Social media has been hot for many years and it’s only growing hotter.

More and more people are flocking to social networks to talk to their friends, share images, videos and memes and gather and exchange information.

Unsurprisingly, businesses want to market their wares to those consumers through social media.

But it’s not as easy as it looks and more and more businesses are looking for professional help from those who specialise in social media marketing.

If you’re looking for entrepreneurial opportunities, this is one with a lot of potential: setting up a social media agency.

Social media agencies don’t require a lot of investment to get started – time and creative talent will get you a long way. But you do need to have a certain amount of basic knowledge about the principles and practice of social media marketing, and that’s where we can help.

We have been offering social media training courses for more than a decade, evolving our content as new social networks replace older options and as new tools and techniques get developed. We’ve also been tracking the constantly changing algorithms and rules that key players such as Facebook have been implementing over the years.

Now we have refined all that knowledge into our latest training course, “How to Set Up and Run a Social Media Agency”.

This course will tell you everything you need to know about all the key social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok.

Not only that, though. The course will also delve into:

the tools and processes you will need to run a social media agency
best practices to ensure that you provide effective services to your clients
how exactly you can go about getting clients
the systems you need to use to service clients effectively

Now let’s take a closer look at the course.

How to Set Up and Run a Social Media Agency – online training course

Here’s what the course covers, in more detail:

Lesson One: Setting Up a Social Media Agency

How exactly do you set up a Social Media agency? In this lesson, we take you through the things that you must do, the steps that you might take and the tools and processes that you really should implement to make it easier to handle the volumes of social media posts that you will need to manage on behalf of your clients.

We also tell you about some of the social media management tools that are available — and as an integral part of this course we will actually provide some of those tools for you to trial to create content and post directly to social media. (Please note that availability of these tools is limited and provided on a first-come first-served basis).

And we talk about what clients expect to pay you for your social media services (and what you might do to be worth more than the fees that some of your competitors are charging).

This lesson also covers:

why social media is so important these days
what a social media agency typically does for its clients
content calendars and posting strategies
how to be as effective as possible on behalf of your clients
how to stand out and make a real difference

Lesson Two: Getting Clients

In Lesson Two, we discuss how you can actually identify potential clients based on what they are already doing (or not doing) in social media. We show you how to identify client weaknesses, strengths and opportunities and provide some of the processes as templates for you to adapt accordingly.

We also discuss viable sales strategies to get your brand out there and get you noticed by prospective clients.

In addition, this lesson covers how you should follow up and what to do when a prospect says no.

Lesson Three: Onboarding Clients

Congratulations, you have won a client! Now how do you integrate them into your operation, ensure that what you are providing will meet their needs and develop smooth processes to ensure that they become a happy, successful client?

In this lesson, we share processes to help you sign up those clients, develop briefs jointly so that everyone is on the same page and then keep them informed and happy.

The information we provide includes:

Welcome letters
briefing forms
suggested client contracts
call report formats
processes for getting testimonials

Lesson Four: Facebook

In this lesson, we examine what really works on Facebook for NZ businesses. We spell out the characteristics of successful Facebook posts and identify 20 different posting formats that get noticed and get shared.

We look at:

What you should talk about most of the time on Facebook (hint: it’s not endlessly flogging the products that you sell)
The 10 most important factors that consumers look for when deciding whether or not to buy from you (and how you can improve each aspect)
The four most important services you can provide that will have consumers recommending you to their friends
What Facebook Remarketing is all about (and why it can almost miraculously improve your online business)

Then we review the types of posts worth sharing, accompanied by a wide range of examples, including:

Plenty of stories from local and international businesses who are using Facebook effectively
The hotel chain that has twice as many people talking about it as the chain has followers
The radio station that has truly mastered the art of Facebook
Examples of posts that really tug at the heartstrings
The Facebook page that had 247,756 Facebook likes but managed to get 775,600 people talking and 160,000 people sharing
Practical posts that get people sharing

And many many more.

Lesson Five: Online Video

Video is central to Facebook’s vision for the future of the platform. In 2014 CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying “In five years most of Facebook will be video”. Well, here we are, six years later, in 2020 — and online video is indeed becoming, if not quite dominant, then certainly extremely important.

One of the reasons why video is so important for business: after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.

In this lesson, we discuss exactly what you need to know about online video (especially on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube), including:

How much more likely people are to watch live video (compared to video which is not live)
The dramatically-increased performance of Facebook video posts compared with photo posts
The perceived benefits (and barriers) of live-streaming video and how live streaming is currently being used by businesses
Success secrets of online video – including the exploding watermelon video that reached more than 10 million people

Along the way, we explore:

11 steps to creating an effective video content strategy
Essential tips and techniques from the YouTube Creator Playbook
Video marketing tips from the experts
30 practical tips to help you create the best live-streamed videos
The surprising legal ramifications of live content streaming (what you don’t know could cost you bigtime)

Lesson Six: Instagram

Despite the newfound popularity of social video, images continue to be a vital part of the Social Web. In this lesson, find out what you need to know about Instagram, including:

What we know about Kiwi Instagram users
How leading brands are winning with this image-based network
How to use Instagram to its full potential
Smart visual content strategies
What you should include in your Instagram profile
Creative ideas for using Instagram for marketing
The importance of hashtags (but how NOT to overuse them)
Using Instagram for instant feedback (for better or for worse)
How often you should post to Instagram (and what NOT to post)
The vital intelligence you can gain, just by tracking Instagram usage
Five tips for amazing visual content

Lesson Seven: Paid Social Media Advertising

As the social networks limit organic reach — the numbers of your followers who might see your social media posts just because they follow your page — organisations have turned to advertising to communicate their messages. In this lesson we examine how to make the most of your advertising options across various social media networks — and how to really take advantage of the enhanced targeting opportunities that social media provides.

We also explore:

how to take best advantage of Carousel Ads, Lead Ads and other Facebook and Instagram options
Facebook’s Canvas, full-screen mobile ad experience
using Calls to Action more effectively
how leading advertisers are using social media
using your existing customer and prospect lists to develop custom audiences

Lesson Eight: Pinterest

If your target audience is female, you really should include Pinterest as one of your social media marketing tools. Here’s how Pinterest describes itself:

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

In this lesson, we explore:

The latest local and international statistics
How marketers are using Pinterest
Pinterest’s Business Pages
Pinterest case studies, best practices and inspirational guides
What you simply must know about Pinterest’s Secret Boards
how you can make the most of rich pins on Pinterest

Lesson Nine: Snapchat & TikTok

Younger audiences, aware that their parents (and potential employers) can see what they’ve been up to on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, have been turning more and more to ephemeral options such as Snapchat. On Snapchat, most messages disappear quickly, ensuring that no social footprints remain that might possibly incriminate. In this lesson, we discuss what you need to know to market through Snapchat and how best to use this network on behalf of your clients.

In this lesson, we also explore the relatively new phenomenon TikTok, a haven for short form videos that first found favour with Generation Z (but quickly spread beyond younger audiences thanks to the coronavirus lockdown). Learn exactly how marketers have been using this new platform and how you might do likewise.

Lesson Ten: LinkedIn

It’s the world’s leading network for business professionals — and if you don’t know how to use LinkedIn effectively, to conduct research, get introduced to warm prospects and to close sales, you could be leaving a lot of potential B2B revenue on the table. In this lesson, we share the latest developments and strategies for LinkedIn, including:

the importance of LinkedIn B2B marketing
the three simple secrets of effective LinkedIn prospecting
what you need to know to close more sales through LinkedIn
five ways in which you (if you’re not careful) can ruin your LinkedIn profile
getting the most out of LinkedIn’s sponsored content options
why your organisation should have LinkedIn guidelines for employees

Plus Action Steps for each section.

Lesson Eleven: Community Management and Influencer Marketing

Great! You have an enthusiastic following on your chosen social network. But how do you engage effectively with these followers? And how do you reach out to influencers — those who have significant communities of their own?

In this lesson we explore strategies, techniques and best practice, including:

taking full advantage of Facebook Groups
Influencer marketing strategies that work
the vital importance of customer service through social media
tips and wisdom from leading community managers
foibles and failures to avoid
identifying and connecting with Kiwi influencers

Lesson Twelve: Twitter

Twitter has been gaining momentum in recent times and can be a powerful marketing medium if you use it correctly.

In Lesson Twelve, we bring you up to speed with Twitter, including:

what Twitter includes (and no longer includes) in its 280-character message limit
7 tips for maximizing Twitter as a marketing and engagement tool
the best brands on Twitter (and why they’re so successful)
Twitter’s people tagging and multiple photo sharing options
Twitter tools that will boost your productivity
Twitter and video: what you need to know

Lesson Thirteen: Measurement

Social Media Advertising creates a LOT of data, and the sheer scale of the information can be overwhelming. In this lesson, we show you how to focus in on the key metrics that matter, and how to interpret that information to guide your future activities. In particular, we recommend that you track:

who saw your social ads
who clicked on those ads
the percentage who then took the desired action
the comparative Costs Per Click and Costs Per Conversion (and how to evaluate the effectiveness of your ads as a result)
the Lifetime Value of your social-media-generated customers

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TIMING

The next course begins on Wednesday No upcoming date found in provided date list.

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INVESTMENT

This thirteen-part online training course is available for $697+GST. However we offer an Early Bird Discount of $100 — pay just $597+GST for bookings received by Wednesday No upcoming date found in provided date list.

Bookings are confirmed on receipt of payment, which can be by bank deposit or credit card. We can raise an invoice in advance if you need it.

To reserve your place in this course, please pay by credit card through PayPal by clicking here:

If you would prefer to pay by bank deposit, or require an invoice, please send an email to info@socialmedia.org.nz with your requirements.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

You’ll receive our emailed confirmation of your booking. Then on the first day of the course we’ll follow up with details of your Login and Password, along with an Enrolment Key for the “How to Set Up a Social Media Agency” online training course.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please email us at info@socialmedia.org.nz

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ABOUT THE COURSE

This online training course is conducted on a web-based e-learning software platform, enabling course participants to proceed at their own pace, accessing materials online. This particular online training course provides written content, along with supplemental materials provided in a variety of multimedia forms, including videos, slideshows, and PDF files. No special software is required to participate.

Course lessons will be provided in thirteen parts, for participants to access in accordance with their own timetables. Interaction with the course tutor is enabled through the platform software tools (with telephone backup if required).

Feedback from previous online training course participants

“this was the best professional development course I have done in many years” – Mark R, senior Agency Exec responsible for social media
“thought the information within was outstanding” – Ed P, General Manager
“What I loved was that I started with a fairly rudimentary understanding of social media but have learned a lot – including where to find more information as I need it.” – Fiona W, Marketing Manager
“I found it relevant, informative, topical, insightful and a bloody good read. It’s never evangelical, too techy, patronising, assumes that you know too much or too little about digital and has a warm sense of humour in the communication throughout which helped faciliate the learning process for me.” — Adrienne B, new media senior executive
“Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this course! It’s been extremely enlightening” — Shayne P, design agency director
“Rapt with what I have seen of the course” — Julia R, fashion editor
“I’m really enjoying the course – learning a lot – and I know the two friends I persuaded to join us are also loving it.” — Lavinia C, designer
“Am thoroughly enjoying the content!” – Kara B, magazine co-ordinator
“I completed the first lesson today and found it really interesting and love the interaction already! I am so looking forward to the second lesson already …” — Annette B, public relations director
“I was already engaging with social media and have been doing so for about 6 years or so. But, did I know how to use social media in a marketing and business sense? No, I simply did not. This course was a great way to show me how to do that.” — Sheryl K, online marketer

COURSE CREATION AND TUTORING
This course has been created and is tutored by Michael Carney, the principal of online training provider Netmarketing Courses.

Michael is a longtime marketer with an insatiable passion for whatever’s new, different, exciting or interesting in the world of communications (and especially in the digital space). Michael has been online since 1987 — and can be variously described as a digital marketing trainer, adman, media director, strategist, researcher, copywriter, consultant, playwright and dad.

He is probably best known for his many years as Media Director of a number of leading NZ advertising agencies, including MDA Mackay King (now Saatchi & Saatchi) and HKM Rialto (since merged with Colenso BBDO). More recently he worked in strategic roles with MediaCom New Zealand and Grey Worldwide and was Strategic Planning Director for the Media Counsel before setting up Netmarketing Courses.

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To reserve your place in this course, please pay by credit card through PayPal by clicking here:

If you would prefer to pay by bank deposit, or require an invoice, please send an email to info@socialmedia.org.nz with your requirements.