Being someone who was born and brought up in Chennai, I was excited to be able to spend 2 whole months in the city, doing something I’m passionate about in an agency that has an amazing vibe, culture and work ethic. Needless to say, a large part of me was very nervous and anxious on my first day at Social Beat. Setting that aside, I was also excited and curious to see what was in store for me. Currently pursuing an MBA in Communication Management from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, I was looking forward to putting all the knowledge gained so far into play as much as learning new things from the organization.
The internship period began with a two-day induction process for all interns where we were given a brief understanding into the various departments at Social Beat and how they go about their work. This process was extremely useful as it was able to bring me on par with how things function here. To break the ice, we had a Pani Puri challenge at the end of the induction process which was a lot of fun even though I barely managed to eat 7!
I believe I got extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to work for a company that gives you the freedom to explore and expand your creativity, something not all interns are given the liberty to do so. The work culture and environment is extremely warm and comfortable and what is amazing is that everyone across teams is very approachable. Not one person hesitated to take few minutes out of their busy schedules to help me with a proposal I was working on or simply educate me on their expertise. A big shout out to Sundar, Bindhya and Pournima for this.
The internship was a great learning experience as I got to work on interesting clients such as Forum Fiza Mall, Aura Events, India Home Health Care, TVS Motor Company, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes etc. Being under the Social Media Marketing team, I got to develop campaign ideas and content posts for their social media pages. Aside from this, I had the chance to make pitch proposals for exciting brands such as Altis Properties, Feathers Hotel, Leela Palace – Goa, Choosemybicycle.com and much more. Life is all about getting out of your comfort zone, pushing yourself and expanding your boundaries and Social Beat enabled me to do just that. On that note, I’m not big on writing blogs but I managed to write one for the website and I consider that a big win.
Learning a textbook version of digital marketing does not have any effect unless it’s put to work and practised. At Social Beat, I was able to dive deep into the field and understand how ads were made on Facebook and Google and the attention to detail that’s given to content, targeting, scheduling and the budgeting as well. I learnt that there is so much that goes in the back end of Google Adwords, SEO, Content Marketing, Website design and Pitch Proposals than just what the book says.
The Monday review meetings, Friday Chit-Chat, help bring the team closer to each other and on the same level on each other’s work. This blog would be incomplete if I didn't mention the birthday celebrations at Social Beat. Apart from the delicious cake (I’ve had enough for a lifetime in the 2 months I spent at Social Beat), the idea of having everyone around to celebrate your birthday with is quite a memory to hold on to.
Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to Vikas for giving me this opportunity and for the guidance and support especially when it came to proposal making. Krithika Ramani, for training and giving me the space to make mistakes (I don’t think I’ll ever go wrong with FB ad targeting again) and learn as well as pushing me to my maximum limit and finally for being my first and best mentor ever. I would also like to thank Lalitha, Sandhya, Allan, and Kanthi, for their valuable inputs and for so easily accepting me as one of their own.
Social Beat is a good place to work and they are driven towards achieving their goals. The hustle is always on. I’m taking back so many valuable learnings in the field of digital marketing and amazing memories of client meetings, ideating, drafting proposals, review meetings, tea breaks, lunches at 291, birthday cakes and friends for a lifetime! Thank you, Social Beat.
