How to Learn Social Media Marketing: 5 Effective Learning Methods You Need to Know

If you're interested in pursuing a career in social media marketing, there are a variety of methods available for learning this skill. From in-person classes to online tutorials, choosing the right learning method depends on your learning style, schedule, and career goals.

Key Insights

In-person social media marketing classes are similar to traditional school courses and often limit enrollment to ensure individual attention from the instructor.
Live online classes offer the same benefits as in-person classes but eliminate the need for commuting, making them convenient for those who prefer to learn from home or the office.
On-demand online classes offer flexibility, allowing students to watch recorded videos at their own pace. However, these classes typically do not have a live instructor to answer immediate questions.
Free social media marketing tutorials on platforms like YouTube can be a good starting point for beginners, although they may not cover complex topics thoroughly.
For individuals planning to work as professional Social Media Marketers, certification programs are a recommended route. These intensive programs teach all necessary skills and often culminate in an exam, resulting in certification upon passing.
Enrolling in a social media marketing certificate program showcases your dedication and readiness to prospective employers, enhancing career prospects in the field.

When you decide to learn social media marketing, you have five methods to choose from.

You can sign up for an in-person class, log on to live online lessons, watch on-demand videos, check out free tutorials, and enroll in a certificate program. Which you choose will depend on what you are comfortable with and how you learn best.

In-person classes run very much like traditional school courses with an instructor in the room and students at desks or workstations throughout the room. One difference, though, is that enrollment in these classes is often limited to keep numbers low and allow instructors to give attention to all of the students. In an in-person class, students can ask the instructor questions and talk with other students during breaks. You have to attend class according to the school’s schedule, which is sometimes inconvenient. You also have to travel to class and maybe find parking, which also takes time and money.

Live online classes usually run at the same time as in-person classes, with an instructor and students in a classroom and other students joining on a video conferencing platform like Zoom. Everyone can ask questions or talk to each other but there is no need to commute to class. You still have to sign up for a class on the school’s schedule, but you can log in from home or the office. You can prepare for a new career in social media marketing without leaving your couch.

On-demand social media marketing classes online are another way to learn the skills you need to change careers. These classes are presented on recorded videos that students can watch whenever they want according to their own schedules. You can play the videos over as many times as you need to master the information, but you don’t have a live instructor to answer questions. On-demand courses tend to be less expensive than in-person or live online sessions, although not always. You usually have to pay for a subscription to a platform to access the classes. Some platforms have free trial periods that let you try a course before paying.

Classes are the best way to prepare for a career switch, but you can learn the basics of social media marketing by watching free internet tutorials on platforms like YouTube. You can watch tutorial videos about engaging an audience, which platform is good for what kind of business or demographic, or what life is like as a Social Media Marketing Manager. When it comes to more complicated topics like paid vs. unpaid advertising or data analytics, classes are much more helpful.

You can watch free tutorials to get started and sign up for a class or two, but if you are planning to work as a Social Media Marketer, a certification program is the best way to prepare. These are intensive, multiclass programs that teach all of the skills necessary to run a successful social media marketing campaign and work in the field. Many programs offer certificates of completion when students finish a class. Certifications are multi-session courses that often involve an exam at the end. When you pass, you are a certified Social Media Marketer. This shows prospective employers that you are trained, serious, and ready to start working.

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