Jobs in social media are exploding right now, as users spend increasing amounts of time online—both for work and pleasure.
Perhaps you’re considering jumping on the social media train and launching a career in this exciting, diverse, and rewarding area of digital marketing. If so, you may be wondering what sort of education you’ll need to get started.
Should you take a social media course online? Should you learn alone from free resources and guides? Or can you land an entry-level job in social media with no experience or training whatsoever?
If these are questions you’ve been pondering, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we’re going to cover how you can get a job in social media, and the best social media courses online so that you can choose the one that fits your educational needs, availability, budget, and desired level of support and mentoring.
Feel free to use this clickable menu to skip to any section:
- Do you need to take a social media course online to get a job?
- What are the best social media courses online?
- Next steps
Ready to learn more? Then let’s go!
1. Do you need to take a social media course online to get a job?
The short answer to this question is: no. There are no specific requirements or qualifications needed to work in social media marketing, though the more evidence you have of your skills and experience, the higher your chances are of getting a job.
This could be via a portfolio you’ve put together to practice social media strategies or plans, or a social media campaign that you have set up, managed, and then analyzed. Whether you took on these activities alone or as part of a course, they’ll be sure to show employers your commitment to the field and what you’ve learned so far.
While some companies have a budget for training those who can demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for social media marketing, others (the majority) will only be able to employ those who already know their way around social media marketing tools, techniques, trends, and best practices. Although it’s possible to learn these skills via free online resources and guides, the most effective way to onboard these skills (and know you are learning what is needed for the role you want to get into) is via a social media course.
Frequently, a social media course online will provide students with:
- One-on-one mentorship from industry professionals
- Job application and interview support
- Teaching in the latest skills, tools, and techniques
- Video, text, audio, and interactive resources
- A student/alumni community
- Support putting together a professional social media portfolio
- Certification or proof of course completion
For the majority of career-changers and job seekers, these aspects make taking a social media course online much more beneficial than learning about it alone.
2. What are the best social media courses online?
Let’s dive into the social media courses online that are hitting the high notes with students and social media marketers right now!
1. CareerFoundry’s Digital Marketing Program
For those looking to launch a career in social media marketing, CareerFoundry’s Digital Marketing Program is a great study option. With the guidance of a mentor and a tutor, each student learns on their own terms and at a pace that complements their other commitments.
Students onboard the essential skills, technologies, digital tools, and processes needed to become a digital marketing or social media marketing specialist, and, by working on specific achievements throughout the course, each student comes away with an impressive digital marketing portfolio which they can show to recruiters or employers when applying for their first positions in the field.
In addition, transitioning into this career is a less daunting prospect as each student gets individual guidance from a career specialist who supports them during their Job Preparation course.
CareerFoundry’s Digital Marketing Program at a glance
- Ideal for: Those who’d like to pursue a career in digital marketing and are ready to fully immerse themselves in learning all about the field
- Duration: Four months full-time study, or up to seven months part-time
- Price: $6,900 USD (with discounts available)
2. University for the Creative Arts’ (UCA) Digital Marketing & Social Media BA/BSc (Hons)
Offering a mixture of in-depth theory and on-site practice in digital marketing and social media, this degree course from UCA (based in the UK) provides the perfect foundation to those looking to launch a career in the field. With add-ons including a Professional Practice Year (in which you spend an entire year gaining industry experience prior to your final year), students learn the skills, methodologies, and techniques needed to become experts in the industry.
Social media marketing is covered in detail throughout the degree, with specialist units including Social Media: Context and Development, Influence & Influencers, and Understanding Consumers. A major benefit of this course is the support offered to students with finding professional placements: all students are given assistance in both identifying and preparing for an industry placement anywhere between two weeks and a year in length.
UCA’s Digital Marketing and Social Media BA/BSc (Hons) at a glance:
- Ideal for: Those who can dedicate themselves to full time learning for a number of years at a university level, with an aim to launch a career in digital marketing upon completion
- Duration: 3 or 4 years full time
- Price: £9,250 (The Professional Practice Year is an additional £1,850)
3. In Professional Development’s (INPD) Digital Marketing and Social Media Program
INPD’s Digital Marketing and Social Media Program takes students through the whole spectrum of digital marketing from brand building and marketing strategy, to digital marketing acquisition, conversion and retention. Designed to encourage strategic and tactical thinking, the course gives students access to the tools they need for digital activity evaluation, analysis, and assessment, as well as guidance in managing and streamlining a team’s digital activities.
Session 3 of the course is dedicated solely to social media marketing, with topics including platform management, strategic planning, and content creation. Students will also study paid social and scheduling tools, thought leadership, the power of influencers, and making an impact through social posting.
In Professional Development’s Digital Marketing and Social Media Program at a glance:
- Ideal for: Those hoping to quickly onboard the range of skills needed to launch successful careers in digital marketing and social media
- Duration: 4 days
- Price: £1,350+VAT
4. HubSpot’s Social Media Certification
Covering the whole spectrum of social media marketing—including strategy, measuring ROI, building your team, budgeting, monitoring, goal-setting, content strategy, content development, and influencer marketing—this certification course is the perfect learning opportunity for both aspiring and working social media marketers, as well as business owners looking to ramp up their social media reach.
An added bonus of this course is that it teaches you how to use social media as a tool for not only transforming a business or brand, but also how to use it as an instrument for enhancing your own skillset and career.
HubSpot’s Social Media Certification at a glance:
- Ideal for: Working or aspiring social media marketers who seek a quick upskilling course to boost their skillset
- Duration: 4 hours
- Price: Free
5. Hootsuite’s Social Media and You Certification Course
With a focus on best practices to help beginners build their own personal brands on social media, Hootsuite’s short but sweet Social Media and Your Certification Course enables students to become more influential online. Teaching will hone in on the optimization of social profiles, valuable and shareable content, and how to interact respectfully with online communities in a way that produces results.
The course ends with a 24-question exam that tests the student’s understanding of building a personal and professional brand on social media. Upon passing the exam, students receive their course certification which can be used on various professional public profiles.
Hootsuite’s Social Media and You Certification Course at a glance:
- Ideal for: Beginners
- Duration: 2 hours
- Price: $299 USD
6. Online Marketing Institute’s Social Media Marketing Course
Online Marketing Institute’s Social Media Marketing course gives students a complete overview of communication media and social media software platforms and channels. Participants of the course learn to identify useful insights from customer engagement and behavior on social media, how social media can be used to strengthen a company brand, best practices for social media, and best business practices on Facebook.
Students come away with knowledge of how to commercially harness different social media channels, how to market to millennials on Snapchat and Instagram, and how to create an actionable and effective LinkedIn publishing strategy.
Online Marketing Institute’s Social Media Marketing Course at a glance:
- Ideal for: Those looking for a complete intro into channels and platforms
- Duration: 6.6 hours
- Price: $859 USD
7. Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing
A digital marketing package popular with graduates, entrepreneurs, and small business owners with an eye on learning applicable digital marketing skills they can use in their own campaigns, Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is an in-depth diploma course providing the skills students need to stay relevant in the field.
With a dedicated and regularly updated social media marketing module, students learn the key social platforms for digital marketing, how to grow and engage an audience, data-driven insights, how to set up a social experience for a business, and how to create and optimize social media campaigns: all crucial skills for any aspiring social media marketer.
Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing at a glance:
- Ideal for: Graduates, business owners, freelancers
- Duration of the program: 30 hours of content (with up to 24 weeks to complete the course)
- Price: $1368 USD
8. Skillshare’s Social Media Management & Marketing Course
Enabling students to make a big impact with their social media campaigns, Skillshare’s Social Media Management & Marketing Course teaches participants how to design content for their audiences, build strategy and calendars, and align campaigns across multiple channels. The course finishes with a hands-on class project that enables students to put into practice the skills, techniques, and tools they’ve learnt throughout the program.
Skillshare’s Social Media Management & Marketing Course at a glance:
- Ideal for: Beginners
- Duration: 4 hours
- Price: $19 USD per month
9. Reliablesoft Academy’s Social Media Marketing Course
As part of its Digital Marketing Course Bundle, Reliablesoft Academy offers a social media management course, in addition to 9 other courses covering all aspects of digital marketing. The course covers:
- Creation of social media strategy
- Increasing social media followers
- Using hashtags in content creation
Students of the Social Media Marketing Course also get automatic access to the Academy’s Facebook Ads Course, where they’ll learn how to create a Facebook ads strategy designed to increase a brand’s reach and boost sales. Upon course completion, students take a digital marketing exam which leads to certification if they pass.
Reliablesoft Academy’s Social Media Marketing Course at a glance:
- Ideal for: Beginners
- Duration: 3 hours
- Price: $119 USD
10. Boot Camp Digital’s Social Media 101 Training
Students of Boot Camp Digital’s Social Media 101 Training learn the need-to-know features and functions of each social media channel and how best to engage with them to connect to target audiences, build their brands, and secure company growth. With a focus on how to build a strong business presence, how to create competitive social media accounts, how social media works with business strategy, and how brands attract and maintain the attention of the right audiences with each platform, this course is an excellent intro to social media marketing for those new to the field.
Boot Camp Digital’s Social Media 101 Training at a glance:
- Ideal for: Beginners
- Duration of the program: 7 hours
- Price: $197 USD
3.Wrap-up and next steps
We hope our overview of the best social media courses online enables you to make an informed choice about your next steps in learning about social media marketing and launching a career in this exciting and diverse field.
Before choosing your course, use the following checklist to narrow down which one meets your needs:
- How much can you afford to spend on a social media course online?
- How flexible are you in terms of time to commit to a course?
- How many hours a week can you commit to studying?
- Which specific role would you like to land after the course?
- Which skills do you need to improve on specifically?
- How much mentor guidance do you need to stay motivated and focused?
- Which certification is most useful to you?
- Does the course include the creation of a portfolio?
- Are you hoping for interaction with other students?
- Does the course include a job guarantee or job preparation modules?
If you’re still not sure which course is the right one for you, check out our free Digital Marketing Short Course for an all-round introduction to digital marketing that is self-paced, designed for beginners, and covers all the essentials of social media marketing, too.
Want to learn more about the digital marketing field as a whole? Check out the following articles we’ve published on social media marketing careers: