ... www.designatededitor.com 16 Be smarter than me when it comes to technology. It's a different world ... and anyone coming out of college knows the ins and outs way more than I do. Anyone 5 yrs younger than me knows 10x what I know about technology. I'm actually okay with it; you should learn something new everyday. AnnMarie Grohs Sales & Marketing Manager at Morton's The Steakhouse

www.designatededitor.com 17 Find a job Jobs find you __________ Socialnomics by Erik Qualman p.225
Tools to use
Craigslist
Plaxo
LinkedIn
Video resume
Feedback from peers, bosses, subordinates
Search for those with the same name
Glassdoor

tools to use to land a job www.designatededitor.com 18
Complete your profile
Be professional
Get a smartphone
What interests you most?
Give some Tweet love
Utilize Search and hashtags

get your blog on www.designatededitor.com 19
S ummarize and elaborate on several posts
Ask questions and then round up the replies
Link to thought-leaders, give thanks
Don’t forget multimedia!
S earch engine marketing firm director "We expect all our employees to blog and tweet. We actually require periodic blog posts."

how to structure www.designatededitor.com 20
Lead with what you want do
How it benefits your future employer
Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan p. 293
Integrate your blog & Twitter
Events, Reading List & SlideShare
Post questions to Answers

final thoughts for interns & brands www.designatededitor.com 21 For social media, you need to understand SEO, PR, writing , and have a head for quickly adopting technology and metrics. – John Cass Bring passion and intellectual curiosity, and enough confidence in your creativity that you know you can find a way to meet the task at hand. – David Berkowitz

Designated Editor Speaking Series
Social Media Internships What’s on the other side of the digital-generational divide Suzanne McDonald | Content & Social Strategist @Sue_DesigEditor #URISMS

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Social Media Internships: What’s on the other side of the digital-generational divide by Suzanne McDonald of Designated Editor and University of Rhode Island

by Designated Editor on Nov 30, 2011

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Social Media Internships: What’s on the other side of the digital-generational divide by Suzanne McDonald of Designated Editor and University of Rhode Island — Presentation Transcript