Objectives By the end of this - City and Guilds flagship professional social media qualification - you will have a professional level, practical and theoretical knowledge of the use of social media for business. You will cover all the major social networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ and you will learn how the use of these can be linked to your website through a clear digital marketing strategy. You will learn about search engine, social media and mobile optimisation and how all of these can be used to benefit businesses. The qualification assesses learners to ensure that they understand how social media can be proactively and constructively used as a competitive business tool. It progresses quickly and for those used to a certain level of academic rigour it is possible to complete the entire qualification in around 12 months. Everybody has a different level of knowledge so the course duration is flexible. In order to complete the qualification within the short timescales above we suggest that learners should plan on spending around 10 hours per week on their studies. Delivery and Assessment This qualification is delivered online through a series of regular, live, online group webinars. These not only provide the opportunity to seek guidance directly from your course tutor but also offer the opportunity for group discussion and interaction. Whilst it is recommended that you attend the live online seminars, we appreciate that this is not always possible so these are recorded for viewing offline at a later date. There are 12 webinars delivered over a 12 month period. These class webinars are supported by online E-learning modules which are completed in the learners own time between the seminars. Assessment is in the form of practical tasks and written assignments (x12) designed to test learners knowledge. Throughout the course you will be given detailed feedback on your work and support from your personal tutor. Diploma in Social Media for Business Vs ITQ Social Media The ITQSM is a very practical qualification. You are assessed in your ability to create the various different profiles and website for a particular business. The Diploma is aimed at developing a wider amount of knowledge about using social media in a range of business situations. It is predominantly theoretical and delves deeper into topics relevant to most businesses.
Content To achieve the qualification, learners must complete the following units: Principles of social media for business Principles of keywords and optimisation Social networking management for business Collaborative technologies Using digital and social media in marketing campaigns Creating and optimising content for the web Principles of mobile social media for business Imaging Units are delivered through a combination of online classes and E-learning modules. The content of the online class webinars is as follows: Webinar 1 - Principles of Marketing (business types, audience, plans) Webinar 2 - Review SEO, Social Media Optimisation, Link Building Webinar 3 - Listening & engaging, reputation management, risk Webinar 4 - Marketing Budget, Amplification, Promoting trust through online profiles Webinar 5 - Content Planning, Tagging, Blogs Webinar 6 - IPR and Copyright Webinar 7 - Rich Media, Curation, RSS Webinar 8 - Mobile Marketing Webinar 9 - Digital Ad Campaigns, Different Channels, Retention & Acquisition, Digital Vouchers Webinar 10 - Risks, Crisis Management, Social Media Guidelines Webinar 11 - Measurement /Analytics, Tools to measure Webinar 12 - CRM tools, brand ambassadors and influencers. Finalising the Social media Strategy The following E-learning modules are included and can be accessed flexibly by the learner in their own time: Social Media Strategy LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Google+ Introduction to SEO Mobile social media Create Images for business Learn to Blog Social Bookmarking Create Video for Business Details of each are given in the following pages.
Mobile Social Media: What mobile marketing is and how it is used by businesses and consumers Who are the mobile marketing audience groups for a business The types of content that can be accessed on mobile devices How mobile fits into a marketing strategy Organising a mobile social media campaign What factors affect the creation on mobile content Options for mobile content creation How to distribute mobile content
Introduction to SEO: What is Search Engine Optimisation Why is Search Engine Optimisation important Different search engines Positive and negative factors Focusing on Google High level steps of Search Engine Optimisation What is link building Why is it important How to build links Site speed Create Google My Business profile Best practice for local businesses Best practice SEO What are keywords Identifying keywords or keyword phrases for a business Checking the competitiveness of keywords Checking how competitors are using keywords Where to use keywords on a website Tags / categories Using keywords in blogs, videos and Social Media
Create Images for Business: Why we like images How we are influenced by images The purpose of images Examples of how images are used for marketing Pinterest Social media profile images Camera and mobile phone photography Tablet and IPad photography Capturing people Photography tips Photography apps From camera to computer Social media profile images Rasters and vectors Images for print What to use and when Infographics Social media headers/covers Animated images Avatars Line art, word clouds and collages Screenshots Learning Object 4 Whether to use clipart or not The legal use of images and licences Google images Stock images WikiMedia Commons Xpert Attribution Learning Object 5 What are megapixels and image resolution? File types and why choose one over another Why compression is needed and what happens during compression Image editing Inkscape, Gimp and Photoscape Online tutorials for Photoshop Online options BeFunky, Photoshop Express Editor Learning Object 6 Flickr, Tumblr, Instagram Facebook and Pinterest Picassa and Google Photos DeviantArt WordPress Image Galleries Learning Object 7 Issues people experience with images
Social Media Strategy: What is Social Media Why use Social Media What worries you What excites you Taking a strategic approach Benefits of Social Media The Social Media Strategy Cycle Current or traditional marketing methods Brands and values What does success mean Types of marketing materials Current uses of Social Media in the business Action Points Reasons or aims for using Social Media for marketing The impact of the type and size of the business on the Social Media tools chosen Typical audience groups on Social Media Identifying the Social Media audience of the business Finding the audience The keywords of the business Learning Object 4 Blogs Newsletters Niche Tools LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook Google+ Videos/Podcasts/Images Forums Other content Social Bookmarking Mobile Learning Object 5 What is content? Content or relationship marketing Content ideas Creating a content plan Re-using content Learning Object 6 What resources does the business need to carry out the Social Media? Outsourcing Social Media A Social Media Policy The risks of Social Media Identifying training needs How to manage a crisis on Social Media Learning Object 7 How to measure what you are doing on Social Media What constitutes success on Social Media? What success means for the business Tools to measure success Learning Object 8 Getting started with Social Media Creating a Social Media Strategy Do's and Don'ts on Social Media Starting Again
LinkedIn for Business: What is LinkedIn History of LinkedIn Content or Relationship Marketing? Why would you want to use LinkedIn? Who is the LinkedIn audience? Joining LinkedIn Keywords for LinkedIn Profiles Completing an Individual Profile o Headline and Picture o Summary o Experience o Contact Information o Skills and recommendations o Optional sections Profile Security Achieve All-Star Status Who to connect with Finding contacts Engaging with contacts Deciding who can see your connections LinkedIn Education Pages Status Updates Using Groups Using LinkedIn for research Who can see when you look at their profile Using LinkedIn to find a job LinkedIn Pulse Types of LinkedIn account Learning Object 4 Finding out more about using LinkedIn for business Why have a company profile Create a company profile Linking an individual profile to a company profile Showcase Pages Insights Creating a group LinkedIn advertising Sponsored updates How to measure success on LinkedIn Best Practice
Twitter for Business: What is Twitter Why use Twitter Setting up a Twitter profile Writing a Tweet Twitter language Finding people to Follow Using Lists to group people you are following Why use a management tool HootSuite Basics o Setting up o Engaging o Using lists o Scheduling Messages Shortened Links Keywords More HootSuite Functionality o Listening o Finding followers o Searching o Managing contacts HootSuite Mobile Hootsuite Apps using RSS Using Hootlet Hootsuite Pro Bulk uploads and teams How to attract followers Your audience on Twitter How often to update Twitter What are you going to say Twitter for customer service What not to say How to measure success of Twitter Advertising on Twitter Twitter Cards Other Resources
Facebook for Business: What is Facebook Who uses Facebook? Are people leaving Facebook? Ways to engage on Facebook Facebook for personal use Facebook for business use Facebook groups Which profile to use Creating a Facebook personal account Facebook terminology Facebook personal timeline Setting personal security Finding friends Using lists Status updates Facebook for mobile Facebook groups Facebook Rooms Learning Object 4 Attracting fans What to post When to post Improving engagement Running competitions on Facebook Advertising on Facebook Facebook Pages for mobile Pages to watch Learning Object 5 Measuring the success of the business page Embedded posts Measuring the success of advertisements Best practice Social Media marketing Facebook for business Groups vs business pages Business page vs personal profile Create a business page Improve the business page Local pages Events Facebook Apps Managing Business Page Issues
Google+ for Business What is Google+ A history of Google+ Social Media marketing Content marketing vs. relationship marketing Google+ updates Google+ circles Why use Google+ Personal Profiles Business Profiles Audience Keywords on Google+ Creating a personal profile The parts of a Google+ profile Security of a profile Getting around Google+ Circles Security +1s Status updates Using the Google+ photo tools Events Hangouts Finding popular topics Communities Collections Why use Google+ pages Creating Google+ pages Differences between pages and profiles Ways to use Google+ as a business Google Local Page notifications +1 Button What to say on Google+ and when Ways to promote a Google+ page Measuring the success of Google+ Best practice on Google+
Video for Business: Discover what video is and why a business would want to use it for marketing Examine some example videos to look at different style of video The YouTube phenomenon Viral video Mobile video Scheduling video content The stages of production Planning a video What equipment and software to use Adding impact with images and jingles Things to consider when capturing sound What lighting to use Planning the keywords to use ready for distribution Some principles when capturing video Alternative methods of production The stages of post-production Preparing the video file for editing Converting video files Editing video files Copyright Mobile editing Learning Object 4 Video playback Publishing options Why YouTube? Uploading to YouTube Meta Data and Sharing Settings Subtitling and annotations Embedding a video on a website or blog The benefits of using a video sitemap Engaging with viewers Alternative streaming services Learning Object 5 Ways to improve ranking and search results for a video How to measure the success of a video
Blogging for Business: What is a Blog? Types of Blog Why Blog? Who reads Blogs? What to Blog About? Finding Blogs Using curation tools to read blog posts Commenting on and sharing blogs Organising blog posts Static pages Images for blogging Blogging software Making the blog accessible Viewing the blog on a mobile device The template to use Purchasing a domain name Creating a content plan Identifying topics to write about Writing posts that are easy to read Choosing images for blog posts Registering the blog with directories Distributing and marketing the blog post Managing blog comments Blogging communities Measuring the impact of the blog Learning Object 4 Create a Blogger blog A mobile template Google Gadgets Blogger settings Writing a post Getting ready to publish Static pages Respond to comments Blogger statistics Google Adsense Deleting a Blog Learning Object 5 Tumblr examples Public and Private Tumblr blogs Getting started Dashboard Settings Add a theme and add a text post Customising Tumblr Text posts Image posts Video posts Sound/Music posts Creating a private Tumblr blog Using the Bookmarklet Post by email Sharing with social networks Submissions and Asks Tags Keeping track of visitors Learning Object 6 Create a WordPress Blog Choose a Template Create Static pages Change the appearance of the blog Check the settings of the blog Publishing and scheduling Manage comments WordPress statistics Deleting a Blog
Social Bookmarking: What is social bookmarking? Why use social bookmarking? The principles of using social bookmarking tools Tagging Differences between social bookmarking tools Measuring the use of social bookmarking tools Examples of business use of social bookmarking What is Pinterest? Why use Pinterest? Getting started with Pinterest Different types of Pins Pinterest Advertising Measuring the use of Pinterest What is RSS? What does it mean? RSS feed RSS Readers Why a business should use RSS Content curation Syndication How to set up RSS Buy Social Media For Business Duration Duration: 12 months. Price: 1875 + VAT Prerequisites: Broadband connection, Domain name and WordPress hosting Please contact us to arrange this.