Using Promotional Products to Build an Internship Program

Did you know that by launching a structured internship program, your brand stands to gain new perspectives about your business from fresh young minds, disseminate promotional products into your community by means of a growing market segment, and potentially recruit talented employees to your workforce? Internship programs are one of the most efficient ways to reinforce your brand identity in your community, as showing genuine concern for the development of young professionals lets clients and employees know that you have other motives driving your business operations than merely boosting your bottom line. While interns benefit from the mentorship and guidance of you and your staff, your employees, in turn, can develop valuable personality traits like patience, tolerance, and leadership through their involvement with your internship program. Additionally, interns are the future captains of industry, and providing them with promotional products emblazoned with your company’s name and logo may encourage continued loyalty and exposure for your organization.

When seeking out the most qualified, intelligent interns to take part in your internship program, leave a lasting impression about your company by giving them complimentary promotional products. Whether at college career fairs, volunteer events, or industry networking nights, be prepared to make the most of networking opportunities in order to secure top-notch intern candidates. They are most likely being recruited by your competitors, as well, and their initial perceptions of your brand may be difficult to sway once established. Promotional products portray your company as a professional, polished entity and prospective interns will recognize the commitment to excellence that you strive to uphold in all aspects of your business interactions. As tools to build a prominently recognized internship program, promotional products may travel near and far, thereby generating interest for your available internship openings.

Throughout the interview process, promotional products can reassure qualified internship applicants that your brand values their time and recognizes their potential as a future new hire. When interviewees check in with your receptionist, provide them with promotional products along with their daily agenda to demonstrate your brand’s approachable, friendly attitude. Inexpensive promotional products giveaways like pens, keychains, and jotters may calm anxious candidates’ nerves and distract them momentarily from the pressure typically associated with job interviews. Also, whether they land the internship position or not, the practical applications for the promotional products increase the likelihood that even those applicants who do not find employment with your company continue using the products frequently.

Over the course of the intern’s stint with your organization, promotional products can make them feel like valued proponents of your brand’s success. Allowing them unlimited access to your supply closet, stocked with imprinted office supplies and promotional products, of course, allows them to feel like part of the team and not just temporary staff members. Seamlessly integrating interns into your organizational structure is beneficial because they become comfortable communicating with other employees while the rest of your workforce develops a comfort level with them as well. Showering interns with useful promotional products creates a feeling of inclusion that can foster lasting brand loyalty and create a strong bond between interns and their short-term employer. When classmates or other acquaintances inquire about the overall internship experience, former interns will be able to serve as brand ambassadors and respond confidently that all constituents of your company treated them professionally and respectfully.

Whether you opt to offer interns a small stipend, sizeable salary, course credit, or some combination of all of those payment options, you can incorporate promotional products into the send-off activities following the conclusion of an intern’s employment. Engraved corporate awards, high-end padfolios, and executive pens are items with high-perceived values that may not cost your organization as much as you might expect. In fact, if you order several of these promotional products with your logo in bulk, you can save money on the entire purchase. Consider buying general promotional products to imprint with your brand’s custom message, as extra promotional products that you do not distribute to interns may make fantastic holiday gifts or appreciation presents for clients and/or staff members. Promotional products are an effective medium to communicate gratitude, and they continue to remind recipients of your thankfulness long after they are initially received.

Dana Udwin is currently employed as the Team Lead of Social Media for Pinnacle Promotions. Through her blogs and other online publications, she has researched and written about a wide variety of topics related to promotional marketing. Visit Pinnacle Promotions online to browse their full selection of promotional products and learn how to integrate these valuable business tools into your marketing mix.

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