Developing a social media program is like building a house: You will need experts that understand the tools as well as leaders that craft it and interns can be a very important part of that team. With many companies dabbling in social technologies, it is easy to assume that social media is the domain of the young. While we talked to our customers, we are also hearing of more companies handing over their social media strategy to interns and in my opinion, I think that’s a bad idea. Using low cost interns can help get the program up to speed in house, but relying on them for strategic corporate communications is nd to be risky.

The Art of Using Interns In Your Social Marketing

Get the interns to learn about technology: Companies should use them to understand the technology and allow  them to become the tools expert. Let them master the hammers, nails and tool chest of social media but keep the blueprint to yourself.

Reversal training pairing interns with senior management: You can consider starting a program that pair slower seasoned management with a young bright interns. This will allow the seasoned management to understand how the program should be run.

Developing strategy with management team: Here is the most important tip of this article. NEVER turn the strategy of the program over to an intern. Ensure that you’re developing plans with business goals in mind that align with the rest of the organization as you put resources and your brand name on the line. While interns are the master of the tool chest, senior management still owns the architectural blueprints.

Give the interns a safe place to communicate: Companies often want to suppress the voices of the next generation, resulting in them spilling the beans to public domain such as Facebook or Twitter. Create an internal community for your Gen Y employees and give them a safe, sanctioned place to communicate.

Get your intelligence right: Never assume anything before you get the right data in your hands. Do not use interns as your model for going to market. They are not representative as a larger segment and individual personalities won’t always represent the whole. Morgan Stanley made a fool of themselves when they publish a report on Twitter based on one intern’s opinion.

Conclusion

Interns, like every other type of employee you have are an important part of your company. We must include them, plan for them, and cater to them as they represent our next generation of workers, buyers, and partners. Use them to understand then model their communication habits, as they grow, include them in more strategic elements of planning.

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