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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Social media marketing short course
Gain the skills to create stand-out social media campaigns with this CPD course from The Open University (OU). Whether you are new to social media marketing or want to build on existing experience, this course will equip you with the critical skills you need to use social media in a way that engages and resonates with your audience.
Throughout this Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course, you’ll benefit from expert insight into how to achieve your social media marketing goals. Practical exercises will help you apply your new knowledge, and sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners will help you further reflect and deepen your understanding.
Delivered over four easy-to-digest sections, you will cover:
1: The user journey
2: Social media channels
3: Paid and organic social media
4: Managing social media
Please note: the content in this course also features in courses created by The Open University, which are available on FutureLearn.
By the end of this CPD course, you’ll have the skills to:
With more than 4.74 billion users across the globe, social media is now an essential part of any marketer’s toolkit. Keeping pace and developing the skills to use social channels for business are key to helping you succeed in an ever-evolving digital world.
This course has been created by the OU in collaboration with industry experts and leaders in digital marketing. It’s hosted by Daniel Rowles, CEO of Target Internet, who has worked in digital marketing and digital transformation for over 20 years, helping a wide range of high-profile brands to use digital effectively. Daniel is also the voice behind the Digital Marketing Podcast and a renowned author in the field.
There is no tuition on this course and all study is self-directed. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.
This online course includes a mix of video, audio and written materials. You can learn at your own pace with complete flexibility. Throughout the course, you will be asked to respond to questions, reflect on your experiences and learning, and carry out short exercises to help you develop your understanding.
At the end of each section, you will be asked to answer a set of multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge. You can attempt these as often as you need to. It is important to complete them because they count towards your final score.
To receive a Certificate of Completion, you will need to complete every section and achieve at least 70% in all tests. ​
This course will take around 32 hours to complete. As a guide, if you set aside four hours per week, it would take eight weeks to complete.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months, depending on your course registration date, and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
All learning materials, exercises and activities are delivered entirely online.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
You don’t need any prior social media marketing knowledge to join this course, although any work experience will help enhance and contextualise your learning.
It’s suitable for those who are new to the subject and want to build their knowledge, traditional marketers and communicators who would like to upskill in social media, and more experienced marketers who want to cement their knowledge of the latest trends.
The content in this course is suitable for a global audience and the skills you learn can be applied in a wide range of marketing roles, whether in the public or third sector, large corporates, or SMEs.
This replaces Social media marketing (YG004), so you should not take this course if you have previously taken YG004.
If you'd like to discuss the suitability of the course, please contact us.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet, you can contact us about the support which can be given to meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£200
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
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