Announcing: Social Media Marketing Certificate

Social media platforms play a key role not only in helping people stay connected with friends and family but driving popular culture and shaping purchase decisions. During the first wave of the pandemic, social media engagement increased by 61% as people sought to make up for the lack of in-person interaction. 

With more than 3.9 billion active social media users around the world, and the average adult using social media for 95 minutes per day, social media marketing is becoming an increasingly important way for brands to connect with current and potential customers. 

These changes are reflected in the job market, with demand for social media marketing professionals growing rapidly. According to LinkedIn, a social media manager role was the third most in-demand marketing job in 2021, measured by the volume of job openings. 

The same report found that having proficiency in managing a business Instagram account was the most in-demand marketing skill.

Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re launching a brand new program focused on one of tech’s fastest-growing job fields. Say hello to Springboard’s Social Media Marketing Certificate.

What Is Springboard’s Social Media Marketing Certificate?

Springboard has partnered with subject matter experts to develop an online curriculum that prepares you for various roles in social media marketing.

Each week, you’ll complete a mini project and a capstone project with the option to use your own real-world example or an example provided in the course material. Throughout the project experience, you’ll learn to use current industry tools such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Figma, Canva, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social, to name a few. By the end of the course, you will have created a complete end-to-end social media campaign.

This course covers the full campaign spectrum, from finding your audience and defining social media goals right through to developing branding guidelines. You’ll also learn how to create content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok using graphic design and video tools. 

Finally, you will learn how to monitor social media KPIs (engagement, impressions, and audience), and gather actionable insights from your data. This ensures you can build a social media strategy from scratch, develop brand awareness, and iterate on your campaigns based on data insights. 

Is Springboard’s Social Media Marketing Certificate Right for Me?

This course would best suit:

• Early-career and established marketers looking to shift into a social media marketing role or complement their existing marketing skillset.
• Consultants and freelancers seeking to build their brand or expand their service offerings.
• Entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals in adjacent fields who want to understand and take advantage of the opportunities available in social media.

All backgrounds are welcome, and there are no prerequisites for enrolling in this course. 

What Will Springboard’s Social Media Marketing Certificate Cover?

Springboard programs are designed to help you get where you want to go. That means our social media certificate program has been designed for the real world, with online classes to fit your schedule and access to industry experts and career coaches. 

The Social Media Marketing Certificate will take most students 8 weeks to complete at a pace of 6-9 hours/week.

Over the course of two months, you will:

• Evaluate industry competitors and the overall social media landscape.
• Identify strategies that apply to paid and organic social media and use different approaches when appropriate.
• Describe how and when each Key Performance Indicator (KPI) should be used, and use KPIs to guide future strategy.
• Effectively create content, interact with your audience, and communicate brand voice.
• Use various social media marketing tools and platforms to execute campaigns.

Topics covered include:

• Social media marketing fundamentals
• Overview of social media channels
• Defining your audience persona, brand voice, and strategy
• Establishing branding guidelines 
• Creating a content marketing strategy
• Copywriting for digital and SEO
• Content creation and social media management tools 
• Social media analytics, measurements, and success metrics

Did you know? This new course is the second in a series of digital marketing professional certificates launched this year. The first course, Springboard’s Digital Marketing Professional Certificate, teaches the foundations of digital marketing and enables students to learn how to launch multi-channel campaigns.

What Can I Expect to Get Out of Springboard’s Social Media Marketing Certificate?

As with all Springboard courses, the Social Media Marketing Certificate will be a 100% online and self-paced learning experience. As a social media marketing student, you’ll also benefit from one of Springboard’s most sought-after features: a community of support that includes a dedicated student advisor, a course teaching assistant, access to weekly office hours, and an expert mentor in the field matched specifically for your goals and needs.

Here’s what else you can expect from the course:

• Mentorship and advice. After you enroll and complete your student profile, which includes questions about your background, availability, and the skills you want to develop, your student advisor will match you with a mentor who suits your specific needs. You’ll then have regular calls with your mentor throughout the course.
• A hands-on curriculum curated by experts. We believe that diverse perspectives lead to better learning outcomes. Our online curriculum is packed with videos, articles, quizzes, and projects, created and curated by social media marketing experts. Our in-house instructional designers organize all resources to build a cohesive curriculum that guides you each step of the way.
• A Springboard support team that includes a student advisor and mentor. Your Teaching Assistant and office-hours host can answer technical questions or connect you to helpful resources via Slack. They also host weekly office hours where you can ask live questions and learn about topics relevant to your studies.
• The Springboard community. While online learning sounds isolating, it’s important to remember that you have a whole community learning alongside you. You’ll get access to this community so you can share triumphs and trials, get feedback, and attend weekly live Office Hours.
• Certification. Students will not only graduate with a professional certificate, but they will also have the confidence to strategize, execute and analyze digital campaigns, bringing value to any business. 

Do I Need Any Prior Experience to Sign Up?

No! The course will teach you everything you need to know about social media marketing strategy including how to execute successful social media campaigns, manage content strategy and paid advertising, and use social media channels to build brand awareness. In addition, you’ll learn how to evaluate if your social media campaigns are effective using a suite of analytics tools. 

Ok, I’m Sold. How Do I Sign Up and What’s It Going to Cost Me?

• Cost and schedule. The course is fully online, featuring a flexible pace so you can study anytime, anywhere—even with a full-time job. Most students complete the course in 8 weeks when dedicating 6-9 hours per week. You will have lifetime access to the curriculum and projects, but a limited number of mentor calls to finish the curriculum. 
• Upfront tuition. The upfront tuition cost is $2,495.
• Enrollment. Interested students can apply online. Cohorts start at the beginning of each month. After enrollment is complete and tuition is paid, each student will be matched with an expert mentor to guide them through the curriculum.

Ready to learn more? Find more details about the Social Media Marketing Certificate (including how to apply) here.