Social Media Marketing Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Social Media Managers, Digital Marketing Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-DM-038

Before you join: Participants should understand basic marketing concepts such as target audiences, brand positioning, campaign objectives and conversion actions.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Social media marketing teams are expected to produce visible, credible content while connecting activity to commercial, service and reputation outcomes. Many organisations publish frequently but lack clear channel roles, audience evidence, content governance, paid media discipline or meaningful reporting. This course addresses the gap between posting activity and managed social media marketing that supports acquisition, retention, customer service and brand trust.

Participants learn to build a social media strategy from business objectives, audience insight and customer journeys. They plan channel portfolios, create content systems, write creative briefs, manage communities and use paid social campaigns. The course also covers creator partnerships, platform measurement, GA4 tracking conventions, reporting dashboards, social media policy, data protection and crisis response. Participants gain practical methods for making informed choices about content, targeting, budgets, moderation and performance improvement.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with guided case work, group analysis, campaign simulations and structured planning. Cases can be adapted for public services, financial institutions, NGOs, retail, B2B firms and multinational brands. Participants leave with a usable social media marketing plan, content calendar, measurement framework, governance checklist and 90-day action plan that can be adapted for their own organisation.

The course suits marketing and communications professionals who already understand basic digital marketing concepts and need greater confidence planning, delivering and evaluating social media activity. It is also suitable for managers responsible for agency partners, content teams, paid media budgets or customer-facing social channels.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop a social media strategy using SMART objectives and the RACE planning framework
  • Segment priority audiences using research, social listening and customer journey mapping
  • Select channels using a platform selection matrix and defined channel roles
  • Create content pillars, creative briefs and accessible publishing calendars
  • Manage communities using response matrices, moderation rules and escalation protocols
  • Build paid social campaign structures with targeting, testing and budget controls
  • Measure social media performance using KPIs, UTM conventions and reporting dashboards
  • Produce a 90-day social media action plan with governance, risk and review controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Plan social media activity from business objectives rather than isolated posts
  • Write clearer creative briefs for internal teams, agencies and creators
  • Make defensible channel, content and budget decisions using audience evidence
  • Interpret paid and organic performance data with greater confidence
  • Build a portfolio-ready social media plan and measurement dashboard

For your organisation

  • Improves alignment between social media activity and commercial or service objectives
  • Reduces inconsistent publishing through clearer content, approval and governance processes
  • Strengthens response handling for complaints, misinformation and reputational incidents
  • Improves paid social efficiency through audience targeting, testing and budget pacing
  • Produces reporting that identifies actions rather than listing vanity metrics

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can construct a social media strategy linked to defined business objectives and measures.

  • Business objectives translated into social media goals using SMART measures
  • RACE planning connects reach, act, convert and engage activities
  • Channel roles mapped against awareness, consideration, conversion and retention needs
  • Organic, paid, owned and earned media assigned clear functions
  • Social media funnel assumptions tested against customer journey evidence
  • Governance model defines decision rights, approvals, escalation and reporting

Participants can define priority audiences and create evidence-based social media messages.

  • Audience research combines CRM data, social insights, interviews and search behaviour
  • Segmentation separates needs, value, behaviour, barriers and decision roles
  • Persona profiles record jobs, pains, motivations, objections and preferred formats
  • Social listening validates language, questions, sentiment and emerging themes
  • Customer journey mapping identifies moments where social content influences decisions
  • Message architecture connects audience insight, value proposition, proof and action

Participants can select and manage social channels according to audience, content and resource requirements.

  • Platform selection matrix scores audience fit, format, resources and risk
  • Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook roles compared
  • Native content behaviours distinguished from cross-posting and content repurposing
  • Algorithm signals examined: relevance, watch time, engagement and recency
  • Channel-specific benchmarks set without copying unsuitable competitor activity
  • Platform changes monitored through official product updates and policies

Participants can create a content system that supports campaigns, audience needs and publishing consistency.

  • Content pillars derived from audience needs, brand proof and offers
  • Content calendar balances campaigns, always-on publishing and reactive posts
  • Creative brief specifies objective, audience, message, format and action
  • Hook, value, proof, action structure improves short-form social copy
  • Accessibility standards cover captions, alt text, contrast and readable language
  • Content repurposing converts pillar assets into platform-appropriate executions

Participants can brief, review and govern social media creative for quality, accessibility and brand consistency.

  • Mobile-first production plans specify aspect ratios, framing, sound and captions
  • Storyboarding sequences opening hook, narrative beats, proof and call-to-action
  • UGC permission workflows document consent, usage rights and attribution
  • Brand voice guide controls tone, terminology, claims and prohibited language
  • Editorial quality assurance checks accuracy, links, tagging and accessibility
  • Creator briefs set deliverables, disclosures, review stages and payment terms

Participants can manage social communities using structured response, moderation and escalation processes.

  • Community management workflow prioritises responses by intent, sentiment and urgency
  • Response matrices distinguish service requests, complaints, praise and misinformation
  • Social listening queries track brand, competitor, issue and category conversations
  • Escalation protocols route safeguarding, legal, security and reputational incidents
  • Community guidelines establish moderation thresholds, banned conduct and sanctions
  • Sentiment findings converted into service improvements and content opportunities

Participants can plan paid social campaigns with structured targeting, testing and budget management.

  • Paid social objectives selected across awareness, traffic, leads and sales
  • Audience targeting combines first-party data, interests, behaviours and exclusions
  • Campaign structure separates prospecting, retargeting, testing and budget control
  • Meta Ads Manager setup covers objectives, placements, pixels and events
  • Creative testing isolates hooks, formats, audiences and calls-to-action
  • Budget pacing uses reach, frequency, CPM, CPC and conversion data

Participants can select, brief and evaluate creators while controlling commercial and reputational risks.

  • Creator selection assesses audience quality, relevance, safety and commercial fit
  • Influencer contracts define deliverables, exclusivity, approvals, rights and payment
  • Disclosure requirements cover advertising labels, endorsements and material connections
  • Briefing creators protects authenticity while controlling mandatory claims and messages
  • Whitelisting arrangements clarify account access, permissions and paid amplification
  • Creator performance evaluated through reach, engagement quality, clicks and sales

Participants can measure social media performance and produce decision-ready reports.

  • Measurement framework links platform metrics to business outcomes and decisions
  • GA4 UTM conventions identify source, medium, campaign and content performance
  • KPIs distinguish reach, engagement, traffic, leads, conversions and retention
  • Dashboard design compares targets, trends, audience segments and channel performance
  • Attribution limits recognised when interpreting platform-reported conversions and revenue
  • Monthly insight reports recommend actions, owners, deadlines and expected impact

Participants can establish social media controls and implement a prioritised improvement plan.

  • Social media policy addresses accounts, passwords, publishing and employee conduct
  • Data protection checks govern consent, retention, access and audience uploads
  • Crisis playbooks define triggers, holding statements, approvals and response timings
  • Risk register scores brand safety, misinformation, impersonation and platform dependency
  • 90-day action plan sequences priorities, owners, budgets, milestones and measures
  • Review cadence sustains testing, learning, governance and performance improvement

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Social media strategy template
  2. Audience segmentation and persona model
  3. Channel selection matrix
  4. Content calendar and creative brief pack
  5. Social media measurement dashboard
  6. 90-day social media action plan

Who should attend

  • Social Media Managers — need structured methods for planning channels, content and reporting
  • Digital Marketing Managers — need to connect social activity with campaigns and commercial targets
  • Communications Managers — need governance for public messaging, community response and reputational risk
  • Content Marketing Specialists — need stronger editorial planning, creative briefing and channel adaptation
  • Paid Media Specialists — need social campaign structures, testing discipline and measurement methods
  • Marketing Team Leaders — need to manage agencies, budgets, approvals and performance reviews

Skills and tools covered

Social media strategyContent planningCommunity managementPaid social advertisingPerformance measurementSocial media governance

Tools and standards

RACE Planning Framework, SMART objectives, Meta Ads Manager, Google Analytics 4

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce planning methods, platform practices and governance controls. Participants analyse realistic social media cases, assess audience evidence, compare channel choices and develop campaign components in small groups. Simulations cover community responses, paid campaign decisions and performance reporting. Facilitated peer review tests the clarity of content, targeting and measurement choices. Individual application planning converts course methods into priorities, owners, measures and review dates for workplace use.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic marketing concepts such as target audiences, brand positioning, campaign objectives and conversion actions. Experience using at least one social platform for business, communications or content publishing is expected. Familiarity with basic digital metrics such as reach, engagement, clicks and leads is useful. Participants do not need previous paid advertising experience, graphic design skills, video production expertise, coding knowledge or access to advertising accounts. The course teaches planning and management methods rather than platform-specific certification preparation.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand basic marketing concepts and have used at least one social platform for professional purposes. You do not need paid advertising experience, design skills, coding knowledge or access to live business accounts.

Bring a laptop if possible, plus examples of your organisation's current social channels, campaign priorities or reporting challenges. Participants may use anonymised information where internal material is confidential.

The course is intended for marketers, social media managers, communications professionals, content specialists and team leaders. It is most useful for people who need to plan, manage or evaluate business social media activity.

General digital marketing courses cover a wider range of channels such as search, email, websites and display advertising. This course concentrates on social strategy, content, communities, creators, paid social, measurement and governance.

You will leave with templates and a 90-day action plan that can be adapted to your channels, audiences and objectives. The methods also help you brief agencies, challenge performance reports and improve approval processes.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, simulations, feedback and individual application planning across ten modules.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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