As I spent two quick weeks as an intern at LMG, I left surprised at just how much I was able to learn. I look forward to taking my new knowledge back to Miami University of Ohio where I study marketing in the Farmer School of Business.

1. The internet is your greatest resource.
While doing research for the team, one thing became very clear—anything you would possibly want to know is right at your fingertips. It only takes a quick Google search to learn about anything. Oftentimes, independent learning that is fueled by personal interest can be the most valuable. It’s all out there, and knowledge is becoming the greatest currency. The more learning opportunities you take advantage of, the more relevant you can become—especially in the marketing and advertising world. Marketing is rapidly changing and Google can help you stay on top of it all.

2. This isn’t business school anymore.
As business school may have students believe, it's not all about the perfectly pressed suit and the carefully selected résumé paper. It truly comes down to communication skills, your ability to be a team player, and the quality of results you are willing to produce. All of this drives the bigger picture and strategy forward, and is very valuable to a team. You can still do quality creative work in jeans; LMG is proof of that. Marketing is about building a brand, and that J.Crew suit is a little too mainstream for this arena.

3. Inbound marketing is the one buzzword you must learn.
To stay competitive, agencies can no longer just brainstorm marketing strategy for clients, but need to consider their own brand presence as well. Inbound marketing is the process of attracting the attention of prospects, via content creation, before they are even thinking about becoming a client. If you pay attention, you will notice that companies are becoming a huge part of the blogosphere—and therefore becoming more “inbound.” Through blogging, agencies create content in hopes of forming a readership and building their brand awareness through an alternative platform. However, I’ve noticed that in order to build the readership and attract inbound traffic, there must be a stepping stone. Social media—especially Instagram—has become vital in drawing people to your blog, and then your business. Followers turn into readers, and readers can turn into clients. It's much easier to gain readers if you have a good, consistent Instagram feed first.

4. Share your opinion. The feedback from fresh eyes can be invaluable.
Coming in as an intern means coming in with a new perspective. It is important to pay attention. What is the company culture like? How does the culture propel quality results? Who does what? Why blogging? Why this research? Always ask questions, be interested, and participate by sharing your opinion. You bring a new way of thinking and problem solving—and feedback from a younger mindset can be very valuable. Speak up.

5. Quality is in the details.
Is that punctuation on brand? Are we using the exact right colors? Is the format consistent? Is the copy understandable? Is the tone in line with the brand? It takes a keen eye, but precision and unending thoroughness is important. Check and recheck, edit and edit again. Thoroughness creates quality and quality sets you apart.

I left LMG excited about the rapidly changing world of marketing. I believe real world, hands-on learning is the best type, so I’ve found the little time I have been able to intern at LMG incredibly valuable. Effort to produce quality results is always worth it, the internet is seriously changing the game, and the right company culture is vital in propelling a team forward.