Social Media is constantly evolving, and if you’re a marketer, it’s imperative to have your finger on the pulse on all the latest trends and technologies in social media marketing. But staying on top of the latest trends isn’t quite enough – you need to understand if and how you and your team can work them into your marketing strategies.
To learn best practices for implementing social strategies that align with the latest industry trends and social networking sites, check out our list of the top 11 free social media marketing courses. Hear from top social media experts about top ways to grow your following, promote your brand and successfully engage your audience.
1. What is Social?
The “What Is Social?” MOOC is for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social strategy using effective, proven methodologies. This hands-on, “how to” program won’t just tell you how to grow your professional persona using social – you will actually do it! This course is the first in the six-course specialization, Social Media Marketing: How to Profit in a Digital World.
2. Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business
This Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business pilot MOOC helps you to develop your individual as well as professional online profile, with a view to enhancing international trade prospects. Individuals will benefit from having a better-informed digital online profile for career development. Businesses will learn how to develop a more robust online presence and engage with international audiences to enhance international trade prospects. The MOOC comprises twelve videos which will contain theoretical background from academic staff, as well as industry insights from key professional speakers. Each video is accompanied by activities, which will help you to put your newfound knowledge into practice.
3. Social Media 101 – Social Media Quickstarter
The Social Media Quickstarter offers the step-by-step instructions you need to start building your social media presence across all of the top social networks. These training courses include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, Snapchat, and Blogging.
4. Social Media Ethics
Social media ethics training course explains the requirements of the law, how ethics policy applies to social networking and how to engage in ethical conversations on social networks. Promote ethical conduct online in this self-paced employee training on social media ethics. Certify employees and professionals to use social media effectively while enhancing ethics and compliance. This course is appropriate for anyone who wants to learn to use social media for business without violating Federal, State and local rules and regulations. Covers liability for unethical behavior, how the National Labor Relations Act governs social media use at work, professional netiquette standards, rules concerning work-related social media use on personal vs. branded social networking accounts, how to avoid provoking defamation, discrimination and harassment claims on social networks, the risks associated with confidentiality and confidential sources and much more.
5. The Business of Social
In a 2014 study of CEOs and CMOs, IBM found 63% wanted social strategies which generate business metrics while only 20% of businesses worldwide actually have them. This means strategies which not only grow your company’s social footprint but a link to your sales and marketing systems. With this critical linkage, your social and mobile strategies will provide you with the ability to engage consumers at a 1-to-1 level and measure your social investments in terms of costs, revenues, profits, and ROI. In this fifth MOOC of the Social Marketing Specialization – “The Business of Social” – you will learn how to transform your organization’s social marketing from an untracked investment to an integral part of your company’s marketing strategy. You will learn the legal considerations involved as well as proven performance metrics and management tactics for success.
6. Social Media at Events
Learn to use social media at events like a pro in this self-paced, online course on increasing anticipation for and conversion rates at special events, trade shows and conferences. Build strong anticipation for upcoming special events, mall marketing, and street events. Use social media at trade shows, corporate events, proprietary events, and B2B events. Leverage social networks for PR campaigns, buzz events, sponsorships, and press events. Make sure everyone on your team is up to speed so you can social network at scale. Includes a comprehensive event marketing checklist on video tutorials and online learning demos on how to use social media for events. This is the ultimate event marketing with social media. You won’t find anything this comprehensive from anyone else. Includes case studies, essential social media tools and exclusive interviews with event marketers to get your special event or trade show team up to speed on social media event marketing.
7. Diploma in Social Media Marketing Course
The importance of social media marketing for businesses and organizations is no longer questioned. It has become a worldwide trend which helps businesses and organizations connect with their customers online. ALISON’s free, online social media courses cover the concepts and application of social media marketing and will equip you with the skills to plan and implement a successful social media marketing strategy while offering you social media certification. Social media marketing course topics include the use of email marketing, affiliate marketing, using social media tools such as Twitter, podcasting, and blogging, and how to use Facebook to create a business page and get it noticed by current and potential customers. This free online course will be of interest to people who wish to learn more about social media marketing or to advance their career prospects in the social media marketing arena while obtaining social media certification.
8. Advanced Social Media Marketing for Picking Up Clients
This course provides a step-by-step system for picking up clients with social media in 48 hours or less. Discover exactly how to use Facebook groups, Niche forums, Online bulletin boards, and YouTube to pick up coaching and consulting clients in as little as 48 hours. The word on the internet-marketing street is that you can’t use social media marketing to acquire new customer anymore. There’s simply too much NOISE! and our prospects can’t differentiate our legitimate promotions from the annoying spam that’s hitting them from every social-media direction! Online marketers are struggling, are burning through money with their advertising but seeing no results. Everyone is screaming and shouting for attention, but nobody is being heard!
9. Social Media in Public Relations
Have you ever wondered why some videos go viral while others flop or how some companies have successfully leveraged Facebook and Twitter to reach out to their customers and clients? How are some companies able to effectively navigate the world of social media and build thriving online communities while others flounder, crash and burn? These questions along with many others concerning the use of, management and effects of social media in today’s world will be covered in this course. Embark on a journey into the realm of social media in public relations and explore the dynamics and management of social media and how it has changed public relations. We will examine the impact of digital influence, the relationship between traditional and social media as well as some of the pitfalls in the use of social media. You will also learn how to cultivate and manage relationships in social media, engage the online community, and plan and manage online content. We will also take a look at some ways to measure and evaluate social media campaigns.
10. Digital and Social Media Marketing
With budgets for digital marketing constantly growing, organizations are facing a major skills shortage. The need for individuals who understand business combined with technical knowledge in Digital Marketing has never been greater. This course is based on European case studies showing current digital and social media marketing practices across Europe. Europe is one of the largest regions for digital and social marketing used but there are many local preferences and this course will help you to navigate these complexities. This course combines practical skills and theoretical knowledge with the goal of teaching you the skills to improve digital and social media marketing in organizations.
11. Content, Advertising & Social IMC
Want your content to go viral? Who doesn’t! It takes a thoughtful, integrated approach to make content that stands out in our increasingly oversaturated world. In this fourth course of the Social Marketing Specialization – “Content, Advertising & Social IMC” – you will learn how marketers are successfully navigating today’s media landscape. You will learn why developing engaging content for your audience is an essential component in effective social marketing. A panel of experts will unlock the paid/owned/earned media riddle and replace it with an integrated who/what/where the approach that utilizes platform-specific messaging to grow your market share. This course also includes an overview of the integrated marketing communications strategy for social and how it is being deployed around the globe, as well as gamification tips to keep your audiences coming back for more. In addition, you will learn the secrets to advertising on Facebook and other social sites.
Want more learning beyond these 11 free social media marketing classes? Check out our recent guide: Enterprise Social Marketing Tools: The 2017 Ultimate List. Learn how these 23 enterprise marketing tools can help marketers reduce time in daily activities, increase return on investments and most importantly make your day-to-day marketing efforts more efficient.
