Social media strategy has gotten harder in recent times. You need to craft a strategy for each social channel, a good grasp of content creation, and a healthy dose of chutzpah to tie it all together without losing your mind.
So, it's probably a good idea to learn from seasoned social media industry professionals and see how they pull of social campaign after social campaign. To get you started right away, I've combed the interweb to come up with this list of the best social media strategy courses out there.
All practical, no fluff. The good stuff.
Best Social Media Strategy Courses Shortlist
Here's my shortlist of the best social media strategy courses I think are worth your time in 2024:
- Introduction to Social Media Strategy (Madecraft)
- Advanced Social Media Strategies (HubSpot Academy)
- Social Media Marketing Specialization (Northwestern University)
- Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels (LinkedIn Learning)
- Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing Strategy (CMU)
- Introduction to Social Media Advertising (HubSpot Academy)
- Social Media Marketing: Strategy and Optimization (LinkedIn Learning)
- Social Media Strategy Made Simple for Small Businesses (Udemy)
- Social Media Marketing Strategy (Social Media College)
- How to Build a Social Media Content Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
- Essential Skills for Social Media Managers (LinkedIn Learning)
- Social Media Marketing Strategy 2024 (Udemy)
- Social Media and Social Content Strategy (Digital Marketing Institute)
- Introduction to Social Media Marketing (Meta)
- Social Media Strategy (AIM)
- Social Media Marketing for Small Business (LinkedIn Learning)
- Social Media Lesson: Developing a Social Media Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
- Crash Course on Social Media (Aptly)
- Social Media Lesson: Building a Social Media Engagement Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
Find more details about each course below.
Overview Of The Best Social Media Strategy Courses
1. Introduction to Social Media Strategy (Madecraft)
Madecraft's social media course introduces foundational social media concepts and strategies, including how to define your target audiences, set measurable goals, and establish a strong presence on various social platforms. You also get tips for tracking performance and the importance of aligning your social media management efforts with the business objectives.
- Who It’s For: Beginners in social media marketing
- Topics Covered:
- Understanding social media strategies
- Establishing a social media presence
- Building an effective content calendar
- Defining and engaging with target audience
- Adapting to social media changes
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 1 hour and 49 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 49 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Career: $39.99
- Learning for Teams: $31.67 per user
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
2. Advanced Social Media Strategies (HubSpot Academy)
HubSpot is an OG, and their free social strategy course lives up to the billing. They share advanced social media tactics that drive engagement. And show you how to ladder your strategies to the business goals. Through a mix of videos and a quiz, you'll gain practical knowledge on how to improve your social media marketing efforts.
- Who It’s For: Experienced social media marketers
- Topics Covered:
- Understanding advanced social media tactics
- Measuring social media ROI
- Retargeting and personalized campaigns
- Social media listening
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: Yes
- Duration: 36 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 36 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: HubSpot Academy
3. Social Media Marketing Specialization (Northwestern University)
Northwestern's course is a great place to start if you're looking for an easy-to-complete but practical guide to mastering social media marketing. They've got lessons on building and executing effective social media campaigns across various platforms, influencer marketing, organic and paid strategies, crafting compelling content, and managing communities.
- Who It’s For: Marketing professionals
- Topics Covered:
- Social media and modern marketing
- Techniques for social media listening
- Building and sustaining audience relationships
- Designing and executing paid campaigns
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: Yes
- Duration: 1 month
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 10 hours per week (self-paced)
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
4. Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels (LinkedIn Learning)
This social media marketing course focuses on TikTok, Instagram reels, and short-form video content to boost brand visibility and engagement. It provides strategies for creating attention-grabbing videos, utilizing platform features to maximize reach and best practices for storytelling.
- Who It’s For: Content creators, social media marketers, and business owners
- Topics Covered:
- TikTok algorithm insights
- Instagram Marketing techniques
- Best practices for creating content
- Leveraging trends, challenges, and music
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 1 hour and 14 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 14 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Career: $39.99
- Learning for Teams: $31.67 per user
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
5. Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing Strategy (CMU)
This course provides hands-on experience in digital marketing and social media growth strategies, using real-world data to build campaigns and analyze market trends. It covers practical applications of tools like SEO, viral marketing, and mining user-generated content.
- Who It’s For: Digital marketers
- Topics Covered:
- Search engine optimization
- Social media marketing campaigns
- Viral marketing strategies
- Forecasting with online search trends
- Econo-mining user-generated content
- Crowdsourcing and prediction markets
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: In-person
- Exam Required?: Yes
- Duration: 1 semester
- How Many Hours Of Instruction:
- 100 minutes of lecture per week
- 50 minutes of recitation per week
- Eligibility Requirements:
- Enrolled in Master of Business Administration at CMU
- Price: Tuition-based
- Take The Course: CMU
6. Introduction to Social Media Advertising (HubSpot Academy)
This course introduces the basics of social media advertising. It offers a foundational understanding of creating and managing social media ad campaigns, how paid advertising works, budget management, optimizing ads for better performance, and measuring campaign success using social media analytics.
- Who It’s For: Beginners in advertising
- Topics Covered:
- Fundamentals of social media advertising
- Social media ad platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)
- Budgets and bidding strategies
- Ad optimization
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 27 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 27 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: HubSpot Academy
7. Social Media Marketing: Strategy and Optimization (LinkedIn Learning)
This course teaches effective social media strategies and optimization for better performance. It covers aligning social media efforts with business goals, adjusting strategies based on data insights, choosing the most effective platform, and optimizing campaigns through continuous testing and refinement.
- Who It’s For: Social media marketers
- Topics Covered:
- Introduction to social media strategy
- Conducting a social media audit
- Social media optimization techniques
- Testing and refining campaign strategies
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 56 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 56 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Career: $39.99
- Learning for Teams: $31.67 per user
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
8. Social Media Strategy Made Simple for Small Businesses (Udemy)
This course is great for small business owners who have to create and implement social media strategies on a limited budget. It provides practical tips on time and budget optimization, audience growth, leveraging analytics to improve performance, and creating content that connects with the target audience.
- Who It’s For: Small business owners
- Topics Covered:
- Importance of social media strategy for small businesses
- Building actionable social media plans
- Brand visibility strategies
- Content creation tools and techniques
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 1 hour and 14 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 14 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $29.99
- Take The Course: Udemy
9. Social Media Marketing Strategy (Social Media College)
Social Media College's course covers essential strategies for successful social media marketing and strategic planning. It includes creating, implementing, and measuring social media strategies, identifying KPIs, defining target audiences, setting clear objectives, and aligning them with business goals.
- Who It’s For: Marketing enthusiasts
- Topics Covered:
- Introduction to social media strategies
- Understanding the social media marketing process
- Social media audit and profile assessment
- Setting KPIs and objectives
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 2 weeks
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 4 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Limited Access: Free
- One-off payment: $109
- Yearly Subscription: $244.99
- Take The Course: FutureLearn
10. How to Build a Social Media Content Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
In this course, you get a step-by-step side to creating an effective social media content strategy. The facilitators also highlight the importance of planning, researching audience preferences, using different content types for maximum impact, and share insights into creating a content calendar.
- Who It’s For: Content strategists
- Topics Covered:
- Importance of social media content strategy
- Content planning and development
- Content calendar best practices
- Data-based content optimization
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 57 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 57 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: HubSpot Academy
11. Essential Skills for Social Media Managers (LinkedIn Learning)
This course teaches the practical social media project management skills to manage social media channels, including content creation, community management, and strategy development. It also explores collaborating with stakeholders and analyzing social media metrics for improved performance.
- Who It’s For: Social media managers
- Topics Covered:
- Developing a social media strategy
- Content planning and scheduling
- Analyzing social media metrics
- Cross-platform campaign management
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 1 hour and 6 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 hour and 6 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Career: $39.99
- Learning for Teams: $31.67 per user
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
12. Social Media Marketing Strategy 2024 (Udemy)
This online course provides up-to-date strategies and best practices for mastering social media marketing. It discusses emerging trends, updates, and changes in audience behavior, leveraging the latest trends and tools into social platforms, creating engaging content, and optimizing campaigns for maximum engagement.
- Who It’s For: Digital marketers
- Topics Covered:
- Creating a social media content plan
- Optimizing Facebook Ads
- Using analytics tools
- Managing online reputation and reviews
- TikTok and Instagram marketing strategies
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 11 hours and 47 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $64.99
- Take The Course: Udemy
13. Social Media and Social Content Strategy (Digital Marketing Institute)
This course focuses on developing a comprehensive social media and content strategy that drives engagement and brand awareness. It covers principles of creating content that aligns with business goals and emphasizes the importance of consistency and storytelling in building a brand presence across multiple platforms.
- Who It’s For: Content creators
- Topics Covered:
- Best practices for content creation and storytelling
- Integrating social media and content strategy
- Measuring content performance
- Platform selection and strategy
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: Yes
- Duration: 10 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
14. Introduction to Social Media Marketing (Meta)
Meta's courses tend to over-index on Instagram and Facebook, but this course does a fairly good job of introducing the basics of social media marketing. It also covers must-know concepts like the role of social media in business, how different platforms operate, and strategies for reaching target audiences. You'll also learn about content creation, engagement techniques, and building a social media presence.
- Who It’s For: Beginners
- Topics Covered:
- Understanding types of media marketing
- Defining SMART goals and KPIs
- Developing target audience persona
- Platform selection based on audience
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 19 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: Self-paced
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
15. Social Media Strategy (AIM)
AIM's course provides a structured approach to developing a social media strategy. It covers understanding social media platforms, optimizing strategies for engagement and growth, analyzing social media performance, and refining their approach using data-driven insights.
- Who It’s For: Marketing professionals
- Topics Covered:
- Introduction to social media strategy
- Platform selection and strategy
- Best practices for content creation
- Optimizing social media performance
- Budget, resourcing, and management planning
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Both
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 1 day
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 8 hours
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $975.00
- Take The Course: AIM
16. Social Media Marketing for Small Business (LinkedIn Learning)
This is another great social strategy course for small business owners. It goes deep on the tools and strategies needed to build and grow an online presence as a small business owner. It also offers practical tips on budget-friendly advertising options, leveraging organic reach, selecting the right platforms based on business goals, and generating leads through social media marketing.
- Who It’s For: Small business owners
- Topics Covered:
- Introduction to social media marketing
- Setting and preparing marketing goals and plans
- Promoting social media content
- Social media advertising on a budget
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 33 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 33 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Career: $39.99
- Learning for Teams: $31.67 per user
- Take The Course: LinkedIn Learning
17. Social Media Lesson: Developing a Social Media Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
This course focuses on effective planning and execution of social media strategies. It covers defining clear social media objectives with business goals, understanding target audiences, and selecting the right platforms for engagement. It also emphasizes tracking social media presence through analytics and adjusting strategies based on data.
- Who It’s For: Social media strategists
- Topics Covered:
- Setting social media KPIs
- Structuring a social media team
- Social media tools for businesses
- Budget setting and executive buy-in
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 54 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 54 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: HubSpot Academy
18. Crash Course on Social Media (Aptly)
This crash course offers a comprehensive introduction to social media marketing fundamentals. It covers understanding how social media platforms work and actionable tips for optimizing presence on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Additionally, it offers insights into building a social media strategy and adapting to changing trends.
- Who It’s For: Beginners
- Topics Covered:
- Understanding platforms and customer journey
- Role of social media advertising
- Creating a social media strategy
- Maintaining a social media presence
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 3 weeks
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 5 hours a week (self-paced)
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Coursera
19. Social Media Lesson: Building a Social Media Engagement Strategy (HubSpot Academy)
This social media course discusses engagement strategies on social media, focusing on developing one-to-one relationships with audiences. It covers fostering engagement by interacting directly with followers and nurturing relationships.
- Who It’s For: Engagement strategists
- Topics Covered:
- Creating personalized social media experiences
- Building a social media community
- Measuring engagement metrics
- Adjusting strategy based on feedback
- Online, In-Person, or Both?: Online
- Exam Required?: No
- Duration: 34 minutes
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 34 minutes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: HubSpot Academy
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