6 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Digital Marketing Intern
As a Digital Marketing Intern here at Live Digital Recruitment I know first hand the benefits of taking on an internship and in this blog I have complied some compelling reasons of why you should hire a Digital Marketing Intern, and incorporated my own personal experiences to highlight all the ways an internship programme can be an asset to any business.
There is a vast range of internships available, from summer and year internships to semester and quarterly internships - whatever time frame you’re looking to hire for, there is an eager future digital marketer who would be happy to take on the role!
In the last decade, Digital Marketing and Ecommerce recruiters have seen a large shift in the role of interns. Gone are the days of interns being hired to fetch coffee and fax papers, now more than ever employers are recognising the great value interns can bring to a company, from improving the company culture and productivity to providing the future workforce with an array of skills.
So whether you're in the business of Digital Marketing and Ecommerce recruitment or just looking to expand your companies horizons, keep reading to learn about all the ways hiring an intern can benefit your company.
1. A great opportunity to train future employees!
If you hire the right intern, an internship programme can be an excellent recruitment and hiring tool for your company, especially when it comes to recruiting for Ecommerce and Digital Marketing industries.
More often than not, your intern will be a University student or graduate looking to start their Digital Marketing career. An internship offers students the opportunity to develop professional skills they may not find on a University campus. Luckily for you, this comes at a great advantage for those looking to expand their business!
Training up a digital marketing or ecommerce intern with all the relevant skills for an entry level job at your company means that once their internship comes to an end or once they graduate they could become a permanent fixture in your company. An internship programme is a great way to train the future of Digital Marketing and select those who you can see joining you full time!
Not only is this a great selection process but this means that your intern turned full time staff can join your business right away, and if trained right with all the Digital Marketing and ecommerce skills they may need during their time as an Intern they will already have the knowledge and skills needed to jump right into action and be an integral member of your team. This will save your business valuable time training a new hire!
So if you’re looking to recruit a new digital marketer or ecommerce hire, why not look into taking on an intern?
2. Eliminating the skills gap...
Hiring a Digital Marketing Intern is an excellent way to eliminate the skills gap often seen when recent graduates enter employment. Whilst newly graduated employees may have the grades and the brains to join your business their studies have usually failed to prepare them with the skills employers desperately need whether that be professionalism and leadership or working in a large team.
As a Digital Marketing Intern here at Live Digital Recruitment, I have received a vast array of opportunities that as a result have developed my skills in general professionalism (such as communication and leadership) and Digital Marketing skills such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Content Creation. The skills I have developed, and continue to develop have prepared me for the workforce and entering a career in Digital Marketing in ways that my university course has not.
I highly recommend hiring an intern as employing an intern can prepare future graduates for employment once they leave education, ensuring they have all the skills employers are looking for.
Not only is this good for their own personal and professional development but it also is an asset to any business as it allows your future employees to hit the ground running and they are already equipped to do so!
3. A fresh perspective…
Your interns will also be eager to make an impact!
The world of Digital Marketing, Ecommerce and social media is an ever changing and ever growing phenomenon. Hiring an intern is a great way to ensure you’re up to date with the latest trends and platforms to ensure your business has maximum exposure as they bring new perspectives and insights that can help your company break free from the status quo.
As interns are usually young people between the ages of 18-25 they are more likely to have the social media skills and abilities your older staff may lack. Additionally, interns are a great way to enhance your social media strategy as students are more likely to be knowledgeable on the best ways to grow your following!
As the market for Interns grows, it is important to note that gone are the days where interns were solely used to fetch coffee and staple papers (whilst they can still do this too!). The best way you will see the benefits of recruiting a digital marketing intern is to allow them to be active and participating members of your business or company. Include your intern in brainstorming new ideas, strategy sessions with potential clients and team meetings as you may be surprised by the benefits a fresh set of eyes can have on the growth of your business!
4. Greater Productivity!
Not only will Interns benefit your company in terms of perspective and recruitment but hiring an Intern is an excellent way to boost productivity! Are you finding that your staff are overworked and not performing as they once did?
An intern is the solution to this problem! A talented intern will make a great difference to your company's productivity levels. Providing interns with responsibility not only builds their skill set but reduces the burden on your full time staff which will ultimately free up time for them to focus on their bigger tasks and subsequently perform better.
This responsibility will also provide interns with greater insight and knowledge into just what they would be doing if they choose to take on a role with you full time once they graduate.
5. They’re great for spreading the word!
What better way to gain free word of mouth advertising than having a Intern spread the word of your great business around a university campus!
You would be surprised how far word can spread amongst young people! If you’re looking to increase the visibility of your company, an intern is an excellent way to do so. If you’re previous intern is happy and fulfilled in their time at your company then it is not unlikely that they will tell their peers of this role and when it comes to recruitment time the latest graduates and job seekers will recognise your companies name and will know all about your company culture from their peer who worked their one semester.
Your new intern could turn out to be your best spokesperson, and you never know who they will rave about you to next, it could be your next client...
6. A great leadership opportunity for your staff!
Hiring an intern is not just beneficial for you, the intern and your company but it can greatly improve the skills of your entire team.
Having your current employees train up a new digital marketing intern not only provides them with the autonomy to become a great leader, but develops valuable mentorship skills which will prove beneficial as they continue to grow in your company.
Training an intern is an excellent motivator to see which of your staff is the best fit to become a future leader, or who is ready to take on a more senior position if you’re looking to recruit some more senior digital marketers.
Not only this, but training an intern is a great moral booster. Educating the future of your business can refresh your full time employees knowledge of the basics they may have forgotten and all round improve the content your digital marketers produce.
Additionally, hiring interns consecutively can act as a great way to pass on knowledge. When beginning my journey as a Digital Marketing Intern at Live Digital Recruitment, I was trained by the previous intern. Not only was this a great opportunity for me to ask questions about the role but this meant we could share ideas and create a seamless transition between their departure from the role and the beginning of my journey.
Finally…
If you’re looking for insider knowledge on the benefits of hiring a Digital Marketing Intern, then you’ve come to the right place.
During my time as a Digital Marketing Intern here at Live Digital Recruitment, I’ve had the opportunity to develop new skills and put existing skills into practice. Before joining the team here at Live Digital Recruitment, I had some basic knowledge of writing copy and throughout this internship I have been able to develop and grow my skills further through writing weekly blog posts and managing social media pages. Being an intern has provided me with an insight to the world of Digital Marketing and Ecommerce careers, and prepared me for the workplace as a future graduate. Before my time as an intern I had little knowledge of the data that goes into Digital Marketing and Ecommerce recruitment. In my role, I have developed a greater understanding of SEO through insider knowledge and access to resources such as Google Analytics. The vast array of skills I have gained through being an intern at Live Digital Recruitment are skills I would have otherwise been none the wiser about and are skills that I can carry with me into future employment as in this role I have had exposure to multiple Digital Marketing channels, insight that will help me find the right Digital Marketing role for me as a future graduate. I strongly recommend hiring a Digital Marketing Intern, you never know who you will inspire to go into a full time Digital Marketing career!
We hope this blog provided you with some insider knowledge on the benefits of hiring a Digital Marketing Intern and the difference this can make to your company's overall performance - if you’re stuck on what tasks to set for the recruitment process why not check out our blog post titled: How to Set An Interview Task to Identify the Best Candidate.