Being able to rock social media is a hot skill to have right now. Companies are struggling to keep up with the demands of an ever-changing medium and are desperate for social media consulting services to make their voice heard in the crowd.
But what’s the best way to get that training? And what’s more important to a prospective employer? That you have formal training that can be verified or experience managing social media campaigns? Or a potpourri of both?
A good approach might be to start with some of the free training available online (aww yeahhh), supplement it with more specific training to accommodate your interests, and possibly substantiate it with some kind of certification program. I’ll review just a few of these options I’ve used and plan to pursue.
Online Training
When it comes to online training you have several different paths to choose from. These options range from free online tools to certification programs. But this isn’t a red pill/blue pill decision; you can choose to work your way up from the most basic training to more advanced courses.
Free Courses
Social Media Quickstarter
This course provides segments for all the most important social fields. Each of the mini courses has an estimated time to complete the section and a short, fun video to keep you interested. Quickstarter also gives you the ability to bookmark, share, and even download each section of the course. I personally learned a lot from this course and Evernoted many of the awesome tips, tricks, and tools.
Here is a breakdown of the topics covered in the course:
- Social Media 101 (4 chapters)
- Facebook (17 chapters)
- Twitter (17 chapters)
- LinkedIn (13 chapters)
- Blogging (3 chapters)
- YouTube (9 chapters)
- Ratings and Reviews (6 chapters)
- Location-Based Services (7 chapters)
- QR Codes (3 chapters)
- Email Plus Social Media Marketing (4 chapters)
30 Days to Social Media Marketing
Another good online training source is Tom Maffin’s 30-day training course. He sends you a different social marketing video every three days. You receive a certificate after finishing the course. I am on day five of the subscription, and I have already learned a lot from his videos.
Here are the 10 topics covered in the course:
- Geotargeting Your Brand Messages on Facebook
- Identifying Local High Influencers on Twitter
- Protecting and Moderating Your Facebook Brand Page
- Facebook’s Secret to Getting Your Posts on the News Feed
- Responding When Your Brand is Attacked Online
- Six Keys to Making an Online Campaign Go Viral [preview]
- Measuring Your YouTube Marketing Effectiveness
- Using Page Fragmenting to Measure Social ROI
- Tom’s Two Secret Digital Marketing Ninja Tips
- Next Steps
Inexpensive Course
Lynda.com’s Social Media Course
I have been watching Lynda.com videos since I was 15 . They offer a course for social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter, along with other social courses that cover topics such as YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, and LinkedIn. You can access this course and several other courses with a $25/month subscription to the site. That gives you access to all of their classes. But if you just want to take this class, get er’ done before your month runs out and your credit card is charged again. 
Here are some of the topics covered:
- Understanding Online Marketing
- Keeping Business and Personal Accounts Separate
- Developing a Marketing Funnel Strategy
- Creating a Branded Twitter Page Background
- Optimizing Tweets To Help Them Go Viral
- Leveraging the Latest Facebook Features for Pages
- Creating Targeted Facebook Social Ads
- Customizing Facebook Pages with IFrames
- Using Twitter and Facebook Analytics To Measure Impact
- Reducing Your Workload with Social Media Management Programs
Formal Training
Market Motive Social Media Training and Certification
Market Motive provides a full curriculum dedicated the different aspects of social media strategy. You have the option to pay $3,500 up front for the Coached Course or follow a Self-Paced Plan for $897 ($299/mo). I plan to take their Social Media Training course and get certified next year.
Here are some of the topics and skills covered in the course:
- Introduction to Social Media
- Blogging for Business
- Video and YouTube
- Social News Networking
- Twitter Tips, Tools, and Strategies
- Facebook Business Strategies
- Viral Marketing
- Using the Flickr Community for Profit
- Online Press Releases
- Leveraging Advertising Opportunities on LinkedIn
On the Job Training
Courses and training are a great way to get your foot in the door, but eventually you’re going to need to ditch the floaties and jump in the deep end of the pool. It’s easy to get the experience: just reach out to small businesses around you and offer to run social media campaigns for them on the cheap or even free for your fave charity or non-profit group.
And while you’re at it, commit yourself to ongoing education. You can do this by following people in the industry on Twitter (like us!), liking their Facebook pages (us again), signing up for RSS feeds of good social media blogs (ohh like ours), joining LinkedIn groups and asking questions, etc. etc.
You’ll find that as you start working with these strategies on a daily basis and learn from others, your strategy skills will sharpen over time. Working for an agency (or as a consultant of some type) gives you the opportunity to apply your skills to everyday business problems.
So in the words of the wise Ms. Frizzle, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”
Sometimes all you need to do is attempt a little self-training when it comes to social media. You might not grasp everything right away but if you walk away with just a few pieces of information that can help you grow online.
Definitely! Everyone can benefit from having a presence on social media.
Social media still baffles some business owners. There are plenty of free or low cost resources out there that can help immensely. For those with a larger budget, it’s advisable to hire a social media consultant or attend training sessions. It’s a necessary skill to have and worth the time and money.
I definitely agree. I think businesses would be shocked in the amount of traffic they could receive just from Facebook alone.
The Quickstarter and 30 Days to Social Media Marketing sound like great intro options! I wasn’t aware of these but might try going through them myself. Thanks for the tips!
I hope you do! I loved the Quickstarter course.