MINISTRY OF FINANCE UNIVERSITY OF FINANCE - MARKETING FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY An Internship Report on Studying Content Marketing at Officience Limited Liability Company Instructor: Chu
Objectives of the report ố
Content marketing allows a potential target audience to turn into interested and repeat consumers Unfortunately, too few people understand the importance of this type of marketing This brings us to the objectives of the report
The first objective of this report is to introduce Officience, as well as take an in- depth look at their marketing team The second objective is to look at the practice of marketing as a whole, and to also differentiate why content marketing is different from other more traditional kinds of marketing The third and final objective of this report is to examine the reporter's three-month internship at Officience through an impartial lens.
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Figure 1: Officience's Organizational Chart Officience is a company that, like Vietnam once was, is both French and Vietnamese With the company’s founding back in 2006 to today it has gone from just five employees to over 200 These employees are spread among offices around the world and represent many different ethnicities and cultures around the world The company is broken down into different departments One of them is finance This department handles all the money going in and out of the company Another department is Human Resources, this is essential to any company no matter how the rest of the company is structured Human Resources oversees the recruiting, hiring and training of new staff They also oversee any potential disputes between staff and management A third department at Officience is their marketing department, which the reporter had the pleasure of working in The marketing team are the people who make Officience’s product known Finally, there is the IT department This is the team that handles all matters related to technology, whether it be helping internally or completing work for a client
Officience’s forward-thinking approach allowed for a once-in-a-lifetime experience An experience that embraced diversity, allowed a more laid-back approach to dress code, provided room for growth all the while making the world a better place
The workplace was an international community where people of many different races and ethnicities communicated and worked together The diversity can be attributed to our many international offices around the world with workers in France, Japan, the US, and of course, here in Vietnam These satellite offices allow us to seek not only diversity but also allow us to seek out talent in many areas of the world
When you work for a major corporation, oftentimes you find yourself limited to a meager selection of wardrobe Not at Officience Officience believes in the contributions being made by an employee to be of much higher value than what he or she decides to wear
Another issue that occurs when working for major corporations is that you may find many positions of power to be already filled with lifelong employees who take the positions away from younger, and newer talent This young and new talent may often feel discouraged and despite putting time into these companies finds themselves with little to show for it Officience has a solution to this Mentorship Officience provides interested employees with a mentor with a wide range of experience from a multitude of different backgrounds These mentors work out career plans over spans of time such as 12 months, 3-years, and even 5 years.
Even while providing this wonderful environment for the employees, Officience doesn’t back down from Social responsibility One of our main five causes is sustainability, and previously we had talked about the Paris Climate agreements international goals We aim to meet these goals and we have methods in place to meet these goals
Overall, Officience offers a work environment that compares to no other A work environment with a balanced approach taking into account employee happiness as well as many other great benefits If you are looking for something new, then Officience is the place to be!
Officience offers customized outsourcing solutions for clients all over the world through four main services:
IT Services: To help meet client expectations, Officience offers a wide variety of IT Services Among these are hardware and software testing, web applications, mobile applications, and business applications
Hardware and Software testing consists of quality assurance testing to help their clients create a quality product or service that meets the requirements set out in ISO 9000
Web applications include the design and development of websites including e-commerce, Learning Management System and social media websites
Their IT services department also includes services for mobile applications including but not limited to designing, developing and maintaining native, hybrid and cross-platform applications
The last department in IT services is Business applications This is a major portion of Officience’s work What we do in Business applications 1s business analysis including on-site consultation of businesses worldwide We also include development of applications for these businesses such as chatbots and Microsoft sharepoint.net application development
Data services, like IT services, have many different options to choose from Among these are business process outsourcing, business intelligence services, robotic process automation, data components, back-office support, tool testing, and processing All designed for the benefit of Business to Business consumers around the world
Image Services are the third group of services that Officience provides The main clientele of these services are e-shops aimed at improving their sales and revenue Included in image services is digital image processing, designing, and translation
Officience utilizes the marketing team to make their lines of service known The marketing team does this by researching local markets as well as advertising to potential clients
Finally, the last group of services provided by Officience is Design Services Included in these services is graphic design (illustration), animation of video and user interface/ user experience design for both websites and applications.
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The Content Marketing team consists of 6 members, headed by team leader Nguyen Dinh Huong Giang She is in charge of formulating goals for the rest of the team as well as identifying clients, creating distribution plans, and communicating with other related teams
Our Content Planner is Nguyen Thanh Hai His main job is to execute the team’s vision as a whole as well as oversee day-to-day operations Responsibilities include managing the content calendar, identifying topics, and tracking metrics indicative
The English Translator is Nguyen Hong Si Khanh Content produced by the team is translated into English by him He makes sure that translation is smooth and easy to digest as well as double-checking for typographical errors
There are two full-time content creators, Huynh Duc Uyen Nha and Nguyen Thi Thuc Anh They are responsible for researching the subject, creating contents utilizing SEO, as well as creating visual contents such as graphics, infographics, and charts
The team is rounded out with our content marketing intern Tran Hoang Thanh Thuy She follows assignments given by the team leader in order to assist the team in creating plans, as well as writing content, translating, and checking for errors
The content marketing team was formed in March 2020 due to the growing needs from projects inside and outside of Officience
INTRODUCTION TO CONTENT MARKETING TEAM
Content marketing 0 0 ố
Since content marketing is a relatively recent concept, there are many similar definitions of content marketing According to Mandloys Digital Agency (2013), content marketing is:
“The creation of content that is relevant, compelling, entertaining, and valuable and this content must be consistently provided to maintain or change the behavior of customers Content marketing is an essential marketing activity that helps retain customers, acquire new ones, and helps companies to build a strong brand.” According to this agency, the aim of content marketing is to educate consumers by providing useful knowledge The content would then generate brand loyalty, resulting in potential purchases They also say that this relatively new type of marketing does not often include direct sales Instead, the listener is urged to make a purchase from the company if they have the opportunity
Content marketing can be described vaguely by this figure below: information Marketing a ww
Figure 2: Content Marketing Definition (Mandloys Digital Agency, 2013)
However, Mandloys Digital Agency fails to note one thing that Copyblogger (2013) does in their concept of content marketing That is: “Content marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers.” They think the content should be free to encourage the audience to access, consume and share Copyblogger also thinks the content that is shared should be related to the field and category of the business so that the audience is educated Then they will “know, like, and trust” the company to be able to do business with in the future
3.2.2 Why companies use content marketing
When combined with content marketing, social media has proven to be extremely successful Native content on social media can increase target user interaction and the likelihood of achieving a desired viral size This is why companies are switching to content marketing
Figure 2 below by Demand Metric (2013) sums up the four main reasons why companies worldwide are increasingly adopting content marketing into their marketing strategy
Keeps Reader Improves Generates Increases Attention Brand Loyalty Leads Direct Sales
Figure 3: Why companies are using content marketing (Demand Metric 2013)
However, it is necessary to discuss further the benefits, as well as drawbacks, of content marketing Pulizzi and Barrett (2009) explain six reasons businesses are making the change to content marketing:
First of all, buyer views toward traditional media and the legitimacy of content are shifting Buyers want information that educates and informs them instead of getting sold to Secondly, you can't rely on traditional media sources to help you reach your customers Social media can provide more effective customer’ s data than traditional media with less cost Thirdly, as media organizations’ funds fall, the quality of their content suffers These ongoing budget cuts show a big opportunity for firms to become publishers in order to attract information-hungry clients
Fourthly, it’s growing more difficult to sell to your customers Traditional marketing will continue to function, but it is evident that the future of marketing will be focused on discussions and involvement between businesses and their customers Fifthly, because technology is both inexpensive and simple to use, even small businesses can provide excellent content solutions to a focused audience Businesses can rapidly and inexpensively collect a large amount of data about existing and future customers by becoming the publisher themselves They'll be able to cut out the middleman Finally, it’s safe to trust high-quality content from a business expert Because a company should be an expert in their sector, they should have the most reliable content resource to attract and keep clients and prospects
Bizzuka Blog (2013) stated four reasons business should use content marketing:
First of all, no one will find you if you don't create content If search engines can't find your material, your customers won't be able to find you Second of all, content of high quality is shared In a world driven by social media, content's shareability determines its success Every content marketer should strive for virality
Thirdly, expert content promotes trust Bizzuka Blog agrees with Pulizzi and Barrett that material published with competence by the company itself will help to develop trust At last, content creates traffic and leads In the B2B sector, lead generation is extremely crucial, and effective content can assist in increasing traffic to a company's website, increasing brand awareness, and the opportunity to engage with potential customers
As aresult, companies should investigate content marketing as soon as possible to begin generating traffic to their online presence Companies should not, however, consider content marketing to be superior to other types of marketing It should be incorporated into the existing marketing plan
Pulizzi and Barrett (2009) developed the B.E.S.T formula to help them establish a content marketing strategy They hope that by using this technique, businesses will be able to more easily “transition to the creation of useful and relevant content” for their target audience In other words, businesses should not launch a content marketing campaign without first developing a solid content strategy This formula can be used in a variety of mediums, including internet, print, and in-person interactions
The B.E.S.T formula, which is illustrated in figure 3, aims to simplify a complicated process of marketing so that a company’s marketing strategy would be: Behavioral: Everything a business communicates with its customers has a purpose It is essential to realize the goal of such communications/conversations Essential: Deliver information that the target audience needs or useful to their success at work or in life
Strategic: The content marketing effort must be an integral part of the overall business strategy
Targeted: The content must be precisely targeted to a specific audience so that it is truly relevant to the buyers
If it’s not B.E.S.T., it’s simply NOT marketing content
Audio By doing what's B.E.S.T., you can achieve measurable results!
Figure 4: The B.E.S.T formula (Pulizzi & Barrett 2009)
Pulizzi and Barrett state that businesses must understand their customers first, and then be understood later So, they have a list of questions companies should ask themselves as below:
Behavioral: First, we need to pinpoint what we want our customers to think about us, followed by what effect we need to create with them Then, ask ourselves what we are expecting them to do and how we evaluate their actions Finally, how we get them to make a buying decision These will help us measure return and find out how to tell the return on content spent
Essential: To figure out where the intersection lies between your expertise around your products or services and the informational/entertainment needs of your
- 18 - customers What are the most important details for our buyers to know? It doesn’t have to be about our products or service, but about information and tasks relevant to what we have to offer In what way we can position content for maximum impact Find out the media types to be included
Point out where their needs meet with our unique expertise and what will provide the most benefit personally or professionally
Strategic: Is this content marketing effort assisting us in achieving our strategic objectives? Is it compatible with our other strategic goals? To truly thrive, a content strategy needs to tell your brand story as it relates to your customers Targeted: Sometimes, less is more We need to pinpoint the prospects we want to reach out to and truly comprehend their motivations Find out what they do for a living, their hobbies, how they could really make use of our products If we do not have these pieces of information, you clearly do not know what they need
By answering these questions, businesses will have the necessary information in order to create a marketing communications strategy that works
Richard Ettenson, Eduardo Conrado, and Jonathan Knowles first proposed the S.A.V.E framework in the Havard Business Reviews in January/February 2013 They believe that the conventional 4Ps marketing paradigm is no longer relevant in today's marketing environment and that it needs to be redefined
Table 1: Comparison of traditional 4P's model and the S.A.V.E framework (Ettenson et al 2013)
Instead of product, focus on Solution: “Define offerings by the needs they meet, not by their features, functions, or technological superiority” (Ettenson et al 2013)
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Week Duties and responsibilities Achievement
Taking a tour of the office and | By giving new employees a brief receiving supplies and and informative office tour, the HR stationery as well as getting to | staff did an excellent job of know the team greeting the reporter It provided the reporter with a broad overview of the workplace, including the location of each division, office amenities (e.g., coffee machine,
Week 1 pantry), how to use office equipment (printer, phone, etc.), and how to schedule a meeting room All of this helped her a lot in her day-to-day work
The reporter was also introduced to the team and received warm welcomes
Participating in a series of training courses including company’s culture, philosophy, and projects training
The reporter made significant progress in understanding the company procedure and workflow during the training course She gained a greater understanding of how the company model is different and effective for employees
Getting introduced to ongoing content marketing projects
As the team is not only in charge of managing content marketing within the company, but also external projects The reporter got introduced to them and made connections with the clients Through that, she acquired a deeper understanding of the needs and wants of external projects
Weeks 4- 5 Researching trends, keywords, and customers
Researching is one of the very core skills of content marketing The reporter was assigned to research the internet using various tools for the newest trends Then she established according keywords in order to achieve the most optimization The reporter also further familiarized herself with clients’ needs
Through this, she was taught valuable researching skills, as well as understanding how to predict trends and quickly react to them
Managing Social Media such as Facebook and LinkedIn
The reporter was given access to the company’s social media She learned what platforms their target audience uses and when they use them, and post accordingly She engaged with the audience, answered questions, and responded to comments
She was able to acquire a deeper understanding of why social media is such an important tool for businesses and how to manage them in order to achieve great results
Weeks 9- 10-11 Creating written and graphic content
The reporter was in charge of writing content for Officience and external projects
She wrote various articles for the corporate website, posts for social media, and descriptions for clients’ projects
The report was introduced to
Photoshop and created graphics content
She was able to learn to use new tools such as Photoshop, Canva in order to produce the best content She also got to understand further the distinctions of different contents and how to cater them best to suit customers
Analyzing Data The reporter learned to collect and interpret user data, define the target audience using metrics gathered by analytics software
Week 12 Through her responsibilities, she was able to adjust the overall marketing strategy based on what is working and suggested new strategies to implement
During the internship at Officience, the reporter was assigned many different responsibilities Besides that, she felt the need to closely follow her performance and work efficiency in order to later evaluate and find valuable experience for her career First of all, the reporter found herself to be a positive and helpful person at work Thanks to her interest in content marketing, she was able to stay motivated
- 26 - and available for any challenges at work In hard times, the reporter was able to seek help from her colleagues and return the favor when needed
Secondly, in terms of performance, the reporter has timely and successfully completed all her assigned tasks with satisfaction from the team The jobs such as researching, writing and designing using various tools, though difficult, did not cause the reporter to fail In fact, she found herself more eager to learn and improve, with the valuable help and guidance of her colleagues
Finally, provided such an independent environment at Officience, the reporter had to keep herself in check in order to avoid setbacks for the team This had allowed her to strengthen her self-management skills such as time management, stress management, and adaptability Moreover, the reporter was able to effectively communicate with her colleagues, especially ones from other departments and made many connections, which can be of help for her in the future
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After a three-month internship at a challenging yet enjoyable company like Officience, the reporter was able to accomplish many useful experiences for herself
In the beginning, she chose to conduct a report on content marketing, setting many hopeful and ambitious objectives During her internship, the reporter had encountered many challenges and setbacks However, with the great support from her colleagues, she managed to successfully complete her given tasks and achieve her own objectives
During the internship, the reporter had the opportunity to put her knowledge into practice, as well as further understand content marketing Moreover, she was able to acquire many real-life experiences while working in the industry, which is something that could not be taught in school Not only that, the reporter had also made many valuable connections with insiders She found these extremely useful for her career in the near future
Equally important, the reporter has successfully completed the internship report, which provided her with a wealth of content marketing knowledge Having dedicated her time researching and deep diving into the field, she found herself more passionate about marketing than ever Furthermore, she had a chance to put her English writing skills learnt in school to use, making the last three months the most enriching time she has ever had
To sum it up, the reporter valued every ups and downs of this internship She considered this to be a milestone that marked her growth, a closing to her precious school life, and a promising opening to her career in content marketing
6.2.1 Recommendations to University of Finance - Marketing and Foreign Language Faculty
After spending three months interning and four years studying at Foreign Language Faculty of University of Finance - Marketing, the reporter would like to express her greatest gratitude towards her place of study, as well as suggest some constructive recommendations for the school
First of all, the reporter felt that the things taught in school were quite either impractical or outdated After spending her time at the internship, she found most of the things she learned in school were not of help The reporter suggests updating student’s study materials every 2- 3 years at least in order to best prepare the students for real life
Second of all, the reporter believed soft skills need to be emphasized During school, soft skills were taught but never practiced She had observed that many of her peers, including herself, struggled to effectively communicate, collaborate, or manage the workflow at work She recommends that lecturers keep this in mind and include them more into their lessons
Third of all, the reporter suggested that there would be more activities to practice using English in class During her time in school, she found herself and her classmates sitting at their desks, writing down what was presented on the whiteboard This inactive way of learning is detrimental, especially when learning a new language, thus needed to be changed
6.2.2 Recommendations to Students at University of Finance - Marketing Twelve years in school and one rough national university exam later, the reporter entered university thinking it was now time to finally rest She neglected her studies, lost focus on self-development and abandoned most relationships Looking back, the
-32- reporter deeply regretted that first year, which is why she would like to give some advice for students at University of Finance - Marketing
First of all, never stop improving yourself The world is changing every day, if you stop moving, you will fall behind Learn a new language, find a new hobby, join anew club, keep up with changes around the world You might discover things you never knew about yourself and find many valuable opportunities
Second of all, create and maintain relationships with people around you The best opportunities can sometimes come from the people you never expected Whether it is your friends, lecturers, or people at your part-time job, you may need their help somewhere down the road While working on becoming a boss, be nice to others, because they could be your boss in the future
Last but not least, do not wait until the final year to intern During the summer break, go apply for short-term internships as early as you can Doing that, you can earn valuable experiences in a professional environment, as well as enrich your resume, which can help secure your dream job when you graduate