The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Marketer, Anna Hoskins. Anna is a Sophomore at William & Mary who plans on majoring in Marketing and minoring in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. In this Q & A we will discuss with Anna her experience interning at My-Take.
What sparked your interest in market research?
Hoskins: As a Marketing intern, an integral part of learning to market the My-Take Platform was that it required an understanding and knowledge of market research as whole. Since market research online communities directly tap into VoC, to be able to fully promote them, there must first be an understanding of the consumer and their needs. Market research plays a key role in enabling businesses and organizations to make informed decisions and generate actionable insights that communities can unlock. This internship allowed me to learn more about marketing a more abstract product, such as research technology and software, as well as taught me the key differences between marketing a B2B vs B2C product.
How did COVID-19 impact your internship? Did you have any initial thoughts going in?
Hoskins: I had the opportunity to intern in-person as well over winter break. So, I initially thought the transition might be more difficult than it actually turned out to be. I definitely did miss seeing everyone in person, but all in all the transition was pretty seamless since My-Take is a technology-oriented company. All of my coworkers went above and beyond to stay in contact and keep constant communication to ensure that there was never any confusion. The assistance was just as effective as they were in-person.
What are your 3 biggest takeaways from your internship experience?
Hoskins:
I’ve learned that with smaller pieces of content such as blog articles, focusing on a very specific topics or questions is key toward providing valuable information to help guide those looking to learn more on your subject matter. While knowledge leadership is just one element in the much bigger picture of positioning a company, it’s important to ensure you not only explain your point well, but also understand and focus on what is actually useful for the client.
It’s vital to keep in mind that a lot of other people may be relying on you to complete certain tasks and keep things running smoothly. With that, being effective in communicating and making sure that everyone is on the same page is just part of being a good team member!
As an intern, you don’t know how to initially do everything going in, and you aren’t expected to. However, it is still important to ensure that you try to visualize and brainstorm solutions to abstract assignments before outright asking questions like “What do you want me to do?”. Looking into resources where you can research more and understand further allows you to have a more educated point of view going into a project or assignment which can in turn, makes for a much better end product.
What piece of advice would you give other students interested in market research?
Hoskins: When training for a market research position, on top of your basic job functions, strive to push yourself one step further. For example, if your boss asks a question during a meeting where you are unsure of the answer, you can respond with an educated guess and later follow up with additional self-guided research. This will show that you can go above and beyond what is asked of you.
What skills have you been able to develop/focus on the most during your internship?
Hoskins: A great thing about this internship in general is that I’ve been able to develop a lot of skills that I didn’t necessarily expect to learn going into it. The two biggest skills I’ve focused on during my internship have been design and effective writing skills. I’ve been able to design many individual pieces , while focusing on minute details of how things will end up appearing visually. In addition, I’ve experienced writing in an effective business format versus writing an academic piece.
I have also been able to learn more about other marketing aspects from implementing SEO strategies to discussing bigger strategic topics such as positioning.
Has this internship taught you anything unexpected?
Hoskins: This internship has made me realize the amount of work that goes into an end product or project and that there can be many iterations of something before it finally passes the finish line. You begin with a rough draft, and then you edit and develop many times before your project is complete, and more often than not, the end product can be very different from your original expectations. Through multiple iterations and continual improvement, you can reach an end piece you are proud of that you worked hard to develop.
Interested in interning at My-Take? Email: hr@my-take.com