Asia Society
INFORMATION
Position Title: Digital & Communications Intern
Manager: Sara Afzal
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2023
ROLE OVERVIEW
Asia Society is a global nonprofit organization that aims to educate the world about Asia through arts, culture, and political initiatives.
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I interned at Asia Society during the summer of 2023 (June-August), where I focused on supporting the Digital & Communications team with research and social media efforts. This included conducting market analysis, creating social media content, and providing administrative aid to the department as needed, as well as spearheading digital marketing initiatives on TikTok.
RESPONSIBILITIES
01| SHORT FORM VIDEO
To prepare for our organization's TikTok launch, I conducted market research focusing on social media strategies of leading arts and culture organizations, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Center on Foreign Relations, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. This analysis helped me gauge effective content styles and themes to inform our brand identity and video template.
Based on these insights, I developed a cohesive brand template and presented my findings to the team, including a mock draft of the proposed video content. After receiving approval for the brand identity, I began creating engaging video marketing content tailored for our TikTok account. Following the successful launch of the TikTok account, I shifted my focus to more general short form video production and the Asian Diaspora Project, a multi-social media initiative the organization was launching. I conducted market analysis and generated marketing content across various platforms, including direct mail, email, and posts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
02 | META
In addition to launching the organization’s TikTok account, I managed, drafted, and executed social media content for our Meta accounts. On Instagram, I led our “Day in the Life” intern series and highlighted museum exhibitions. I also created content for public programming events, such as Summer Streets and the Museum Mile Celebration, while drafting captions and posts for posts across various departments and divisions (ASPI, Museum Department).
Furthermore, I assisted in navigating the launch of Instagram Threads by conducting research on the platform, performing market analysis of competitors, and evaluating similar organizations’ social media strategies. This analysis informed our decision on whether to focus efforts on this new platform.
03 | OUTREACH
Asia Society New York occupies a unique position as both a nonprofit organization and a museum dedicated to Asian and Asian American art and artists. The Digital & Communications team focuses part of its efforts on an influencer outreach program, emphasizing influencer relations and promoting the museum on social media.
In my role as Digital & Communications Intern, I was responsible for researching NYC-based museum and arts influencers who could generate interest in our organization and its exhibitions. My responsibilities also included maintaining the program by contacting prospective partners, serving as the point of contact, and collaborating with them to create engaging content.
04 | ADMINISTRATIVE
To streamline the efforts of the Digital & Communications team, I was responsible for organizing team calendars, preparing presentations, and providing general administrative support. I created an evergreen calendar of cultural holidays and events for the organization to post about, maintained our social media calendar, and maintained CRM databases for the division. During team meetings, I took notes, followed up on action items, and coordinated with other departments as needed for marketing opportunities and collaborations.
04 | OVERALLS
Through my contributions to the organization’s social media platforms—such as short-form video production, static post generation, and market analysis—Asia Society's Meta presence grew by 2% during my internship. Additionally, we successfully established a blueprint for the TikTok account, which has undergone a positive increase and boost towards the museum’s reputation and publicity.
