10 Free Online Courses Every Social Media Manager Should Take - Flick (2024)

Social media marketing is becoming increasingly necessary for any brand, so it’s crucial to learn the ropes and maximize all social media has to offer. With a successful social media manager, brands can look forward to increased engagement, business growth, expertly curated content, and a multitude of other benefits geared toward improving the brand and capitalizing on marketing opportunities. Since we are living in a digital age, of course, there are a daunting number of resources floating around the internet for social media managers. Luckily for you, we’ve done the work on your behalf. Here, we’ve gathered the 10 best free social media manager courses of any kind, all of which will prepare you and your team for making the most of your social media platforms and your marketing strategies.

Let’s take a look:

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  1. Hashtag and Caption Writing Courses

  2. Social Media Certification

  3. Social Media Marketing Courses for Business

  4. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

  5. Social Media Marketing Courses for Strategy

  6. Social Ads 101

  7. Social Listening Course

  8. Inclusive Social Media Marketing

  9. Local Social Media Marketing Course

Hashtag and Caption Writing Courses

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Platform: Flick
Cost: Free

Flick Academy offers a Hashtag Course and a Caption Writing Course, both of which are user-friendly and accessible for all skill levels. Each course has a selection of modules complete with videos and assignments that will help your social media managers to write more engaging captions, increase sales, reach new consumers, and optimize every posting opportunity. And, since neither course runs over two hours, your social media managers can start applying these skills in no time!

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10 Free Online Courses Every Social Media Manager Should Take - Flick (3)

Flick Academy

Learn how to become a hashtag pro with our free course.

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Social Media Certification

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Platform: Hubspot
Cost: Free

Hubspot Academy’s Social Media Certification Course focuses on both attracting a new audience and building brand loyalty, as well as creating an inbound social media marketing strategy. With a flexible structure, social media managers can take this course on a timeline that works for them. During the course, they’ll be able to set social media goals, create strategies, learn to measure ROI, develop a budget, and practice listening to and monitoring their socials. The course also offers specific lessons within the larger certification, so if your social media manager is looking to hone one specific skill, they can find that here.

Social Media Marketing Courses for Business

Platform: Wordstream
Cost: Free

This crash course clocks in at only twenty-one minutes, so it is perfect for any social media manager with a tight schedule who is still looking for a course jam-packed with valuable information. During the course, social media managers will explore services, strategies, and statistics across a multitude of social media platforms, as well as the five pillars of social media marketing, how to create a social media marketing plan, and a collection of other tips and tricks for putting your best post forward.

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

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Platform: Google Digital Garage
Cost: Free

This course not only offers social media modules but also those in mobile marketing, web optimization, and SEO, making it an excellent choice for any social media managers looking to broaden their horizons and gain a wider range of marketing knowledge. Social media managers who take this course will learn to develop web pages geared toward SEO, as well as the differences and advantages of paid and organic searches.

Social Media Marketing Courses for Strategy

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Platform: Living to Roam via Skillshare
Cost: Free (with a free 7-day trial of Skillshare)

As the title suggests, the primary focus of this social media manager course is strategy. This is a great first step for social media managers looking to develop a social media plan based on long-term goals. They will learn to assess and learn from competitors’ strategies, allocate resources, prioritize tactics, record and report analytics, audit current strategies, and develop strategies unique to each brand.

Social Ads 101

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Platform: Wordstream
Cost: Free

Another excellent course from Wordstream, Social Ads 101 provides educational components necessary for successful social media advertising. The course covers a variety of social media platforms, so social media managers can apply their new skills to whatever platforms work best for their brand. The course also focuses on social media ad metrics and social shopping, meaning social media managers will be able to measure their success and better target their consumers.

Social Listening Course

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Platform: Sprout Social
Cost: Free

It is critical for social media managers to understand the difference between social media monitoring and listening, and this course by Sprout Social is the perfect place to begin. Social media managers will not only learn the difference but also how to use social media listening to analyze competitors, gain industry insight, evaluate campaigns, establish thought leadership, identify influencers, reach new audiences, and so much more.

Inclusive Social Media Marketing

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Platform: Ragan
Cost: Free

This course from Ragan is excellent for any social media manager looking to boost inclusivity and diversity in their brand. It offers a nuanced approach to increasing these elements in social media marketing, tips on increasing diversity in ways that are authentic and organic, the potential impact of supportive content, the necessary questions to ask before posting, and ways to increase accessibility across all social media content. This course will keep your social media presence aligned with your principles, which will benefit your brand and your community in equal measures.

TikTok Marketing Course

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Platform: Udemy
Cost: Free

As TikTok continues to dominate the world of social media, it’ll benefit any social media manager to become comfortable with the platform. Udemy’s course highlights the differences between TikTok and most other social media platforms, as well as tips for generating sales and leads, how to set up a profile, how to record videos and duets, how to integrate the platform into your existing social media marketing strategy, how to optimize the algorithm, and how to utilize influencer campaigns, ads, and analytics.

Local Social Media Marketing Course

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Platform: LOCALiQ
Cost: Free

LOCALiQ recognizes the importance of maximizing the quality of your reach instead of just the quantity, and this course helps social media managers to do the same. They emphasize prioritizing sustained business growth over simply gaining followers and likes, and while the course may highlight local marketing strategies, it also has valuable insight for any size business with any size goals. The course covers how to optimize posts for local SEO, how to create unique content for your brand, and what to post and when to post it. They also offer over 130 post ideas and samples, so this is the perfect course for any social media manager looking for a little inspiration.

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10 Free Online Courses Every Social Media Manager Should Take - Flick (2024)

FAQs

What course should I take if I want to be a social media manager? ›

As far as degree requirements go, many employers prefer a bachelor's degree to start. But the good news is: because social media is still a newer field, you have options for what you can study. Typically employers require a degree in journalism, communications, marketing, or public relations.

What should I learn as a social media manager? ›

A successful social media manager can use both hard and soft skills to complete daily responsibilities like: Identifying a brand's target audience. Researching which social media platforms and content are most effective for engaging with a target audience. Tracking social media data and campaign results.

Which course is best for social media? ›

Best Social Media Marketing Courses
Course NameCourse Provider
Social Media Marketing SpecializationCoursera, offered by Northwestern University
Social Media Marketing FoundationsLinkedIn Learning, offered by renowned marketing consultant, Brian Honigman
Social Media Marketing Certification CourseHubSpot Academy
3 more rows

How do I become a self taught social media manager? ›

Here are five steps you can take to start your journey toward becoming a social media manager.
  1. Step 1: Close skill gaps. ...
  2. Step 2: Understand social media platforms and marketing analytics. ...
  3. Step 3: Gain relevant work experience. ...
  4. Step 4: Develop a portfolio. ...
  5. Step 5: Market yourself to potential clients.

How to become a social media manager with no experience? ›

Becoming a social media manager with no experience
  1. Consider a college degree. ...
  2. Build your online community. ...
  3. Take a social media marketing course. ...
  4. Research tools you can use for social media management. ...
  5. Network online and in person. ...
  6. Volunteer to manage social media for small business.
Jul 21, 2024

How much do social media managers charge per month? ›

Basic Social Media Manager Costs Per Month and Year

For monthly expenses: Beginners or freelance social media managers might charge roughly $300 to $800 per month for fundamental services. Social media managers with a bit more experience might fall in the range of $800 to $1,500 per month.

What does a beginner social media manager do? ›

Get An Entry-Level Social Media Job

You will be responsible for leveraging the different social platforms to drive growth for the companies you work for. This involves researching the target market to decide which platforms present the best opportunities and finding and creating relevant content to share.

What is a social media manager's salary? ›

The estimated monthly salary in India for Social Media Managers is between INR 29,531 to INR 30,852. Social Media Managers with experience of about 5 years can earn up to INR 4.8 LPA in India.

What does a social media manager do daily? ›

FAQs on what does a social media manager do

Freelancer social media managers juggle multiple clients and adapt their voice and style to each. They handle everything from creating strategy and writing posts to designing graphics and even shooting videos.

Is Coursera free? ›

However, Coursera still has many courses for which even the graded assignments are completely free. You must sign up (Join for Free) with Coursera before you can see the price. Your Class Central account is not the same as an account with Coursera.

Are social media courses worth it? ›

Benefits of earning a social media marketing certification

Completing the coursework means you can master relevant, job-ready skills in this field, including building a target audience around a brand, designing social media marketing campaigns, and executing a content strategy.

What certification do you need to be a social media manager? ›

The Certified Digital Marketing Professional certification, offered by the Digital Marketing Institute, equips individuals with essential digital marketing skills. This globally recognized program covers a range of topics, including SEO, social media marketing, PPC, email marketing, analytics, and content marketing.

How do I become a better social media manager? ›

Follow companies you admire on all their channels.
  1. Garner experience in social media marketing strategy. ...
  2. Earn a degree or gain relevant work experience. ...
  3. Build your own social media following and post strategic and thoughtful content. ...
  4. Learn how to use social media and general marketing analytics.
Jul 21, 2024

What qualifications do I need to be a social media manager? ›

Some employers may expect you to have a degree in a relevant subject, like:
  • advertising.
  • marketing and public relations.
  • digital and social media marketing.
  • internet design.
  • journalism.
  • business management.

How do you train to be a social media manager? ›

To become a social media manager, you need a bachelor's degree, typically in marketing or PR, and relevant work experience through internships, personal projects and junior-level positions. Social media managers need skills in verbal and written communication, data analytics and time management.

Do you need to study to be a social media manager? ›

Technically there are still opportunities to work in social media without a degree. You could try gaining some firsthand experience through internships and entry-level roles to assist with networking in the space.

How can I start working as a social media manager? ›

How to become a social media manager
  1. Step 1: Immerse yourself in social media culture. ...
  2. Step 2: Maintain an understanding of social media platforms. ...
  3. Step 3: Choose an education path. ...
  4. Step 4: Strengthen your communication skills. ...
  5. Step 5: Develop an understanding of marketing priorities.
Jul 17, 2024

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