A.Y. McDonald - Marketing Internship Experience
At A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Company, my primary responsibilities revolved around several key marketing initiatives. These included the development of a new company website, curating content for our social media platforms, and various other marketing activities to promote our brand.
Website Development
The creation of this new website proved valuable for the company. By facilitating exact product searches, offering lots of product information, and enabling easy comparison between products and competitors, it created an easier user experience for both employees and customers. Additionally, I took the responsibility of sourcing and capturing images for new products and adding them to the website. Furthermore, I am actively involved in contributing to another website for their subsidiary company, Cambridge Brass.
Social Media Content Creation
As my role at A.Y. McDonald evolved, I was approached by my colleague, Matt Resnick, to collaborate on expanding our presence on social media. We held weekly meetings to brainstorm ideas, research trends, and strategize filming and posting schedules. Given that our products do not have a natural visual appeal and the industry’s limited presence on social media, we recognized the need to think outside the box to elevate our brand.
To create a following, we employed various tactics, including personifying the brand, engaging with influencers, showcasing our team members, and segmenting our content. Assuming the role of the brand spokesperson, I appeared in front of the camera to establish a face for our audience. We also engaged with influencers and invited them to feature our products and tag us in their content. We were able to create morale within the company by conducting coworker interviews.
Through extensive brainstorming sessions, we generated an abundance of content, which we segmented into various categories for our social media platforms. These segments included “Experts React”, the #AYinAction Campaign, “My Top 5 Things About Working at A.Y.”, and “Product Manager Favorites”.
Other Marketing Responsibilities
In addition to my primary responsibilities of developing the company website and social media platforms, my role encompassed a variety of projects. I was tasked with shooting B-roll footage, assist with the company podcast, and enhance the foundry and factory break rooms. Moreover, I had the privilege of collaborating across various departments, including IT, HR, Customer Service, and Engineering., thereby gaining cross-functional experience.
I had the opportunity to visit our factory in Albia, Iowa to shoot B-roll footage and conduct coworker interviews for marketing objectives. I also closely collaborated with our subsidiary company, Cambridge Brass, located in Ontario, Canada to help create their new website. These experiences not only enriched my understanding of our operations but also allowed me to gain meaningful connections with colleagues across different locations and departments.
Internship Program
The internship program at A.Y. McDonald was structured to accommodate eight interns across various departments, including Marketing, Accounting, IT, and Engineering. We met regularly to exchange what we were learning and what we were struggling with. These interactions involved team lunches and guest speakers. Through the City of Dubuque Young Professionals Program, we also had the opportunity to network with peers from other backgrounds.
At the end of our internship, we had the privilege of showcasing our significant projects and the impact they had on the company to esteemed leaders, such as CEO, CFO, and our respective managers. This presentation showed our growth and contributions during our time at A.Y. McDonald.
