Strategic Social Media Marketing

Week 1: A Strategic Perspective on Social Media Marketing
Introduction to social media and how it has altered the consumer decision-making process and communications paradigm. Describe the role of social media in marketing strategy and assess the tradeoffs in using social media relative to traditional communication methods. Learn how to set social media marketing objectives that are linked to business objectives.

Week 2: Leveraging Networks
Understand the role of networks in the distribution of content, including network structure and how it affects the flow of information. Learn how to leverage online networks and communities to engage consumers in brand-related conversations. Discuss how to identify influencers and their role in distributing content.

Week 3: Creating Engaging Content
Learn how to create social media content that attracts and retains consumers' attention and motivates engagement and sharing. Describe the role of storytelling in a digital landscape. Understand how to evaluate and select platforms for distributing content.

Week 4: Social Media Listening and Co-Creation
Examine how social media listening is integrated into marketing decision making. Introduction to approaches to social media listening and how to draw inferences from listening data. Learn how social media is used to facilitate open innovation and co-creation.

Week 5: Assessing Social Media ROI
Introduction to a framework for assessing the return on investment of social media activities. Describe metrics for measuring the success of social media efforts and explore the role of analytics in linking these metrics to the bottom line. Understand the role of paid media in social media marketing.

Week 6: The Role of Social Media in the Organization
Describe organizational approaches to managing social media and developing social media policy. Discuss how to manage specific issues in social media, including negative feedback, online reviews, and crisis management. Identify ethical conflicts and issues associate with social media marketing decisions.