Part 3 – Social Media Marketing Resources

 

In the first two parts of this series, we’ve looked at the benefits of social media marketing and considered what is needed for an effective social media strategy. In this final segment, we take a look at resources around improving your understanding and use of social media marketing from a business and professional viewpoints.

 

Expanding your knowledge of social media marketing is a key skill in modern business. All too often, people think that because they use Facebook or Twitter in a personal capacity, they have the necessary skills to manage and promote their brand.

 

There is a need for a deeper understanding and that means looking to extend your knowledge. There are many ways to do this;

A university degree course may be the right option for you. Not always taught as a standalone course, social media marketing is often a taught unit in business and/or marketing courses. Take a look at the top 10 university courses with social media marketing included.

Online social media marketing courses are a viable alternative if you don’t want to spend the next few years commuting to lectures and seminars at university. With no guarantee to find a university local to you offering social media marketing, online courses have sprung up to fill the void.

 

Choose with care, however as some are very expensive for very little in the way of accredited qualifications and those that are very cheap are ‘light touch’ courses that don’t really expand your knowledge.

 

A great place to start (but is by no means the only option) is the Digital Marketing Institute and their online Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (Social Media).

If you feel you need to start with a slightly more basic course, take a look at online ‘specialists’ such as Google Garage and its Fundamental in Digital Marketing.  HubSpot Academy also offers free courses with their social media courses being popular with many people. Free courses from reputable specialists such as Google, HubSpot and others are worth considering.

Aside from staying on top of knowledge by continually reading the latest social media marketing online article – check out BuzzSumo for related articles for ones that are current and popular – investing in a book or two for reference is a smart move too.

 

Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen is a great buy (check out Amazon) that talks of likeable and engaging content on social media being key to growing your brand online. It also talks on impactful content delighting your followers rather than just sell, sell, sell.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk says the key to effective social media marketing is sharing specific content tailored to your audience.

 

This sentiment is echoed in The B2B Social Media Book by Kipp Bodnar. It also goes on to discuss how effective social media marketing will generate more leads and improve conversions. It also addresses the thorny issue of ROI with social media marketing too.

In some respects, it’s hard to go wrong with social media but it can be overwhelming, daunting even when you have the responsibility for your brand’s social media. Making a start and seeing what works and what doesn’t when it comes to increasing followers, improving engagement and boosting conversions. Give it a try and see what happens!