A Tweeting Intern

Millennials are the workforce of the future and I've been blogging this week on the new ways millennials communicate. Texting, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. My focus was on issues that may arise when employees use these mechanisms and how to deal with them. In short, companies need to be aware of these issues, decide what is appropriate and what is not in their workplace, and then develop policies, procedures and guidelines for these issues. Just as companies have done in the past to address issues faced by other generations of employees.

In addition to being the workforce of the future, millennials will also be the customers of the future. And companies need to be thinking now of how to communicate with those customers. People selling products that appeal to the younger generation are already into this. But companies selling to "middle aged consumers" need to get started as the millenials are coming. Of course if you are selling on a business to business basis instead of directly to consumers, you need to be aware that more and more millennials are occupying roles where they make buying decisions for businesses, and even more of them will be occupying those roles in the future. How will we communicate with them? What will be the appropriate media? What will be the best targeted message?

I recently read of a company hiring an intern for the summer to create a presence for the company on Twitter. The company didn't know a lot about Twitter, but the intern did. So they've put their heads together - the seasoned veterans of the company and its present ways of doing business with the new millennial with no preconceived notions and many fresh ideas on how to communicate with her peer group.

What a great way to go. I've always been a supporter of internships. The intern gains solid experience while earning a paycheck while the company gets fresh perspectives and fresh ideas at a very reasonable cost. Perhaps this is something you should be doing. Exploring Twitter and Facebook and MySpace and texting and what-have-you. And what better way to find out what the younger generation thinks than by having a young person as an intern.

Yes, the summer is half over. But internships are not limited to the summer either. And the seasons are very short in the world of emerging technologies. Wait too long to get into these new ways of communicating and you may find they've already become "old school thinking."

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Occasionally we include topics of general interest, topics about Dan Pelley's background and experiences, and a rare occasional rant. We welcome your comments on this or any other post.

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