My Favorite Social Media Marketing Courses [Free & Paid]
Choosing a social media marketing course can be challenging, especially when there are so many options on the market. That’s why we made a list of the best courses to learn social media marketing.
Top 17 Social Media Marketing Courses
Whether you’re a beginner who’s looking to get started with social media marketing or an experienced marketer who’s trying to deepen their expertise, you’ll find the right course for you below.
1. Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
- Cost: You start with a seven-day free trial, then pay $49/month
- Level: Beginner
- Recommended for: This course is suitable for beginners who want to learn the foundations of digital marketing and social media marketers who want to freshen up their knowledge.
This is one of the best digital marketing specializations because it covers the foundation of social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, and content marketing.
It also goes over how to create SEO-optimized blogs. It’s a self-paced specialization that has seven courses and takes six months to complete.
What You’ll Learn:
- Build a solid foundation in different digital marketing aspects, such as social media marketing to email marketing
- How to create a successful digital marketing strategy
- How to analyze metrics and optimize marketing campaigns
2. Social Media Marketing by HubSpot
Cost: Free
Level: Intermediate
HubSpot made this social media marketing course to teach you how to create a marketing plan that’ll attract clients and generate sales. It also covers how to connect with your audience and build brand awareness.
However, it’s worth noting that the course suits B2c brands best because there aren’t many tactics that are tailored for B2B.
But still, the social media marketing course by HubSpot is worth taking for any inbound marketer, especially since it’s free and you’ll become HubSpot-certified.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to create a social media strategy that’ll generate sales
- How to accurately measure ROI
- Learn what your audience wants with social media listening and monitoring
- How to create a social media team
Recommended for:
This course is suited for marketers who understand the foundations of social media marketing and have a bit of experience. Also, there’s a module that covers building a social media team, so team leaders will find the course helpful too.
3. Social Media Marketing Professional by Meta
Cost: You start with a seven-day free trial, then pay $49/month
Level: Beginner
This social media marketing specialization by Meta is a series of six courses that dive deep into the foundations of social media marketing.
It starts with an introduction to the biggest social media platforms. Then, it’ll thoroughly cover digital marketing tactics, like how to create engaging content to attract newer audiences.
It’s worth noting that the program focuses on Meta’s ad manager and social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
The best part, you get access to Meta’s job board when you get their Social Media Marketing Professional certificate.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to create a social media campaign and analyze it efficiently
- How to use Meta Ads Manager’s features
- How to generate brand awareness
- How to create briefs for ad campaigns
Recommended for:
This program is a popular choice for anyone who’s looking to learn social media marketing, especially planning to advertise on Instagram and/or Facebook.
4. Social Media Marketing Specialization by Northwestern University
Cost: You start with a seven-day free trial, then pay $49/month
Level: Beginner
Northwestern University’s Social Media Marketing Specialization is a series of six practical courses that help you build a strong foundation for growing an online audience.
Unlike other courses, it covers important yet under-represented topics like lead nurturing.
With each course, you’ll have to go through a series of quizzes and projects that’ll help you apply your knowledge.
What’s more, there’s a final project where you get to apply everything that you learned from the specialization.
What you’ll learn:
- How to use social analytics tools
- How to apply lead nurturing in social media marketing
- How to create a comprehensive strategy for social media marketing
- How to build a social media presence
Recommended for:
This specialization is highly recommended for small business owners and beginner marketers who want to grow their audience because it focuses on lead nurturing.
5. Social Marketing Training by Hootsuite
Cost: $199
Level: Beginner
Hootsuite’s social marketing training is another beginner-friendly course that thoroughly covers fundamental topics like social media advertising and social media analytics.
The training isn’t free, but you can check out a free demo to get an idea of what the training covers.
By the end of the course, you have to take a 60-question final exam, and if you pass it, you’ll get a social media marketing certification from Hootsuite.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to optimize your social media profiles
- How to grow a loyal audience
- The essentials of content marketing
Recommended for:
The social media training by Hootsuite is fantastic for anyone who wants to grasp the basics of paid advertising and create a successful marketing strategy.
6. The Strategy of Content Marketing by the University of California
Cost: Free
Level: Intermediate
This course deep dives into content marketing and how to create a successful content strategy for social media.
You’ll also learn a bit about copywriting, which can help you create attention-grabbing content.
It’s worth noting that the principles you’ll learn in this course are transferrable to any social media platform.
What you’ll learn:
- How to create a successful content strategy
- The different types of content
- How to use the 7A framework to create valuable content
Recommended for:
Since this course covers content marketing, it’s best suited for marketing professionals that mainly focus on content strategy.
7. Social Media Marketing Foundations by LinkedIn Learning
Cost: Free
Level: Beginner
LinkedIn Learning’s Social Media Marketing Foundations is a free course that covers a wide range of topics—from how to make social media ads to how to create a social media strategy that resonates with your audience.
The course takes around two hours to complete, but it has seven modules that give you a good grasp of social media marketing foundations.
What you’ll learn:
- How to choose the right social media platforms to achieve your business goals
- How to create an effective social media strategy
- How to use social media for sales
Recommended for:
This course is suitable for newbie marketers, salespeople, and business owners that don’t have a marketing background.
8. Social Media Marketing Mastery by Course Envy
Cost: $1,696
Level: Beginner
The term “master” might make you assume this course is for experienced marketers, but that’s further from the truth.
The course is designed to help anyone go from beginner to advanced and learn the tactics and concepts that’ll help them grow their own business or personal brand on major platforms.
Every single strategy was implemented by the course creators themselves, so you won’t waste time learning theoretical concepts that aren’t applicable to real-life situations.
The course has 12 modules. Some modules in the course go in-depth into how to benefit the most from social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google—you name it!
The course also covers SEO optimization and how to create a landing page that’ll convert prospects into buyers. What’s more, it even covers how to perfect your sales funnels.
What you’ll learn:
- Practical and successful marketing strategies for the biggest social media platforms
- How to increase conversions and lower cost acquisition when you’re doing social ads
- How to save time by automating social media management
- How to make lead magnets and generate sales
Recommended for:
We recommend this course for anyone who wants an in-depth explanation of every aspect of social media marketing.
So, whether you’re a total newbie, a business owner, or an experienced social media marketer, this social media marketing course is for you.
9. Online Advertising & Social Media by the University of Maryland
Cost: $199
Level: Beginner
edX is a well-known educational platform that hosts courses from some of the best universities.
The Online Advertising & Social Media by the University of Maryland is an excellent course to learn everything about digital advertising.
You’ll learn how to utilize concepts like social media trends, content creators, and lead generation and learn how to create a successful ad campaign.
The course has four modules that can be completed in four weeks, and it’s self-paced.
What You’ll learn:
- Ecosystems of social media advertising
- How to evaluate ad campaigns
- How to advertise on major social media platforms
Recommended for:
This social media marketing course might help you if your marketing strategy relies heavily on digital advertising and social data analysis.
It’s also suitable for both beginners and experienced marketers.
10. Digital Marketing 101 by Boot Camp Institute
Cost: $97/month or $197/year
Level: Beginner
From its name, Digital Marketing 101 is a course that’ll give you a solid foundation in digital marketing.
And unlike most social media marketing courses out there, this course will cover the basics of email marketing, SEO optimization, and landing pages.
The course’s creator, Boot Camp, has worked with numerous high-quality clients like Nike and NASA. So the course’s content is top-notch.
Plus, if you buy the course, you get bonuses that’ll help you with your marketing strategy, such as benchmarking, which will help you follow marketing best practices.
You’ll also get unlimited access to the course for one year.
What you’ll learn:
- The essentials of digital marketing
- How to read, analyze, and optimize social media campaigns
- How to benefit from social media trends
- How to create a social media strategy
Recommended for:
We recommend this course for anyone who wants to understand the essentials of digital marketing.
11. Social Media Marketing by Online Marketing Institute Courses
Cost: One-time $859 payment or three-time $286 payment
Level: Beginner
The Social Media Marketing course by the Online Marketing Institute focuses on how to sell to millennials on major social media platforms.
You’ll also learn best practices for Instagram and Snapchat, as well as how to become influential on LinkedIn.
The course has 11 lessons that take six hours to complete. By the end of the course, you’ll take a final exam that tests your knowledge, and if you pass it, you’ll get a social media certification.
What you’ll learn:
- How to target millennials in your social media marketing campaigns
- The essentials of Instagram and Snapchat marketing
- How to optimize your Linkedin profile
- How to create a content marketing strategy
Recommended for:
We recommend this course for non-marketing professionals and beginners who plan to market to millennials.
Since the course thoroughly covers Instagram and Snapchat, it’s also suitable for anyone who wants to do social media marketing on those platforms.
12. Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
Cost: You start with a seven-day free trial, then pay $49/month
Level: Beginner
This social media marketing course made by the University of Pennsylvania has a unique approach to marketing; instead of explaining tactics to use, it teaches you the psychology of marketing.
It’ll also help you understand why some content goes viral and how you can do the same.
The course has four modules, and it takes around four hours to complete it.
What you’ll learn:
- The power of word-of-mouth and how to use it in your social media marketing strategy
- How social media can influence behavior
- The science behind a viral product
Recommended for:
Regardless of your skill level, this course is great if you want to understand the psychology of virality, which can be applied to your social media marketing strategy.
13. Inbound Marketing Course by HubSpot
Cost: Free
Level: Beginner
If you’re looking to get started with inbound marketing, this course is for you.
It has seven lessons that go over inbound marketing tactics, lead generation, and optimizing campaigns based on data analytics.
You can complete the course in five hours and get a HubSpot certificate at the end.
What you’ll learn:
- How to nurture your leads and take them through their buyer’s journey
- How to use artificial intelligence and automation to optimize your social media marketing strategy
- How to measure ROI with marketing attribution
- How to create a buyer’s persona
- How to create an inbound social media strategy
Recommended for:
We recommend this course for aspiring inbound marketing professionals and business owners who want to generate sales through inbound marketing.
14. Advanced Social Media Marketing for Picking Up Clients by Brian Yang
Cost: Free
Level: Intermediate
This social media marketing course should be the go-to for anyone who’s looking to get clients from social media.
The course’s social media marketing approach is value-centric, so you’ll be encouraged to provide as much value on Facebook groups and niche forums to sign clients up.
What you’ll learn:
- How to get clients from Facebook groups
- How to get highly-qualified clients from niche forums like Reddit
- How to create lead magnets on Youtube
- How to create valuable content
Recommended for:
This course is great for every coach, consultant, and influencer who’s trying to get qualified clients on social media.
However, you need to have a basic understanding of Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit.
15. Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence by Kate Arends
Cost: You need to get Skillshare’s subscribe plan ($32/month or $165/year)
Level: Beginner
If you’re an aspiring influencer or content creator and you’re trying to learn personal branding, this course is for you.
The course goes over how to authentically connect with your audience on social media.
When you purchase the course, you’ll get worksheets to practice what you learned.
What you’ll learn:
- How to create a purpose for your personal brand
- How to pick the right social media channels
- How to create engaging content
Recommended for:
This course is suitable for influencers, content creators, and anyone who’s trying to build their personal brand.
16. YouTube Success: Build an Authentic Channel That’s Worth the Follow by Sorelle Amore
Cost: You need to get Skillshare’s subscribe plan ($32/month or $165/year)
Level: Beginner
This course is a great choice if you’re looking to build a successful YouTube channel but don’t know where to get started.
The course creator, Sorelle Amore, has built two YouTube channels that have accumulated millions of views, so best believe this course is worth it.
In this course, she’ll cover how to get comfortable on camera, build a loyal following, and build your authority. The course has nine lessons with a total duration of 55 minutes.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to find your niche
- How to deliver a message that resonates with your audience
- How to create a content strategy
Recommended for:
We recommend the YouTube Success course if you’re a business owner or an influencer who’s trying to grow a youtube channel.
17. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media, and E-Commerce by The Wharton School
Cost: $585
Level: Beginner
The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Wharton School is an intermediate course that delves into the link between social media, eCommerce, and digital marketing.
You’ll learn about how the digital economy works and how to build credibility.
The course has four modules and it’s self-paced. Usually, it takes around six weeks to complete it. It’s also worth noting that the course can be a live cohort when enrollment is open.
What you’ll learn:
- How to engage with your audience by building credibility
- How to build your online presence organically
- Principles of online advertising
Recommended for:
Wharton’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course is recommended for experienced business owners, marketing professionals, and social media analysts.
This is because it’s an intermediate course that covers the link between ecommerce and social media marketing.
How to Pick the Right Social Media Marketing Course
The market is saturated with countless social media marketing courses, so picking one among them can be difficult. To make things easier, you should consider a couple of factors.
First, what’s the goal behind taking a social media marketing course? For instance, do you want to try paid advertising, or do you want to build a personal brand organically?
Pinpointing your goals can help you filter out many social media marketing courses that won’t help you attain them.
Second, what’s your experience? Are you a beginner or professional marketer who wants to deepen your knowledge?
Most marketing courses are geared toward beginners, so buying one when you already have experience can be a waste of money and time.
Lastly, what’s your budget? There are many top-notch free and paid courses, but if you’re on a budget, you might have limited options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Should Take a Social Media Marketing Course?
Almost anyone who plans to use social media to generate sales will benefit from taking a social media course because most businesses are going online.
But social media marketing managers, business owners, and influencers will benefit the most because building an online presence can help them attract opportunities like signing up clients or getting a raise.
Are Free Social Media Marketing Courses as Good as Paid Ones?
Yes! Big tech companies like Google have released social media marketing courses that are on par with paid ones.
In fact, they might even be better than them in some cases.
But if you’re looking for a free marketing course that’s intermediate or advanced, you might struggle with finding a good one.
Wrap Up
Now you have a list of the best social media marketing courses, so all you need to do is pick one and apply what you learn.
As a reminder, consider factors such as your goal, budget, and skill level when you decide to buy a social media marketing course.
This will help you overcome analysis paralysis and make the right pick.
Responses