Online social media marketing course (level 4)

An accredited social media course for individuals and businesses

Practical and engaging assignments | Unlimited tutor support  | Accredited certification

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Course summary

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Social media marketing course overview

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Our social media marketing course equips you with the skills you need to help you use popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and many more, as powerful marketing tools.

Many businesses and individuals settle for a token Twitter feed and Facebook page, without understanding what to do with them. They don’t realise that they could use social media to dramatically enhance their reputations, expose their business to more potential customers,  and most importantly, increase their income.

From freelancers and small businesses to multi-million-pound organisations, an effective online presence can be the difference between business success and failure.

This course is ideal for:

• Beginners.
• Digital marketers who want to develop their skills.
• Staff training and development.
• Business owners and freelancers who want to expose themselves to more clients.
• Employees who use social media in the workplace.
• Individuals and businesses who want to drive more traffic to their website or blog.
• People who want to boost their existing social media marketing skills.

Many leading organisations including American Express, Bioversity International, Oil & Gas UK, Manchester City Council and Yellow Media Group (formerly Yell) use this social media marketing course to train their staff. And numerous individuals testify that it is practical, effective and great value for money.

Successful social media marketing course graduate Amanda Bate, who used the course to promote her new business told us “The course was diverse and delved in to all aspects of social media. The content was clear; the learning material was easy to understand”. Read her review

There is a strong demand these days for people with social media marketing skills. Most organisations need people who can:

• Write compelling content for social media.
• Engage with their customers through social media channels.
• Use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to reach more clients.
• Devise and implement social media strategies.

This comprehensive social media marketing course covers all these areas and others. And takes you through the essential features of building a web presence that puts you ahead of the competition.

We offer full guidance throughout, as well as feedback on a range of assignments specifically designed to help you put the theory into practice.

This course teaches you how to:

• Market yourself or your business using popular social media platforms.
• Maintain an effective presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
• Write engaging social media content and get the most out of search engine optimisation (SEO).
• Use videos and images to boost social media marketing activity.
• Manage the online reputation of yourself or your business.

You will study in our Online Learning Area, which is accessible from a computer or a mobile app. This means the course is flexible, and gives you the chance to tackle practical, real-world social media marketing tasks at home, at work or on the go.

You will also benefit from unlimited tutor support every step of the way, including personalised feedback on every assignment.

Another successful social media marketing course graduate, Pam Sidwell, was particularly impressed with the “great constructive feedback” she received. Read her review

We have an excellent track record in helping our social media marketing learners find work, set up as successful freelancers and apply new skills to use in the workplace. See some examples below:

• Social media marketing student uses new skills to boost her business
• Digital role for social media marketing course graduate
• Social media marketing course student’s writing success

 

Social media marketing course subjects

This vocational course covers every aspect of social media marketing. Each lesson includes a practical assignment, based on real-world social media marketing.

Every assignment is personally marked and graded by your tutor, so you’ll receive expert feedback on your progress at every stage.

Lesson 01: Introduction to social media

• Understand the basics of social media.
• Define how social media can be used in marketing and public relations.

Lesson 02: Content writing

• Describe your target reader.
• Learn to write attractive and effective social media content.
• Structure your content to get results.
• Explain the importance of accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Lesson 03: Facebook

• Learn how to use Facebook to market a business.
• Create interesting and engaging content.

Lesson 04: Twitter

• Learn how to use Twitter to market a business.
• Create interesting and engaging content.

Lesson 05: LinkedIn

• Learn how to use LinkedIn to market a business.
• Create interesting and engaging content.

Lesson 06: Blogging

• Set up your own blog or develop your existing blog.
• Learn how to maintain and grow your blog.
• Use your blog to promote your business

Lesson 07: Video and Image

• Understand how images and video can boost your social media marketing activity.
• Use a smartphone to shoot, edit and record a short video.
• Create basic graphics using online tools.

Lesson 08: Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr

• Explain how to use Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr to market your business.
• Compare these media with regard to business opportunities.

Lesson 09: Customer advocacy and storytelling

• Learn the definition and importance of customer advocacy.
• Build a tailored customer advocacy programme for your business.
• Include storytelling in all aspects of your business to engage customers.

Lesson 10: Achieving interaction

• Explain the importance of engaging with followers.
• Discuss strategies for interacting with different types of followers.
• Learn about the main tools for achieving and maintaining interactivity.

Lesson 11: Social media for SEO

• Explain social media’s role in SEO (search engine optimisation).
• Learn how search engines rank content.
• Discuss the importance of keywords, links and hashtags in SEO.
• Learn to create SEO-friendly social media content.

Lesson 12: Devising social media strategy and campaigns

• Explain how to research and prepare your social media marketing strategy.
• Describe how to use social media management tools.
• Discuss how to create social media campaigns.

 

Social media marketing course certifications

Our social media marketing course has been independently endorsed under the ABC Awards and Certa Awards Quality Licence Scheme.  So at the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from ABC Awards and Certa Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the Units the learner has completed as part of the course).

In addition, you will receive the accredited CMP level 4 diploma in social media marketing, which is recognised in the UK and beyond. It proves you are a qualified social media marketer.

These certifications will enable you to apply for social media marketing jobs, find freelance work, or use your new skills in the workplace.

 

Accreditation and quality

We comply with the very highest external standards. We are:

• Registered by the UK government.
• Accredited by four recognised organisations
• Quality-checked by ABC Awards.

Each organisation has its own standards, code of practice and complaints procedure, so you can enrol with complete confidence.

Social media marketing course tutor: Andy Carter

Group head of news | comms and PR director and consultant

As a social media marketing course learner, you will work 1-2-1 with Andy Carter, who is a professional communications, PR and social media marketing consultant.

He has been in charge of PR, social media marketing and communications at Leeds city council, Northumbria university, the London Borough of Sutton and Peterborough city council, and has vast experience in social media marketing.

Andy also runs his own PR consultancy.

He will mentor you, mark your assignments, and give you expert advice.

Andy is often praised by our social media marketing course learners for his engaging, approachable and friendly manner.

Find out more about Andy

 

Social media marketing course payment options

This social media marketing course costs £494.50 including VAT. This is all you pay. There are no hidden charges, and we have a range of payment methods, so you can purchase your course wherever you live.

You can either pay the fee in full, or with four monthly instalments of £123.62 including VAT.

 

What happens when I enrol?

There are no set enrolment dates for our social media marketing course. You can begin studying when you want to.

Once you have completed your enrolment form and paid your fee, you will receive a login to our Online Learning Area.

There, you will find your learning materials and other resources. You can start studying when you want to.

 

Social media marketing course FAQs

Questions	Answers
Is this social media marketing course accredited?	Yes. The course is externally accredited by 4 recognised organisations. It is also quality endorsed by ABC and Certa Awards.
How long will the course take?	This social media marketing course is flexible which means you can fit it around your lifestyle. On average, our learners who commit 4 hours per week to this social media marketing course, will usually complete it within 4 months.
Can I take time out?	Yes, many of our social media marketing learners take breaks from their studies, and continue from where they left off.
What certification will I receive?	You'll receive the CMP Level 4 diploma in social media marketing, and a Certificate of achievement which is endorsed by ABC awards and Certa Awards, who have long-established reputations for developing and awarding high-quality vocational qualifications.
Can I study this course if I don't live in the UK?	Yes, this social media marketing course isn't just restricted to people in the UK. We have learners from all over Europe, and in America, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand and many others. This course is internationally accredited, which means you can enrol with confidence no matter which country you live in.
Do you send the certifications overseas?	Yes. There are no additional charges for this.
Can I apply for a job with the certifications?	Yes, many of our learners use the qualification on their CV to apply for social media marketing jobs.
Will this course show me how to get started as a freelancer?	Yes. We offer full support after the course, and give each learner expert advice on starting as a freelance social media marketer. This includes advice on which rates to charge, which agencies to join and how to market yourself in the correct way in order to attract clients. We have lots of free resources in the Online Learning Area which are geared to helping you establish yourself as a freelancer.
Can this social media marketing course be used for staff training?	Yes. Many organisations, including Arsenal FC, BT, the BBC, Disney, Vodafone and Waitrose, use our online courses to train their staff. Because this course is flexible, you can fit it around your work commitments and apply your new social media marketing skills to your job as you learn them. You will also have lifetime access to the materials, so you can refer back to them later if you need to.
How many tutor marked assignments are there?	There are 12 lessons on this social media marketing course, and all of them come with tutor marked assignments. Our social media marketing course tutor, Andy Carter, is often praised for the level of detail he goes into when marking our learner's assignments.
Can I resubmit assignments if I fail?	Yes. If you fail an assignment, your tutor will point out where you went wrong, and will give you constructive feedback which should help you achieve a pass grade when you resubmit.
How much tutor time do I get?	This is one of the only online social media marketing courses that offers unlimited tutor support. This means you can contact your tutor with questions at any point during the course, and they will usually reply the same working day. This support also includes expert careers advice, help looking for work, help with CV's and covering letters, and much more!
Can my employer pay for this course for me?	Yes, on the second page of the social media marketing course enrolment form, please select 'invoice to employer'. When your form reaches us, our finance team will send the invoice - usually the same working day.
Will I have to start straight away?	No. Because this social media marketing course is flexible, you can purchase it and then begin studying whenever you are ready. Lots of our learners take advantage of offers and discounts, but begin studying the course weeks or even months later.
Can I pay for this course monthly?	Yes. The payment plan for this social media marketing course is 4 monthly instalments of £123.62. Unfortunately monthly instalments cannot be used with a discount or promotional offer.
When can I enrol?	You can enrol on our social media marketing course 365 days a year. Upon enrolment, you'll receive your login details and enrolment pack, which means you can get started immediately... if you want to.

Why you’ll benefit from studying with us