Are you looking to get into influencer marketing this New Year, but not sure where to begin? Are you a student looking for experience, an influencer interested in seeing the other side of the industry, or are you looking for a career change and interested in influencer marketing but unsure where to start? Then this blog post is for you! Keep on reading as I (Dorothy) personally share my top 5 tips for making the most of an influencer marketing internship.
1. Be proactive!
Three months ago, I enrolled onto my master's degree in Strategic Fashion Marketing at the London College of Fashion. In my first week, I found out that everyone in my class was very proactive and some already had internship experience, so if I wanted to stand out, I had to act fast. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I was always drawn to influencer marketing. When I spotted an advert for a part-time internship on the Account Management team at The Blogger Programme on FashionWorkie.com, I applied straight away, and got invited for an interview. For the interview, I had to plan my own influencer marketing campaign for a stationery brand. I had so much fun preparing for it, and I knew this was already a sign that I was in the right place.
2. Don't be afraid to ask for help
When I first got to TBP, I was quite shy, but the team did a great job in making me feel included. Everyone was very friendly, which is always helpful, especially because as an intern it is often easy to feel intimidated. Due to the nature of a work placement, you will have some moments when you feel overwhelmed with your tasks, and some where you want to get more involved. If this happens, it is always key to ask for help and voice how you feel, don't feel embarrassed!
3. Keep up-to-date with industry news
In every industry, but especially in influencer marketing, it's very important that you follow what's happening every day. Not only does it help you in your personal career as you can take tips from the brand campaigns that went well and learn from those that didn't, but it's also essential for your internship, because you might get asked to carry out a competitor analysis, and this will definitely help you in your research. At TBP, the team has a group chat dedicated to industry news, where they share articles on a daily basis, and keep each other updated.
4. Attend meetings
TBP holds team meetings at the beginning of every week, most of which I was lucky enough to attend during my internship. They keep each other updated with the agenda for that week, what they need to work on, and what they can take away from past results. This is the perfect opportunity for you to see what each team does, and what each role entails. This makes the company work better together. Don't worry, as an intern you don't need to present, but make sure you listen, because chances are you'll learn more in a single meeting than in a lecture!
5. Take notes of what you've learnt
My final advice to you is to take notes of all the things you learn. For example, at TBP I had to create influencer shortlists, so I had a bit of InDesign training, which is a skill that I can now add to my resume. I also learnt how to find influencers in a particular niche, how to reach out to them, analyse their profiles, calculate engagement, how to evaluate a successful campaign,what the new ASA guidelines are, and much more. This type of knowledge will also be useful to you if you are an aspiring influencer, as you will learn what brands and agencies expect from you on the other side of a campaign.
So to wrap up, taking on this internship was one of the best decisions I have made. I learnt a lot, realised what I want to do after my studies, and even found my dissertation topic because of the industry insight I had at TBP. Although it has been tough to juggle a masters and an internship at times (with late nights of last-minute assignment writing), the team were always flexible with my lecture hours and tutorials. So whether you're a student, a recent graduate, an aspiring influencer or just looking to get into influencer marketing this New Year, I definitely recommend this sort of internship for you.
