The benefits of social media make it an essential part of a business plan. Social Media Marketing has become more than running digital advertising campaigns; it allows your business to build a following of loyal customers through authentic posts and interactions creating excitement for your business as it grows. Each platform gives your business the tools to successfully build your brand, connect with your customers, and track analytics. This course will focus on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Nextdoor.

Technical Requirements: Access to Flash needed for audio and slide presentations

Course Outline

Unit 1

Which Platform Is Right For You

    > Identify which social media platforms work best for your business
    > Overview of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Nextdoor
    > What content works best on each platform
    > How platforms complement each other
    > How social media directs customers to your website

Unit 2

Creating Your Social Media Presence

    > Identify a personality to represent your company
    > Creating your brand
    > Authenticity behind the scenes 
    > Collboaration over competition

Unit 3

Connecting With Your Customers

    > Human first approach
    > How posts and stories create connections
    > Creating a space for your people and connections
    > The trouble with engagement

Unit 4

Targeting Advertising

    > Social media advertisments
    > Increase direct traffic to your website
    > Email list
    > Affiliate links

Course Objectives

    > Learn to identify social media platforms and their benefits
    > Aquire the ability to balance an authentic and professional online presence
    > Learn to engage with customers to build relationships
    > Aquire the ability to build an advertising campaign
    > Learn to track social media return on investment

Course Outcomes

    > Identify which social media platforms benefit them most
    > Create a social media presence
    > Develop a content strategy plan to connect and interact with customers
    > Build effective social media targeted advertising campaigns
    > Track social media return on investment

About the Instructor

Melissa Torres is a creative marketing specialist with a focus in social media strategies and special events. She is passionate about helping small business owners build their brand and customer loyalty. Melissa also works as a recreation professional and builds annual marketing campaigns to attract locals and tourists alike to participate in summer camps that generate over a million dollars in revenue each year.

About Online Learning


Online learning is a fun, enjoyable and very productive way to learn. Millions of people are learning online each year. You will engage with and get to know the instructor and other participants. You may make friends. It's easy. It's fun.

How the Course Works


It's easy to participate in this online course! An email invitation will be sent by the Wednesday prior to the course start date with details to login and manage the course. You will be given a web address to go to enter the classroom along with a password. Use your email address and password to gain access.

Once inside the online classroom, here's what you can expect.

Participate when you want

You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate. For the best learning, participants should log into the course on two to three different days of the week.

What you will do

For each unit, you will:

> Access the online readings

> Listen to the audio presentation for the unit and view the slides

> Take a self-quiz to see how much you have learned

> Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

> Make comments on the discussion board (try to make one or more comments at two to three different times each day to keep up with the conversation).

The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self-quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead or go back and review again at your convenience.

Discussion


The discussion for each unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing (no audio required) and can be made at any time of the day or night. Your instructor will log into the discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make two or three comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

Still have questions? We are here for you! Call 440.525.7116 or send an e-mail to ceinfo@lakelandcc.edu and we will help in any way we can.

An email invitation will be sent by the Wednesday prior to the course start date with details to login and manage your online course. Please NOTE to eliminate the possibility of the email invitation filtering as spam, add teacher@ugotclass.org to your Safe Senders List. Call 440-525-7116 if you encounter any problems.

Fee Breakdown

Category	Description	Amount
Course Fee (Basic)	Registration Fee	$ 195.00