Social Media Marketing Classes Baltimore, MD

Social media marketing is a subset of a larger digital marketing strategy, essential for private and public entities. Businesses, governmental agencies, and other organizations can use social media to build a community and get more engagement from an online audience.

Although early social media marketing existed in the early days of the internet, it was not until the advent of platforms like Facebook that it took off. Today, this strategy is the focus of many jobs, from Digital Marketers to Social Media Strategists. Video platforms like YouTube and TikTok continue to grow, but Facebook and Instagram dominate the landscape. Read on to learn more about social media marketing in the 2020s.

What Can You Do with Social Media Marketing Training?

Social media marketing is essential for almost any organization. What an individual does with training depends on multiple factors—from the length and depth of their education to the company that employs them. Some social media marketing pros focus almost exclusively on content for the most popular platforms, whereas others also need other digital marketing skills. For example, search engine optimization (SEO), Google Ads, and Google Analytics are tools many marketing pros have to master.

Entry-level positions for Social Media Marketing Specialists, Content Creators, and Social Media Marketers may require the ability to perform many tasks, and some industries and sectors demand more social media than others. Consider the following projects a beginner-level social media marketing professional can do:

• Create a YouTube Video: Many social media marketing beginners know how to create and upload a video to YouTube. However, a marketing post has multiple aspects that differ from a post on a personal account. The best social media marketing bootcamps and certificate programs include training for platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
• Make Auto-Posting Features Easier: Not all platforms allow auto-posting, but it can be helpful for social media marketing pros. Scheduling Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram posts is easy with tools like Buffer, Sprout Social, or Hootsuite.
• Let Google Do the Work: The latest iteration of Google Analytics is called Google Analytics 4 (G4), and only some social media marketing courses include training in this essential tool. Get reports on user behavior, including engagement, location, and retention, or start a Google Ads campaign here.

What Will I Learn in a Social Media Marketing Class?

Social media marketing courses range from 1-week seminars to bootcamps and certificate programs that run for weeks or months. The concepts and skills you’ll learn depend on multiple factors, from the course length to whether it is live or asynchronous. Most emphasize tech proficiency, but soft skills like communication and creativity are also essential. Consider some of the following list of what you can learn in social media marketing classes:

Social Platform Strategies

Social media marketing campaigns do not exist in a vacuum. Developing successful strategies is essential to any worthwhile social media training program. While one-day seminars might teach a platform or two, immersive bootcamps and certificates can cover everything from fundamental marketing concepts to effective strategies.

YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio provides an analytics tool comparable to Google Analytics. It measures metrics like views, demographics, and audience engagement. YouTube Studio includes an Audio Library of sound files for videos you create.

Trend Analysis

Analyzing trends is an essential aspect of every successful digital marketing campaign. With social media platforms, marketers use analytics tools like Sprout Social, Sendible, and Google Analytics to find trends. These can range from platform engagement to popular content types, influencer marketing, and social media campaign return on investment (ROI).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is often a tool you should consider learning alongside social media marketing (see below). It’s helpful to know the fundamentals of SEO if you are planning any career in digital marketing, including social media.

Portfolio Building

Many social media marketing bootcamps and certificate programs lead participants to keystone or portfolio-building projects. Portfolio websites or webpages are crucial for showing recruiters or hiring managers your skills. Check out platforms like Canva, Hootsuite, and Visme for free social media portfolio templates.

How Hard is It to Learn Social Media Marketing?

The difficulty required in mastering social media marketing depends on several factors. Some novices enter the field with little understanding of its complexity. Becoming familiar with a skill and becoming an expert are two different things. Lastly, while learning social media marketing skills is not difficult, the best way to master social media and marketing is through a comprehensive training program. Consider a bootcamp or certificate to get the most skills and knowledge in a concise timeframe.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Social Media Marketing?

Different people find different aspects of learning social media marketing more challenging than others. For example, some beginners have trouble transitioning from personal social media to business social media strategies. Others find this part easy but struggle with analytical tools like Google Analytics. However, most novices do well with every aspect of social media marketing if they learn through a comprehensive bootcamp where each training module builds on previous lessons.

How Long Does It Take to Learn Social Media Marketing?

Learning how to apply social media marketing skills takes time. While beginners often know what they like to post on personal social media platforms, they may need a deeper understanding of marketing concepts before using social media for professional purposes. Experimenting with social media marketing can take a few hours, but it takes weeks or months to learn it for a career.

Should I Learn Social Media Marketing in Person or Online?

Social media marketing training is more popular than ever, and course providers offer different methods to teach skills and tools. Consider the differences among the three primary educational methods:

• In-person training: Learning in the traditional classroom remains popular for social media beginners. Face-to-face training offers the highest student engagement of all methods, and the only disadvantage is that there are more online than in-person options.
• Live online via teleconferencing: Training online by Zoom or other teleconferencing platforms is preferred among many younger students. Online learning provides engagement levels similar to in-person coursework, and participants can train from the comfort of offices or homes.
• Asynchronous learning: Asynchronous learning, also known as on-demand learning, typically consists of pre-recorded videos. Although this method can also include supplementary materials or student chat groups, it nonetheless provides the lowest level of engagement. However, on-demand videos can offer an acceptable starting point for those who work non-traditional hours, like a second or third-shift job.

Can I Learn Social Media Marketing Free Online?

Social media marketing novices often start their educational journey with free online resources like the Noble Desktop YouTube channel or Learn Hub. Professional-level marketing training, though, does not come for free. Beginners should only use the limited information and skills testing from these free resources to get oriented to the field. Consider a bootcamp or certificate program to build the knowledge, skill set, and experience required for an entry-level social media marketing position.

What Should I Learn Alongside Social Media Marketing?

What social media marketing students should learn depends on multiple factors—from current skill set to career goals, availability, and their sector or industry of choice. Some tools and platforms will be part of a training program, others will not, and others may not be needed for a particular role. Consider the following as possible requirements:

• Social Media Management Tools: Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer
• Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM
• Content Management Systems (CMS): WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Drupal, Shopify
• Data Visualization/Presentation Tools: PowerPoint, Keynote, Tableau, Power BI

Industries That Use Social Media Marketing

Baltimore is part of the vast Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This massive area boasts a population of nearly three million, with a median age of 39. The diverse workforce includes every industry and sector, including top industries like construction and education. Consider the following primary sectors for social media marketing roles:

Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)

Traditional banks were slow to adopt social media marketing, but once they did, it became an essential part of their customer relations. Top BFSI employers in the Baltimore area include Morgan Stanley, Mariner Finance, and T. Rowe Price.

Healthcare Services

Like the BFSI industry, healthcare services were not early adopters of digital records or marketing. However, Baltimore healthcare providers are among the largest users of marketing and advertising today—especially on social media. Local employers include Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), MedStar Franklin Square Hospital, and the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

Manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing is another essential industry in Baltimore, accounting for over 15,000 area jobs. Social media marketing can help these firms build communities and engagement, and top Baltimore County employers include Stanley Black & Decker, McCormick & Company, and Northrop Grumman.

Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (TDL)

The transportation, distribution, and logistics supersector is a primary Baltimore industry, accounting for over 200,000 jobs. Many employers in this sector use social media marketing to attract and retain customers.

Social Media Marketing Job Titles and Salaries

Baltimore is home to legendary pro sports franchises like the NFL Ravens and MLB Orioles teams and well-known investment management firms like T. Rowe Price and Legg Mason. Social media marketing is crucial in numerous professions, from construction to education services. Consider the following positions and how much they pay on average in the Baltimore MSA.

Social Media Coordinator

Search online job postings in Baltimore, and you will most likely find non-profits and other organizations seeking Social Media Coordinators. These skilled professionals can be responsible for everything from content creation to campaign management and typically earn an average annual salary of around $40,000 in the Baltimore area.

Social Media Specialist

Social Media Specialists usually have responsibilities similar to that of a Social Media Coordinator in Baltimore. However, their average base salary is higher, about $51,000 annually. This may be because some social media roles coming up in online job postings here are management roles, driving the average higher.

Marketing Coordinator

Marketing Coordinator positions in the Baltimore area fall under different categories, leading to job board results like Digital Marketing Coordinator, Brand & Digital Content Coordinator, or Marketing & Enrollment Specialist. These roles can include social media within a broader set of digital marketing responsibilities, which might account for their higher average salary, around $59,000 annually.

Social Media Manager

Management roles tend to pay more, and Social Media Manager positions are no exception. However, some roles are Social Media Specialist positions in small companies, where one employee handles all digital marketing content. Social media marketing management positions pay higher average salaries than non-management employees, about $71,000 annually in Baltimore.

Social Media Marketing Classes Near Me

Noble Desktop provides multiple social media marketing training options, including bootcamps and certificate programs. The immersive Social Media Marketing Certificate is a beginner-friendly 72-hour program covering everything from video marketing with YouTube or TikTok to how to create a social media project portfolio. Additional SEO and Google Ads/Analytics training is also available through Noble’s Digital Marketing Certificate program.

Certstaffix Training offers virtual live social media marketing training with the option to use the school’s computer labs for those who need it. Their LinkedIn For Business course is a one-day seminar open to beginners. Topics include finding work, hiring, making connections, and launching a group.

General Assembly provides intensive social media marketing training, including a Digital Marketing Short Course. The 40-hour program is available in 10 weeks part-time or one week full-time. It covers digital marketing campaigns, Google Analytics, and social media strategy, among other subjects.

Students planning careers in public service should consider the Social Media for Government program from Think BIG. Learn Smart. Industry-certified professionals teach this two-day class, covering essential topics like principles and strategies for social media for the government, using SEO, and creating content for specific audiences.

BrainStation offers a Social Media Marketing Certificate evening program for beginners. Their 21-hour curriculum covers topics like social media marketing concepts and strategies, data-driven platforms, and paid advertising, to name a few.

Social Media Marketing Corporate Training

Would your team benefit from corporate and onsite social media marketing training? Noble Desktop offers in-person and online training options to get them up to speed. Featured topics include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok, to name a few. Additional digital marketing topics include SEO, Google Ads & Analytics, and email marketing.

If you want your employees to have greater flexibility with their development training, Noble also offers discounted vouchers for its open-enrollment group courses. Employers get a discount when purchasing courses in bulk. Contact Noble Desktop for more information and a free consultation.