On-demand courses let you watch video classes according to your own schedule. You can repeat the videos as many times as you need to understand the material. Some on-demand courses have certification exams at the end, so you can also earn a certificate and get a job as a Social Media Marketer. Read on to find out more about on-demand social media marketing classes.
The # Best On-Demand Social Media Marketing Classes
- Digital Marketing Institute—Social Media Marketing Course–Professional Certification (On-Demand)
- LinkedIn Learning–Social Media Marketing (On-Demand)
- Udemy—Social Media Marketing—Complete Certificate (On-Demand)
- Coursera—Social Media Marketing Specialization (On-Demand)
- Skillshare—Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners (On-Demand)
- Meta—Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate (On-Demand)
- HubSpot Academy—Social Media Marketing Course (On-Demand)
- Hootsuite Academy—Social Media Marketing Certification Course (On-Demand)Â
- Facebook—Facebook Blueprint Training (On-Demand)Â
- Online Marketing Institute—Social Media Marketing (On-Demand)
#1: Digital Marketing Institute—Social Media Marketing Course–Professional Certification (On-Demand)
Digital Marketing Institute’s Social Media Marketing Course—Professional Certification is an on-demand video course to prepare students to change to a career in social media marketing. This is a hybrid course that includes recorded videos that participants can watch at their convenience, plus live webinars, community forums, and tutoring to give students the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback.
There are ten modules in the course on research, content creation, commerce and affiliate marketing, apps, customer service, and social marketing strategy, plus modules on the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube, as well as a section on the new Google Analytics update. Once students register, they have access to the modules and can progress at their own pace, and most complete the course in 8 to 10 weeks.
Key Information
The tuition of $1442 can be paid all at once when you register or in three installments of $480 each. There are no prerequisites for this beginner’s class.
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When they finish the course, students can take a two-hour certification exam to get a Specialist Certificate in Social Media Marketing. Participants need a score of 60 percent or higher to pass the test. The cost of the first exam is included in the tuition payment, but students who do not pass the test may retake the test for a fee of around 80 USD.Â
Students appreciate the knowledge and confidence and the chance to shift gears and try something new that Digital Marketing Institute classes provide.Â
#2: LinkedIn Learning–Social Media Marketing (On-Demand)
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social media platform that many people use for company research, looking for a job, and making connections. Like other social media platforms, it is free to use an account on LinkedIn, but there is also a premium version that includes LinkedIn Learning. This is a large collection of prerecorded, on-demand classes that people can watch to learn about business and technology topics like social media marketing. The videos can be played anywhere and at any time. Students can go at their own pace and rewatch the videos if they want, but there is no instructor to answer questions or share insights.
Social Media Marketing Foundations is an on-demand course on LinkedIn Learning. The class explores investing in social media marketing to grow a business, including creating marketing personas, assessing social networks, and using content to increase audience engagement. Learn how to interact with customers, build relationships, and drive website traffic.
Key Information
This self-paced course contains five self-paced modules with quizzes at the end. This is a course for beginners with no prerequisites, and students are awarded a Certificate of Completion when they finish the class. LinkedIn Learning has a 30-day free trial before users need to pay, which gives subscribers a long time to try out the class. The cost for LinkedIn Learning is $39.99 a month or $19.99 a month, a 50 percent savings, when paid annually.Â
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Reviews mention that the course is engaging and valuable, and has helped them develop social media marketing campaigns. LinkedIn Learning members have access to over 20,000 courses, exercises, and quizzes. Membership also includes LinkedIn Premium.Â
#3: Udemy—Social Media Marketing—Complete Certificate (On-Demand)
Udemy is a learning platform with more than 200,000 courses and 62 million learners offering courses on topics from finance, IT, design, the arts, and marketing. Social Media Marketing—Complete Certificate covers social media marketing for businesses. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the focus of different platforms and how to choose the right one; set goals and create a vision statement; understand the differences between marketing, customer service, and public relations; and how to plan content strategy.Â
Key Information
The course costs $119.99, although discounts are offered to new members. Two and a half hours of video are included in the full course, including 16 articles and 14 downloadable resources. There are no course prerequisites, but students should have a business need for social media, either working for a company or as an entrepreneur. Full lifetime access is included in the price, and students receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
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Udemy has a 30-day money-back guarantee if students are not satisfied with the course. Students found Udemy classes up-to-date, agile, and responsive to the needs of businesses around the globe. They felt that the course was thorough and easy to follow.
#4: Coursera—Social Media Marketing Specialization (On-Demand)
Coursera’s Social Media Marketing Specialization is an on-demand video course that focuses on two objectives: influencer training and knowledge of analytics tools. The Specialization includes six different classes: What is Social, The Importance of Listening, Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies, Content, Advertising & Social IMC, The Business of Social, and a Social Marketing Capstone Project. This course is offered by Northwestern University through Coursera.
Specializations are designed to help students master a skill like social media marketing. Besides videos and readings, the classes include practice exercises and quizzes, plus graded assignments and tests. Each specialization includes a special project that students need to complete to receive the certificate. Materials are updated every quarter to keep students up-to-date.
Key Information
Coursera Plus, the version that provides access to the full course, costs $59 a month or $399 for a full year. Coursera offers a 7-day free trial and has a 14-day money-back guarantee. Financial aid is also available to some students. Single classes can be audited for free. Auditing means students can read and view course content but need to pay to earn a specialization. The time it takes to complete the course varies but most people complete it in about six months. There are no prerequisites for the course but Coursera recommends taking the classes in order.
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When students subscribe to a specialization, they are automatically enrolled in all of the classes in the series. The specialization can be completed all at once or students can take a break and resume later. Students appreciate the flexibility of Coursera’s classes to help them transition to a new career path.
#5: Skillshare—Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners Online (On-Demand)
Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners Online on Skillshare is a course for people who want to learn to use social media for business or start a new career as a Social Media Marketer. Topics include setting up for success, social media platforms, branding and content marketing, social media strategy, optimizing workflow, paid ads, and measuring success. All of the tools covered in class can be used for free. The course is taught by Maggie Stara, a freelance Digital Marketer and Teacher since 2016.
Key Information
Skillshare offers a one-week free trial when you sign up for an account and then charges $13.75 per month or $165 annually. The course includes 76 lessons in 8 hours and 50 minutes of video. There are no prerequisites for this class.
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The course includes a downloadable guide with projects and links to tools and resources. Students should open accounts for the various social media platforms and tools before beginning class. Reviewers report that the class exceeded expectations. They appreciated the lessons and resources in the course and felt the lessons were on target without filler.
#6: Meta—Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate (On-Demand)
The Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, is designed for people who want to start a career in social media marketing. Students learn how to use social media to establish a presence online and gain followers, create effective posts that increase audience engagement, design social media advertising campaigns, and use analytics to evaluate success.
The course includes six on-demand video classes: Introduction to Social Media Marketing, Social Media Management, Fundamentals of Social Media Advertising, Advertising with Meta, Measure and Optimize Social Media Marketing Campaigns, and Meta Social Media Marketing Capstone. Upon completion of the course, students receive a career certificate that they can link to a digital portfolio, resume, or LinkedIn profile.
Key Information
The course is run through Coursera Plus, which costs $59 a month or $399 for a full year. Coursera has a 7-day free trial and a 14-day money-back refund guarantee. Some students may also qualify for financial aid. Meta estimates the time to complete the course at seven months working three hours a week. There are no prerequisites for this beginner-level course.Â
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Students who complete the Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate can get feedback on their resumes, practice interviewing skills, and get career support through a job search guide. The professional certificate can also be used for college credit in one of Coursera’s online degree programs. In reviews, students said they appreciate the flexibility of moving at their own pace and found the concepts and skills useful at work.
#7: HubSpot Academy—Social Media Marketing Course (On-Demand)
HubSpot Academy provides free training in marketing, sales, and customer service. Their Social Media Marketing Course is a free certification course focusing on building a successful social media marketing strategy. The course is geared toward Marketing Managers, Influencers, and business owners who want to understand how to use social media to build a brand and increase sales. Students will learn how to engage an audience, create a strategy to grow a following, and use social media to build a business or career.
Key Information
This free on-demand video class includes 8 lessons with 38 videos that last 5 hours and 13 minutes. There are 29 quizzes students can use to see if they are on target. This is a class for beginners with no prerequisites.
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Students will receive a certification badge to link to social media profiles and digital portfolios when they pass the exam and complete the assignments. HubSpot Academy offers certification classes in five different languages. The Social Media Marketing Course is available in German, Spanish, Japanese, French, and English.
#8: Hootsuite Academy—Social Media Marketing Certification Course (On-Demand)Â
Hootsuite provides tools to manage social media campaigns, from maintaining content and publishing posts to measuring outcomes. Their Social Media Marketing Certification Course covers all aspects of social media marketing in five modules with a certification exam at the end.Â
Class modules include Social Media Strategy, an introduction to the basics of using social media for business. Social Media Content Marketing covers posting the right content on the right account. Inclusivity and Accessibility on Social Media addresses diversity and equity in social media. Building a Social Media Community looks at how to attract and grow a social media following. Measuring Success is about the various metrics and tools used by Social Media Marketers. Hootsuite also offers a platform certification that is specific to their product, but the Social Media Marketing Certification Course is more general to the field.
Key Information
The course costs $199 and there are no prerequisites. Students proceed through the material at their own pace and take the exam at the end. After passing the test, participants receive a digital certification badge to post on social media or link to a resume. The certification does not expire.
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The course is for beginners but the modules build on knowledge and the later ones are at an intermediate level. Students may take the 60-question online exam as many times as needed to pass with no extra fees.
#9: Facebook—Facebook Blueprint Training (On-Demand)Â
Meta also offers Facebook Blueprint Training, a series of free videos on digital marketing topics using the Facebook platform. There are five sections in the Facebook Path: Choosing the Best Audience for Your Marketing, Embracing a Digital Approach, Connecting with Your Customers, Building an Online Brand, Shaping Stronger Communities, and Focusing on You. Within each category are videos on topics like Choosing the Best Audience for Your Marketing, Set Marketing Goals, and Learn How to Create Facebook Ads. There are also videos introducing Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Most of the Blueprint videos focus on using Facebook and Instagram to make money, but there are also some featured lessons on the platform on topics like minimizing business disruption during an emergency, raising money to fight injustice, and inspiring a following to take action.
Key Information
All of the videos in the Blueprint training collection are free to watch anytime, anywhere. The videos are of different lengths and participants choose which ones to watch, so it is difficult to give a figure on duration. There are no prerequisites necessary to view the videos, although you do need an account for one of the platforms.
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Different learning programs are targeted at different audiences such as small businesses, brands and agencies, job seekers, educators, nonprofit administrators, community leaders, and developers.
#10: Online Marketing Institute—Social Media Marketing (On-Demand)
Social Media Marketing (Level 1) from the Online Marketing Institute is a certificate course designed to take beginners to job-ready Social Media Marketers. The eleven-part course presents an overview of social media platforms, using social media to strengthen a brand, gaining insights from social media interactions, marketing to Millennials, best practices for Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, and much more. To earn the certification, students must pass a final exam. All of the classes have to be completed to take the exam.
After registering for the course, students can download class materials, including transcripts, for six months. Participants may watch the videos as many times as they want and mark their favorite videos to watch again. Take the exam up to three times during that six months. A score of at least 70 percent is required to earn the certification.Â
Key Information
The cost for the course is $859. They do not have financial aid but students can make three monthly payments. OMI offers a ten-day free trial and then participants need to subscribe to take classes. A basic subscription is $25 a month, a Pro subscription is $45, and a Team subscription is $95 a month. Subscriptions can be canceled at any time without penalty. The course includes 6.6 hours of instruction in 11 video lessons. There are no prerequisites.
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After completing the classes and passing the exam, students will receive a certificate of completion that can be posted on social media profiles or digital resumes. Social Media Marketing (Level 1) is a beginning-level class for people new to digital business. Level 2 certification courses are for experienced marketers who want to deepen their knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an On-demand Social Media Marketing Class Worth It?
People who are self-starters and prefer to follow their own schedules can do well in on-demand social media marketing classes. Those who feel more comfortable with a live instructor should consider in-person or live online classes.
What Will I Need for an On-demand Social Media Marketing Class?
On-demand social media marketing classes require a computer with an internet connection. Students also need to open accounts on the social media platforms they are studying.
Can I Learn Social Media Marketing On-demand for Free?
There are opportunities to learn social media marketing for free. Meta’s Blueprint Training courses are free, as is HubSpot Academy’s Social Media Marketing Course. LinkedIn Learning offers a thirty-day free trial, which is an opportunity to watch many videos without paying, and the account can be canceled before the free trial is over. There are also many free video tutorials on social media marketing on YouTube.
Is It Better to Learn Social Media Marketing in a Live or Self-paced Class?
Whether to sign up for a live or self-paced class depends upon what the students prefer. Live classes feel more like a traditional classroom with an instructor who can answer questions and classmates to interact with. Self-paced classes are not interactive but are more flexible.