Internship « Talk, Inc - Find Your Voice

Internet Marketing Services, Wilmington NC

Posts Tagged ‘Internship’

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

As my last day at Talk comes to an end, I realized that my internship taught me more than I could have ever imagined. It allowed me to acquire skills that will look great to future employers, such as creative writing techniques, updating and maintaining social networking sites, reading and writing blogs and updating client contact lists. Talk has taught me the ins and outs of public relations, graphic design and Internet marketing through researching projects, developing media pitches, drafting press releases, contacting clients, participating in staff meetings and that’s just to name a few!

One of the best experiences I had while I was at Talk was attending the Pink Chick Press Conference. I was given an in-depth look at how a press conference works and what it entails. Thank you Debbie, Susan, Nathan and Shawn for everything you showed me while I was here! Whenever I see the color pink I will think of you guys and the best full-service communications agency in town! I will always “Think Pink.”

Tags: Intern Diaries, Internship, Pink Chicks, talk inc, wilmington nc
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Quality website equals good food!

Friday, October 16th, 2009

This week I learned all about qualifying businesses based on their website’s overall appearance. A Google search on businesses in and around the Wilmington area led me to discover there is much more to that restaurant you frequent or your favorite shopping center than meets the eye.
Most of the time when you visit a website you have a specific purpose, whether it is for a phone number, their hours of operation or an address. You usually don’t go to a website and think, “Oh, this is a well put together site.” However, when you are qualifying a website that is what you are thinking! It is important to have a website that is pleasing to the eyes but also user-friendly. While I was browsing these websites, I took into consideration their layout, links on the page, contact information, and other more technical components. In my opinion, a website that is simply a link to their menu with no phone numbers or address listed on the page is an ineffective one. However, a site for a restaurant that shows pictures of their food, has eye catching colors, directions to their location and links at the top of the page that include their menus, content about them and their phone number are good websites!
I have visited a wide variety of websites. Some of them include vegan restaurants, comic book shops or baby apparel stores. I noticed an overall theme as I was analyzing them, and generally, the better the website the more high-end the establishment is. I also found that chain restaurants had the fun websites! Their sites usually have dancing images, quirky music, vibrant colors and easy to access menus. As I was reviewing the sites, especially the restaurants, I thought of the places I have visited. Again, I saw a common pattern. My favorite restaurants or clothing stores also had excellent food or merchandise as well as an excellent website.
This process made me realize that good businesses must also have good websites. The two definitely go hand in hand. Here’s a tip for someone searching in hopes of finding a delicious dining spot for dinner: an aesthetically pleasing site usually means a successful business!

Tags: Internship, qualifying websites, wilmington nc
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Think Pink…for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Friday, October 9th, 2009

The beginning of the week started off with a rainy Monday but quickly turned into an exciting week filled with Pink Chicks and press conferences. On Monday, I was given the run-down on an upcoming project that benefits the Pink Ribbon Project. The Pink Chick Parade will allow supporters to purchase 5′ tall pink chick cutouts that will be displayed along Military Cutoff in front of the forum. The Pink Chick Parade will raise Breast Cancer Awareness as well as draw attention to The Forum!

In order to inform the stores and their customers about the upcoming event I distributed flyers and brochures to the retail shops and restaurants in The Forum. The stores were also given a fact sheet so they could answer any questions their customers may have regarding the Pink Chick Parade. The next day, follow-up calls were made to various media outlets who received a media alert the previous week, informing them about the press conference to be held later that day.

My job during the event was to watch and learn. Since it was my first press conference I was eager to see how one works. Before the press conference started, the podium, equipped with a microphone, was set-up surrounded by Pink Chicks. After checking to make sure the microphone was working properly, we ran through the speaking agenda one last time before it started. David Swain began with remarks followed by the mayor, and Frances Weller just to name a few! Even though dark storm clouds lingered the entire time the rain held off for us and the press conference went off without a hitch!

That night on WECT’s 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 newscasts, Frances Weller did live interviews and segments at The Forum Shops to showcase the Pink Chicks! A special thanks to: Frances Weller and WECT, Mayor Saffo, David Swain and all of the lovely ladies from the Pink Chick Parade.

Tags: Internship, Pink Chick Parade, Pink Ribbon Project, Swain and Associates, The Forum, WECT, wilmington nc
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Confessions of an Intern!

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

I’m well into my second week as the newest Talk intern and I absolutely LOVE it! When I came in to be interviewed I was eagerly greeted by Camden also known as the lovable and adorable “top dog.” I found out later in the week that I had been chosen and I could not have been more excited! From the bright pink walls, friendly employees and the “top dog” it is easy to say that I immediately fell in love with the place!

The first day began with a tour of the office, meeting the rest of the staff and being given a general overview of Talk and all that it does. After I settled in, my assignments began. My first task was to proofread a print ad for a client. Writing, proofreading and editing have always come naturally to me so this assignment was a delight! Throughout the rest of the week, I was given the opportunity to draft press releases and work on a media pitch for an upcoming event. These projects require me to write and be creative which are two things that I enjoy doing, especially together. I have also updated the client contact list, learned new computer programs and sat in on the morning staff meeting.

Since starting at Talk, I have been exposed to information and learned new things that I would not get in a classroom. It is my first glimpse into the real world and how a Public Relations firm works. I’m finding it to be very intriguing and exciting! Even though I just started at Talk I know that through this internship, I will gain knowledge and it will provide me with experience that I could not have gained anywhere else. I look forward to working on client projects and updating y’all on what is going on in the Talk world.

Tags: Intern Diaries, Intern Wilmington N.C., Internship
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