10 Best Social Media Management Courses (Free & Paid)

From content creation to scheduling, managing a social media presence takes a lot of work.

Not only do you need to keep on top of your promotional campaigns and publishing calendar, but you’ll also need an up-to-date knowledge of various tools and platforms. When the social media rules and best practices are constantly changing, it’s easy to make costly mistakes.

A social media management course is a way of updating your knowledge and fortifying your digital campaigns. The right lessons will teach you how to create and curate great content, create monthly marketing reports, and optimize your campaigns.

With social media management classes, you’ll stay one step ahead of the algorithms, and improve your chances of stronger connections with your target audience. So where exactly should you begin your educational journey?

Top 10 Social Media Management Courses

1. Social Media Management Course (Coursera)

Part of the social media management certification from Facebook (Meta), this course on Coursera covers virtually everything you need to know to master social media. You’ll learn how to create compelling social media posts and establish a stronger brand presence.

Coursera and Facebook also teach users how to create a sustainable, efficient content calendar.

As a Facebook-driven training solution, this course will be particularly compelling to social media managers with a heavy focus on Instagram and Facebook. However, the branding, scheduling, and reporting basics you’ll learn can be applied to all platforms.

Why enroll in this course?

This social media management course is offered by Facebook, the biggest social media platform on the market today. Direct advice from a social media giant ensures you’ll learn proven solutions for making the most of your social strategy.

Throughout a selection of easy-to-digest lessons, you’ll learn how to:

• Create a powerful content calendar (across multiple platforms).
• Develop a strong tone of voice for your target audience.
• Evaluate the performance of your content and optimize results.
• Manage social media content with real-world data.

You don’t need any marketing experience to begin, and you can learn entirely at your own pace. If you’re hoping to develop your personal brand, the certification at the end of the course is useful too.

• Vendor: Meta via Coursera
• Cost: $49/mo
• Duration: 13 hours
• Certification: Certificate of Completion

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2. Social Media Marketing Course (Reliablesoft)

Reliablesoft Academy offers a social media management course as part of the Digital Marketing Course Bundle. The bundle includes 10 courses covering all aspects of digital marketing including social media marketing and management.

Why enroll in this course?

The course is aimed at beginners and explains in simple terms how to start managing your social media presence. In particular, you’ll learn:

• How to create a social media strategy
• How to get more followers on Facebook and other social networks
• How to use hashtags when creating content

With your registration, you also get access to the Facebook Ads Course. This course will teach you how to take advantage of paid Facebook ads to increase your reach and expand your sales.

Another benefit of this course compared to other courses is that upon completion of the course you can take a digital marketing exam and get a digital marketing certification.

• Vendor: Reliablesoft Academy
• Cost: $119
• Duration: 3 hours
• Certification: Digital Marketing Certification

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3. Social Media Marketing for Beginners (Udemy)

Promising powerful tools for beginners, the Udemy social media management classes will give anyone considering a career in this industry a phenomenal boost.

You’ll learn how to create attractive content for multiple social media platforms. Plus, the lessons are full of tips to enhance your productivity and performance on a day-to-day basis.

Udemy’s course covers all the essentials of building an extensive, customized social media strategy, with the freedom to adapt your plans to suit your needs. The instructor, Maggie Stara, is a fantastic digital marketing expert, with an engaging, easy-to-follow teaching style.

Why enroll in this course?

Udemy and Maggie Stara join forces to deliver a step-by-step guide to all the tools and guidance you need to thrive in a new social media management career. You’ll learn not just how to use social media marketing platforms, but how to develop your mindset and habits for stronger performance.

The course provides a comprehensive blueprint for content management, without becoming too confusing or overwhelming for beginners. You’ll learn how to:

• Discover your “why” as a social media manager and build a personal brand.
• Improve your chances of success when seeking new clients.
• Manage multiple social media platforms and their algorithms.
• Create content according to a strategic schedule.

This course is a great tool if you’re looking to learn social media marketing and invest in a new career.

• Vendor: Udemy
• Cost: $99.99
• Duration: 10 hours
• Certification: Certificate of Completion

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4. Social Media Management Course (Social Media Training)

Designed with beginners in mind, the social media management course free training from Eric Schwartzman is an easy-to-digest approach to the industry.

Through more than 163 minutes of HD video, students will learn all the rules of social media engagement. You’ll discover what it means to make the right connection with your audience, whatever your preferred channel might be.

Unlike most social media courses, Eric’s offering explores some of the less-traveled channels in social media management too, like Flickr, UStream, and Soundcloud. You’ll also get insights from genuine case studies from the US Department of Defense, Toyota, and other brands.

Why enroll in this course?

Though simple enough for beginners to follow, this social media management course is a lot more comprehensive than many of the alternative free options on the market.

You’ll get an introduction to all of the most popular social channels, like Facebook and Twitter, as well as tips on how to manage YouTube, Blogger, Google Analytics, and more.

Eric also uses his easy-to-digest videos to provide exclusive tips and insights from some of the top social media managers from major brands around the world.

You’ll learn how to:

• Establish your social media business and set realistic objectives.
• Gain engagement and make an impact on your target audience.
• Improve your online reputation via social media.
• Launch blogs, measure reports and keep track of social campaigns at the same time.

Eric’s course goes beyond the basics of social media management, to explore the foundations of setting up your entire online presence.

• Vendor: Social Media Training
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 4 hours
• Certification: No

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5. Social Media Marketing Professional (Facebook)

If you’re hoping to complete your training with a social media manager certification, a course offered by Facebook Blueprint (Meta), is an excellent choice.

This training system promises would-be managers access to the complete Facebook Blueprint for social media success.

Hosted on Coursera, the Social Media Marketing Professional certificate helps beginners to gain crucial, on-demand skills to help them prepare for their job search. You’ll master the essentials of building and organizing your content campaigns and discover what it takes to develop a profitable career in social media.

Why enroll in this course?

Earning a certification directly from Facebook is an incredible way to gain attention from clients in a competitive job market.

Social media managers with this certification will demonstrate their abilities in the advertising field while accessing a host of career resources from Facebook.

Alongside a host of useful course tips and insights, you’ll also get tools for building your resume, preparing for interviews, and developing a network of potential clients.

With the social media marketing professional certificate, you learn how to:

• Manage all Facebook marketing channels (Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram)
• Create and manage your ads using the Ads Manager.
• Track and report on platform presence and performance.
• Understand client needs and organize successful campaigns.

If you plan on becoming a Facebook ads specialist, this is one of the best Facebook ads courses online. The certification will really help you to stand out to clients.

• Vendor: Facebook
• Cost: $49/month
• Duration: 20 Weeks (5 hours per week)
• Certification: Social Media Marketing Professional

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6. Social Media Content Strategy (Fiverr Learn)

Fiver’s social media management course comes from Rita Cidre, a renowned designer, marketer, and storytelling professional.

Her easy-to-follow and insightful teaching style are excellent for people at any skill level. Plus, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for peace of mind.

The strategy-focus course highlights the basics of developing your management strategy, from creating a marketing funnel, to choosing your key performance indicators. You’ll also learn how to identify your target audience and build on your personas with reports.

Why enroll in this course?

Rita’s social media management training concentrates on the behind-the-scenes planning in each create social media campaign. You learn how to set reasonable objectives for each project and what it means to define an effective content strategy.

There’s also plenty of guidance on how to optimize your processes, through reporting, analytics, and tools for measuring ongoing performance. With this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Set objectives and plan strategic campaigns as a content manager.
• Identify your target audience and develop audience insights.
• Define your content strategy and execute it across multiple channels.
• Create, evaluate, and optimize your process.

Rita’s course is excellent for digital marketing specialists, who want to improve the way they organize and plan their campaigns long-term.

• Vendor: Fiverr Learn
• Cost: $46
• Duration: 4 hours
• Certification: No

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7. Understanding Social Media Promotion (HubSpot)

As an expert in marketing technology, HubSpot has plenty of insider views to share about marketing management. This free lesson will take you through the basics of creating your own promotional plans from scratch, taking advantage of the social and digital technologies available to you.

Unlike most social media management classes, HubSpot’s lesson focuses heavily on the use of social media as a supplementary or complementary strategy to other forms of inbound advertising.

You’ll learn how to plan and manage your social strategies alongside other campaigns for attracting audience interest and conversions.

Why enroll in this course?

HubSpot offers a beginner-friendly introduction to creating a comprehensive content and digital marketing strategy, with social media at the center. The course covers everything you need to know about leveraging social channels as an additional tool for online success.

Available in a range of languages, the course only takes around 45 minutes to complete, with a course of 6 videos you can watch at any pace you choose.

During the lesson, you’ll learn how to:

• Develop a strong social media strategy across multiple channels.
• Combine social media with content marketing and lead generation.
• Build an effective online reputation.
• Attract customers and gain loyalty from your target audience.

Leaders at HubSpot, Crystal King, and Eric Peters, provide a wonderfully accessible and easy-to-follow selection of videos – great for beginners.

• Vendor: HubSpot
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Certification: No

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8. Social Media and You Certification Course (Hootsuite)

Another excellent pick if you’re hoping for a social media manager certification, the “Social Media and You” course comes with its own printable certificate. The course, created by HootSuite, teaches beginners all the best practices involved with building a personal brand on social media.

Within just two hours, you’ll discover several actionable insights about making your social profiles stand out, engaging respectfully with online communities, and developing effective content.

The social media strategists from HootSuite responsible for the course are friendly and easy to understand too.

Why enroll in this course?

HootSuite’s social media management course is a beginner-friendly way to gain certification and discover ways of making your personal brand stand out online.

You’ll learn how to develop your reputation and strengthen your chances of attracting clients, and you can also discover the best practices of creating content and building influence.

At the end of the short video-focused course, there’s also a certification exam, with a number of questions to answer to prove your skills.

With this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Build your reputation and influence online.
• Strengthen your position among crucial communities.
• Develop social media content and publish campaigns.
• Unlock new opportunities for finding clients.

This course is more focused on helping you to find and take advantage of earning opportunities as a social media manager. If you want help making the most of your career, this could be the training for you.

• Vendor: Hootsuite
• Cost: $299
• Duration: 2 hours
• Certification: Yes (Social Advocacy Certified Professional)

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9. Social Media Marketing (OMI)

Provided by the experts at the Online Marketing Institute, this social media marketing course also addresses the basics of management for would-be advertisers.

A set of five reputable instructors talk you through a range of social media essentials, including how to use and understand the most popular platforms.

The curriculum covers everything you need to know about engaging customers on social media, as well as how you can establish your expertise and thought leadership online. You’ll also get a blueprint for creating your own actionable social strategy.

Why enroll in this course?

The OMI social media course combines the various disciplines of marketing and management, to help you take full advantage of your social presence.

After each lesson, there’s a short quiz to ensure you’re retaining the knowledge you gain. Plus, a full exam at the end of the course leads to an impressive digital marketing certification for your resume.

With this training system, you’ll discover the most popular platforms and mediums, and how to leverage untapped potential in your social followers.

With the Online Marketing Institute, you’ll learn how to:

• Take advantage of multiple social media platforms for cross-channel growth.
• Build your online reputation and thought leadership.
• Market to various different audience groups and generations.
• Learn from reports and insights for a better social strategy.

The combination of both marketing and management tips will be ideal for anyone jumping into a new career in social media promotion.

• Vendor: Online Marketing Institute
• Cost: $859
• Duration: 6 hours
• Certification: Yes (Social Media Marketing Certification)

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10. Social Media Management & Marketing (Skillshare)

One of the top social media manager training options available right now, this course from Skillshare comes with a handy certificate of completion and a ton of useful knowledge you can leverage for better online campaigns.

Designed to be accessible to beginners and more experienced users alike, the Skillshare course will introduce you to the basics of social media marketing and how it makes an impact on your audience.

At the same time, you’ll also learn how to develop and manage your own social campaigns, so you can leverage long-lasting results.

Why enroll in this course?

With a selection of easy-to-digest lessons, ELITEx mentor will walk you through the basics of mastering all of the top social platforms, including recent arrivals like TikTok and Medium.

The group reveals some of the secrets behind the multi-million-pound deals, so you know you’re getting strategies that work.

The course focuses heavily on the fundamentals of how to write, market, and sell on every platform, with case studies and convenient step-by-step walkthroughs.

You’ll learn how to:

• Understand and leverage each social media platform.
• Design content to suit your target audience and make an emotional impact.
• Build a social media marketing strategy and calendar.
• Connect campaigns across multiple channels.

At the end of the course, the hands-on class project is an excellent way to put your skills to the test and develop confidence for your new career.

• Vendor: SkillShare
• Cost: $19/mo
• Duration: 4 hours
• Certification: Certificate of Completion

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Social Media Management Courses Cost

The table below compares the cost of the most popular social media management courses.

What can you learn from a social media management course?

Before we explore some of the best social media manager training options, let’s examine what you can expect to learn from most of these resources.

Notably, a social media management course is not the same as training in social media marketing.

With marketing-driven courses, you focus on creating social relationships, extending your brand reach, and learning how to use different platforms.

With management courses, the spotlight is on establishing and managing your social media presence.

Social media management classes may cover:

• How to establish a social presence (and which platforms you should use).
• Creating and maintaining a consistent brand tone, and image.
• How to create a social media content strategy.
• Managing a content calendar and choosing publication frequencies.
• Evaluating the performance of content and creating marketing reports.
• How to set social media marketing goals and achieve them.
• How to manage clients and relationships as a social media manager.
• What do various social platform algorithms mean to your posts?
• Which terms and conditions do you need to be aware of to avoid repercussions.

Depending on the nature of your chosen course, you may also learn how to develop your personal brand as a freelance social media professional, or how to manipulate the algorithms on each platform.

Are Social Media Management Courses Worth it?

Social media is still one of the most valuable tools in any brand’s content marketing arsenal.

Through social media, companies can connect with their customers on a deeper level and build opportunities for conversions and loyalty. Unfortunately, there’s more to being successful on the right social platforms than just creating content.

Social media management courses highlight the strategy, organization, and planning behind the most successful social campaigns. With the right training, you’ll learn:

How to handle the latest trends: The trends on social media are constantly changing, and your marketing strategies need to adapt to them. Management training courses teach you how to understand, leverage, and master new features, algorithms, and rules on the various platforms you use.

Business development skills: Many social media management tools will also teach you how to attract clients in your new career. You’ll discover how to build your personal brand and showcase your skills to attract more revenue. You can even earn certifications and awards to make your resume stand out.

Reporting and analytics skills: Social media managers need to constantly prove the value of their campaigns and look for opportunities to optimize. Your training courses will show you how to understand and leverage your reports for better growth in the future. You’ll even learn how to set social media goals and then demonstrate ROI to clients.

While some people may thrive without social media management classes, these courses are excellent for unlocking new opportunities in your career.

Learn More about Social Media Management

As social media marketing becomes increasingly complex, with larger audiences, more channels, and more features to understand, brands are constantly searching for people capable of managing these platforms.

With a social media management course, you can learn how to make the most of your own social campaigns or build a new career handling online advertising for other brands.

Whatever your goals, the right course will provide you with valuable skills and tools to make your social media dreams a reality.

Finally, to further enhance your digital skills, you can consider taking a digital marketing course and learn how social media management works in a complete digital marketing strategy.