The roles interns play in different industries around the world became a hot topic last week, thanks to the viral success of UK-based Southern Rail’s resident intern, Eddie. Eddie was given total control of Southern Rail’s Twitter account, answering Tweets from customers, using the hashtag #AskEddie. Cue instant viral success thanks to Eddie’s quick, witty and often endearing responses.
Within minutes, Eddie quickly found himself faced with a plethora of non-rail related queries, including “What should I eat for lunch?” and “What’s the air velocity of a swallow?”
The story got us thinking too…
1) In terms of branding and company image, this can’t be bad, right? Maybe.
2) Should interns be given full control? Maybe.
3) What was Southern Rail’s intention behind this act? Was their use of Eddie simply a ploy to divert attention away from negative press, or perhaps a way to seem more personable and reach more consumers?
Southern Rail has developed an infamous reputation due to poor service, regular delays and even the occasional union walkout. As a major train operator in the UK, they have a duty to provide their customers with answers to questions and real-time updates.
#AskEddie highlighted the apparent gap between the expectation of Southern Rail users and the capabilities of those who control its social media platforms.
Eddie, entertaining as he was, as an intern was perhaps incapable of directly helping genuine enquiries from travelling Southern Rail customers over social media and many travel queries had the potential to be lost in the mire of #AskEddie questions.
As interns, both Parker and I have taken over Tower’s Instagram accounts, as well as creating social media content for other clients, and from my experience, I have taken away some vital factors, including:
- The importance of knowing your client, ensuring all social media is in line with their messaging
- The importance of knowing your target audience, in order to increase engagement and exposure
- The need for a social media policy to be in place, providing guidelines for all employees controlling social platforms
- The need to plan and schedule content to maintain brand image and to keep followers satisfied
- Consistency is key
- It’s okay to have fun with trending topics and techniques to stay relevant
Most of all, I learnt first-hand just how much work actually goes into managing social media platforms for both clients and your own business.
Overall, the power and importance of social media in today’s society is abundantly clear and with great power comes great responsibility (#SpidermanQuote). Correct use and implementation, especially in the case of Southern Rail, can ensure customer satisfaction and a solid brand image.
I as an intern believe it’s really important for any young person with an internship opportunity to have confidence in themselves and take full advantage of their work experience. Something as seemingly simple as managing a social media platform has so much to offer and can help develop an array of communication skills that will only increase in value as our world continues on its technologically dependant path into the future.
#AskStefanSoonCome…
