MyFabExperience!

Last Center for Digital Engagement/ MyFab5 Internship Experience Blog Post

This is it! My internship is over. I had my last day in the office today and had my exit interview, and it went absolutely amazing! My boss Omeid even said he would be in contact with me in a year when I graduate! How great is that?! He was very satisfied with the work I did, and told Bud Gibson that we exceeded the expectations he had for me and my intern buddy.

During this whole internship there has been a big emphasis put on measurement, and metrics, and results, so I asked Omeid if he would provide me with a performance review/report of how all 6 of my accounts have changed since I began working on them. He told me that it would be no problem, and also said that he wanted me to get just a little hint of how well I did and told me one metric in the BestFoodToronto account: I increased the number of followers by roughly 33%! He was very happy with the work I did, and I was honestly so excited too!


Overall I have said it time and time again, but this has been an absolutely amazing experience! I have met so many influential people, learned so much more about not only marketing, but, tech stuff! My confidence when it comes to technology and digital marketing in general has strengthened immensely, and I am so thankful for this experience!

Thank you for sticking with me and following me on MyFabAdventure!

If you have enjoyed reading my Blog, and following my journey, be sure to follow the Center for Digital Engagement social media and follow our blog!

Facebook: CenterForDigitalEngagement
Blogger: EMU Center for Digital Engagement

Week 9

Post #3 

I have learned so much in my internship this summer! I have to start by saying, what an incredible experience! If anyone that is reading this has an opportunity to be apart of this program I would HIGHLY recommend it! 

When I first started the CDE Internship I was honestly a little nervous. I knew a little bit about Digital Marketing and Social Media overall (I have my personal accounts), but I did not know social media strategies, about measurement, analytics, keywords, or that there were certain times you should post, etc, but here I am 9 weeks later, and I can honestly say I feel that I have a solid grasp/foundation of Digital Marketing. I am now confident in my abilities to run social media campaigns, I have strengthened my email marketing skills, and I have really strengthened my time management skills. One of the most interesting parts about working for a start-up Tech company is that unlike me, a marketing person, tech people work differently, when it comes to communication style, the way we think, etc. Also working for a start-up company usually the team is pretty small, so often times you find yourself having to get creative when it comes to solving problems that may arise. I did a lot of side research for example, one of the first issues I was having was trying to figure out when my posts would 1- get the most likes, and 2- get the most views. I was told that because I am posting food post them during meal times, but when that didn't work I did some research, and found that there were specific times that engagement would be the highest. I wanted to make sure I took the teams advice, but after it didn't work, I took the initiative to solve that problem, and try doing things differently. I was very pleased when it paid off! 

It is important to be respectful and professional when it comes to your companies wishes, but communicate, and ask questions if you believe you may be able to improve something, but make sure you have research to back you up!    

Week 9

Post #2

As the wrap up continues, I have become a little frustrated. I have had 2 people that confirmed they would do a Takeover Day just not do one. At the very beginning, when we first started doing the Takeover Day Campaigns I actually expected stuff like that to happen, but after a few weeks of this campaign running so smoothly and successfully, I forgot that this was a possibility. I guess it is a little disappointing that at the end of my time at MyFab5 this has happened, but I am more focused on the more positive things that happened. 

I am very proud of both me and my intern buddy! We have honestly worked so well together, and together problem solved through several obstacles. We have both overcome language barriers, time management issues (with different time zones), managing 6 Instagram accounts each, and rebuilding inactive accounts that are now active with several different collaborators, and followers. 

I am really going to miss working with her, but luckily I will see her at school all the time, and hopefully see her at The American Marketing Association at Eastern Michigan Marketing Association Meetings. 

Week 9 

Post #1

I cannot believe it is my last week working with MyFab5! I can honestly say that I am very proud of my work and all that I accomplished! In all of my accounts I was able to increase the average number of likes, follower comments, and overall activity of all of my accounts!

Even though I know MyFab5 was doing great without me, before I began working for them, but after working on BestFoodSydney, BestFoodBrisbane, BestFoodToronto, BestFoodSingapore, BestFoodAdelaide, and BestFoodPerth, for the whole summer, I am honestly a little curious to see how these accounts will grow in the future. I was a little apprehensive that these wouldn't be getting the attention they have been getting, BUT luckily my last assignment has been to find community leaders for each account so that my accounts stay active. This gives me the power to pick candidates that I feel would be the best at continuing with the momentum I have built in these communities. There's only one issue, I don't know these people, or really anything about them, their lives, what kind of times they have, etc, so it is quite hard to judge based on little information whether or not a person would be able to handle these responsibilities.  

Week #8 

Post 2

MyFab5 Takeover Day Campaign's are a HIT!!!! I am so excited, because my personal goal was to at least have one Takeover per account before I leave my internship, and this week alone, I got at least one response from each account, to do a Takeover! Unfortunatley, there have been several "Bugs" in the system that have caused some difficulty in the set up process, but luckily, MyFab5 is run by extremely talented tech guys that fixed any problems that I encountered within 20 minutes!  

Now the biggest issue, is keeping up with all the campaigns, making sure I don't schedule more than one Takeover Day a week. (which I already accidentally did) I was going to recommend that the Takeover Days get added to the master schedule on the dashboard. That way everything is on one calendar, so that the next person that does my job will be able to see all the content that will be posted on our page in one place.

Also something big happened on Instagram today! They added a new feature: Instagram Stories, which is a feature offered by Snapchat. Now because the MyFab5 business model is mostly on Instagram, I am very curious to see is how they will use this new feature in their business. I have a few ideas I will be pitching, but we will see! 

Week #8

Post 1

I cannot believe we only have 2 weeks left! I feel like I have been working with MyFab5 for a short period of time, but I am really happy with all of the progress that I've made with all of my accounts. I have increased the engagement of the audience, the number of likes have increased, and the Takeover Day responses have also increased! For this week my focus will be to find more Takeover Day Campaign potential Candidates, and schedule them for Takeover Days at least for the rest of August. This way, the accounts will remain active after I am done my internship. I have also created a GoogleDoc that has my feedback/suggestions regarding Takeover Days. 

I am really excited to get this week started, I have 2 Takeover Days happening for BestFoodBrisbane back to back! 

Wish me luck!

Week 7 

Post #2

I just noticed that over the past 7 weeks I have been posting a lot about tasks I have been doing, but I never really talked about the Center for Digital Engagement Clinic Program overall and all of the great opportunities/ awesome things I have learned by being apart of it! What is really great about being in this internship program, is that not only am I getting to work with a company and applying my knowledge in the real world, I also am continuing to learn new skills and work on my professional development during the clinic part of the program. Every week on Wednesday for 2 hours I meet with a group of 19 other interns, and we participate in different activities each week that are led by 3 extremely talented professionals in the industry: Bud Gibson, Russ Merz and Chad Wiebesick. During these meetings we spend the first hour going over a weekly progress report, where we get to tell the group our accomplishments, responsibilities, challenges we may be facing, etc. and then discuss what we could do differently to solve any issues we may have. Then there is a guest speaker, or a panel of speakers that give us advice on life and careers. 

Being apart of this internship/workshop is really a great opportunity, and I would highly recommend applying for the program. You will learn so much, and you meet some incredible people! 

Week 7

Unfortunatley I have fallen behind in my 2 blogs per week... oops! I promised to update everyone on theTakeover Day campaigns, and unfortunatley got so busy I never did! But they are going great! The only 2 problems I am having are 1- there sometimes seems to be a little bit of a language barrier that can cause some bumps in the road when it comes to communication between me and a potential contributor and the second one is the time difference! I have to make sure that I approve the posts before they are posted, which means I have to make sure I am aware of the time difference in the other cities so I can check them before they are supposed to be posted. 

It is exciting because this week they Takeover Days are getting better responses, and even though I just got started, my internship is almost over and I feel like I can't leave MyFab5 now!

Week 5

Post #1

I finally, after studying, and saying I would, 100%, for sure take my Google Analytics exam on Sunday, took it on Monday night... ANDDDDD I passed… with an 85%! I am so excited! I was definitely letting my testing anxiety get the best of me. My advice to anyone taking it, is to watch the whole video one time through without constantly pausing to take notes, and then after that, watch it again and take notes. It is also is very important to make a Google Analytics Account so that you can practice everything you are learning. 

In MyFab5 I am just beginning to do the Takeover Day Campaigns, so I will let you know how that goes in my next blog post!

Week 4 

Post #2

My time at MyFab5 is continuing to go great! I am having fun, seeing amazing dishes from different places in Australia, Singapore and Toronto, and hopefully will get to try the dishes in Australia and Singapore. The cool thing I don't think I mentioned before is that I travel to Toronto quite a bit to visit my family, so the fact that I get to work on the Toronto account is now when I go there again I have all these restaurants I now want to go to!

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to an email from the other Co-Founder of MyFab5 telling me and my intern buddy that he is very happy with the work we have been doing! :) I don't need someone patting me on the back all the time but, at the same time it is always nice having your boss tell you he is happy with your work!

I am also very excited to start the Takeover Day Campaigns on all of my accounts! I drafted the initial email I would be sending out to the Takeover Day Instagram Candidates on Thursday and will hopefully be sending it out either Monday or Tuesday. That will be very exciting because it is a new and exciting event that MyFab5 is starting for my 6 accounts, and I am very excited to be apart of it!

As far as the certification, I am going to change the way I take notes/watch the video. My initial plan has been to take notes as I watched the video, however I don't think that is going to work, because after watching the FIRST video that was only NINE minutes long, I had 4 pages front and back of notes! That was just for the intro one! The new plan is watch the whole video FIRST and then go back watch it again, and take notes. I will let you know how that goes! Wish me luck, my first attempt at it is going to be on Sunday!

Week 4 

Post #1

Wow I cant believe this is the half way point of the internship! I feel like I basically just got started with MyFab5, which I basically just did. I am getting a lot better/ more efficient at posting more content on Instagram for each account, and really feeling more comfortable with my daily tasks. This week, me and my intern buddy both got started on a new big project for MyFab5, called the Takeover Day. This week I looked for a few Instagram users that would be good candidates to do the Takeover Day for each account, and will start messaging people either tomorrow or early next week!

As far as my Google Analytics Certification update, I am still watching videos, but I realized I need to take the exam by this weekend for the first time, ready or not! 

Week #3

Post #2

Zzzzzzzzzz Oh sorry I was just looking at ALL of the Google Analytics materials, and fell asleep. Kidding! Talk about overwhelming! I know that it will all be worth it in the end, having the Google Analytics Certification, even if it means I will be studying non-stop for weeks. Like I said before 2 people in the Clinic passed the exam already, both with 91%.  The guy who passed it was kind enough to send the rest of the interns resources to study from, which I glanced over right before writing this, and it is a lot! 

Other than studying, the internship is going well! I had my first feedback session with the Co-Founder of MyFab5 on Tuesday and he said he was happy with what I had done so far! I was also given the go-ahead on our next big internship mini project: Takeover day! stay tuned for more information... but in the mean time make sure you're following my accounts on Instagram:

bestfoodsydney

bestfood.brisbane

bestfood.toronto

bestfoodadelaide

bestfoodsingapore

bestfoodperth

Week 2

Post #1

I finished my first week as an intern successfully! Now on to week 2! This week I have definitely been more organized. One tool I have used since the second grade, and highly recommend using: a planner! I have used my planner to remind me of all the tasks I need to complete for MyFab5, for the Digital Clinic, and just my personal/ American Marketing Association stuff. For MyFab5 I have to make sure I post 3 pictures for all 7 Instagram accounts, request permission to use other users pictures, work 10 hours, etc. Then for the Clinic, i need to make sure I blog 2x a week, study for a certification, do weekly progress reports, update my LinkedIn, etc. In order to make sure I get all of this done and not get overwhelmed I have to plan my week out ahead of time so I can make a realistic plan of how to get everything done. Time management skills are very important.

The other big thing I need to figure out by this week is which certification I should do. I am very unsure as to which one I should do, because I don't know which one is the best one to have as a marketing professional. I was pretty set on doing Google Analytics, but I have been hearing a lot of marketing professionals talking about other certifications so I am going to look around tonight and see if I find a better one. If not, Google Analytics it is!

Week #3

Post 1

This week is off to a bit of a rough start. I haven't been feeling well for the past week, which is really making everything I have to do9 100x harder, BUT it's okay, I will get through it... I hope!

Today we also had our weekly CDE meeting at Ann Arbor SPARK, where I for the first time presented the weekly progress report, (I was working at the Electric Forest last week)and it went really well. Mr. Gibson told both me and my intern buddy that he thought we were doing a great job, which was really great to hear.

Aside from that, I am very stressed/nervous about this Google Analytics certification. There is a lot of materials we need to study before taking it. Even though it will be great having the certification there are tons of videos, and modules we have to memorize before doing it. I actually found out today that 2 people in the clinic already took the exam and both successfully completed it, with a 91%! I have just started looking at the material, so I am gong to go study!

Week #1 

Post #2

It is Sunday and as my first week as an intern comes to a close, I must say I already feel like I have learned a lot! I think what makes this specific internship a very cool opportunity is that it is also a workshop/clinic. On top of having a start-up tech company you are assigned to work for, you are also given a syllabus of what is expected of you for the clinic part. Which initially seems a bit overwhelming, but when I actually thought about it more I realized how great it is! I get to get a certification; I will most likely be doing Google Analytics, every week I get to attend a guest speaker session, I am learning more about the business world, and I am invited to all these really cool networking events!

I attended my first one on Friday called the Ann Arbor Tech Trek, and it was really cool! I got to walk around in downtown Ann Arbor and meet a bunch of local Tech companies, and speak to them about what they did, and opportunities they had at their companies. 

As far as my work with my incubator company: MyFab5, that experience is also going very well! I was a little nervous about not getting all my work done in my 10 hours a week, but towards the end of the week I was really getting the hang of it! My boss also gave me and my fellow intern a list of Food Holidays around the world, which has helped a lot! I was trying to figure out a system for posting pictures of food, and I definitely think by having Food Theme Days will help me better figure out my posts. I also on my own looked up food puns, so that my captions would be funnier! 

Make sure you follow my accounts on instagram!

bestfoodsydney

bestfood.brisbane

bestfood.toronto

bestfoodadelaide

bestfoodsingapore

bestfoodperth

and coming soon...

bestfoodamerica

Week #1 

Post #1

Well my first week as an intern in the SPARK Digital Engagement Clinic program has been pretty exciting! I was assigned to a very cool company with a really cool group of guys running it! Even though they are considered startup they seemed pretty advanced, and I am excited to help them grow their international presence! I am also lucky because I have a great teammate/partner Intern that I get to work with too! 

I also went to the first weekly clinic meeting at Ann Arbor SPARK, and I must say although I am a bit nervous about their being a lot to do, I know I am going to give it my all and that I will do well! It was also really cool learning a little more about all of the other interns in the program. I found it interesting how it was such a diverse group of individuals that were pursuing different majors, and that were from different backgrounds each with our own unique set of expertise. 

This really is such a great program to be apart of. Not only am I an intern that gets to apply what I've learned in school to real life, but I also get to learn so much more about marketing from professionals who have been in the industry, and are very well known and respected in the business world.