In 2020, the opportunity to work from home and get good money for it will not surprise anyone. If you are tired of the same type of office routine, early wakes and the constant expectation of the weekend, then it's time to change your profession. For example, you can try your hand at SMM. You can find out what it is and what courses will help you master this lesson from our article.
Content
What it is
The profession is one of the many marketing tools that target social media audiences. The main users of the Internet are people aged 18-35, respectively, this category of users is efficient, it is they who are trying to lure brands to buy goods and services. Since social networks remain the best platform for many stores, the demand for SMM marketers is gradually growing.
What functions does a specialist perform?
- Creates content and uploads it to any internet site. This can include writing articles, promoting company new products, recording and posting video material.
- Reaction to events taking place in business or the world. The marketer must be able to give a correct and adequate response to any news feed related to the company. Flash mobs should also be added to this point, participation in which will certainly add popularity to the brand.
- Creation and placement of advertising content. This item is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. Firstly, the specialist must choose the right advertising method, and secondly, the audience to which the brand addresses must be interested in the product. In addition, you should be able to correctly draw up advertising layouts, be able to calculate financial costs. In some cases, the firm is forced to hire a targeting specialist to effectively promote the product.
- Analysis of income and expenses - correct calculations will help assess the effectiveness of the marketer's work, and also give an idea of the need for further brand promotion on the Internet.
As you can see, the requirements are not easy, a specialist in demand cannot do without a high level of literacy, the ability to write readable and interesting texts. An SMM marketer must have a sufficient amount of creativity, the ability to communicate with customers and the target audience. The product or information product offered by the brand must be familiar to the specialist. So, for example, a person who is not versed in dietary supplements cannot give advice to potential buyers. It is desirable to have an intermediate level of knowledge of the English language.
How to choose courses
SMM training can take place in two ways: independent obtaining information and classes with a teacher.
Self-development of the profession involves searching for materials on the Internet in the form of lectures, videos, articles. Often you have to pay for cognitive content, and the student may also need knowledge of English to fully obtain data. The advantage of this method is that independence is cultivated in the future specialist, he learns to correctly formulate questions and requests.The disadvantages include the fact that there is no curator along the entire learning path who helps to cope with difficulties, indicating shortcomings in the work, and besides, it is impossible to test your knowledge in practice.
Training through online courses will allow the student to go all the way from a beginner to a ready-made specialist, in addition, many companies provide a diploma, portfolio and a well-written resume at the end of the course. Such content can be both paid and free, but courses for which the user paid money will be more informative. Also, financial injections are an excellent incentive not to miss classes.
Rating of the best paid courses
Texterra
This company is one of the largest and most sought-after schools for SSM marketing. A personal teacher is provided for each student, providing an individual approach. A big advantage is the structure of the lessons: the student does not have to look for additional information on his own. Lectures are structured, information is presented consistently without unnecessary digressions and "water". Practical tasks are given without fail to consolidate the acquired information. If desired, the student can ask additional questions.
The term of training is 2 months, during this period 17 lectures will be held in the format of a webinar. Upon completion of the studies, a diploma will be issued, and all additional materials will be available for use for another 12 months. The course covers targeting and promotion in the most common social networks (Instagram, VKontakte, Facebook).
Advantages:
- suitable for beginners;
- the first lesson is free;
- there are homework assignments that teachers regularly check;
- the graduate will receive a diploma;
- information is presented in a convenient format;
- the course is well thought out.
Disadvantages:
- high price.
Average cost: 16,000-28,000 Russian rubles, depending on the package purchased.
Netology
The three-month course is suitable for those who have never been involved in marketing, including SMM. Classes are held in the form of online lessons and workshops. At the end, the student is guaranteed to receive a specialist certificate. An experienced mentor will supervise the training throughout the entire course, he will also give out practical lessons, conduct webinars with case studies. There are also test papers to assess the level of knowledge and learning efficiency.
The course is suitable not only for beginners, it is useful to master it for novice businessmen, people of related professions to expand their horizons, you can also strengthen the existing knowledge in the profession. The traffic also includes a bonus block.
Advantages:
- training from scratch;
- structured lectures;
- a lot of useful information;
- diploma;
- payment by installments is possible.
Disadvantages:
- high price.
The average cost is 45,000 Russian rubles.
Skillbox
The well-known online university is distinguished by a high-quality and competent approach to the educational process, an interesting structure of classes and a large number of practical classes. A student will not only go all the way from a beginner to a ready-made specialist, he will become the owner of a diploma and an impressive portfolio. In addition, newly minted targetologists will be provided with work without fail.
The company will teach students the ability to correctly select and present content, skillfully place contextual advertising. The courses will teach you all the rules of working on the most famous sites - Instagram and Facebook. You will also receive valuable information on how to properly create a work account, communicate with customers, and receive many orders. Students will gain knowledge on how to properly analyze the audience's hail and correctly draw up an agreement with an employer.
Advantages:
- emphasis on practice;
- many useful materials;
- excellent presentation of information;
- guaranteed employment;
- an individual approach to each student.
Disadvantages:
- there are flaws in the organization of lectures;
- long homework check.
Average cost - 60,000 Russian rubles (it is possible to get a discount).
SMM.school
Odnoklassniki is a well-known social network, but it is not popular and does not arouse interest among most Internet users. However, this site can also attract the target audience, becoming an excellent place to place contextual advertising. What is this course about?
First, students will study in detail the issue of the effective implementation of their projects. Secondly, in the learning process, algorithms will be provided for the correct promotion in the social network. All the information provided has been verified in the case, the course materials were used in practice by real targetologists. Thirdly, examples of ideal and failed work will be given, which will save the specialist from mistakes in the future.
Advantages:
- low price;
- a lot of valuable and important data.
Disadvantages:
- training is presented in just one master class, this is not enough for beginners;
- no practical lesson.
The average cost is 3,000 Russian rubles.
Rock Star SMM
The course provides 8 blocks, which include both online lectures and practical tasks, regularly checked by a mentor. The duration of training is 60 days, if desired, the period can be increased for a fee. Basically, the work is aimed at attracting customers through the VKontakte website, however, the knowledge gained will be useful for promoting a business on any site.
A great advantage of the course is the form of class structure, webinars do not cause boredom, information is presented evenly, special attention is paid to motivational tasks.
Advantages:
- there is a system of discounts;
- guaranteed employment;
- state-recognized certificate;
- lots of useful information.
Disadvantages:
- too short lectures - their duration is 10 minutes.
The average cost is 70,000 Russian rubles (discounts are possible).
Skillbox Pro
The course is quite long, he will have to devote two years of his life, but the experience and knowledge acquired in the learning process are invaluable.
The program includes workshops, webinars, a large number of homework assignments, communication with fellow students and leading experts. There is also an opportunity to take an excursion to a successful company to learn from experience. The work is aimed at attracting customers in all social networks, it gives an idea of how to correctly form a strategy, create high-quality content, and regulate the budget. Upon completion of their studies, specialists are guaranteed to get a highly paid job.
Advantages:
- effective course;
- there is a system of discounts;
- suitable for beginners;
- provision of orders and work in the future.
Disadvantages:
- long term of study;
- high price.
The average cost is 300,000 Russian rubles.
Ranking of the best free lessons for 2020
Coursera CMM Basics
An excellent option that combines video lectures and useful articles on the topic. The training will give you an idea of how to properly search for the target audience, create attractive advertising layouts, form and distribute the budget. Also, the company will teach you how to write marketing texts competently, formulate technical specifications for photographers.
The course program will give you an idea of how to get feedback from the audience, communicate with potential clients, set up an advertising account and lead an entire team. As a result, upon completion of the program (its duration is 4 weeks), you will become a full-fledged specialist, albeit without a practical component. However, skillful use of information will allow an advertiser to quickly develop his business.
Advantages:
- reveals all the subtleties and nuances of the SMM;
- a lot of necessary and useful information.
Disadvantages:
- gives only a general idea of the profession;
- no practical training.
Coursera Viral Marketing
This course will help a specialist to create viral content, involving an increasing part of the audience. This program is recommended for users who already have an understanding of the basics of SMM marketing.In addition, classes are conducted in English, respectively, students will need at least an average level of proficiency in this language.
Upon successful completion of the training, a professional will be able to start and develop his own business in a short time, or climb his career ladder. Classes are held not only in the form of lectures, there are practical works, which are given 6 hours to complete, if desired, the deadline can be extended. In the future, these homework can be put into your portfolio. The duration of the program is determined by the student.
Advantages:
- master classes are made by competent and experienced curators;
- you can improve your knowledge in English;
- practice.
Disadvantages:
- not suitable for beginners.
Pavel Targashin Social Media Marketing
Youtube is a great learning platform. In most cases, the content is free, you can always get feedback from the author by asking your question in the comments. The video description contains helpful links to additional information.
This course is conducted by an experienced creative director of a successful agency, therefore, has a lot of useful and, most importantly, working information. The period and speed of training is determined by the student himself.
Advantages:
- convenient lecture format.
Disadvantages:
- there is no practical part;
- the author relies heavily on his personal experience.
SSM.school.
The course is aimed at promoting in VK. In the course of training, the student will receive a lot of useful materials, learn to distinguish contextual advertising from targeted advertising, learn the basic principles of the correct compilation of advertising layouts, and mentors will also teach a specialist to beautifully and competently compose and design posts.
In total, the training program consists of 30 lectures and 6 blocks, the duration of the lessons does not exceed 10 minutes.
Advantages:
- Lots of valuable data that you don't have to pay for;
- the course covers all aspects of SMM activity.
Disadvantages:
- advertising concerns only sales on the VKontakte network;
- not enough practice.
Sergey Shcherbakov
10 lessons with a total duration of 150 minutes are aimed not only at the competent drawing up of advertising layouts and posting on Facebook and Instagram, students will gain knowledge on how to properly allocate the budget, save and increase their fortune. In addition, the specialist will learn how to analyze audience engagement, efficiency and effectiveness of work.
Advantages:
- gives the necessary insight into the profession.
Disadvantages:
- there is no way to practice.
Target Hunter
If you are a beginner and have no idea about CMM, then feel free to choose this course, which consists of 13 lectures. As in most cases, the student will receive a basic understanding of the profession, learn the basic necessary skills, and gain initial experience. In addition, the company will teach you how to attract an audience, gain subscribers in advertising accounts and manage them.
Advantages:
- training from scratch;
- convenient structure of classes.
Disadvantages:
- no practice;
- the course captures only the basics, without delving into the profession.
If you had experience using the products described in the rating, write your feedback in the comments.