(Pun intended) BR means bounce rate, which is the rate at which users come to a site and leave within a set period of time, usually less than a minute. I learned that on Monday, which was my first day interning at Digital Firefly Marketing. My decision to intern for a digital marketing agency is a smart choice for a college student who is thirsty for great start to a marketing career. Here is why:

The Experience – It’s plentiful.

Working at a startup allows you to get an idea of the entire company, instead of one particular field of a company. This transferable experience is very important when you are first starting to work because it is the best way to fully understand what it takes to run a business. The finance department works with marketing, which also works with IT, and as an intern, you are exposed to all of this.

As a rising senior in college, I don’t have my career path exactly figured out. I do know that I want to go into marketing, but that is still very broad. Not only am I exposed to all aspects of a company, at a digital marketing agency I also get the chance to work with several different industries, from retail, to e-commerce, to services. Working for a digital marketing startup agency also allows me to dip my toes into all things digital. On Monday, Frank introduced me to SEO audits and how to use Screaming Frog to analyze the efficiency of the site. On Tuesday, I worked with and learned Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to observe site performance over time. Wednesday got me on social, as I worked with Megan, exploring Pinterest and Facebook and forming my own social media queues and curating content for Pinterest board ideas.

The Speed – It’s fast.

If I were interning at a Fortune 500 company, let’s say, J.P. Morgan, I would be with hundreds of other students in a weeklong training program before I could start doing my own work. To get my assignments approved, I would report to my manager, who would then report to the senior manager, onto the department head, continuing up the ladder. The feedback would have to come all the way back down before I could make more progress. Startups, on the other hand, move at the speed of lightening. As a startup intern, you learn and do significantly more than a nameless intern for a bank in New York City.

I came to DFM with only a year’s worth of social media experience. Just within a few days I am developing content for clients! A couple people in the office review my work before it is published. Digital marketing agencies balance several clients at once, and decisions are made very frequently. Social media content is posted at least daily, and queued weekly. The great thing is that I can post today and analyze tomorrow. Digital marketing relies on a plethora of data and analytic, and fortunately, these items are readily available at our fingertips.

The Work Environment – It’s great.

Going to work should be fun. Otherwise, sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day watching the time go by gets pretty old, and it gets old fast. The startup environment is relaxed, comfortable and welcoming. Teamwork is very important, and teams overlap on almost all projects.

At DFM, I may be working with the SEO project managers one day; and the next day I may be collaborating with the social media team about the same client. While the president of the company stops by my desk to see my progress, interns at big corporations rarely get the chance to even meet the CEO of their company. Everyone in the office is relatable, and there are no boundaries. With weekly Thursday lunches, jokes on the hour (maybe even minute), and daily team meetings, it only took me a short about of time to feel a part of the Digital Firefly team.

My Voice – It matters.

At a startup, everyone’s voice matters, no matter what their position in the company – including interns. Startups tend to be more open to ideas and input. No question a dumb and all questions are immediately answered. Startups encourage learning, and they aren’t a competition with other interns to show what you know for a full-time position. That is just flat out stressful.

The good thing about digital marketing agencies is that there is never a lack of work. With so many clients and tasks, much work can be transferred to me. They need me as much as I need them. I am able to help with the heavy workload while learning how to do the assignments at the same time. Within a day of working, I was assigned tasks with actual DFM clients. The next day, I was writing social media queues for companies to be posted in the future. It has been a week and I am already writing a blog post that is going to be published on the DFM site, and developing content that will be posted on Facebook and Twitter!

Conclusion

When I look for a job, I want to choose the one that will give me the most I can get in a short amount of time. Although a big-name company may look good on a resume, the hands-on work experience at a startup is unbeatable; especially for those who are just making their entrance into the workforce. Specifically, digital marketing startups are great for immersing young employees to the dynamic world of marketing.

Working for a startup the last summer helped me learn the ins and outs of developing a business. This summer I hope to dive the digital marketing and develop a portfolio that I will be proud of. My own work – used for real companies, doing real things. If brain if on overload in just three days, I might explode by the end of the summer! I have become a digital marketing sponge, soaking in everything there is to know. It is actually a great feeling.