As a digital marketer, you’ve likely received a few requests from students requesting internships at your agency. When you’re busy with your day-to-day responsibilities, dealing with these emails probably seems like a hassle that you just don’t have time for… but pause for a moment before hitting delete next time around.
Hiring an intern is a great idea for any digital marketing agency, that can be beneficial both ways. Here’s why:
- They’re up to date with online marketing trends
Usually, students are required to complete an internship in their final year of study. This means that when you hire an intern, you’re not getting someone fresh out of high school, but rather someone who is currently studying online marketing and has their finger firmly on the pulse of what’s trending right now. They are also familiar with new techniques, theories and practices for online marketing campaigns that you might not have heard of yet, so sometimes they can teach you a few valuable tricks
- Millennials often have the edge
The millennial generation (born approximately between 1990 and 2000) are just coming into their own and many of them are now at university or college. This is the generation that was born into a world where cellphones, the internet and social media already existed. They grew up with it. They live and breathe it… far more so than you or many of your older staff (even if they are not that old). Millennials have a unique grasp of social networks and how to use them that can do wonders for your social media marketing.
- Enthusiasm is contagious
Interns are generally very passionate about what they do. They’re still kind of on the ‘pink cloud’ of discovering their calling in life and are incredibly eager to get their hands dirty. In a digital marketing agency, where creativity is key, there’s nothing like a boost of enthusiasm to inject fresh life into stagnant ideas and processes.
- Great work for less cost
Whether you’re running a digital marketing franchise or a small agency, the bottom line is always important. Interns are often at the same level of skill as your junior staff members, however, while they should not be considered ‘slave labor’, they are more interested in gaining experience than in being paid. Hiring an intern thus gives you all the benefits of an employee with superb skills and knowledge, without the associated cost.
It should be said here that it is a nice idea to offer interns some compensation for their work, even if it is at a greatly reduced rate. Research shows that interns who are paid end up adding more value to an agency, work harder and are often hired by the company at the end of their internship.
- You can help shape someone’s future
Finally, there is the feel-good factor:
- When you hire an intern, you’re actively becoming a part of the future of digital marketing;
- Mentoring an intern in your digital marketing agency can be very rewarding on a personal level;
- You’re also exposing them to other areas of knowledge related to digital marketing that may not be covered in colleges, such as website design and website hosting, that they should understand.
For help and advice with your digital marketing, contact us today.