Interns are great! Who doesn’t love free labor and the ability to influence a young professional’s path in the working world? The problem with interns, however, is that they’re not traditional employees and only around for a short period of time. Some businesses get so caught up in having extra hands on deck that they give them the wrong kind of responsibilities.
Here are a few reasons you should never, ever leave the social media marketing of your business in an intern’s hands…
They’re Not Polished Enough
By and large, the reason people become interns in the first place is to learn a thing or two about the professional world. That’s great! Feel free to give advice, show them the ropes, and let them learn…but don’t let your client-facing interaction be the testing ground. Trusting very public social media accounts to an unproven intern is a good way to get your brand into hot water.
They Won’t Have Accountability
If a full-time employee screws something up, you fire them. But what does an intern have to lose by posting inappropriate content on your social media sites other than a few months of work and maybe a professional reference? Social media is risky and it’s best trusted to someone who feels overall accountability to the company for the long run.
They May Not Know the Brand Voice
Social media posts and articles should be consistent with your overall brand voice. An intern who’s only been with the company a few weeks may not know the ins and outs of your brand, the company’s struggles, or their objectives when it comes to client interaction. For the most part it’s best to have as few people managing social media as possible so as not to dilute the brand voice.
They Work Best as Teachers
What better way to utilize an intern than to have them teach your full-time employees a thing or two about social media? A young, tech-savvy perspective can never hurt and your business could walk away with a little lesson in how to reach millennials while being able to provide valuable experience to a budding professional.
They Leave
The thing about interns is that they don’t stick around. By nature, an internship has a defined end date, usually only a few months in, and the intern is then free to pursue all kinds of jobs and in some cases, move. Social media marketing needs momentum and nothing’s worse for your brand than a sudden halt in social messaging. Remember that a function this important should never be entrusted to a temporary employee.
So who should manage your business’ social media activities?
Someone in the marketing department is a natural choice, or someone who has intimate knowledge of various facets of the business like a general admin. Whoever you choose, it shouldn’t be an intern.
This is a guest post by Ryan Currie, a product manager at BizShark.com, with 5 years experience in online marketing and product development. In addition to web related businesses, he also enjoys the latest news and information on emerging technologies and open source projects.
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