If you want to make it big in the digital world, invest time and effort in taking social media marketing courses. Why? Because social media is the best way to reach your audience and amplify your voice today.
Across all platforms, there are nearly five billion active social media identities worldwide—that’s over 61.4% of the global population. Regardless of what industry or niche you are in, your target audience is among the billions of social media users.
To help you find the right courses to take, we’ve compiled some of the best social media marketing courses. We’ve curated a diverse list to provide business owners, creators or influencers, and marketing professionals ample choices suitable for their specific needs.
Free Social Media Marketing Courses for Beginners
Starting a new business and want to leverage social media platforms to build brand awareness? Embarking on a career in digital marketing? Or perhaps you’re looking for a way to widen your clout as an influencer? Here are free beginner courses that can help you master the basics of social media marketing.
Duration: 5 hours 18 minutes Price: Free Platform: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok HubSpot Academy has a series of free courses on social media marketing. One of the most comprehensive courses for beginners is the Social Media Marketing Course, which includes 37 videos organized into eight lesson units. Most of the lessons are delivered by HubSpot’s Principal Inbound Professor Crystal King. Some units with specialized topics are handled by content pros including Dayne Topkin and Corey Braccialini. The course starts with an hour’s worth of discussion on strategy development that focuses on using social and digital technologies in campaign promotions. Another unit is dedicated to understanding the importance of great content and identifying key factors that would enable you to build a strategic plan for social media. Other units tackle: This course also covers social media advertising and how to measure your social media ROI. It briefly enumerates the advertising options available on social media platforms and the best practices that maximize returns. The last unit delves into the risks and challenges involved in social media marketing. By being aware of the negative impact that social media can have on a business or brand, you can craft a proactive and adaptive crisis plan. It only takes a little over five hours to go through all the videos in this course, but you’d need to get passing scores in all 29 quizzes to qualify for certification and get a badge you can post or share on your social handles. To take this free course, just create a HubSpot Academy account. There are absolutely no subscription fees or certification fees for all courses. When you create an account, you get unlimited access to all the learning resources and tools on the platform. Just a heads up, though, that HubSpot certifications only have a one or two-year validity since all content is constantly updated to include the latest developments in the industry. Duration: Varies by module Price: Free Platform: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp Facebook Blueprint offers a series of free courses tailored for businesses looking to establish or enhance their online presence. One of the standout options is the “Bring Your Business Online” course, which provides a comprehensive guide on how to leverage Facebook’s family of apps to connect with customers and drive business growth. This course is ideal for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to learn how to effectively use social media to reach their target audience. The course is divided into multiple modules, each focusing on key aspects of building a strong online presence. You’ll start by learning how to set up a Facebook Page and Instagram Business account, followed by tips on creating engaging content that resonates with your audience. Other modules cover: The course also includes case studies and real-world examples to illustrate successful social media campaigns. Upon completion, you’ll have a solid foundation in using Facebook’s tools to grow your business online. To access this course, simply create a free account on Facebook Blueprint. You’ll have unlimited access to all resources, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Duration: 2-3 hours Price: Free Platform: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Great Learning Academy offers a free Social Media Marketing course that’s perfect for beginners looking to dive into the world of digital marketing. This course provides a well-rounded introduction to the key concepts and strategies needed to succeed on major social media platforms. With a focus on practical applications, it’s an excellent choice for aspiring marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to boost their online presence. The course begins with an overview of social media platforms and their unique features. You’ll learn how to create a social media strategy tailored to your business goals and how to engage your audience effectively. Key topics include: At the end of the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion, which can be added to your resume or LinkedIn profile. Great Learning Academy provides lifetime access to the course, so you can revisit the material whenever you need a refresher. To enroll, sign up for a free account on Great Learning Academy and start learning at your own convenience. Duration: 3-4 hours to read the book Price: Free Platform: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc. If you’d rather read than watch, this free course and certification is ideal for you. The full course is presented in a 165-page eBook available in both HTML and PDF formats. Go over the contents at your own pace, pass the test, and get your professional certification without having to shell out a single dime. This certification course from the eMarketing Institute explores the fundamentals of social media marketing. It gives you an overview of the most important social media platforms and how you can share content that engages your target audience. The book includes proven tactics and actionable recommendations for reaching your target audience and increasing engagement. It also touches on how blogging can be used to enhance your social media presence and how to use social bookmarking websites. Other chapters are focused on: Toward the end of the course, you’ll be provided a list of recommended marketing tools for automation, social analytics, and SEO. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can take the online test, which consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. You’re given one hour to finish the test. If you meet the passing rate of 50%, you’ll get an email notification and instructions on how to download your certification. What happens if you don’t pass the test? Just go over the course materials again and retake the test. You can take the test for free multiple times until you pass it or are satisfied with your score. The certification comes in PDF format and can be added to your CV, LinkedIn profile, or other professional sites. According to our latest social media marketing benchmark report, Facebook tops the list of the most downloaded social apps. TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp keep their ranks within the top 5 as they remain popular among social media users across different demographics. In this section, we list social media marketing courses designed specifically for maximizing outcomes on each of these platforms. Duration: 4 hours 17 minutes Price: $19.99 Platform: Threads Launched just last year, Threads is weaving its way into the hearts of social media users. It has maintained steady growth in the number of users in the last three quarters, reaching the 150-million mark at the end of the first quarter of 2024. Since the app is fairly new, there are very few courses on social media marketing on Threads. One of them is a comprehensive guide for the app offered by Lead Developer and Teacher Arlene Fyffe-Heslop on Udemy. This on-demand course is divided into 10 sections with a total of 25 lectures and 12 articles. It covers the basics of Threads and walks you through how to create a Threads profile and use it for business. It explores the different features of the app and how you can use them to build your audience and increase engagement. It also discusses content creation, optimization, and monetization. After completing the training course, you get a downloadable certificate of completion. Buy this course from Udemy at less than $20 and get full lifetime access to all the resources included in the program. Duration: 11 modules Price: Free Platform: TikTok Approximately 1.6 billion people now use TikTok. In 2023, the number of TikTok app downloads each quarter consistently exceeded 230 million, making it one of the fastest-growing apps for that year. TikTok has also consistently generated much higher engagement rates than the other platforms. To help brands, creators, and influencers maximize their reach on the platform, Influencer Marketing Hub offers a course on How to Build Your Personal Brand on TikTok through Thinkific. This masterclass course includes an introductory unit, 10 specialized modules, and a bonus module on TikTok stack and stats. It is offered free of charge, and all you need to do to access the modules is create an account. Instructors Shelby Leimgruber, a young entrepreneur with over a half-million followers on social media, and Ed Lawrence, owner of a video production company that produces videos for web and social media marketing for businesses, share knowledge and insights to help influencers turn their online brands into profitable businesses. After going through all the course materials, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how TikTok works. The speakers guide you step-by-step in setting up your account, navigating the interface, exploring the features, and setting up an engaging profile. They also give you tips on how to create content, get more views, and monetize your account. The course also skims through the dynamics of brand-influencer partnerships. This course is not only free of charge but also offers added value that amounts to over $400. You get FREE access to a library of resources, production worksheets, and digital tools for marketing success. Duration: 19 hours Price: Free Platform: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), etc. Facebook still has the most number of monthly active users among all social media platforms. In April 2024, it registered a whopping 3.065 billion users—that’s roughly 38% of the global population. While the users are mainly millennials, they’re also the generation with significant buying power and a tendency to indulge their whims. What better way to learn how to achieve marketing success on this platform than through the company that runs it? Meta, through Coursera, offers a short course on social media marketing for beginners. The Introduction to Social Media Marketing course consists of five modules that can give you a solid foundation on marketing on social platforms. Anke Audenaert, CEO and Co-Founder of Aptly, takes you through the fundamentals of social media marketing and how you can use it for business growth. Each module includes a series of videos, readings, and discussion prompts. A quiz and an assignment at the end of each module allow you to gain mastery and practical skills of your learnings. After finishing the modules, you should be able to set goals and KPIs, define your target audience, choose the right social media channels, and apply effective strategies. You also get a shareable certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile. The entire course takes less than 20 hours and is credited as part of the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate. It’s open to everyone free of charge. Duration: 1 hour Price: Free Platform: YouTube YouTube may not have made it to the list of most downloaded apps, but this is likely because most people already have the app on their devices. In fact, YouTube is second only to Facebook when it comes to the number of monthly active users. In 2023, its average user count was pegged at 2.7 billion—a wide market reach that businesses can’t afford to ignore. Learn the basics and master new skills with a free course offered by Coursera Project Network. This takes only one hour but equips you with practical skills you can apply to your business or marketing projects. Subject matter expert Julia Arteno teaches you how to create a YouTube channel for your business and how to use the platform to enhance engagement with your audience. You’ll learn how to use the Creator Studio, upload videos, interact with your subscribers, and use analytics tools. The guided project gives you hands-on experience that you can apply in real-world scenarios. Enroll in this course for free through your Coursera account. Duration: 1 hour Price: Free Platform: Instagram Of the two billion active users on Instagram, the majority are aged 18 to 34. If your target audiences are predominantly in the younger generation, consider taking the 60-minute free training course by Elise Darma. In the past decade, Elise has worked with over 30,000 business owners, helping them make real revenue on Instagram without having to be Insta-famous. This training focuses on three things: Elise identifies factors that hinder growth on Instagram, including the futility of keeping up with trends. Then she delves into turning Instagram into a revenue-generating asset instead of a time-wasting distraction. Finally, she shares tactics on how to produce content that converts into actual sales from the app. At the end of the training, you get actionable strategies for Insta-success. You are also given the challenge of applying your learnings and generating $1,000 on the platform within 30 days. When you sign up for the course, you’ll get the free eBook entitled 17 Ways to Get Free Leads + Sales From Instagram – All From One Feature. Key Takeaway: Start with free courses to build a foundation and explore whether social media marketing is a field you want to pursue. If you find it engaging, moving on to paid courses can help you deepen your knowledge and gain advanced skills necessary for managing a brand or working professionally in social media marketing. For digital marketers leveling up their skills to build expertise in social media marketing, take specialized courses that tackle advanced concepts. Here are a couple of courses worth investing in to grow your career in digital marketing. Duration: 20 weeks (5 hours per week) Price: Free (extra resources available at $49 per month) Platform: Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and others) Offered by Meta, this six-course series advances your career in digital marketing by expanding your skills and knowledge on social media marketing, management, and advertising. UCLA Professor and Aptly Co-Founder Anke Audenaert helms the majority of the courses, while marketing leader and entrepreneur Daniel Kob handles the courses on advertising. This professional-level course covers everything from the fundamentals of digital marketing to the complexities of executing social media campaigns. After finishing the course, you’ll have a project-based portfolio that showcases your mastery of marketing basics and your capability to create, implement, and measure campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. The knowledge and skills you’ll gain can also be applied to other platforms. With its extensive coverage, it takes around five months to finish the entire course and earn a Professional Certificate and a Meta Digital Marketing Associate Certification. But your hard work would definitely pay off since the certificate is ACE-recommended and can be credited toward some college or university degree programs. With its flexible schedule and self-paced learning modality, you can finish this course while managing your business or working on marketing projects. Duration: 10 hours Price: $525 Platform: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok UCLA Extension offers open enrollment courses that can be taken online, one of which is on Social Media Marketing. This course can be finished in as early as five weeks if you diligently accomplish the assignments and submit them on time. With this course, you gain a more comprehensive view of the social media ecosystem and learn how to integrate it into traditional marketing strategies. You’ll discover the different channels and platforms that can be used for marketing and how to make the best use of each one to generate buzz around your brand. The learning objectives of the UCLA course include: …and more! The course goes beyond theoretical knowledge and delves deep into real-world case studies that provide practical insights. Take note, though, that this course costs $525 and requires a copy of Jenny Li Fowler’s Organic Social Media: How to Build Flourishing Online Communities. Course-goers based in Los Angeles can even attend the lessons in person at the UCLA Extension’s Gayley Center.1. Social Media Marketing Course (HubSpot Academy)
What You Can Learn
2. Bring Your Business Online (Facebook Blueprint)
What You Can Learn
3. Social Media Marketing (Great Learning Academy)
What You Can Learn
4. Social Media Marketing Fundamentals (eMarketing Institute)
What You Can Learn
Platform-Specific Courses for Social Media Marketing
5. Comprehensive Guide to Instagram Threads (Udemy)
What You Can Learn
6. TikTok Influencer Masterclass (Influencer Marketing Hub)
What You Can Learn
7. Introduction to Social Media Marketing (Coursera)
What You Can Learn
8. Small Business Marketing Using YouTube (Coursera)
What You Can Learn
9. Instagram Masterclass (Elise Darma)
What You Can Learn
Paid Social Media Marketing Courses for the Pros
10. Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate (Coursera)
What You Can Learn
11. Social Media Marketing (UCLA Extension)
What You Can Learn
Continuous Growth Requires Continuous Learning
Social media platforms are constantly evolving. Even if you’ve been in the social media marketing field for years, it’s worth your while to stay abreast with the latest and learn new skills. For business owners, being familiar with the different social media platforms can help them pave the path to business growth. So take time to enroll in courses on social media marketing. Budget and time shouldn’t be a hindrance since there are free self-paced courses available online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a social media marketing course cost?
There’s no standard cost for social media marketing courses. Some institutions and agencies offer basic courses for free. Advanced courses with professional certifications may charge fees that could amount to thousands of dollars.
How long is a social media marketing course?
Depending on the coverage of the course you’re taking, it can take just a few hours to several months to fulfill the requirements and finish the entire course. The more comprehensive and extensive the course is, the longer it would take to earn a professional certification or badge of completion.
What is the best social media marketing course?
There is no “best” course. Every marketing course is designed for a specific audience with a specific need. Consider your unique business needs and marketing goals when deciding on the right course to take. Our list above contains beginner-friendly, platform-specific, and professional-level courses you can choose from.
Should I take free or paid social media marketing courses?
Free social media marketing courses are excellent for foundational knowledge and certification. Paid courses might be more suitable for advanced learners seeking in-depth knowledge and personalized support.
