80/20 Agency Internship ⋆ College Magazine

80/20 Agency Marketing Internship—Bloomington, IN

When Kelly King founded 80/20 Agency in 2016, she knew she wanted to combine her knowledge of professional marketing with the power of modern technology. Her solution? Hire millennials passionate about marketing to help clients curate individual marketing plans. Based in Bloomington, IN with big goals to work nationally and internationally, 80/20 is only growing. Ready to gain insightful knowledge on marketing and customer service with a marketing internship?

What It’s Like

No pushing mail carts and coffee runs for an 80/20 intern. Students can expect some rigorous but fun hands-on work around the office. “There really is NOT a typical day for an 80/20 intern/employee. I get to wear different ‘hats’ every single day,” said Brandon Johnston, a full-time employee who started out as an intern from Indiana University. “Not only does it keep things fun and different, but it allows me to learn more about every aspect of marketing and business.”

Interns work at 80/20’s headquarters in downtown Bloomington, IN or virtually, helping with various client work and website maintenance. While learning about the company and clients through Kelly and 80/20’s millennial employees, interns can also gain more experience in the fields of marketing and leadership. “80/20 is the perfect transition job to get me going in the real world because I’m not expected to know everything right away—it’s a learning experience for all of us which gives me the chance to test out new skills,” said Content Strategist Nikki Lenef.

Johnston agreed with Lenef. “I told Kelly I wasn’t super knowledgeable in any one thing, but I had an eagerness to learn and grow, and wanted to help out with anything I could. I began teaching myself each of the Adobe products (Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects) as the project needed it,” said Johnston. “I simply began asking for more work and started getting paid hourly for client work. Soon after I graduated, we began ramping up my weekly hours.”

Cool Stuff You Get to Do

Not only do you get to interact with cool clients, but you get to take advantage of awesome office spaces. 80/20’s downtown office provides opportunities to explore the city in your free time and really interact with clients. “My most memorable experience was interviewing banking clients on the rooftop of our new office. It made the interview comforting and more relaxed and allowed me to get a better sense of the client’s ideas,” said Lenef.

What You’ll Learn

With the extensive hands-on training interns get, how could you not turn into a content-savvy marketer? For Betsy Beggs, the limit doesn’t exist as to what you can learn as a business-hungry intern. “The breadth of experience I had as an intern was so valuable. I learned how to give sales pitches to real clients, create websites from scratch and build a brand.” said Beggs. “It was more than just a marketing internship because I was able to oversee entire projects and work on them from start to finish. Not a lot of interns get to do that.”

How to Prepare for Your Application

Marketing and customer service serve as two important aspects of the internship. Make sure you bring your interest and experience to the table. Since the agency really focuses on the specialized needs of its clients, learning about their current clientele gives you an edge. Also, if you have ideas on how to work with the clients and contribute to their marketing plans, 80/20 will be all for it. In terms of the actual application process itself, contact Kelly and the agency through its website (the perfect chance to research about the company) to get more information and set up an interview.

Skills That Impress Them

Have some knowledge about company’s mission, clients and marketing. Beyond that, the most impressive candidates have some experience with media content. “As far as the technical skills go, it would be helpful to be familiar with any combination of WordPress, Adobe InDesign or Adobe Photoshop,” said Beggs. “Also, we’re always looking for people with video or photography experience.”

Cool Perks

Since 80/20 officially serves as a Hubspot partner agency, employees and interns have access to Hubspot’s Inbound Marketing training. The system, which focuses on digital content marketing, involves the use of various software, analytics and tools vital to the marketing world. “You’re allowed to do training in the system for certifications,” said Founder and President Kelly King. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of this free educational training.”