Twinternship

A twinternship is an internship in which the intern is charged with using social media to drive attention to a company and its products. A twinternship is usually an unpaid, temporary position in which a "twintern" will use popular social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, to publicize products and promotions for a business. Also known as a "brand advocate."

Twinterns usually work as a part of a company's public relations team. Twinternships have gained popularity as a cheap and relatively easy way to communicate a company's brand with younger, tech-savvy consumers. Some companies have even held promotional contests to award similar paid positions to young twinternship hopefuls.

Marketing interns provide administrative support to the marketing team. This includes tasks such as data entry, preparing marketing materials, maintaining the company’s website or building project databases. Interns might also draft internal and external correspondence for items such as announcements and promotions

A marketing intern will also collect, research and analyze data. Common tasks include gathering information regarding competitors’ products and services, conducting interviews with consumers and focus groups, or compiling data through surveys or questionnaires.

Social media marketing is the use of social media websites and social networks to market a company’s products and services. Also known as "digital marketing" and "e-marketing," social media marketing has purpose-built data analytics tools that allow marketers to track how successful their efforts are.

Many social networks allow users to provide detailed geographical, demographic and personal information, which allows marketers to tailor their messages to what is most likely to resonate with users. Because Internet audiences can be better segmented than more traditional marketing channels, companies can ensure that they are focusing their resources on the audience that they want to target.

Social media strategy involves the creation of content that is “sticky,” meaning that it will get a user’s attention and increase the possibility that he or she will conduct a desired action, such as purchase a product or share the content with others. Marketers create viral content designed to spread between users quickly. Social media marketing should also encourage customers to create and share their own content, such as product reviews or comments (known as "earned media").

While social media marketing can provide benefits, it also can create obstacles that companies may not have had to deal with otherwise. For example, a viral video claiming that a company’s product causes consumers to become ill must be addressed by the company, regardless of whether the claim is true or false. Even if a company is able to set the message straight, consumers may be less likely to purchase from the company in the future.