BtoBlog: Marketing strategies, tactics and insight

I have been participating with a local university in the school’s marketing co-op program for about two years. Each semester I am provided a list of marketing majors from the university who desire a paid internship with local employers. I typically select three to four candidates to interview and then ultimately choose one student as our intern for the next semester. There are normally more students than there are available positions.

I must say that I am extremely pleased with the talent, work ethic, attitude and capabilities of these students. It is difficult to select just one as they are almost always very strong academically and technically. They are very knowledgeable about the systems needed to work effectively in a business-to-business marketing environment. We are getting students who are making an immediate contribution to our business objectives and supporting our database marketing as well as our event activities. They are not doing “busy work;” we make the effort to insure they are adding value to the company. In return, they receive vital work experience and a stronger resume that will help them land that vital first job after graduation.

If you are not yet employing co-ops in your department, I would encourage you to contact your local universities to reach out and establish this connection. This is an absolute win-win that costs very little and can really deliver effective results. We are more than happy to introduce these students to the nuts and bolts of business marketing and provide some rea