Hello, my name is Taylor, and I am a sophomore in college working on my degree in marketing. Over the summer, I worked as Shan Bates, LLC’s first-ever intern. Although the job was not what I expected, I did end up learning a lot about the world of an entrepreneur in marketing. My goal for the summer was to obtain insights into how the marketing world worked. I wanted to understand client meetings, see what people expect from a marketer, and learn small things like the lingo involved in the business. I collaborated with Shan on vision boards, crafting stories, and client presentation mock-ups, and I was even able to attend a few business meetings along the way.
This internship has given me the opportunity to see first-hand what one of the jobs in my field of study looks like. I have gained useful information to help me decide on questions like: do I want to start my own company or work for a larger firm?, do I prefer remote work to an in-person environment?, and do I like the more technical or the more artistic side of marketing? What I found to be the most interesting was being involved in event planning and client anniversary dinners/parties. I enjoyed the flexible hours of remote work but missed the more stable relationship someone has with an hourly in-person job.
Tune in to TikTok
In celebration of National Intern Day, I worked to curate some posts as I took over the business’s Instagram account. My main idea is that more companies should get on TikTok. A newer social media app, TikTok has become a staple on the phones of many. The thought of a company posting on a new platform could scare some people, but the possibilities are endless.
From educational to comical, TikTok has millions of videos that reach even more viewers every day. TikTok content can be easily reposted to other social media channels, giving an organization even more content to post. If you’re having trouble creating videos, there are so many examples to help you out. I personally like when companies relate to their audiences, but companies have been doing many different things to gain followers. Large companies like Duo Lingo (@duolingo) and small businesses such as City Books (@citybookspgh) all can create a following to grow their business. Challenges, dances, and comedic day-in-the-life-like filming are just a few ways to get people interested. You can check out some of my TikTok insights on Instagram and in the below preview!
I think Shan and I learned many things from each other, and as I go back to school in the fall, I hope I can take my experience and use it in my classes. Maybe I can even convince Shan to start a TikTok account…stay tuned!