Why an Internship at Ferocious Media is Unique

With Thanksgiving Day in sight, we’re reflecting on all things we’re grateful for. That we’re thankful for our beautiful new office, our partners, and our employees goes without saying, but we can’t leave out an integral piece of the puzzle: our interns.

So we sat down with two of Ferocious Media’s social media interns – Tara Carlson and Michele Colletti – to learn a bit more about their experiences at Ferocious Media.

 

via GIPHY

What is your background and what led you to interning at Ferocious Media?

Tara Carlson: I’m currently a public relations major at Hofstra University, with a minor in criminology and psychology. After an internship in the criminology field, I quickly discovered it was not the right fit for me and began searching for a PR internship to see if maybe that was. I mentioned to a professor I had at Hofstra (*cough* Cassie) that I was looking for an internship and that I was very interested in social media work. I had never realized that social media could actually be a full time position, but she told me her company [Ferocious Media] was looking specifically for interns within the field. So here I am.

Michele Colletti: I am a senior at Hofstra University, majoring in public relations and minoring in rhetorical studies. I took PR 106 with professor… I mean, Cassie! I loved her class, from the content we we created to the tools we learned to use. Pro tip: If you are not using Canva yet, you should. The graphic design tool literally became my new best friend after she introduced it to us! When I needed help finding the right internship she suggested that Ferocious Media would be a perfect fit… she was right!

*Spoiler alert readers, our Social Media Department Manager Cassie Olivos is also a professor at Hofstra in the evenings.

How did your background prepare you for this internship?

TC: Public relations courses at Hofstra require you to be reading and writing constantly. At the time, always having to write on different topics (from crime and disaster, to crisis and makeup blog writing) seemed somewhat strange, but it really made me feel more comfortable with starting this internship and writing for clients across a variety of industries.

MC: Each class I have taken for my major taught me something I was able to bring to my internship, especially Cassie’s class*. A lot of the tools she taught us are used at Ferocious Media. It was very comforting to go into my first day knowing a lot of the material that people were throwing my way.

*No, we didn’t prompt her to say this…

What’s your day-to-day routine?

TC: I would say I really don’t have an everyday routine. During the week, I intern two or three days for Ferocious Media, and I work as a nanny during afternoons and weekends for a few families in the area. I am also finishing my bachelor’s degree and am taking two courses at Hofstra. But at the end of every day, you’ll almost always find me falling asleep on my living room couch to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” or “The Office.”

MC: I go to school or intern all day, then work as a waitress all night. I do make time in between to stuff my face with burgers at Vauxhall and hang out with my cat, Abe.

What is your biggest piece of advice for someone pursuing a career in social media or digital marketing?

TC: You should understand and practice different styles of writing and not be afraid to try different or creative things. You should also align yourself with as many different programs and skills as possible. I have noticed that the best people working in the field are somewhat of a jack of all trades.

MC: There are so many different aspects involved with social media and digital marketing – try to research and learn skills for every part of the field!

What aspect of this role is often misunderstood?

TC: People assume that anyone who has and uses social media would in turn be able to do it as a job, since they “already use Facebook all the time.” Working in social media is not the same as just being on social media. It also does not mean “hanging out on Facebook and Instagram all day,” despite what my friends may tell you.

MC: Right! When you say you work in social media: “Oh wow, your job is so easy, you just sit on Facebook all day long.” Yeah, I’d like to slap some reality in those peoples’ faces.

Since interning here, do you approach social media differently in your personal use?

TC: I totally look at social media differently since starting this internship. When I’m online and something catches my eye, I try to think, “What made me stop and take time to look at this?” When I am thinking of what to write about or share, I think back to what I would want to see as a consumer. I also look at how posts are worded or designed.

MC: Absolutely! Do they use rich links? Are there specific hashtags they use differently between platforms? I used to quickly scroll through the feed on Instagram or Twitter. Now, if I’m interested in what someone posted, I go through their entire profile and look at the content they post and the way they post it and compare it to what I have done. Maybe I should have added social media investigator to my daily routine?

Is there any particular campaign you prefer working on – if so why?

TC: Oddly enough, I enjoy working on and writing for the more ‘serious’ clients. My writing style is very straightforward and direct, so I find it so much easier to write about medicinal or HVAC topics than something like cosmetology or travel. But I like that Ferocious Media deals with so many clients that I still get to practice different writing styles.

MC: I enjoy working for the clients that allow you to be a little bit more creative with their content — i.e., the food and hospitality accounts at DL are my favorite! You can grab fun infographics to share and delicious drink recipes for #ThirstyThursday. And, although it may not have been true at first, I have come to appreciate the plumbing/HVAC accounts I’ve worked on. It took a few cycles to dry my clothes the other day and I fixed it by cleaning the dryer vent! #internturnplumber

Did you come in here with a background in our client industries? What helped you become master content creators for these fields?

TC: Before even applying for the position, I researched some of Ferocious Media’s clients online and was drawn to the fact that they dealt with so many small and medium sized clients. I felt like I could be more creative with emerging businesses and brands, rather than having to stick to an already established brand image. The best thing that helped me become a better blogger was repetition, practice and feedback from the Ferocious Media team. Writing for similar companies also helped me to realize what does and doesn’t work for some industries.

MC: Besides loving to eat, I didn’t really have a background in the client industries. Also, I wouldn’t say I’m a master at blogging or creating content, but I would say that I wouldn’t have been able to improve on those skills if it wasn’t for the trust everyone at DL bestowed upon me. I never imagined being allowed so much reign, as an intern, and because of that I’ve had the opportunity to really work and improve on my blogging and content creating capabilities.

Why is digital marketing important to local, small to medium sized businesses?

TC: Just because a business does not have the same following as Apple or Nike, doesn’t mean it can get away with not having an online presence. If a customer is looking for information about a product or services, the first thing they are going to do is Google what they are looking for, or your company directly. If your company name doesn’t come up, you are never going to grow a bigger following or client list.

MC: Digital marketing places small to medium sized businesses on the same playing field as any big business. It allows small companies with smaller budgets to have a cost-effective marketing plan that can still allow them to thrive.

How do you think working at Ferocious Media has improved your professional skills?

TC: No amount of schooling will give you the experience that working in an office with actual clients provides. Working at a company puts you in a different mindset than being in a classroom. You hold yourself to a higher standard at work and realize that what you are doing is actually affecting a real company, so it almost makes you want to work harder than if you are doing something for a fictional company in school. You also have to be in communication with different people all the time so it really helps you build communication skills.

MC: Ferocious Media basically shaped me into a professional. I obviously had some skills from previous jobs, but I never got professional experience until I came to DL. Learning and using the top tools in the field, blogging, posting content for clients, creating keywords for SEM – Ferocious Media has taught me all of this and so much more but they never held my hand and I think that’s what helped my professional skills the most. They believed in me and allowed me to be independent which helped me create my own identity, professionally.

What are 3 words to describe Ferocious Media?

TC: Welcoming, Growing, Diverse.

MC: Vigorous, Friendly, Unique.

What is the biggest takeaway from this internship? And what was the most surprising thing you’ve learned?

TC: What I took away most from this internship was real world experience. In school if you miss a deadline you maybe lose a letter grade, or ask for an extension. But interning and working on real world accounts makes you realize just how important meeting deadlines is.

The most surprising thing I learned was how many different platforms you need to be knowledgeable about. Working in social media is not just confined to the three or four major social media sites, but basically every extension Google offers, scheduling platforms (like Falcon or Hootsuite), organizational tools (Trello), graphic design tools (Canva and Photoshop) and so much more.

MC: My biggest takeaway from this internship was being able to see the behind the scenes work it takes to execute a full digital marketing campaign. It was so interesting shadowing and practicing skills in each department at DL.
The most surprising thing I learned was how important it is to change your voice and the way you speak for each client. I guess writing this now it seems pretty obvious – depending on the client, the way you write for them on social media differs. You shouldn’t write for a plumber the same way you would for a dental client. But, if you think about it, it’s kind of hard! It’s like you’re an actor and every hour you have to get out of character!

If you could go back to your first day and give yourself one piece of advice knowing what you know now, what would it be?

TC: In a job like this, that is more creative and imaginative than some others, I wish I took a few more risks when I first started and was not so afraid of being wrong. Try something new, and ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could possibly happen?” If you try a new style of writing or come up with a unique idea for a client and it doesn’t work out, you’re not going to kill anyone or lose the company millions – and you will probably learn more from the critiques than if it was perfect to begin with.

MC: Stop freaking out and overthinking everything! Take a deep breath and move on.

From all of us here at Ferocious Media (especially the social media department), thank you both for all that you do!

Are you a college student looking for real world experience at a digital marketing agency on Long Island? Inquire about an internship with Ferocious Media! You’ll learn everything from running social media campaigns to understanding the intricacies of an SEM account. Reach out to careers@drivenlocal.com for more information.