Social media marketing (SMM) certification courses offer individuals an opportunity to increase their knowledge and expertise in the field of digital marketing. As the importance of social media continues to grow, the ability to maintain a presence and advertise on popular social media platforms becomes crucial for small businesses to punch above their weight.
For job-seekers, a social media marketing certification demonstrates to potential employers your understanding of social media strategies and techniques — leading to greater job opportunities and improved salaries. Enrolling in a social media marketing certification course is a smart investment for anyone looking to break into the digital marketing industry or build their career.
To help you do so, we’ve created a list of 8 of the best free and paid social media marketing certification courses you can sign up for today.
#1: [Free] HubSpot Academy – Social Media Marketing Certification Course
HubSpot Academy offers a free SMM course aimed at teaching beginners how to build an effective social media strategy, extend reach, excel in digital advertising and measure ROI.
The SMM certification course is taught via a series of video lessons mainly presented by Crystal King, Senior Inbound Professor for HubSpot Academy. Accompanying her are other guest professors with varied backgrounds as social media strategists, heads of marketing, business founders and more.
HubSpot Academy’s Social Media Marketing certification course covers topics such as setting goals, choosing platforms, creating and curating content, advertising, measuring success, and more. The curriculum is clearly organised with interactive quizzes to ensure learners absorb the content and don’t get bored. Upon completion, learners must take a certification exam in order to receive a HubSpot Academy certificate.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: Free
Course Runtime: 6 hours
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Marketing Certification course by HubSpot Academy.
#2: [Free] Simplilearn – Social Media Foundations
Social Media Foundations by Simplilearn is a free SMM course aimed at working professionals looking to expand their knowledge in the area.
Taught via self-paced video lessons, learners will be introduced to the current social media landscape before diving into strategy and planning. Once learners are adept at developing a social media strategy, the course goes on to teach how to manage social media channels effectively. Finally, the course introduces useful social media management and analytics tools, as well as how to advertise on various social media platforms.
Upon completion, learners will obtain a Simplilearn certificate which they can share on their LinkedIn page.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: Free
Course Runtime: 3 hours
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Foundations course by Simplilearn.
#3: [Free] Google Digital Garage – Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
While Google isn’t a social media platform, the company hosts a comprehensive digital marketing certification course that covers a wide variety of disciplines including social media marketing.
The social media module of “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” by Google Digital Garage covers topics such as how to identify the right social network for your brand, how to create great content for your users, and how to measure your success using social media tools. While the social media module of the course is just an hour long, the entire course takes an estimated 40 hours to complete and will give you a better understanding of how SMM fits into the bigger picture of digital marketing.
The course consists of bite-sized video tutorials, practical exercises as well as real-world examples Culminating in a final 40-question exam which you have to pass to be certified.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: Free
Course Runtime: 40 hours
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course by Google Digital Garage.
#4: [Free] eMarketing Institute – Social Media Marketing Certification Course
The eMarketing Institute is an online education platform that provides certification courses in digital marketing and related fields. Their free SMM course is created in partnership with social media practitioners to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the industry.
The course is downloadable in the form of a 165-page ebook, but can also be viewed on an internet browser. Catered to individuals who want to pursue a career in social media marketing or business owners who want to improve their skills, it is remarkably comprehensive and in-depth for a free SMM course.
The course covers a range of topics related to social media marketing, including social media strategy, content creation, audience engagement, and advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others.
Unlike other SMM training courses on this list, eMarketing Insitute’s course is completely slide-based, which makes it suitable for learners who are more comfortable digesting information by reading. To obtain a certificate of completion, participants will have to pass a 50-question test at the end of the course.
Mode of teaching: Online slides
Cost: Free
Course Runtime: Self-paced
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Marketing Certification Course by eMarketing Institute.
#5: [$19.99/mth] LinkedIn Learning – Social Media Marketing Foundations
LinkedIn Learning is a popular online learning platform amongst professionals that provides courses and tutorials in various subjects such as business, technology, creative skills, and more.
With over 8,000 reviewers rating it an average of 4.7 stars, “Social Media Marketing Foundations” is a highly recommended social media marketing course by professionals on LinkedIn.
The course is created by Brian Honigman, who is a marketing consultant with expertise in content and social media marketing. He covers the basics of social media marketing, including strategy, content creation, measurement, and advertising. Brian teaches learners how to develop a social media marketing plan, create compelling content, use data and metrics to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns as well as how to effectively advertise on social media platforms.
The ultimate goal of the course is to provide a solid foundation for those new to social media marketing or looking to improve their skills. The total runtime is about 1 hour and learners will receive a LinkedIn Learning certificate of completion which they can display on their LinkedIn profile.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: $19.99/mth LinkedIn Learning Subscription
Course Runtime: 1 hour
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Marketing Foundations course on LinkedIn Learning.
#6: [$98.98] Udemy – Social Media Marketing Mastery
“Social Media Marketing Mastery” is one of Udemy’s bestselling SMM training courses with 4.4 stars out of 19,000 reviews.
Created by Los Angeles-based ad agency Coursenvy, the course is targeted at both new and advanced marketers looking to create ads on all social media networks. The content is taught via video lectures and covers a variety of social media platforms in-depth. The social media platforms covered are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.
Each section teaches learners how to set up an account, optimise their profiles, best practices to manage their page as well as how to create and run advertisements on the respective platforms. It also covers analytics and what you can do to improve results on your chosen social media platform.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: $98.98
Course Runtime: 10 hours
Recommended for: Beginners to Intermediate
Check out Social Media Marketing Mastery on Udemy.
#7: [$199] Hootsuite – Social Media Marketing Certification Course
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows users to schedule and publish content, track and analyse social media performance, and manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard — so the company definitely knows a thing or two about social media!
The Social Media Marketing Certification Course on Hootsuite is an online training program designed to help individuals and organisations enhance their social media marketing skills. The course covers various aspects of social media marketing, including creating and executing a social media strategy, managing and engaging with social media communities, and analyzing and measuring social media performance. It provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of the best practices for social media marketing, as well as the latest tools and techniques.
The course is composed of several modules, each of which includes video lessons, interactive quizzes, and practical assignments. Participants can learn at their own pace and have access to the course materials for a year. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of completion, demonstrating their mastery of the subject matter and their commitment to professional development.
Mode of teaching: Online video lessons
Cost: $199
Course Runtime: 6 hours
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Marketing Certification course on Hootsuite.
#8: [$990] FirstCom Academy: Social Media Marketing Programme
FirstCom Academy’s Social Media Marketing programme aims to help Singaporean professionals acquire relevant skills as quickly as possible. The programme is aimed at individuals looking to break into the social media industry or existing social media marketers looking to improve their mastery of other social media platforms.
The Social Media Marketing programme consists of 3 individual SkillsFuture courses focusing on Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. In each course, learners will get hands-on experience at creating and optimising social media pages, learn best practices for managing and engaging with followers, understand how to run and develop advertisements as well as how to analyse and optimise advertising campaigns on the respective social media platforms.
What sets FirstCom Academy apart from the other SMM training courses on this list is that all the lessons are conducted in-person and taught by expert digital marketers with real-world social media marketing experience. By learning under the guidance of an experienced mentor, FirstCom Academy learners are able to quickly pick up new skills and get valuable industry tips at the same time.
Furthermore, all of FirstCom Academy courses are WSQ-certified and SkillsFuture Credit-eligible. This means your certification will be recognised by local employers, and you can subsidise up to 70% of the course fees.
Mode of teaching: In-person lessons
Cost: $990 (with 70% SkillsFuture Subsidy)
Course Runtime: 60 hours
Recommended for: Beginners
Check out the Social Media Marketing Programme at FirstCom Academy.
What is the Difference Between Free & Paid SMM Training Courses?
Free social media marketing courses serve as a convenient and excellent starting point for individuals with no prior experience to start learning without having to invest. Using free courses, learners can tip their toes into a subject to gauge their level of interest before deciding if they want to fully commit.
On the other hand, a paid social media marketing certification course is more suitable for learners who are sure about their decision to embark on a social media career and want to take the next steps to improve their employment opportunities in the industry.
In general, paid courses provide more in-depth and comprehensive content that tends to be continually updated and in line with current industry trends. This is because paid courses have an incentive to keep their content updated in order to continuously attract new learners. Paid courses may also provide personalised support through email, live chats or forums after you’ve completed the course, while free courses leave learners to their own devices.
Is It Worth Paying for an SMM Certification Course?
Whether or not paying for a social media marketing course is worth it depends on your goals and resources. If you’re determined to make social media marketing a career, then it is definitely worth paying for a certification course to shorten your learning curve and earn a certification that demonstrates your competency to potential employers.
When it comes to online certification courses, paying for a course only to find out that its contents and practices are not relevant to your country or region can be a real risk. That’s why we highly recommend going with a local course provider to ensure the knowledge you learn is relevant to the industry and the certificate is recognised locally.
Read also:
- What is Social Media Marketing and How to Use It
- 10 Best Resources for Learning Social Media Marketing
- Jobs in Singapore: Social Media Marketing Salary Guide
- How to Use Social Media Effectively for your Football Team
- Social Media Platforms Great for Promoting Your Small Business
