Online Business Intern Programs - A Waste of Time?
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Online business intern programs for Internet marketing are a relatively new phenomenon. If you’re considering joining one, here is some information you may find helpful.
Many people find it easier to learn when training is presented in a particular way. Some people find that they absorb information better when they read it. Others prefer to listen or to watch. Practical experience, where the learner actually performs the task, is often the most effective.
It’s not hard to understand the purpose of intern programs. They are a way to gain experience by performing practical, real-world tasks. If you’ve watched any of the ‘medical dramas’ on TV, you’ll have seen interns being expected to work long hours and perform menial tasks.
Internet marketing internships work along the same lines. They present an opportunity for students to “learn by doing”. Generally, interns are given daily tasks to perform. They receive written and/or video training on how to perform each task. After carrying out each task, they report back to the marketer by email.
The procedures carried out by interns usually promote the Internet marketer’s business. An intern will later be able to use the same tasks to promote their own business.
This can be a classic ‘win-win’ situation. The marketer benefits by having other people help to promote their business. The intern gains useful practical experience, as well as the discipline of a daily commitment.
Intern programs do have some inherent risks for Internet marketers. Interns should not be given tasks to perform which may reflect negatively on the marketer. For example, a common intern task is posting comments on other people’s blogs. This can be highly effective, provided that the intern understands how to contribute to the conversation. One marketer became known as a spammer when his interns started posting ‘junk’ comments on other people’s blogs.
Unfortunately, only between 1% and 5% of all interns will take action and actually complete any intern program.
Intern programs need to be carefully designed to bring interns along at a pace they can handle. Some intern programs throw interns in at the deep end, and make excessive demands on their time and effort. This ends up being a frustrating experience for the intern, and doesn’t help the Internet marketer at all.
It’s important that interns receive some long-term benefit from their participation. Interns who complete my intern program, for instance, will have a network of Web 2.0 assets and a number of valuable backlinks which will prove invaluable to their own business.
If you decide to sign up for an online business intern program, remember that taking action and doing the work is the only way for it to be of any value.
Tags: Internet Marketing
Popularity: 1% [?]
Sphere: Related Content
