The Value of a Content Marketing Internship

As I approach the final weeks of my internship at Fiore Communications, I can’t help but reflect on my experience here these past two years. I began my journey as Content Marketing Intern in 2013 – and as a sophomore in college who was brand new in the marketing major, I was eager to get some experience under my belt and learn all that I could.

When I set out on my quest to find a marketing internship, I was open-minded. I didn’t know what exactly I was looking for in a company and felt that any internship experience would be a great springboard for me. But what I did know was that I wanted to intern somewhere that would help me grow and treat me as an investment. Fetching coffee and filing papers wasn’t on my to-do list, so when I interviewed with Dave and learned about the real responsibilities I’d have here – I was sold.

I’ve learned a lot these past two years, but something that will always stay with me is the importance of being authentic. When I began my internship, I was completely confused as to why I was told to post articles about how to create great content on your own for your company website. But wait, isn’t that what we want people to hire us to do? The concept seemed a little counterproductive, but I soon realized the logic behind it.

Persuading a client wasn’t the approach at Fiore Communications. Instead, they established themselves as trusted professionals on everything content marketing. They proved to their audience that they were thought leaders before they tried to make a sale. This unique approach showed the genuine nature of the company without any gimmicks. It is an approach that I believe works (because I’ve seen it work) and that I truly admire them for using.

I know that two years may seem like a long time for an internship, and I guess for most people, it is. But what has kept me here for so long is the culture and the people. One of the greatest aspects of my internship has been having the opportunity to be mentored. Dave and Liz have always been willing to provide me with guidance – but have also given me the freedom and trust to be creative on all of my projects. Whether they were sitting down with me to review a blog post I had written or brainstorming with me about our social media marketing, I was continually learning from them. While we all took our work seriously, it was an environment that was open to questions and conversation, and cheerful to be in. It’s this type of company culture that I will not only look for in my future marketing career but that I will strive to create.

To the future interns of Fiore Communications, I’d say you have big shoes to fill – but that’d be a lie because I’m a size 5 ½. Work hard, master the art of being corny on social media, and make every blog post a little better than the last.

A sincere thank you to Dave and Liz for being such great mentors, putting up with my chronic hiccups, and not minding when I ate all the spearmints. I will miss you guys!