This course is part of the Social Media Marketing Specialization

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3,980 ratings

Randy Hlavac

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Social Media Marketing SpecializationNorthwestern University

About this Course

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The “What Is Social?" MOOC is for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social strategy using effective, proven methodologies. This hands on, "how to" program won’t just tell you how to grow your professional persona using social – you will actually do it! This course is the first in the six-course specialization, Social Media Marketing: How to Profit in a Digital World. 
While the course can be audited for free, paid learners will receive additional content beyond the course basics. For MOOC 1, the toolkit includes a special video from Alessandro Acquisti on Big Data and a set of studies done by IBM on engagement and social marketing strategies with bottom-line profits. 

This course has been designed to give you the tools, insights, knowledge, and skills to immediately impact your organization. In addition, we will help you network with thought leaders in social.  After completing this course, you and your organization’s staff will be able to position, engage, and grow relationships with the consumers of highest value to you.

Today, we are living in a period of massive disruption. New technologies are changing the way people engage with each other and with the organizations that interest them. This course will start you on the path to growing your own social strategy using effective, proven methodologies.

Additional MOOC 1 faculty include: 
* Judy Ungar Franks (President, The Marketing Democracy, Ltd. & Lecturer, Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern)

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 6 in the

Social Media Marketing Specialization

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Japanese

Skills you will gain

Social Marketing
Social Network
Social Media Marketing
Social Media

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 6 in the

Social Media Marketing Specialization

Approx. 7 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Japanese

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.69/5 (434 Ratings)

Randy Hlavac

Northwestern University & CEO of Marketing Synergy, Inc

225,044 Learners

13 Courses

Offered by

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university with campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(26,319 ratings)

Week

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Introduction to Social Marketing

In this first module, you will learn about the goals, structure, and deliverables of the Social Marketing Specialization MOOCs, as well as gain an understanding of how the MOOCs in the Specialization will each build on one another to create a truly unique and immediately applicable experience.

1 hour to complete

7 videos (Total 24 min), 6 readings

7 videos

Introduction6m

Course Overview3m

Welcome to Social Media Marketing 20203m

The Capstone Project2m

Optional Resource Book you might find useful2m

How the Capstone Program Works1m

Brief [but Important] Announcement on the IBM Cloud System4m

6 readings

Welcome to Course 1 in the Social Marketing Specialization10m

Grading and Logistics10m

Meet Your Instructors10m

Social Marketing Toolkit Pt. 1 - Three Misconceptions of Social10m

Course Bookstore10m

Special Toolkits for Paid/Financial Aid Learners10m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Social Trends

In this module, you will learn not only how the digital revolution has disrupted the marketplace, but also how you can make sense of this disrupted digital world.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 39 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

The Business of Social

In this module, you will learn how to view social as holistic, consumer/stakeholder focused, flexible, global, real-time and integrated. You will then complete a peer review assignment which will ask you to define your target audience on social.

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 42 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Social Overview

In this module, you will learn to understand the importance of big data and how to deal with all of the quickly changing social sites used today. You will also learn the difference between social networks and communities as well as the reasons that they form. Then, you will set up the social sites that you will use throughout the Specialization.

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 45 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

The 3 M's of an Effective Content Strategy for Social Media Marketing2m

The 3 M's of Effective Content Strategy - Focusing on Markets5m

The 3 M's of Effective Content Strategy - Focusing on Messages3m

The 3 M's of Effective Content Strategy - Focusing on Media6m

Social Networks and Communities5m

Why Social Communities Form2m

Understanding Social Communities6m

How to Position Yourself as a Brand Authority6m

Developing your Social Media Tools for the Networking Assignment6m

4 readings

Developing the Social Assets to Develop Your Personal Brand10m

Question for Discussion10m

Download the Lecture Video Slides10m

What Comes Next?10m

2 practice exercises

Quiz 330m

Networking & Tracking Assignment6m

Reviews

4.6

1050 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
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3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM WHAT IS SOCIAL?

by AVAug 9, 2016

I highly recommend this course. I have very little background knowledge on social media and I am using the tools acquired on this online course to help my small business grow. Five stars!

by ADMay 10, 2020

Found the courses to have been very helpful and informative. I know how to implement it to not only my brand but also help other's who may need some advise in how to start theirs. Thank you again!!

by JPDec 23, 2021

This course is wonderful and it shows gives a different insight into Social media. And also introduces the learner to different useful tools in order to make better their social media presence.

by NBMar 29, 2019

I highly recommend this course. Learning the fundamentals of social with professor Randy certainly help me understand in-depth entire body of what it means to be social on various digital platforms!

View all reviews

About the Social Media Marketing Specialization

In a 2018 survey of businesses, Buffer found that only 29% had effective social media marketing programs. A recent survey of consumers by Tomoson found 92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people over brand content, 70% found consumer reviews to be their second most trusted source, 47% read blogs developed by influencers and experts to discover new trends and new ideas and 35% used blogs to discover new products and services. Also, 20% of women who used social considered products promoted by bloggers they knew. Today, businesses and consumers use social media to make their purchase decisions.

Created in 2014, this Specialization is updated every quarter to ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date training. The Social Media Marketing Specialization is designed to achieve two objectives. It gives you the social analytics tools, and training to help you become an influencer on social media. The course also gives you the knowledge and resources to build a complete social media marketing strategy – from consumer insights to final justification metrics. In each course, you will also receive special toolkits with timely information & when you pay for the Capstone, you receive a market planning toolkit. Each of the individual courses can be audited for free. To see more, visit each course: 1-What is Social?, 2-The Importance of Listening, 3-Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies, 4-Content, Advertising & Social IMC, 5-The Business of Social.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

What is Social?

About this Course

Skills you will gain