Learning the Language of Brands: My Journey Through Agency Social Media
As the social media intern at M, I helped brainstorm ideas for a client’s November calendar. This was one of my concepts for “National Take a Hike Day.”
This semester, I had the opportunity to work as the social media intern at M, a small advertising agency based in Old City, Philadelphia.
My experience at M has taught me that representing a client through an advertising agency means meeting their needs in a fast-moving, ever-changing environment. As the social media intern, I’m responsible for maintaining a consistent presence across platforms like Reddit and Instagram, focusing on genuine, casual conversations with potential customers.
The client I support also advertises on Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads. Every piece of content we publish moves through multiple teams within M, such as creative, copy, strategy, and messaging, before it’s approved, which has shown me how much collaboration goes into even a single post.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how important it is to understand a brand’s tone. Even though each platform reaches a slightly different audience, the brand voice has to feel consistent across all channels.
This internship has also pushed me to become more adaptable and to treat anything that intimidates me as an opportunity. I got comfortable asking questions, admitting what I didn’t know, and reaching out for help when I needed it. Watching the team at M work together to build decks and campaigns, with each person contributing their strengths, confirmed what I’ve always suspected: I want to build a career in brand strategy and research.
Even though I didn’t have much personal experience with social media going in, being M’s social media intern forced me to get confident quickly. I learned to manage more than nine channels at once through Sprout, which helped me understand the digital world on a deeper level.
For any students hoping to intern at a smaller agency like M, my best advice is to be open to whatever role they offer you, even if it’s not the one you expected. Focus on the positive parts of the experience, like getting to know your coworkers and building connections.
Ask questions, stay curious, and use being a beginner to your advantage because it shows initiative.
Overall, your internship becomes what you make of it. Make the experience your own.
