If you’re ready to become a Social Media Marketer, but aren't sure what classes are the best to take to transition into the professional world, you're in the right place. There is no shortage of courses that can teach you the basics of different platforms, creating engaging content, and building an audience. People can easily find online resources that walk them through fun and engaging projects. However, selecting a course designed specifically for career advancement and professional development can be a little trickier. In this article, we’ll walk you through what courses you should look for if you want an engaging and efficient way to reach your professional and personal social media marketing goals.

Workshops, Short Courses, and One-Day Classes

Workshops, short courses, and one-day classes are perfect for those who want to get a head start on social media marketing essentials but may need more time for a full bootcamp or immersive course. Finding shorter sessions that cater to higher-level learning may require some searching, as they are frequently dedicated to basic skills and intended for beginners. It's a great place to start if you’re a beginner. If you’re not, you’ll want to pay close attention to classes that offer advanced technical skills in social media analytics, attribution modeling, or A/B testing. Beginner skills align more with understanding the different platforms, creating engaging posts, or basic image editing skills. Soft skills are easier to watch, especially because there is some overlap between beginner and advanced soft skills. Communication, collaboration, transparency, and reporting are all essential for working with clients in social media marketing. Even though they are shorter, the classes are a great method to develop both skills and receive feedback from peers and industry specialists. 

So, how do you find professional-level workshops and short courses? There are many platforms online dedicated to helping you find classes that match your skill level. Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me platform is great for finding courses with little time commitment that are still high-quality, engaging, and efficient. Other learning platforms are dedicated to professional growth and can offer shorter courses and workshops in social media marketing such as LinkedIn Learning or Skillshare.

Many institutions offer private tutoring if all else fails and you can’t find a workshop, short course, or one-day class to meet your needs. While private tutoring may not be as strong an addition to a resume or a portfolio, it is excellent at providing skills specific to your needs, interests, and goals. You can combine private tutoring with free resources to help you gain more confidence in your marketing skills, which is highly valuable once you’ve transitioned to your career. Keeping up with trends and remaining knowledgeable about how to market yourself as a social media marketer is essential. A private tutor can help you shape those things while you search for your ideal social media marketing design course.

University Courses

One of the more common ways to round out your social media marketing education is a college or university degree. This is often a more expensive option, as you must pay full tuition and take other courses to get your degree, but it has an additional value that many different course types don't. It's interdisciplinary, which means that you're not just learning about social media marketing; you're also learning other related subjects. This could be business, media communication, or visual design. Courses will cover various relevant skills and software, including copywriting, analytics tools, and basic photo editing software. Along with your degree, certain universities will help you gain relevant certifications. Certain institutions may offer continuing education courses for professionals who want to build specific skills. These courses are more flexible, as they align with people's schedules.

A university curriculum differs from other formats in several ways. If you are seeking a degree, you are expected to study and pass foundational courses before moving on to more advanced courses. Some degrees require prerequisites. Requirements for outside classes are viewed more as suggestions to keep you from enrolling in a course you cannot understand. 

There are benefits and detriments to higher education classes. Cost, educational goals, and schedule are highly influential in deciding whether they might work for you. University is a highly collaborative place that can be great for growing your network before you start a professional career.

Bootcamps, Certification Courses, and Immersive Classes 

Bootcamps and other immersive classes are ideal for those who intend to pursue a professional career but are still in the learning phase. Their curriculum is packed with content to teach you the ins and outs of social media marketing. This is similar to university courses without the time commitment, admission, and potential application fees. These programs are intensive, may last from a few weeks to a couple of months, and are an efficient way to learn vital skills for the job market. Bootcamps and immersive classes are a longer and more expensive commitment than workshops and one-day courses, but they are also more detailed. They offer not only beginner skills but also intermediate and advanced skills. Some bootcamps cover all levels at once.

Certification courses will guarantee that you are prepared to pass any necessary certification examinations and that you can use your marketing knowledge in real-world scenarios. Certification is an endorsement for Social media Marketer's most vital professional tools and techniques. Bootcamps are often included in certification courses as part of the training process. Additional resources are offered to help you better learn content specifically for an exam. Resources may include study guides, practice exams, private tutoring, mentoring, and career services. With the help of a certification, you will have access to more job opportunities in social media marketing and other marketing-related fields, gaining both credentials and confidence.

Learn Social Media Marketing with Noble Desktop

With so many factors to consider, there are many excellent options for various learning styles and personality types regarding social media marketing courses. This enables you to determine which social media marketing fundamentals you should study and how best to grasp and retain them. Noble Desktop’s social media marketing courses teach skills that can help you start a career in the industry. Classes are small, with expert instructors, and you can retake a course for free up to a year after you take it. Those ready to dive into the field can attend in-person classes at Noble Desktop’s New York City location or attend live online social media marketing courses from anywhere in the world.

Noble Desktop offers a Social Media Video Marketing: YouTube course for students seeking to develop their skills in YouTube marketing. This hands-on course teaches students how to effectively use YouTube for social media marketing and create a successful business content strategy. It covers all aspects of video-based social media marketing, from creating a channel and editing content to monetization and using Shopify with YouTube. This one-day workshop will introduce students to current social media marketing trends within video and help them develop a marketing strategy that works for them. Students will begin with an introduction to YouTube, followed by developing a strategy for developing content and creating successful content for YouTube, among others. 

Students who need to build or create a social media marketing portfolio can benefit from Noble Desktop’s Social Media Industry and Portfolio class. In this course, students will create an earned-first creative project for their portfolio and update their resumes and social media presence to be prepared for these new social media job opportunities. In this class, students will update their social media presence and resumes and develop an earned-first creative project for their portfolio to prepare for new social media job opportunities. Students will learn how to optimize their online presence through brand research, campaign development, and LinkedIn networking strategies, to name a few. 

Content creators can now give their audience an interactive experience using tools like OBS. Streaming for Social Media will teach students about the main streaming platforms, including Twitch, YouTube and TikTok, as well as the fundamentals of building out your stream using the free application OBS. Students will begin by learning how to set up OBS for streaming. They will then proceed into how to stream to Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok and their benefits. 

Middle and high school students can gain a headstart in the world of social media marketing through NextGen Bootcamp’s Social Media Marketing Summer Program. Social media marketing skills will empower students to be savvy digital citizens who can leverage social media responsibly and strategically for their personal and future professional goals. This summer program will teach students about the newest trends in social media marketing and how to stand out on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Students will learn to create written, visual, and videos for their target audience. Students can confidently launch a multi-platform social media campaign by the course's end.