Part I of II

Are you overlooking a valuable people resource?

In previous columns I have written about the fact that growth-oriented businesses understand the four different resources to leverage which makes money go further and the ability to accomplish more with less simply a way smart businesses are run. As a refresher, the four resources are: money, technology, people and time.

The next two columns will focus on a valuable and underutilized “people” resource that every small business should be leveraging: The College Intern. Interns have been a mainstay in my company for more than 15 years. At any given time, my business has one to three interns helping move several initiatives and plans forward.

If you think you are going to get free help through internships to do filing and grunt work, think again. And quite frankly, if this is all you would want them to do, then you are missing out on their real value for helping you move your company to another level with their assistance.  To get you thinking ahead into summer internship possibilities, to follow are the types of interns I have used in my business and still use to this day.

Marketing Intern

Would you like to know what your customer’s think about your business? A marketing intern could conduct phone interviews or oversee a written surveying process for you. The intern could compile the information and report findings, concerns and opportunities. Anything from competitive research, developing a customer communications program, researching information for articles in your newsletter or compiling data from your customer base, an intern could help you make better marketing decisions in your business. Marketing research is a valuable way to use an intern. The research study that was the basis of my second book was made possible through the work of interns.

Social Media Intern

Whether you have social media already incorporated into your business marketing strategy or you have wanted to do it, starting with the help of an intern could make it less intimidating. My initial social media intern set up all my social media accounts and profiles and also documented the process for future interns to reference.

Public Relations Intern

Sending releases to the media with company news could happen with an intern supporting the effort. Not only could the intern research and validate media contacts for local or trade editors and reporters, he or she could also write the releases, distribute electronically and prepare for mailing, as well as post to free newswire sites.

Entrepreneurial Intern

Now with entrepreneurial programs being offered in universities, some programs are requiring students to be an intern in an entrepreneurial business for real-world understanding of what it takes to be a business owner and run a business. These programs are so new that their requirements may vary greatly, but could provide a helping hand who could support wearing a variety of hats, just like you.

Industry-specific Intern

Depending on your industry concentration, you could also get an intern specific to your industry such as information technology, engineering, architecture, graphics, to name a few. With these types of internships, you can literally put them to work in your business in its core competency areas giving you greater capacity to serve your clients.

Using interns can be a real win-win for your business and for the intern’s experience in the business world. In next month’s column entitled, “Could Extra Help Be Credits Away?,” I will share tips on making for-credit internships an effective part of your resource strategy, the process involved in securing an intern and the area universities offering for-credit internships — just in time for securing a summer intern.

Sherré DeMao is author of the nationally acclaimed book, 50 Marketing Secrets of Growth Companies in Down Economic Times, www.50marketingsecrets.com, and founder of SLD Unlimited Marketing/PR, Inc., a full-service marketing, branding and strategy firm based in Denver, NC. Her column seeks to help business owners become more savvy marketers, managers and strategists. DeMao can be reached at 704.483.2941 or sherre@sldunlimited.com.  You can also follow her blog, www.chiefmarketeer.com for insights and commentary.