This free online course teaches you how to use social media as a branding, marketing and sales promotion tool.

‘Social media’ is a collective term for websites and applications with a focal point on communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. It is a modern global phenomenon that has become a useful tool for building brand equity, customer loyalty and overall business performance. Social media marketing involves the use of social networks to market a company's products and services. This digital marketing course explains how to connect with and engage potential customers through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Quora.

The course begins with an overview of the history of social media. We then discuss vital discoveries from research into social media marketing. Understanding and responding to your customer's requirements is the foundation of a successful sales process. We therefore establish the role of sales psychology in social media marketing and lay out its seven fundamental principles. We describe the characteristics of effective online content that helps you build your personal brand as an expert in your industry.

We then cover search engine optimisation (SEO) and explain its definition, benefits, on-site and off-site strategies and use of metrics to measure performance. We examine Facebook’s ad formats, effective marketing strategies and the benefits of marketing on the platform. The course shows you how to use YouTube and Twitter marketing to promote your brand before providing nine tips for Pinterest messaging. We also go through the best ways to use Quora for marketing research to create the best branding and marketing strategy. This digital marketing course helps you to promote your personal or business brand and showcase your skills and services with social media marketing. Enrol now to learn how to turn your online content into sales and brand awareness.