Our new Social Media intern Katie introduces herself and explains what she'll be up to whilst she's working with us.
Hi! I’m Katie and I’m the new intern at Vida Creative and also a third year Geography undergraduate at Newcastle University. Originally, I’m from Leeds but I have been living in Newcastle since I started university in 2016 and I love it here, even more so now I have been given this amazing opportunity to broaden my horizons and work with Vida Creative! I feel so lucky to be able to learn about a field of work I am so interested in by being able to get stuck in and work alongside Ellen and Henry.
Why I’m interested in social media marketing…
I first heard about the internship through an email from the university advertising the position. When I saw it, my eyes lit up because I’m fascinated by the power and influence social media has grown to have in today’s society. So much so, I’ve just finished writing my dissertation on how Twitter can be used to shape and spread political opinions within the context of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Whilst using Twitter for political marketing in this way is a completely different form of social media marketing to the type I have been involved in through working for Vida Creative, it made me realise just how powerful social media is and how interesting it would be to learn how to use this power to help companies to reach their intended audience and their full potential. Because of this, I decided to apply for the internship, with the hope that I would be in this position. But little did I know, it would lead me to write this blog post!
What I’ve been up to so far…
I started my internship on Monday 18th March when Ellen and Henry welcomed me into their office and onto their team. I felt comfortable straight away because they were both so approachable and friendly. On my first day, they spent some time teaching me how to use the platforms and software that are so integral to their business. They were all new to me but Ellen and Henry did a great job of explaining everything and I’ve been really enjoying learning how they all work – it’s so clever!
I am working with Vida Creative part-time but even in this first week, I already feel like I’ve learnt so much! Whilst I have had some previous experience in managing social media platforms on a small scale, working with Ellen as my mentor has really expanded my knowledge. In particular, I’ve learnt how to adapt my writing style to fit social posts, how to create and format images for social posts and especially how to use social scheduling platforms. With this knowledge, I have been writing Facebook and Instagram posts and scheduling them to go live (once Ellen has approved them) for a client of Vida Creative.
What I hope to learn in future…
Throughout my internship I hope to be able to keep learning about everything Vida Creative is involved in. Whilst I am particularly interested in social media marketing, I genuinely really admire everything the company is involved in and the way it all comes together is so impressive! I already feel like I have been able to develop my skills in social media marketing, with Ellen’s guidance, and I hope to be able to continue to do this as a career in social media marketing is definitely something I am interested in pursuing. Besides, I enjoy learning, so learning about something as diverse as social media marketing keeps my education interesting!
Ellen has also talked to me about doing a course in social media analytics which I’m excited for! It will allow me to see and understand how the posts I have been writing are performing so that I can improve and tailor my future ones further.
Overall, I am so excited to be part of Vida Creative and work closely with Ellen and Henry! Even though I have only been here for a week so far, I have loved every minute. I can’t wait to continue to learn and improve with the help of Ellen and Henry and I am so grateful for the opportunity they have given me to enhance my skills and get involved in a sector I would have otherwise been unable to.