Why You Shouldn’t Leave Social Media Content Creation To Your Intern
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or so, you’re aware that social media content creation has become THE thing that matters in business today. This even goes for legacy companies who’ve been in the public eye for generations but have started seeing less returns on traditional advertising & marketing. No matter the social media platform chosen, what you post matters more than you can imagine.
What’s A Social Media Manager?!?
That said, who at your company should be in charge of creating the content? If you have a single-person operation (you), the answer is clear…kinda. Ask yourself: do you post things on social media that are at all related to business, or do you live in the arena of funny animal videos & kooky memes?
Interns: Beyond the All-Important Caffeine Run
But what about the intern? These are the young people on whom we rely to get coffee, make copies, and generally do the ‘meh’ work. Considering they’re the right age group & have essentially lived their entire lives around social media, they are default experts in the field. What’s more, content creation & cultivating an audience is part of what’s made social media use among young people a career & lifestyle versus ‘boomers’ sharing neat pics of their cat.
In short, handing the reigns of your company’s social media work to an intern makes sense in some cases. You brought the intern onto the team for a reason — you trusted in them & thought they could be a value. Their critical insights may actually do wonders for your advertising & marketing work. For example:
Engagement — Social media is only good if it is social. Interns can peruse the comments section & interact with customers, as well as take notes on constructive criticism a company can use to improve a product/service.
Experimentation — While expectations & structure is put in place for content, there needs to be some room available for your intern to try creation that attracts an audience. They’ve got their finger on the pulse of what’s popular, so let them try something that could garner positive feedback & attention.
Figure Out the RIGHT Platform — Your intern may be able to give you insight into knowing which social media platform connects you more with the right audience. Jumping back & forth between accounts may actually water down your message.
Dynamic Posting — Video content is king, and a look at some of the most viral social media posts shows that it’s not text that people respond to. Going ‘live’ and streaming in real-time is where it’s at, and your intern may be a pro at this.
Yeah…About That Last Post…
Their work frees up your time to invest more attention elsewhere in your company. But remember that interns are temporary members of the team. Their investment in your company & industry may be limited to the duration of the internship. This means gaps in their knowledge. They may not be able to convey your company’s message in the best manner. This, in turn, leads to wasted opportunities to make valuable connections.
So, the question remains: should interns be left in charge of your social media content creation? Ultimately, no. People primarily interact with companies through social media, and first impressions mean everything. One error on an intern’s part & you’ll be knee-deep in damage control. The last thing you want is a bungled social media fiasco because THAT will go viral in a heartbeat.
Why not trust your social media content creation to an Austin advertising agency who knows a thing or two about getting the word out about you the right way. Contact us here at MindEcology today.