Social Media Marketing Training for Veterans

As a veteran or family member, you have access to educational benefits that can make taking the next step easier. Whether you are starting a new career or transitioning back into civilian life, you can find courses and programs that give you a chance to be creative, use the latest tech, and communicate with intended audiences. If this entices you, consider social media marketing. It’s an in-demand field with virtually endless potential. Whether you have little to no experience with marketing or consider yourself a social media pro, you can find a course that suits your educational needs and desires.

If you want to start training right away, consider the courses from Noble Desktop. Approved for veterans through their Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (Chapter 31), and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits, you can gain the skills you need to start a creative and communicative yet technical career path that is engaging, ever-changing, and exciting.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is the process of using platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote a brand, product, or service. You’d think it’s as simple as posting videos and memes, but it’s a lot more than that. Social media marketing requires you to connect with people, reach a specific audience, and build relationships with others. You can watch how consumers perceive your messaging in real time and learn from previous campaigns through analyzed data. It’s about boosting awareness, driving traffic, and increasing sales, which can’t be done through content-sharing alone.

When you find a social media marketing job, you will likely spend time working on all kinds of projects and tasks. For starters, you’ll develop and run social media campaigns across various platforms, all of which require different skills and techniques. You will often create and share content like posts, graphics, stories, videos, and blogs to get consumers engaged with the brand. Some days, you may use analytics tools to track your post performance and see how you can improve in the future. There’s always something new to try with social media marketing and that’s why it’s such an exciting field.

In the mid-2000s, social media started to take off and some of those platforms are still widely used today. Facebook and YouTube paved the way for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, which all have their use in the social media marketing world. At first, social media was all about growing a community but it quickly became a place where paid advertisements and influencer marketing opportunities help drive in more engagement. Looking ahead, social media marketing tactics will have to shift with the growing changes in social media platforms. Applications update frequently, and some even come in and out of popularity, so companies and marketing professionals will have to keep up with the changes.

What Can You Do with Social Media Marketing Skills?

Social media marketing skills can be applied to all kinds of situations, both professional and personal. For instance, you can find jobs in social media marketing that require you to develop a social media marketing strategy for the brand, manage social media accounts for businesses, or create paid social media advertisements. Likewise, you may collaborate with others in your organization, such as Digital Marketers and Graphic Designers, or collaborate with other brands or individuals, like influencers. Some days, your job may revolve around monitoring analytics and determining what parts of the campaigns must change based on previous metrics. A job in this field essentially brings something new every day so it’s an engaging and exciting field.

Although social media marketing skills are mostly beneficial in a professional sense, you can apply these skills to your regular life as well. If you want to grow your own social media presence, such as on Instagram or LinkedIn, you can use your skills to create engaging content and engage with your audience more. You could also use social media to promote your hobbies or side projects, whether you enjoy photography, fitness, or homemade crafts. By doing so, you could generate more followers and, ultimately, more revenue if you choose to sell products and services. Ultimately, these skills can help you build a community, engage with others, promote your brand and products, and express yourself creatively. 

What Will I Learn in a Social Media Marketing Class?

In a social media marketing class, you will gain a wide range of skills that enable you to navigate and excel in digital marketing or social media strategy. Although some classes differ based on length, depth, and provider, you will likely learn a few essential skills. For example, you’ll learn campaign strategy and development, content creation, and ways to engage with consumers. In some classes, you may focus on campaign analytics or search engine optimization (SEO) and paid advertisements. It all depends, but you can typically expect to discuss a blend of these topics. If you are a veteran transitioning back into civilian life, you may have a unique advantage in a social media marketing class. You provide a perspective that others cannot and know how to perform as a leader, communicator, and planner, so you may thrive in a social media marketing course.

Campaign Strategy and Development

Most social media marketing classes are centered around the practice of designing, planning, executing, and managing a social media marketing campaign. You’ll focus on everything from start to finish, such as conducting audience research, setting campaign goals, creating brand imagery, and communicating effectively with your target demographic. Veterans may excel in this area due to their experience with following a detailed plan, organizing resources, and executing large-scale operations.

Content Creation

In a social media marketing class, you’ll learn the importance of tailoring content to different platforms since no two social media applications work alike. Creating content may include learning tools like Adobe Creative Cloud where you’ll use applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, or After Effects to create stunning imagery, icons, animations, videos, layouts, and graphics. Veterans may appreciate the opportunity to work a little more creatively and often have a knack for communicating messages quickly, concisely, and effectively while still making an impact.

Consumer Engagement

Engaging your audience is one of the most important tasks you can do as a marketing professional, especially in the world of digital marketing. A social media marketing course will stress the importance of fostering meaningful rapport with your audience by doing things like responding to comments, posting stories, partaking in discussions, and creating content that encourages consumer interaction. Veterans are often great team players and can maintain morale while cultivating positive relationships with followers and consumers.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertisements on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok help you reach a wider audience. By learning how to create targeted advertisements, you could increase your following and revenue substantially. The courses that cover paid advertising will also discuss how to optimize a budget and measure return on investment (ROI). Resource allocation and budgeting is likely no new feat for a veteran, depending on their previous role in the military.

Campaign Analytics

Social media marketing campaigns generate a considerable amount of data. Analyzing that data to measure the success of your campaign is one of the best ways to know what’s working and what needs to change. In a marketing course that specializes in data analytics, you’ll learn how to track key performance indicators (KPIs) like engagement, conversion rates, and ROI. Tracking results and maintaining an acceptable performance review is important in all kinds of fields, from data analytics and digital marketing to social media strategy and military work.

Search Engine Optimization for Social Media

SEO for social media involves ensuring content ranks higher in the platform algorithms and improves your visibility. In a course that covers SEO, you will learn all about keyword research, hashtags, and other strategies to make your content more discoverable for users. Operational efficiency and attention to detail are necessary to perform SEO tasks, so a veteran may have an easy time understanding this concept.

Support for Veterans

Those starting a new chapter after military service can feel overwhelmed. This is understandable, but the good news is there’s support available to help guide you through the process. A great first step is to explore the GI Bill, which has been providing educational benefits to veterans since 1944. Whether you are considering a career in social media marketing or a related field, the GI Bill helps make the cost more manageable and the whole experience far less intimidating.

Although the GI Bill covers many veterans, some still fall through the gaps. If this applies to you, you are still covered by the Forever GI Bill, which is an extension of the original bill. If you have served 90 days of active duty after September 10, 2001, received an honorable discharge, or have a service-related disability, you are likely eligible for these benefits.

The GI Bill is about more than just tuition. You can also pay for books, fees, supplies, and housing through this bill, should you opt for a full-time program where housing is necessary. If you are interested in a certificate course, Noble Desktop has programs that are hands-on and approved for veterans. They also offer additional benefits beyond what the GI Bill provides, so it may be a great opportunity to take advantage of the benefits you’ve earned and take charge of the next phase of your life.

Why Learn Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is one of the best skills you could learn today as it’s needed across nearly every industry and company, offers a nice mix of technical and creative skills, and leads to various profitable careers. Whether you want to work for an educational institution or a retailer, this skill gives you the chance to do that. Moreover, as a veteran, you will have a unique perspective that others may not have so you can provide valuable insight to each campaign. This skill has tons of potential and can be well worthwhile.

Job Availability

The opportunities learning social media marketing affords you are vast, widespread, and enjoyable. Every business needs someone handling their social media, whether it’s a startup or a big corporation. That means you can find social media marketing jobs virtually anywhere. With tons of job availability and numerous companies to choose from, you will never be short of options. Having options as a veteran is likely a major bonus and change from the norm.

Employability

Learning social media marketing is incredibly worthwhile as it’s a highly sought-after skill. This is nice for a veteran to hear as they will already have plenty of transferable skills from the military that work perfectly in this field. In addition to proper training, you will have no problem turning your skills into a worthwhile career. Employers are always looking for people who can handle multiple tasks and mitigate problems with ease, so having skills from the military will make you especially employable.

Salary Expectations

Of course, anyone would be curious about their salary expectations before entering a new field. With social media marketing, you can expect a livable wage and room for growth within big and small companies alike. Glassdoor reports that the average social media marketing professional earns anywhere from $48,000 to $87,000 each year, but this does not include any additional pay earned through bonuses or commissions. Additionally, location and level of experience play a role in salary expectations.

Work-Life Balance

One of the biggest advantages of learning social media marketing is that you can find jobs that are incredibly flexible or that have options for remote work and non-traditional hours. If you have spent time in the military, you likely appreciate the ability to take control of your schedule. Social media roles tend to focus on engaging with consumers and gaining further insights, so you have numerous outlets to do so and can adjust your schedule as needed. This flexibility is a huge perk, particularly when you’re looking to ease into a new civilian lifestyle.

Creative and Technical

Additionally, social media marketing gives you the chance to work in a creative and technical field. You’ll learn how to plan campaigns, write engaging material, create content, design branding materials, and connect with audiences. However, you will also learn how to use particular software, follow SEO techniques, and analyze campaign data. It’s a good mix of both sides which is incredibly satisfying and helps keep things interesting.

Why Choose a Social Media Marketing Bootcamp or Certificate?

If you are curious about jumping into the world of social media marketing but don’t want to spend years in school, a bootcamp or certificate program is the perfect choice. These programs are designed to keep you updated with the industry and offer flexible learning schedules. If you are a veteran or anyone eligible for veteran benefits, consider enrolling in a social media marketing bootcamp or certificate for direct instruction, options, quick learning time, and additional benefits.

Hands-On, Practical Experience

The majority of students benefit most from a bootcamp or certificate program's realistic approach to learning. Students complete hands-on projects that give them practical experience with the tools and skills they would need to utilize in the workplace. You will learn how to build social media strategies, use various platforms, and measure campaign results. This type of experience leads to a more well-rounded skill set and a broader sense of abilities.

Flexible Scheduling

Bootcamps and certificate programs in social media marketing are often designed with flexibility in mind. They are offered online, during the weekends, or after work hours, so you can find a program that suits you no matter what. You can find something that fits in your schedule whether you work full or part-time. Veterans find this particularly preferable since the transition from military service to civilian life can be somewhat challenging.

Career-Ready in Less Time

One of the biggest advantages of a social media marketing bootcamp or certificate is that you can acquire career skills in just several months as opposed to years. You won’t have to wait too long to break into the world of marketing. Veterans appreciate this due to the desire to start a new life sooner rather than later so it’s a worthwhile field and avenue to consider when studying to pivot careers.

Job Assistance and Other Benefits

Another significant advantage to bootcamps and certificates is the additional support they offer. Most programs provide resume assistance, job search guidance, networking events, portfolio development, and free retakes. Although veterans have assistance through various pieces of legislation, these additional benefits can make all the difference during the learning process.

Learn Social Media Marketing at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is a popular training provider that offers courses in areas like digital marketing, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and design, to name a few. Their certificate programs are veteran-approved, so they are a solid option for veterans and other eligible individuals looking to level up their skills. The courses are super hands-on so you won’t just sit through lectures and take tests; instead, you will get practical experience that helps you apply what you have learned. On top of that, Noble Desktop offers some great benefits like flexible payment plans and personal mentoring outside of the class. In addition, you can retake the course for free within a year of your original enrollment date and earn a certificate of completion. You’ll have access to resume help, portfolio development, mock interviews, and support from an instructor throughout the entire process. You’ll be well-prepped to stand out in your career search as you transition back into civilian life.

The 120-hour Digital Marketing Certificate at Noble Desktop is the best opportunity to gain an all-encompassing digital marketing education. This is a hands-on program that teaches core skills such as social media marketing, SEO, paid advertising, email marketing, and content strategy. Students will gain practical experience with popular tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and other useful tools that get the word out about your brand. The bootcamp is structured to provide both strategic insights and technical skills, so you’ll develop and execute marketing campaigns from start to finish and have a say during every step of the process. This is an ideal course for a beginner who wants to start a career in digital marketing or social media marketing.

Moreover, you can learn a lot about social media marketing through the Graphic Design Certificate program. This 84-hour course focuses on content creation through applications like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. You will work with these applications to design page layouts, create vector graphics, and edit photos, all of which can be used for social media. You will complete hands-on projects like designing social media graphics, business cards, and brochures and gain a solid understanding of graphic design concepts. This bootcamp helps you develop professional-level skills. Plus you’ll create a polished portfolio by uploading your work to Adobe Portfolio.

In the 138-hour Digital Design Certificate, you will explore applications like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator to help you master photo retouching, layout creation, and vector graphics. Beyond these core skills, you will also explore user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. Through hands-on projects, you will use Figma to create interactive website prototypes and explore the principles of effective design concepts. By blending graphic and print design with web and UI design, this program provides a well-rounded education in the broad field of digital design.

The 120-hour UI Design Certificate focuses exclusively on UI design if that is more up your alley. In this course, you’ll study how to design websites for desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile that consumers can turn to when they want to learn more about services or purchase products. You will use Figma for prototyping and add tons of graphics, logos, icons, and other branding materials to the page. This course gives you a basic foundation in design concepts, which is useful across all aspects of digital design and marketing.

You can also explore the Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate which is immensely helpful for social media marketing, particularly on applications like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok where you can upload videos. Through a mix of lectures, discussions, and hands-on projects, you will learn how to edit videos with Premiere Pro and create engaging motion graphics with After Effects that grab the viewer's attention. You will also explore advanced techniques like 3D model creation and Cinema 4D Lite within After Effects and refining audio in Audition. This course will give you a comprehensive overview of these useful video editing and motion graphics applications as well as portfolio development. Plus, you can take a free course in Photoshop or Illustrator with this program.

Noble Desktop also offers a Data Analytics Certificate that spans 156 total hours and gives you the necessary skills to analyze data, like that from a social media marketing campaign. You will learn how to code in languages like Python and SQL as well as use platforms like Tableau and Excel. Moreover, you’ll practice managing, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting data and explore machine learning concepts. This course also comes with enrollment in the Python for AI course at no additional cost.