Whether you are a business owner or a marketer running social media or digital marketing campaigns for your clients, you know it’s not always about posting content and hoping everyone clicks your links. Social media is a cultural landscape with different rules and best practices for various industries, platforms, and audiences. It’s a lot to stay on top of, but it’s necessary for sustained business growth and success in our digitally focused world.
So, even if you’re a born social media native or experienced, highly skilled digital marketer, it’s still important to regularly train on social media marketing. Let’s talk about why:
Reason 1: The nature of social media marketing always shifts.
This industry changes constantly—pretty much every month, in fact. So, we are continually looking for the latest trends, where users spend their time and money, and what features have been updated. Apps rise and die, audience attention switches focus (especially based on age), and new avenues for engagement evolve. Your social media marketing needs to always be following—or leading!—Those shifts can be made by ensuring you’re tuned into social media trainings that can keep you caught up, helping your new and continuing campaigns.
Reason 2: To polish your technical skills.
Meaning the actual set-up process. It’s one thing to recognize how, for example, Facebook Ads campaigns work. Still, it’s also important to know the process of actually going in and setting up a campaign, getting creative, and really understanding all the little nuts and bolts that go into that creation. Knowing the systems like the back of your hand will make your creation experience smoother and allow you to optimize your social media marketing strategy for your audience’s experience per network.
Reason 3: It’s a great place to brainstorm and absorb other perspectives.
Especially in group environments, social media training is an excellent opportunity to knock some ideas around and hear about how other experts are doing things and approaching their overall strategy. You might be exposed to new ideas or ways of thinking that relate well to your strategy and grow your social media marketing even more. Learning from and sharing with other digital marketers isn’t cheating, it’s a smart business practice!
Pro Tip: Types of Social Media Training
There’s no best way for you or your team to get social media training. You can find a training that works for you no matter your budget, location, physical or technological accessibility, or skill level.
Online training
You can find complete courses and short tutorials on the web or YouTube. This is a great way to start navigating into training, just you and your computer screen.
Face-to-face events
Research sessions in your area. This training type will allow you to ask questions specific to your situation. Just watching videos can feel like a one-sided conversation, and while we may be digital marketers, nothing replaces human contact.
Webinars and online conferences
Again, you can ask questions in this format as well. There are a lot of companies out there that host one-day, two-day, and even three-day sessions on a specific topic. The extra benefit is not limited to your surrounding area.
Pro Tip: Social Media Training Resources
A few places we recommend to discover training are:
- LinkedIn (especially if you pay for Premium)
- Skillshare
- Udemy
- Coursera
- Meta Blueprint
- Hootsuite
- HubSpot
- Social Media Examiner
- Go Getter Marketing Group and sonjacrystal.com (we’ve got a team of trainers across the US, including our base in Atlanta, that allows us to do both online and in-person trainings)
For more details on our workshops and trainings, check out our upcoming events or contact us to discuss a customized presentation!