Industry Overview
Advertising and marketing help businesses reach their desired customers. This business vertical is attractive to people who like to work with language or images, technology and social media, and complex data gathered to identify consumer behavior and economic trends.
Marketing is a set of activities designed to determine the best way for a business to identify customers’ needs, attempt to meet them, and communicate what they have to offer. Advertising designs, refines, and puts out the message in carefully selected, paid-for places.
Traditional advertising includes ads in print and on broadcast media; retail advertising directs customers’ attention through product placement or in-store ads; online advertising includes website banners and contextual ads in search engine results; mobile advertising uses ads designed for mobile websites and apps; outdoor advertising employs billboards and branded vehicles; and pay-per-click advertising is online ads that companies only pay for when a user clicks through the link. Marketing initiatives include digital marketing through search engines, websites, email and other resources.
Another area of Marketing is social media marketing, with influencers and motifs from advertising campaigns.
You can also think about global marketing aims to reach customers at local, regional, national and international levels.
Brand management is another popular area of Marketing that includes establishing a target market and forming a visual identity for products.
Lastly, there is product development, which is a unique type of marketing that relies on market research and other data to design a saleable product or service.
Employment in advertising and marketing is expected to grow at a rate of 6% through 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, faster than the average rate for all professions.
What will I be Doing as an Intern?
There are remote advertising and marketing internships to be found in a variety of different settings. Many businesses have an in-house team that they rely on exclusively, while others outsource the job to dedicated advertising, marketing and public relations firms.
Your tasks are likely to be similar regardless of where you work, but the company culture at a marketing firm with multiple clients will be different from, for example, a clothing retailer where your focus would be on that company exclusively. Your remote internship can be at either a dedicated firm for advertising and marketing, or an organization that hires its own staff for that purpose.
For example, a marketing and business consulting firm is looking for a remote marketing intern to work in public relations, events, and social media. The remote intern would participate in social media marketing, event planning and promotion, public relations campaigns, writing press releases, sales strategy, attending client meetings, email marketing, video production, business operations, brand promotion, and attending (virtual) business networking and social events. Clients include restaurants, retailers, non-profits, and others.
Marketing position
One example internship could be at ride-sharing company that is looking for a remote social media marketing intern to help with advertising and marketing. Remote interns would collect quantitative and qualitative data from marketing campaigns, perform marketing analysis and research on competition, pitch in with social media, direct mail and web promotions, help organize marketing events, and manage and update company database and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Communications firm
Another type of internship could be at a communications group that includes several national television networks. The internship could be in advertising sales and marketing. Tasks would include creating client presentations, analyzing ratings through Nielsen, MRI, Lake 5 and Ad-ViewsReport to identify trends, complete competitor analyses, developing marketing plans and creative proposals, executing inventory management and analysis, and monitoring performance indicators for sales campaigns. The advertising sales team works with national advertisers and their agencies to sell commercial space on the group’s networks.
Multinational Marketing Firm
The last example internship could be at a marketing agency specializing in ecommerce that is looking for a remote digital advertising intern to help build client landing pages and funnels, build and manage client Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager accounts, and perform copywriting for client accounts. Important skills would be in Facebook ads, WordPress, and design platforms such as Canva.
Is this Industry Right for Me?
There are many skills and personal traits that could translate into a suitable role in advertising and marketing.
For starters, employers may seek applicants who can demonstrate an interest in people, such as through coursework in social psychology or other activities, and commercial awareness, which is a general understanding of business and what businesses need to do to make money. Interpersonal and communication skills are required in order to interpret information about consumers and clients, and to work with a team on marketing and advertising campaigns. Those campaigns call for creativity, perhaps skills in writing or visual design, graphics, video or photography.
Technological skills are necessary for campaigns involving mobile, internet and social media campaigns, for market research and analyses, and internal systems such as CMS (content management systems) CRM (customer relationship management). At least, you would need an awareness of internet culture and how social media works. Those with more advanced skills could apply their talents to the growing realm of digital marketing and advertising, including market research.
The advantage of doing a remote advertising and marketing internship is that it allows you to interpret the concepts and theories you’ve been learning at school as they play out in real scenarios. You’ll emerge with a better understanding of your own relationship to the profession, and where you might (or might not) fit in.
A remote internship can not only help you gain experience and contacts to speed up the process of finding a job post-graduation, but also guide you in refining your academic choices as you finish your degree to maximize your education. It will also give you more insight into how businesses work, that “commercial awareness” which complements and rounds out your creativity and understanding of the social and psychological aspects of the industry.
How do I get one?
Skills required for remote advertising and marketing internships can be obtained through undergraduate studies in areas including marketing, media and communications, and other related fields. Some schools offer courses in advertising specifically, but many majors can lead to a job or remote internship in advertising.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics lists the following areas as also being relevant to an advertising internship and future career: journalism, marketing, consumer behavior, market research, sales, communication methods and technology, visual arts, art history, and photography.
For marketing, a bachelor’s in business or marketing is relevant, as is coursework in business law, management, economics, finance, computer science, mathematics, and statistics. These last few are especially useful in digital marketing and maximizing online traffic.
Extracurricular activities such as helping out with campus promotional events or event planning or participating in organizations such as a marketing club or the Public Relations Student Society of America will allow you to flex your skills and flesh out your resume.
Any promotional activities you participate in off-campus also translate into experience you can put on your resume. Consider showcasing your best work in a portfolio, dedicated social media account or professional blog or website.
Your Resume and Cover Letter
While your resume and cover letter should highlight your accomplishments and readiness to take on the role in question, make your application specific to the type of remote internship. Whether the role involves marketing in general, advertising in particular, or one aspect such as digital marketing or videography, be sure to speak directly to the tasks at hand.
Demonstrate your awareness of how advertising and marketing campaigns work to place communications in various types of media, such as in paid, owned, and earned media. List relevant coursework and expand on any projects or experiences you had that relate to the role. Include links in your resume to any work you have posted online. Put your favorite branding projects on Behance or Dribble, or create a specific Instagram or Pinterest account, to showcase your work. If you have the means to make a website or personal blog, go for it.
Interview
Interview questions may be designed to test your level of knowledge about the industry and what your approach to work is like. Employers may ask remote intern candidates to describe the organization’s target audience; explain the relationship between social media and SEO; describe their approach to multitasking and prioritization; explain the difference between marketing and sales; and to name their preferred market analysis software.
While interviews may also have a personal component that you can’t really anticipate, you can definitely take steps to prepare for industry-specific questions. Brush up on industry terminology and try to re-connect with the things that resonated with you in your coursework and marketing-related activities. Look up the latest trends and talking points through resources such as the American Marketing Association. Focus on the things that truly interest you so that you could engage in a real conversation should the topic arise in an interview. When you get to the interview stage through CareerUp, the Career Coaches will help you prepare.
Where do I Find a Remote Internship?
CareerUp has a great program that helps connect people with remote internships through a large international network. In addition, you can check with campus career centres, and look for student programs such as the AAF’s (American Advertising Federation) Campus-to-Corporate Talent Program. Check with large communications companies, companies that own media outlets such as magazines and television stations, marketing and advertising firms of all sizes, and major retailers. Established job sites such as Indeed and LinkedIn have extensive remote advertising and marketing internship listings.
What Happens after my Remote Internship?
A remote advertising and marketing internship is a chance to use and develop your skills and expertise as you explore what type of career path and work environment is best for you. A career in advertising and marketing is a way to work in many fields at once, as you never know what kind of client will cross your path, or what field of endeavor you might need to learn about to help your client.
As you prepare to take part in the workforce, consider your own work, or talk to teachers, friends and family, to understand what you’re best at, and go the extra mile to learn about the industry. When you’re ready to apply for a posting, or if you have an interview, read up on the organization, look closely at their websites and social media, and try to get a grasp of the requirements of the role. You’ve already proven your resilience and determination simply in qualifying for a remote advertising and marketing internship. The hard work you put into your education and training, and even in preparing and submitting applications, shows that you’re fully prepared to take this next step in your career.
Salary
The average base salary for entry-level marketing jobs is $44,922, according to Indeed. Remote internships in marketing, sales or public relations combined with a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as business, advertising, or communications, will help you find a job after you graduate. You will need to put in the time to prove yourself as a professional, but you should see your salary rise as you continue. Potential career options include market research analysis, which uses traditional methods such as focus groups and surveys combined with newer technology to help clients identify their target market and adjust their products or services accordingly. The average salary for market research analysts in 2019 was $71,570. Marketing managers, who supervise teams, create long-term strategies, and hire staff, earn relatively high salaries, averaging $149,200 in 2019.
In advertising, the average entry-level salary is $33,814. Your education, combined with a remote internship, can help you find your first job post-graduation, and it’s also a good idea to take advantage of resources such as the AAF’s Mentorship Program. There are many career options in advertising, including art direction, account management, copywriting, videographer, and web development. Advertising sales representatives, who typically work for a media outlet, such as a magazine or television network, that sells media space to advertisers, earn an average salary of $53,638 plus $15,000 commission. The average salary for art directors in 2019 was $109,600. Also called creative directors, art directors oversee the artwork for advertising campaigns in various media, making sure creative teams, company goals, and client objectives are aligned.
Combining elements of advertising and marketing, public relations specialists work to improve clients’ public image. Work can involve building relationships with news outlets and bloggers, creating materials in a broad range of formats to help get clients’ messages across, and sometimes even acting to defend a client’s reputation in case of conflict. Public relations specialists can serve as press secretaries to public figures, communications directors or media specialists, event planners, social media specialists, and more. In 2019, PR specialists earned an average salary of $70,190.
There are many more options than the ones listed here. Work with your peers, mentors and professors and follow your instincts, and you might find your way toward a fulfilling career in this exciting industry which continues to expand and grow despite the pandemic.
What Happens if it Isn’t for Me?
If it turns out advertising and marketing isn’t the right place for you after completing your remote internship, you’ll have a number of transferable skills to bring to your next endeavor. Your analytical and communication skills, creativity, and business awareness could help you find a new direction. You could go deeper into the business aspect of things or explore your inclination to create beautiful visuals — just move in the direction of the things you like the most. Keep track of everything you learned along the way, including skills you pick up on your remote internship. Emphasize things like interpersonal skills, such as collaborating with coworkers in different roles and building relationships with clients, or the kind of organizational skills it takes to see an advertising or marketing project through to completion. You’ll almost certainly acquire technological skills, such as learning industry-specific software and marketing techniques, which you can apply to technologies in other fields. Give some thought as to what type of setting you would prefer to work in, and if you’re still on the job, inquire about serving on cross-functional teams.
The seven most important transferable skills for any career path are technical (knowing the latest technology in your field), communication (verbal, listening, writing, and online/social media & mobile apps), critical thinking (analytical and problem-solving skills), multitasking (time management), teamwork (healthy collaboration), creativity (knowing how to set ideas in motion), and leadership (bringing the team together).
All seven areas are very important in all fields. Reflect on where you stand with each one on the list and pay attention to areas that need improvement. It’s a good idea to do so from time to time throughout your career, no matter where you end up.
