Social Media Marketing is the latest fad you get to notice in recent times and perhaps the reason for social media marketing like courses to be taught in Universities. Much like traditional marketing, social media marketing in the USA is either a concentration course within a study program (for e.g. Master of Arts in Mass Communication or Bachelor of Science in Marketing: Digital Marketing) or available as a certificate program.
Realizing the vast potential of such a professional marketing course in terms of better career avenues, most Universities in the USA now offer social media marketing.
In simple terms, social media marketing is defined as a form of digital marketing that makes use of social networking platforms as marketing tools to promote just content or content related to products or services. By publishing, sharing, and promoting content on any of the social media networking sites, the brands get much-needed exposure to reach the target audience.
With over 77.6 percent of small businesses saying they make use of social media sites to promote their businesses, about 44 percent of local businesses saying they depend on social media platforms to generate brand awareness and almost 41 percent saying they depend on the same to drive revenues and growth, social media can not be ignored at any cost in the current times.
On the contrary, when you find 90 percent of marketers saying their social media marketing efforts have helped them leverage their businesses, you can say with certainty that social media marketing has come to acquire phenomenal popularity at a global level.
If you look at the industry trends, the sectors that have benefited by making use of social media are retail, information technology, arts and entertainment, finance and insurance, according to a report submitted by the State of Social Media Marketing Report.
According to a study conducted by IBM in 2011, 82 percent of Chief Marketing officers have been seen to show interest in social marketing campaigns.
Such studies do not just reflect the widespread enthusiasm of businesses to utilize social media marketing to their advantage but an increase in the number of jobs or positions within different industry sectors.
Consider this — The number of jobs in social media marketing was seen to increase by at least 21 percent in the year 2013 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and which means tens of thousands of jobs in this field alone.
Often the same U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS groups) group social media jobs with Public Relations (PR) jobs and so if you look at a median annual wage of PR specialist, on an average, it’s $56,770 — much higher than all other workers — for whom the median annual wage is $36,200.
With a total of 3.48 billion social media users in 2019, the scope is huge and so we need to also need to understand the numerous benefits of social media marketing courses in the USA.
The Benefits of Taking up Social Media Marketing Courses in the USA
Better Utilization of Your Creative and Communication Skills
The social media marketing courses, for the most part, are about being sociable, good at writing skills, interactive so that prospects and existing customers can be engaged in conversations. So, if you are a creative person who likes to talk at great length, who can visualize a great deal, and bring on people to discuss things over, the job of social media specialist would just be perfect for you and hence also the social media courses.
Writing and Social Media Optimization Skills
For those who have been publicly shy for a long period of time, social media courses can be a good start as you will get exposed to the latest social media norms and conventions. You learn to write and engage through social media network messaging or commenting options. You do not get scared of a large network of followers in real-time nor you are scared of trolls. At the same time, you begin to make use of the right social media optimization techniques for all major search engines.
Case Study Based Learning in Schools
The schools in the USA that impart social media certification courses or concentration courses within a chosen field run you through several case studies so that you can face the marketing adversities in real-life situations. Through the same case studies, you get exposed to the latest activities within different industry sectors and which helps you to seek not just a good job but a long term career as a social media specialist.
Lucrative Career Option
The role of social media specialist requires you to have a positive attitude and confidence to achieve any brand’s mission, you also get paid high after taking the social media marketing courses as elaborated in the first few sections of this blog. You can be a social media marketing manager, social media strategist, etc. and make a decent income. Above all, it’s a role that will allow you to have fun with challenges at work.
In Conclusion
While there are a number of social media marketing schools in the USA offering social media marketing courses, in order to be successful in the long run as a social media marketing specialist, you need to have certain intrinsic qualities such as problem-solving ability, creative writing skills, great communication skills, proficiency with different social media platforms, and often technological expertise.
