Social media, in particular, has become a very lucrative market for businesses, boasting over 4.9 billion users across multiple platforms.
Social media marketing isn’t just tweets and posts; it’s also short videos for Instagram Reels or Tiktok, developing partnerships and working with influencers, and a hearty amount of customer service through the ways you’ll interact with customers directly. Focused on developing brand identity and increasing brand awareness, social media marketing is essential to any company that participates in ecommerce and can be a fulfilling career choice for those who currently work in (or are interested in) digital marketing.
The 10 Best Social Media Marketing Classes
- Noble Desktop—Social Media Marketing Certificate (Online and In-Person)
- headTrix—Social Media Marketing Training (Online)
- Digital Workshop Center—Social Media Beginners Class (Online)
- Noble Desktop—Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & Twitter (Online and In-Person)
- Boot Camp Digital—Social Media Marketing Workshop (Online and In-Person)
- Duke University—Digital Media and Marketing Certificate Program (Online)
- Reforge—Retention + Engagement (Online)
- Noble Desktop—TikTok Marketing (Online and In-Person)
- Noble Desktop—Facebook Marketing Bootcamp (Online and In-Person)
- eCornell—Social Media Marketing Certificate Program
#1: Noble Desktop—Social Media Marketing Certificate (Online and In-Person)
Become a master of social media in this interactive online certificate program. From creating awareness of your products/services to customer acquisition, social media is increasingly important to a business’s success. You’ll get hands-on experience with Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn while you learn how to develop a successful social media strategy. This course will teach you to create content that increases sales and engagement, how to gain more followers, and the importance of social analytics to help you improve your results. Additional information like class materials and how to log on will be sent after your register.
Key Information
This course consists of 72 hours of live instruction. There are no prerequisites. It costs $2,495 to attend and you can choose to pay upfront, pay in five installments, or apply for a Climb Credit Student Loan. You’ll have no interest or added fees with installments or a loan and will be required to pay a 10% deposit at checkout.
More Details
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to showcase your marketing ideas in a professional portfolio that you can share with employers and clients. You can also optimize your resume, LinkedIn profile, and social media accounts to highlight your certification and make yourself stand out as a job candidate. You also have access to top-notch curricula, supplemental materials to assist both during and after the course and one year to retake your course (or part of it) for free.
Below are a few reviews of this program:
- “Before this class, I didn’t see the point of LinkedIn for a self-employed person like me, but it’s now really clear and I’ll use the platform much more effectively.” – Victoria M.
- “I recently had the opportunity to take a few courses at Noble Desktop and I have to say, it was a fantastic experience. The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and you can truly learn a lot from them.” – Albert T.
- “I highly recommend Noble Desktop—- all staff are wonderful! So far, I've taken 2 classes with Nicole. She explains complex digital marketing tools in a very user-friendly and simple way to understand. Also, the administration staff are super helpful and friendly. They are always very accommodating, understanding, and provide exceptional customer service at every turn.” – Saudy T.
#2: HeadTrix—Social Media Marketing Level 1 (Online)
Become a master of Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, blogs and so much more when you take this two-day live online course. You’ll learn the basics of social media marketing, how to create a web presence, and what the best SEO practices are for blog posts. You’ll also study the ins and outs of Facebook, X, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn so that you can feel confident growing your following, launching strategic campaigns, and analyzing your data to improve your results. This class will also cover the differences between subscribers, likes, views, and other tracking methods across these social media platforms.
Key Information
This live online course requires no prerequisites other than basic computer skills and is open to anyone who would like to attend. It’s broken up into two seven-hour days and costs $695 to attend.
More Details
headTrix also offers Social Media Marketing Level 2 that covers Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumbler, among others. By completing both courses, you’ll be well-equipped to launch or propel your social marketing career on a variety of platforms.
Below are a few reviews of this program:
- “The Social Media class was great. Setra was very nice and very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the class.” – K. White
- “Because of this course, my business doubled in sales. The course was small so that each student could really excel. I was able to ask the teacher individualized questions and he was able to answer them thoroughly—it felt like a private training session!” – Ilana L.
- “I couldn't have been more impressed with the quality of the instruction.” – June B.
#3: Digital Workshop Center—Social Media Beginners Class (Online)
If you’re wanting to learn the basics of social media marketing as a way to start a new career, then check out Digital Workshop Center’s Social Media Beginners Class. You’ll learn how to build a strategy for social media that fits your business while developing a strong understanding of how social media has changed the marketing world. This class will also teach you how to determine which social media platform is best for your business, how to establish your brand’s voice, and how to create a system to manage your social media campaigns. Marketing on social platforms is all about building your community and this course can teach you exactly that.
Key Information
This live online course has no prerequisites. Having a Google Adwords account set up is recommended but not mandatory. Broken up into two 90-minute classes held over the span of two days, the total cost for both sessions is $159. They have several flexible payment plan options that can fit your monthly budget and also have scholarship and financial aid options available.
All Digital Workshop Center programs require students to complete a program application and attend a mandatory orientation info session. In your info session, you will speak to a student advisor, learn about program expectations, scheduling, and financial options, and ask questions. A staff member will then evaluate your application and share enrollment details.
More Details
This course is one of several stand-alone courses that make up the Digital Marketing Certificate Program. Certificate programs offer additional classes specific to your career field, portfolio building with a comprehensive Capstone Project, and career coaching workshops. Support and mentoring are a huge part of all of their full-length programs.
Below are a few reviews of this program:
- I'm happy to say I just completed 2 certifications with DWC: Digital Marketing and Advanced Graphic Design. The staff at DWC, specifically Liz and Ally, were incredibly helpful. So grateful for this incredibly valuable opportunity!” – Alisha J.
- “I am taking the Digital Marketing course, and the instructor is outstanding. The information is current and useful. You learn from very experienced instructors who have real-time experience and use the most current information.” – Bryan H.
- “I've taken a few courses with DWC, and I'm regularly checking the site to see what else piques my interest. The organization is well organized (shout out to Liz!) and the support for making sure students have access to materials and tech support make this kind of study really inclusive.” – Juliette R.
#4: Noble Desktop—Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & Twitter (Online and In-Person)
Master copy-based social media marketing with this live online course from Noble Desktop. Geared towards written content, this course explores the different content-based social media platforms, how to develop marketing strategies, and how to use written content to create a defined brand identity. Students will also learn techniques for cross-platform blogging, how to build and engage an audience, and tips for monitoring trends within social media.
Key Information
This class is open to all levels and has no prerequisites. This class can be completed in just one day through seven hours of live online instruction. The total cost for this course is $425 and it is due at the time of booking.
More Details
Enrolling in this course automatically enrolls you in a rewards program. For every class you book, you’ll get 5% of the cash you spent back in rewards. Once you earn $5 in rewards, you can apply your rewards towards your next class purchase or save them up for later! Whatever you choose, you're always earning and you're always learning.
Below are a few reviews of Noble Desktop:
- “The course was very insightful, it was run very efficiently and covered a lot of top topics.”—Tony D.
- “Class was great. I learned a lot and left with a clear understanding of the material.”—Jordan M.
- “The course was great! The teacher was superb! She took her time to explain everything clearly and was very helpful! Definitely worth going if you are a small business owner and need more customers.”—Anonymous
#5: Boot Camp Digital—Social Media Marketing Workshop (Online and In-Person)
Offered for over ten years, this top-notch social media marketing workshop is available both online and in-person, with training available in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, and Cincinnati. Regardless of where you choose to study, this course teaches the same expert strategies that have been taught to companies like Nike, Google, GE, P&G, Macy’s, and Capital One. You’ll learn marketing strategies specific to various social media platforms and websites, master SEO and UX writing, and learn to craft engaging emails that generate sales and lead to customer retention.
Key Information
This four-day workshop costs $2,497 (due upfront) and includes immediate access to the online training, Q&A calls, discussion forums and updates, copies of Krista Neher’s best-selling books, and downloads of all of the tools, templates and resources you’ll need to successfully implement. There are no prerequisites for this course, making it ideal for beginners. Each day of training will run from 9am-5pm with an optional one-hour Q&A session with the instructor after class.
More Details
All Boot Camp Digital courses boast intimate class sizes of no more than 25 participants and are approved by Online Marketing Certified Associate (OMCA™) as a Registered Education Provider. This workshop prepares you to pass the OMCA™ exam, allowing you to gain an industry-recognized certification.
Include partial or paraphrased quotes from 1-3 students who took this course.
- “Digital advertising and social media continue to evolve and Boot Camp Digital does a great job of keeping up with the changes and helps me figure out what the most important areas for me to focus on for my business. I highly recommend Boot Camp Digital.”—Lori K.
- “Boot Camp Digital is an excellent experience for all levels of knowledge. When I left this training, I had clear short and long-term goals and knew how to achieve them. I am looking forward to future Boot Camp learning opportunities!”—Jenn
#6: Duke University—Digital Media and Marketing Certificate Program (Online)
Want to learn more than just social media marketing? This online, self-paced program is ideal for those seeking to enhance their existing digital marketing skills or pursue a new career in the growing digital marketing industry. You’ll learn the eight most important digital marketing categories: content marketing, mobile marketing, search engine optimization, web analytics, email marketing, and social media marketing. Incorporating real-world projects, this course offers practical experience on a variety of platforms like Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Key Information
This course costs $3,195 and is due in full upon registration. For those seeking financial assistance, loans are available but must be certified and approved by Duke Continuing Studies prior to starting the program. This certificate program takes an estimated 350 hours of combined instruction/study time and must be completed within 12 months. It’s recommended that students commit between 5 and 10 hours per week to the coursework.
More Details
There are no books or additional materials required for this program. Self-downloadable study guides are provided for most modules to help with note-taking and to provide students with a takeaway they can reference in the future.
Duke Continuing Studies is a registered education provider for OMCP®, and completing this program meets the course training criteria for the OMCA™ and OMCP® certification exams.
The course also prepares you for Google Ads, Facebook Blueprint, Google Analytics, and Microsoft Bing certification exams, so you can gain multiple certifications within the top ten globally-recognized digital marketing credentials.
If you’re interested in this professional certification program, you can contact the Program Manager for a course demo to learn more.
#7: Reforge—Retention + Engagement (Online)
This intensive course is designed for marketers, product managers, designers, engineers, and anyone else who works on maintaining a customer base. You’ll learn to retain, activate, engage, and resurrect users with proven frameworks by first defining and analyzing your current retention. This class will teach you activation and engagement strategies and how to define and measure both of these tactics. You’ll also practice identifying non-activated users vs. dormant users, and learn to implement resurrection strategies.
Retention determines category leaders and better retention improves monetization, lowers acquisition costs, increases LTV, and gives you a competitive edge. Retention + Engagement offers you proven frameworks that can be used throughout your career to retain, activate, engage, and resurrect users.
Key Information
Reforge offers courses as part of its membership packages. The basic ‘Individual’ membership has an annual fee of $1995 which includes access to custom collections, the full content library (including more than 20 full programs, all frameworks, and lessons), downloadable templates, and Reforge’s Slack community.
To get the most out of the program, students typically dedicate 3-5 hours per week to this course, including a 90-minute event. The course typically takes up to six weeks to complete. Many members also devote additional time to consuming content more deeply, filling in provided templates, and engaging with the Cohort.
More Details
Reforge’s Cohort courses offer students the chance to attend events and interact with other members participating in the same course within their cohort. While the course content is the same as what’s available in the self-paced format, you will have the opportunity to interact with Executives in Residence and experts in the field throughout the cohort.
There will be a live event each week of your course, typically offered during two time slots to accommodate members in various time zones. Live events are recorded in case you're unable to join at the scheduled time.
Reforge understands that career development isn’t always a straight line, which is why their courses have no prerequisites. If you’re new to Reforge, they recommend starting with their popular Growth Series.
Below are a few reviews of Reforge:
- “The community and guests are awesome. They share great use cases and I reached out to some of them to talk about specific points and always learned something new.”—Tecassiano
- “The first plus that I would highlight is the perfect structure of the content and its organization. The practical aspect of knowledge is visible, it is clear that everything was created by practitioners for practitioners.”—Maxim T.
- “Content was meaningful and had an immediate impact.”—Anonymous
#8: Noble Desktop—TikTok Marketing (Online and In-Person)
Learn how to leverage one of the most popular social media platforms to enhance your business in this one-day workshop. You’ll be introduced to current social media marketing trends and develop a marketing strategy that works for you. You’ll also study the history of TikTok and its social impact, defining your brand image, and how to incorporate paid advertising and Shopify into your TikTok tactics. This course is available online, or you can attend in-person in New York City.
Key Information
This course costs $325 and you can choose to pay upfront, pay in five installments, or apply for a Climb Credit Student Loan. You’ll have no interest or added fees with installments or a loan and will be required to pay a 10% deposit at checkout. There are no prerequisites, so this course is open to all levels.
More Details
You can attend this course at the Noble Desktop office located in New York City on 34th street and Madison Avenue, just a few blocks from Penn Station, Port Authority, and Times Square. You may also attend this class live online (virtual training) via Zoom. Noble Desktop will reach out with additional information, including the Zoom info and class files.
#9: Noble Desktop—Facebook Marketing Bootcamp (Online and In-Person)
Become an expert in crafting and implementing Facebook marketing campaigns with this two-day workshop that’s available both online and in-person in Manhattan, New York. A comprehensive look at all facets of Facebook marketing, this course covers developing a successful Facebook marketing strategy, creating visual content that will engage your customers and drive sales, gaining and expanding a following, and leveraging paid advertising to increase sales.
Key Information
This course costs $650 and you can choose to pay upfront, pay in five installments, or apply for a Climb Credit Student Loan. You’ll have no interest or added fees with installments or a loan and will be required to pay a 10% deposit at checkout. There are no prerequisites, so this course is open to all levels.
More Details
You can attend this course at the Noble Desktop office located in New York City on 34th street and Madison Avenue, just a few blocks from Penn Station, Port Authority, and Times Square. You may also attend this class live online (virtual training) via Zoom. Noble Desktop will reach out with additional information, including the Zoom info and class files.
#10: ECornell—Social Media Marketing Certificate Program (Live and On-Demand)
This certificate program will teach you to connect with potential customers by when, where, how, and to whom you should be marketing content. You’ll examine best practices for a multitude of social media platforms, create brand-centered content, and identify user-generated content opportunities through the implementation of influencers and affiliate marketing. You’ll also create a proactive cross-platform social listening and community management system that stays consistent with your brand while utilizing metrics to measure the success of your marketing efforts.
Key Information
This course costs $2625 or $675 per month if you choose the installment plan. Students typically complete the program within three months, assuming 5-7 hours of coursework is completed each week. The course has been crafted by industry-leading experts and instructors at Cornell, providing top-notch educational resources.
Each individual course within this certificate program is offered on-demand and can be completed whenever and wherever you choose. Toward the end of your program, you will attend what is called the Symposium sessions: three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions. The Marketing Symposium lets you engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond.
More Details
This program includes a year of free access to Symposium, which features several days of live, highly participatory virtual Zoom sessions with Cornell faculty and experts to explore the marketing industry’s most pressing topics. Symposium events are held several times throughout the year. Once enrolled in your program, you will receive information about upcoming events.
Below are a few reviews of eCornell:
- “I loved the multiple formats used for their coursework. They keep you interested in the material with multiple delivery methods. They engaged in group chats and the facilitators were awesome.”—Ava N.
- "Excellent training and a great learning experience from a top quality school."—Jaime R.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Choose a Social Media Marketing Class?
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a social media marketing class. The first step is to decide if you prefer online or in-person learning. You’ll also need to decide how much time you can dedicate towards your learning, as training can vary anywhere from a one-day workshop to a several-month commitment for a certification program. It’s also helpful to read through course syllabi to make sure the topics and content you’re interested in are included. Student reviews, both on the course’s webpage and those found on review sites can help ensure you choose a top-quality program and company.
Is It Better to Attend a Social Media Marketing Class In-person or Online?
Choosing between an online or an in-person class will be dependent on your personal learning preferences, schedule, and location.
Online classes offer the most flexibility and are the best option for those who don’t live in an area offering in-person classes. You can attend from wherever you choose and, with on-demand classes, you can even attend whenever you choose. It’s important to note that online classes will require you to purchase any materials not provided within the online class platform (outside of your syllabus and general course curriculum), so make sure to check with your instructor for a list of mandatory materials.
In-person classes offer the most structure and provide face-to-face interactions with your instructor and other students. You can work collaboratively with your teacher and fellow learners, ask questions and instantly receive answers, and potentially even create beneficial networking relationships within your class. In-person classes provide more accountability for students as well, requiring you to attend class at set times. This tends to help keep students focused and on track.
What Will I Need for a Social Media Marketing Class?
One of the benefits of taking a social media marketing class is that the list of essential supplies is minimal. You will need access to a computer with internet, as well as access to and a general familiarity with various social media platforms (your personal Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn accounts are perfectly adequate).
While most entry-level purses won’t require more than what is listed above, higher-level courses may have varying skills-based prerequisites like experience with SEO, social analytic tools, or basic HTML knowledge.
Can I Learn Social Media Marketing Online for Free?
It is possible to study social media marketing online for free. These resources are typically shorter, less in-depth courses or free short-term trials and demos of more expensive programs. YouTube can be a great place to learn more about the benefits of optimizing social media for your business, and various blogs can also offer helpful resources. While these free methods are great for introducing you to the basic concepts, a structured course or certification program will provide a higher level of expertise and a deeper breadth of knowledge.
Is It Better to Learn Social Media Marketing in a Live or Self-paced Class?
Both self-paced and live classes have their respective pros and cons. As previously stated, self-paced classes allow students to complete the coursework on their own time. These classes can be a great option for those who live in a different time zone than available live classes, or for those that work atypical schedules. All lessons are pre-recorded by experts within the industry and typically include self-guided lesson plans, assignments, and quizzes or tests. These classes allow you to spend as much time as you need on each lesson, allowing them to accommodate those with differing learning styles or attention spans.
Live online classes, while less flexible, grant you access to a highly-trained instructor and allow you to interact with other students. You won’t need to wait for responses from your teacher as you can ask questions live during your class session. If you value interactive learning, a live online course is a great option for you. You also have the added benefit of a more structured environment that helps to hold students accountable and keep you on task. Interacting with other students also allows you to make friends and collaborate with other creative minds within your industry.