Seven tips for hiring a social media intern

Interns: They're young, cheap and desperate to build a resume. More importantly, a good intern could be just what your company needs to truly dive deep into the social media pool.

All the buzz and hype surrounding social media as a marketing tool sadly has failed to produce a major, widespread embrace by the furnishings world. Many vendors and retailers alike either have not created social network accounts or are inactive on their pages. However, vendors' and retailers' online social passivity does not always translate to a lack of interest in these ever-growing, hype-building distribution channels, like Facebook and Twitter.

Earlier in July, at the Atlanta Market, I spoke with vendors and retailers alike who confessed to still not understanding how to market themselves with social media. The interest was there, but many companies - even the top source for information in the home accents category, Home Accents Today - lack the resources necessary to hire a full-time social media maverick. Company presidents and money managers across the board can't justify paying another salary in these live-or-die economic times, particularly since monetizing and assigning a monetary value to social media proves to be difficult or impossible.

The answer to these hindrances: Hire a social media intern. There's a host of college students and recent graduates just waiting for the chance to prove themselves. With unemployment above 9%, the job/internship market is scrappier than ever, and a social media opening is sure to draw a ton of applications. The resulting question is "How do I pick the right applicant?"

Here are some tips to help you hire a game player:

• Firstly, make this a PAID internship. You don't have to handout a bar of gold per day, but some guaranteed monetary incentive will result in a stronger applicant pool.

• Target students. Posting on Craigslist would be a waste of time, send an internship description directly to university career departments. If you're located in a college town, make the internship year-long to add consistency to your posts.

• Look at what the applicant has done. An impressive resume should be easy to spot - extracurriculars, high GPA, challenging course load, volunteer work, past internship/job history, all those standards.

• "Stalk" your applicant. Check that the applicant has a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn page, etc. Note the extent with which the applicant uses his personal social media. Stalking can also be telling of the applicant's manners and ability to communicate.

• Check that your applicant understands business. Familiarity with social media is only half the game, a good applicant should understand that your business uses social media to promote itself and increase sales.

• Value appropriately channeled creativity. Business, advertising, and public relations majors aren't the only ones who know how to sell. An optimal social media intern should be creative enough to keep your pages and the conversations on them fresh.

• During interviews, make the applicant pitch him/herself. This serves as a good litmus test. The applicant should speak with ease, refer to specific strategies to increase your company's exposure, and drop a couple of terms you don't know. If what you hear doesn't sound informed or meet your business' needs, move along.

Think of an intern as an infantryman, a foot soldier: He/She holds the front line, but it's up to you to mastermind the campaign. Companies that most effectively use social media have a clear, defined strategy. Some manage to do this in-house while others outsource.

What experiences have you had with interns? What social media strategies work for you?