According to a report, the investment in social media marketing worldwide is forecast to grow approximately by 48 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Social Media Marketing has evolved as a powerful marketing tool while serving its primary purpose of connecting people. It also plays a major role in connecting marketers with customers.
Hence, we have come up with best social media marketing courses online which will help you to boost your business online. Customers are already interacting with the brand on Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc., and if you are not connecting with them directly on these platforms, then you are missing out yourself to the competitors who are doing it.
Great marketing on social media platform can bring remarkable success to your business. Hence, I have created this guide as an introduction to social media marketing for beginners (individual or business). With the help of this guide, you will be able to find the right direction to learn social media marketing in a short time. Provided you put in efforts to learn from these sources and apply them.
Every one of you reading this blog will have these questions in mind – how can I learn social media marketing? Is social media marketing a good career? What skills do you need for social media marketing? What degree do you need for social media marketing? How do I start career in social media marketing? And so on.
The top 7 social media skills that you need to be a good social media marketer are:
- Communication
- Creativity
- Writing
- Marketing
- Strategy
- Analytical
- Content creator
To be honest with you, all these skills are not rocket science and can be learned easily. There is a massive demand for social media marketers in the market. According to State of Social 2019 report by Buffer, 89.3% marketers said that social media is very important to their overall marketing strategy. And 73% of marketers reported that social media marketing is very effective for their business.
Having said that, people who have bachelor’s degree in Journalism, public relations, communications, or marketing can become a social media marketer. You can enhance your social media skills by taking up courses which we will discuss below. There are plenty of courses out there – online courses, courses with certificates, free online courses with certificates and many more.
So, why waste your time. Just dig out the courses from below which is convenient and interests you and start learning. Happy Learning!
Best Social Media Marketing Courses Online
Udemy – Social Media Monitoring
Here, you will learn social media monitoring for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogs, Forums using free social media monitoring tools, and using these tools, you can curate content and find online influencers as well.
Facebook Blueprint
It has a library of tutorials that includes getting started with Facebook, Messenger & Instagram, advertising, learn advanced buying options, targeting the right audience and build awareness, generate leads & increase online sales, managing ads, choosing ad formats & measure ad performance.
Guys the list is not over yet, it also has content distribution and monetization & much more. Facebook blueprint is a free global online training & certification offered by Facebook. You will learn about marketing and advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
You can select from the series of open online courses to line up with your (business) goals. Facebook and Instagram are amongst the biggest social media platforms and these two social media can cover a large part of social media marketing.
Becoming a Facebook blueprint-certified professional will set you apart from others out in the same industry. It will also boost up your credibility in the social media marketing industry. But unfortunately, only the courses are free, but the cost of certification is around US$ 150 for the blueprint certification.
Nevertheless, skills are more important which you can implement and earn revenue for yourself.
Alison – Social Media Strategy for small business
If you want to start your business, you can start with this course. This free online course will teach you about how to use social media effectively for your business, including conducting research and planning a dynamic website to measure social media management.
Google Digital Garage – Fundamentals of Digital marketing with certification
This is one of the best digital and social media marketing courses online. You will learn all the essentials of digital marketing and learn how to get in front of the right audience and make the most of your social media and web goals. You will learn how to reach more people on social media, mobile, or locally.
Scale your business to more customers with advertising, tracking, and analyzing web traffic, how to sell your products or services online.
Coursera – Social Media Marketing Specialization
This is a free course online unless you need a certification which is paid. There are 6 social media courses in Coursera to master your social media skill. You will learn to manage your social media strategies and grow your audience.
This course will also provide social analytics tool and train you to become a better social media marketer. They have free video courses and practice tests, but you need to pay US$ 49 for getting the certification and feedback.
Social Media Quick Starter
This is a series of blogs with guidelines on the best social media practices. You will learn to grow your social media presence across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google my Business, and Snapchat. You will learn to find the right target audience and connect with the existing ones as well.
Most of us want to learn and share our achievements by earning a certification as well. So here are a few of the courses which provide you certifications for free which you can explore. I would recommend learning from the above as well since knowledge is more important than just having a certification these days.
Making a profit in your business by implementing your learning will take you a long way than just adding a certificate to your profile. There are very few companies out there that would consider certificates for hiring you if you are starting a new career in social media marketing.
Most of the companies want to see what you achieved from your learning, what profit and value did you add from the skills you have. If you have any to mention, then it is a bonus for you else your learning and certifications have no purpose.
Hence make a wise decision and have a clear goal for yourself before jumping into either free course with or without certifications. Focus on what purpose it can fulfill for you in the long run. Having said that, let’s see the free certification courses now.
Free Online Social Media Marketing Courses with Certificates
HubSpot – Social Media Certification
It is a free course with certification which covers topics such as measuring ROI, extending reach, social media content creation, and social listening as well. It is a less than five hours long course which can be taken by professionals who have a busy schedule. There are many other free courses as well which you can explore.
eMarketing Institute
It provides free courses with certification. It is an eBook, which you will receive once you sign up at the below link. Once you sign up, you will get the eBook in your email. Other instructions will also be sent over the email. Basically, you need to complete the eBook and take the test from your registered account. You need to score more than 50% to be eligible for the certificate.
Alison – The Complete Social Media Marketing Course
Alison has numerous courses with certification which can you explore after signing up with them. The one mentioned above will help you to learn different social media marketing basics for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. It also covers Pinterest marketing and LinkedIn marketing.
There are many paid courses as well which you can take if you have the budget. You can also take a diploma course apart from these courses.
Conclusion
Those who want to get started with online marketing and are unsure about where to start can try these courses. These courses are for all skill levels. Some of them are free and some are paid for getting the certifications, provided the course will remain free. After taking up the course, anyone can reach out to their target audience, get sales, and make a profit.
Social media changed the way we communicate with each other. It has a significant impact on how clients can connect with their potential customers. It has a great demand and a good career opportunity. Hence try them and make a career or build a business for yourself or for others. Either way, you will make money. So, what are you waiting for? You have got so much for free, from learning to building your business or making a career.
Let me know in the comments below if you liked the blog and share your suggestions and feedback. I would highly appreciate it. Let me know if you have any questions or need more such content. Let’s learn together and grow together.