7 Social Media Marketing Certifications for Business Owners

Increase sales, build your digital marketing skills, and prove your status as a marketing professional with a social media marketing certification course.

Social media marketing certifications can be particularly valuable credentials for small business owners. By completing a social media marketing certification course you can learn the skills necessary to increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost your sales, and increase profit margins. As an added bonus, the certification demonstrates to the world that you are a skilled social media marketer.

In this article, we’ll show you the value of social media marketing certifications and the value they can bring to your business.

Shortcuts

• What is a social media marketing certification?
• Four benefits of obtaining social media marketing certification
• 7 best social media marketing certification programs

What is a social media marketing certification?

A social media marketing certification is a type of credential you can earn when you complete a social media marketing course. These online or in-person courses are designed to help you build digital marketing skills, and they’re often taken by marketing professionals, social media specialists, and small business owners. These courses are useful whether you run a business offering social media services, work on a side gig as a social media expert, or market your own business on social media.

Not all social media marketing courses offer certification, so be sure to do your research (or consult the list below) before deciding which course to take. Even if a course doesn’t offer certifications, a well-respected certification course will be able to improve your social media skills. 

Note that most social media marketing certifications are not accredited by the American Council on Education (ACE), a higher education association and nonprofit responsible for assigning transferable credits to courses. For this reason, the external value of an individual certification depends on the reputation of any alternative accrediting body (if there is one associated) and the reputation of the individual course provider. 

Four benefits of obtaining social media marketing certification

1. Enhanced credibility and professional standing
2. Improved knowledge and skills in social media marketing
3. Improved ability to hire and coach your team
4. Increased job opportunities and potential for higher pay

There are many reasons to obtain a social media marketing certification, including:

• Enhanced credibility and professional standing. A social media certification demonstrates your status as a marketing professional who has specific social media skills. This is particularly valuable for a business owner who provides professional services (such as social media marketing). It can also help product-based businesses hire and retain talent and increase stakeholder support for social media-related initiatives. 
• Improved knowledge and skills in social media marketing. A certification course can teach you social media marketing skills—including customer relationship management, social media advertising, content strategy, and crisis management—so that you can leverage them to grow your business.
• Improved ability to hire and coach your team. As your business grows, you may choose to delegate social media management duties to an employee. A strong background in the practice can help you hire for, coach, and manage the role.
• Increased job opportunities and potential for higher pay. Social media marketing certifications allow social media specialists to prove their status as professional marketers, which can lead to new job opportunities. If you sell marketing services, a certification can help you charge more, and if you’re looking for a social media marketing position, a certification can help you land a good one. 

7 best social media marketing certification programs

1. Hubspot’s Social Media Marketing Certification Course
2. SO ME Academy’s Social Media Marketing - Complete Certificate Course
3. Hootsuite’s Social Marketing Certification 
4. Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate Course by Coursera
5. Cornell University's Social Media Marketing Certificate
6. Boot Camp Digital's Social Media Master Certification
7. Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Certification Social Media Marketing Course

In order to choose the right social media marketing certification program for your needs, consider the certification type, teacher credentials, accreditation, course content, and course length. 

Here are some of the best social media marketing courses that offer certifications upon completion. All are online and some are accredited, meaning you may be able to transfer credits toward a degree. 

1. Hubspot’s Social Media Marketing Certification Course

Hubspot’s social media marketing course is designed to help social media managers develop a strategy that builds loyalty and attracts new customers. This course covers customer relationship management, social media advertising, content strategy, social media governance, and crisis management. Crystal King, a Principal Inbound Professor at Hubspot Academy, teaches the course.

Cost: Free

Length: 4 hours 14 minutes

Certification: Hubspot Social Media Marketing Certification

Accreditation: None

2. SO ME Academy’s Social Media Marketing - Complete Certificate Course 

This Udemy course targets business owners and social media managers, whether they’re beginners or advanced social media marketers. You’ll learn social media history,social media marketing strategy, social media audits, social media automation, and channel-specific marketing best practices for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Cost: $29.99

Length: 3 hours 36 minutes

Certification: Certificate of Completion

Accreditation: None

3. Hootsuite’s Social Marketing Certification 

Hootsuite offers an intermediate-level social media marketing certification course that can help business owners develop a social media content strategy, set up social media profiles, build an audience, and create and run social media ad campaigns. The curriculum also includes a primer on social media inclusion, accessibility, and crisis management.

Cost: $199

Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

Certification: Hootsuite Academy Social Marketing Certified Professional

Accreditation: None

4. Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate Course by Coursera

Meta’s six-course Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate provides a comprehensive foundation in social media marketing strategy.  The content includes selecting platforms for your social media campaigns, creating and running effective social media ads, using data analysis to optimize your strategy, and learning the basics of Instagram and Facebook marketing.The capstone course requires participants to develop and present a full social media marketing campaign. 

This course is also ACE accredited, meaning participants can earn up to two credits toward a bachelor of applied arts and sciences from the University of North Texas.

Cost: $39.99/month

Length: Approximately 100 hours

Certification: Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate

Accreditation: ACE

5. Cornell University's Social Media Marketing Certificate

This comprehensive eCornell course covers social media strategy, leveraging social media across the purchasing funnel, content marketing, influencer marketing, social listening, community management, and social media analytics. Faculty include Stephanie Cartin, the co-founder and CEO of Socialfly, Joann Reitner, the chief of staff at Socialfly, and Rob Kwortknik, an associate professor at Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

eCornell is accredited by the ACE Human Resources Certification Institute and Project Management Institute (PMI). Participants can earn 60 professional development hours, or the equivalent of six continuing education units.

Tuition also comes with a year of access to Cornell’s Symposium events and online conferences on current marketing and social media trends. 

Cost: $3,750

Length: Approximately 52 hours

Certification: Social Media Marketing Certificate from Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Accreditation: ACE Human Resources Certification Institute; PMI

6. Boot Camp Digital's Social Media Master Certification

Boot Camp Digital’s social media certification provides access to eight separate courses designed to help marketing professionals launch social media marketing campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter. It also covers topics including social media strategy, Facebook advertising, and blogging. 

This course is accredited by Certified Professional Development (CPD) and Online Certified Marketing Professional (OMCP). Course faculty include Boot Camp Digital CEO Krista Neher and chief digital training officer Allison Chaney. 

Cost: $997

Length: 42 hours

Certification: Social Media Marketing Master Certification

Accreditation: CPD, OMCP

7. Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Certification Social Media Marketing Course

Digital Marketing Institute’sSocial Media Marketing Certification Course contains 10 separate modules designed to help social media marketers identify an audience, develop a strategy, provide social media customer service, engage in social commerce and affiliate marketing, and implement platform-specific marketing tactics for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Although instructor names are not disclosed, DMI advertises the industry experience of all instructors and provides a student support team designed to help participants succeed. This course is CPD accredited and endorsed by the American Marketing Association (AMA). 

Cost: $1,368

Length: 25 hours

Certification: Certified Social Media Marketing Specialist

Accreditation: CPD, AMA-Endorsed 

Social media marketing certification FAQ

What can you do with a social media marketing certificate?

An industry-recognized social media marketing certification can validate your status as a marketing professional to your team, customers, potential employers, and the wider public.

What steps should I take to prepare for a social media marketing certification exam?

To prepare for your social media certification exam, attend each course session, pay attention, and take notes. At the end of the course, review collateral materials and attend any available study sessions. Take demo exams (if they are offered) and connect with your course provider’s student support resources if you have specific questions.

Which certifications are the most recognized in the industry?

To evaluate the market value of a social media marketing certification, look for courses that are accredited or endorsed by well-regarded industry professionals. It’s also a good idea to evaluate the brand recognition of the course provider. Courses from major SaaS providers (such as Hubspot or Hootsuite), popular social media platforms (Meta or Twitter), and accredited university extension programs typically are well regarded.