Here at Zen Media, we’re pretty much obsessed – we eat, breathe, and sleep online marketing, and absolutely love what we do! So it’s only natural that we’d want to share the fun with the next generation. Our internship program gives college students the chance to dip their toes into the waters of web marketing, and learn valuable skills to help them land their dream jobs when they enter the workforce.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to Aliza Unterberg, one of our promising young SEO/outreach marketing interns. We’ll let Aliza tell you herself how she’s enjoying the experience.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Aliza Unterberg, and I’m attending The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, about to start my degree in Advertising Design.
2. What is something unusual about you that makes you unique?
For a large chunk of my life I was a dancer, trying different types and loving each one, for example, tap dancing; however, my ultimate favorite is hip-hop. In addition I can speak both English and Hebrew fluently.
3. What made you want to intern with the awesomeness that is Zen Media?
I was looking for a summer internship that would be related somehow to advertising, since that is my upcoming major. At the moment my goal is to be a copywriter in the field, so when the Zen Media opportunity fell into my lap and I found out that it entailed a lot of writing, it was a no brainer. In addition, I felt very comfortable while being interviewed for the position and felt that here were people I would be able to work and get along with really well.
4. What’s the craziest thing you would have been willing to do (or did!) to get an internship here?
I think I would have shipped kilos and kilos of coffee to Deanna’s home.
5. Tell us a little about what you do as an intern for your department at MZ.
Here at MZ I work mostly on outreach, finding blogs and bloggers in order to post infographics on behalf of MZ’s clients. Additionally, I think of ideas for blog posts, and if they are liked by the bloggers, then I research and write about the topic at hand. An average workday/workweek for me is checking the outreach list and just sending as many emails as possible to potential bloggers who haven’t been contacted yet, plus the occasional blog post which I am assigned to write by either Deanna or Idan.
6. How cool is working virtually?
It is definitely awesome not needing to drive to work – and working in your pjs if you so please. The work itself takes some getting used to like any new job, but it really is great because most people these days spend their days on the computer as it is, so focusing that time for work is an easy transition and quite enjoyable.
7. What has been your favorite part of your internship so far?
I have two favorites! First is the creative part of the work. Coming up with ideas to write about and then writing about them is what I look forward to. What can I say, my creative side just thrives on it! My second favorite part is the feeling of community that has been created. For those who don’t know how the “office” at MZ works, all of the interns plus a few supervisors converse daily in a Skype chat room. This is our home-room; I say home-room because “conference room” sounds intimidating and scary. Our room is a place where we can ask any question, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem, as well as just talking with the others to see how their day is going. It’s safe and warm and really makes a difference when you are doing something that you haven’t been particularly trained for in the past. Thanks Idan and Deanna, you guys are awesome!
8. What has been the most challenging part of your internship so far?
The most challenging part would have to be the outreach. Finding the right bloggers and getting any response from them, but more than that, a positive response, is very difficult and is something on which I will need to keep improving.
9. What do you feel is the most important thing you’ve learned from your marketing internship so far? Why is this the most important thing to you?
The most important thing that I’ve learned so far would have to be the importance of getting to know your clients well. Once you know exactly what the client does and stands for, you can then strategize and outreach to the right people, instead of blindly emailing every blogger that comes up in a search.
10. How would you describe MZ culture?
As I mentioned before, MZ is like a big family; everyone is here to help one another. They will check up on you to see you understand how to go about your tasks and make sure you aren’t sinking in the workload.
11. What are your supervisors like? Any funny stories to share about them? Goofy personality quirks? How are they as teachers?
Idan and Deanna are great. They are constantly teaching us and rehashing any and all information about the work, which really helps. There aren’t any goofy stories yet since I’m still at the beginning of my internship, but I have faith that by my next posting I will have quite enough to blackmail the two. 😉
12. Now that you’ve had a glimpse into the world of online marketing, do you have any new insights into how it works? Any comments or opinions you’d like to share about the industry?
It is much more intense than I realized. This is hard work to keep up every day and it doesn’t end when you submit a post, because that post then needs to be shared and liked a lot. The business is constantly growing and if you don’t keep up you will be left behind. It sounds scary but once you get the hang of it, it is kind of exciting.
13. What are your plans for your future? What’s your dream job? How do you feel your marketing internship with MZ will help you achieve those goals?
My dream job is to be a copywriter at an ad agency, creating solutions for clients and putting them out there for people in the world to see and hopefully appreciate. This internship opens my eyes to the virtual world, because it isn’t enough to have a great idea or even to write a great column if you don’t know whom you’re targeting. This will help when the clients at ad agencies will want me to target specific demographics for their company. Additionally I’m learning about new platforms of marketing which in the future can help me not only with researching clients but also the consumers of said clients.
14. Do you have any advice to share with future MZ interns, or with those applying for this position?
Take a deep breath. Everyone in your shoes has no idea how to do this type of work yet, but you will. Take the advice and read material your supervisors offer you (ALL of it). And most importantly, enjoy the ride. In my book, every experience is educational ,so why not make this a good one?! Are you interested an internship at Zen Media? Click here for more information! We’d love to have you on board!
