There have been significant developments in the area of digital marketing, and social media marketing in particular, in recent years. What is your opinion regarding the need for a social media marketing degree if you intend to become a social media marketer? Do you find it beneficial to your career, and if so, in what ways?
The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the pros and cons of a social media marketing degree, as well as provide four ways in which you can obtain a social media marketing education. After discussing how you can become a social media marketer without a degree, we will conclude by assessing whether you can become one.
Social Media Marketing Degree: What Is It?
You can pursue a career as a social media specialist in a wide variety of industries such as entertainment, journalism, politics, and business with a social media marketing degree. There are typically a variety of courses available that cover topics such as business, marketing, strategic communications, social media measurement, public relations, and interactive advertising, as well as third-party certifications such as Google Analytics.
As a specialization within general marketing degrees, social media marketing is usually offered as a bachelor’s degree. These degrees have the advantage of enabling you to pursue a greater variety of career opportunities, such as marketing analysis or digital marketing.
A typical marketing degree will cover topics such as marketing research, strategic marketing planning, brand management, and consumer behavior. After completing the modules on social media marketing strategy and social media management, students can specialize in social media marketing.
Social Media Marketing Degrees: Pros and Cons
There are advantages and disadvantages to getting a degree in social media marketing, as with most things in life.
Pros:
An undergraduate degree in social media marketing will provide you with a solid foundation for obtaining the following goals:
- Writing reports, developing strategic plans, and measuring performance metrics.
- Demonstrate endurance and “staying power” (since you have already been doing it for years).
- You must provide proof that you have completed an internship.
- The ability to comprehend and write copy (at the college level).
- Identify and conduct independent research (online).
Cons:
However, a degree in social media marketing may not provide the following benefits:
- Maintain a constant awareness of technological changes, i.e., new platforms, features, trends, and memes.
- Make sure that you have sufficient experience on the job.
You should ideally have a combination of both – a degree in social media marketing combined with hands-on experience in the latest technologies.
Do You Need a Degree to Become a Social Media Marketer?
In short, yes. It is reasonable to assume that similar figures can be applied to social media marketers in particular. The fact that many individuals find themselves in jobs that are completely unrelated to their university education is well known, and this is equally true for social media marketers. It is possible for you to become a social media marketer without a degree, with a degree that is unrelated, or with a degree in business administration, public relations, communications, or journalism that is related.
In Conclusion
With the growth of social media marketing over the years, the number of social media marketing degrees has been increasing as well. The number of universities that offer degrees in social media marketing or marketing with an emphasis on social media has increased considerably in recent years.
Social media marketing degrees are undoubtedly advantageous, but they do not constitute the only pathway to becoming a social media marketer. There are a number of online learning portals and social media platforms on which you can obtain relevant marketing certificates. It is not impossible to succeed in social media marketing without a degree, provided you can demonstrate your worth as a social media marketer.
