7 Industry-Recognized Social Media Marketing Certifications + How to Get One

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

What are the benefits of a social media marketing certification? How do you choose social media marketing courses and start your certification journey? Get answers in this article.

[Featured image] A person in a black turtleneck sweater sits at a table with books and a coffee cup and researches social media marketing certifications on their laptop.

Getting a social media marketing certification in 2022

A social media marketing certification can be a valuable asset in today’s evolving social media environment. Hubspot’s 2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends report reveals that social media is the top channel marketers are using in 2022 to reach audiences [1]. According to Statista, there are 4.7 billion active users on social media across platforms worldwide. As of January 2022, Facebook was the most used social media platform, with around 2.9 billion users accessing it monthly [2, 3].

As different social platforms expand and afford brands more ways to reach audiences, digital marketers can update their skills with a certification or certificate in social media. 

Benefits of earning a social media marketing certification

Building digital marketing skills with a social media marketing certificate or certification program can offer several career benefits. 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. You can also explore your creativity inside a structured learning experience and combine your creativity with technology, strategy, and data analysis. A certification, rather than a social media marketing course, typically means you’ll hold a credential. 

In addition, getting a certificate or certification in social media marketing can lead to more job prospects in the marketing world. A certification can help show you have up-to-date social marketing training and know how to use social media marketing strategies to drive business goals. Some roles and opportunities you may qualify for include: 

  • Social media manager

  • Social media coordinator

  • Social media strategist

  • Digital media strategist 

  • Starting a business as a social media consultant, specialist, or strategist 

According to Payscale, people with a social media marketing certification earn, on average, $52,000 in the US, as of October 2022 [4]. 

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Keep reading to explore social media marketing certifications and the steps to get your credential. 

7 industry-recognized social media marketing certifications 

Explore seven social media marketing certifications from well-known brands and industry leaders. Each credential below offers digital marketers a comprehensive journey through the world of social media marketing and a shareable digital credential upon completion. 

We’ve organized the certification list according to what you’ll learn, the cost to register and complete, and the time it takes to get the credential. 

CredentialWhat you’ll learnCostTime to complete
Hubspot Academy: Social Media Strategy Certification CourseHow to develop social media marketing strategies, social advertising strategy, and use social listening and monitoring to learn about your online audienceFree4:05 hours
eMarketing Institute: Social Media Marketing Course and CertificationHow to leverage different social platforms and blogging tools, as well as analytics and automation, to build a business' online presenceFree165-page e-book + 60-minute exam
LinkedIn Learning: Become a Social Media Marketer Learning PathHow to build a business' online presence through social media, including social advertising, and how to measure a social media campaign’s effectivenessFree 1-month trial, then $39/month with LinkedIn Learning subscription12:48 hours
Meta & Coursera: Meta Social Media Marketing Professional CertificateHow to grow a social media presence and create ad campaigns and measure their performanceFree 7-day trial, then $49/month with subscription7 months
Hootsuite: Social Marketing Certification CourseHow to grow a social media following, develop engaging content, and design effective ad campaigns$1996:00 hours
Online Marketing Institute: Social Media Marketing Certification, Level 1How to apply insights from followers’ engagement, establish a thought leadership brand, and measure the success of social media efforts on different platforms$8596:36 hours
eCornell: Social Media Marketing Certificate ProgramHow to design a social media strategy, create engaging content, develop a social listening system, and measure your marketing efforts’ success$2,6253 months

Related social media and digital marketing certifications 

In addition to the social media marketing certifications above, you might consider certifications, certificate programs, or social media marketing courses that focus on specific skill sets. These could come in handy when completing an upcoming project or applying for a job requiring more specialized knowledge. 

For example, the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate both offer material on using data to make informed business decisions. You could apply learnings to social media marketing scenarios, such as using software to track and analyze data on customer behavior. 

Read more: Marketing Analytics: Definition + Career Guide

How to get a social media marketing certification

Follow the steps below to begin your certification journey: 

1. Identify your social media marketing goals.

Get clear on what you want to achieve as a social media marketer, from skills you want to learn to a career path you want to follow, so that you can select a certification to help you reach those goals. Here are some examples of goals that you can draw from to articulate your own: 

  • Become familiar with the latest features on different social media platforms. 

  • Learn how to use marketing software. 

  • Advance into a leadership position in marketing. 

2. Select the best social media marketing certification for you.

Using the table above as a starting point, research different social media certifications to select the one that aligns with your social media marketing goals. Factors you’ll need to consider include: 

  • The cost

  • The time it takes to complete the coursework

  • The breadth and depth of the coursework 

  • How the certification outcomes correspond to skills employers are looking for  

3. Register for and complete the coursework. 

Once you’ve chosen a program, your next step is to complete the coursework. Be sure to allot sufficient time in your schedule to learn the material and be mindful of any deadlines by which you have to take a certifying exam. 

4. Share your credentials.   

Depending on the certification you get, you may be able to showcase your new credential online. Sharing your credential on your social media, website, portfolio, or in an email signature, for example, represents your new skills visually and can attract employers. 

5. Update your skills periodically. 

As social media continues to evolve, it’s important to update your skills to make the most of each platform and its features and remain competitive in the job market. 

Some certificate programs may require you to recertify on a regular basis to maintain your credentials. Taking social media courses and building digital skills in other focus areas such as email marketing, mobile marketing, Google Analytics, content marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) can also expose you to the latest marketing tactics, technologies, strategies, and digital marketing tools.

Read more: 8 Industry-Recognized Digital Marketing Certificates + How to Get One 

Get your social media marketing certificate with Coursera

Explore the options below to learn job-ready skills, such as building targeted ad campaigns in Meta, increase traffic to your website, engage with customers via email, and use social media analytics to make marketing decisions. 

Article sources

1

Hubspot. “2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends, https://www.hubspot.com/hubfs/2022_State-of-Inbound-Marketing-Trends_V08122022.pdf.” Accessed November 2, 2022. 

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