Social Media Marketing Resources for Newbies

Alison Stripling • October 25, 2014

And the harder I tried to find answers online and the more I searched, the more frustrated I got.

Don’t get me wrong…there are many programs out there. You can even search YouTube and get tons of ways to learn more about social media.

But are those really the best resources? Probably not.

YouTube will provide you many free resources. But do you have the time to sift through all the videos to get to the one you need?

Time is money.

You’re better off finding a comprehensive proven program to help you. Especially if you’re a beginner.

Ways to Learn Social Media as a Newbie

Hire a Coach

BEST WAY – If you can hire a coach for a one-to-one session, this is your best bet. A social media coach can help you with specific questions, especially if you’re having a hard time grasping concepts that you’re already working on.

Live or In-Person Training

The next best way to learn social media is live or in-person training. It’s is quickest path towards an actionable mindset when it comes to social media.

Online Training

Watching webinars on how the pros do it or case studies about successful social profiles can be effective. Online training is effective, but only if the instructor walks you thorough each topic step-by-step. Just remember if you’re “watching” you are in “entertain me” mode and you’re not going to learn as fast as if you take a hands on approach.

Resources

Udemy

For free resources, try Udemy. I first heard of them when a client of mine wanted to list a class. Their mission is to help anyone learn anything online.

When I first got started in social media, I found YouTube videos of Laura Roeder. Since that time, she’s produced many paid programs that help you solve the social media puzzle. Recently I found a Udemy class that she’s offering. Yes for free.

Hootsuite is a social media scheduling platform. You can use it yourself or with teams of people on one project.

CreativeLive

CreativeLive offers free online live training and the ability to ask questions when the show is live. Look for the schedule for upcoming classes to take advantage of what “the world’s top talents and most inspiring experts” teach. You have the opportunity to buy the programs after the live broadcast is over. And that’s exactly what I did this year after I watched Social Media Bootcamp.

Lynda.com

At Lynda.com, they help you learn the skills you need to achieve your full potential…online. For a membership fee, you can access their huge database of professional videos. I like their easy to view courses, with the transcript easily visible. If you’re like me and learn faster to see the words while I watch a video, then you’ll love their format.

Lynda.com does offer a few video modules that you can watch for free to help you along your journey, but for the meat of the lessons you’ll need to become a member.

Some of my Top Favorite Social Media Blogs

To keep up on the latest trends, I suggest connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and email with these social media giants. They’ve provided me with terrific knowledge over the years and is a great place to start. Each have their own memberships, webinars, and online classes – many that I have bought.

Live Training

Monthly Social Media Meetup

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, join my meetup group, Social Media Mastermind where we discuss the top social media trends. We’ll start up again in February 2015.

Social Media Summit

Social Media Summit is back in 2015! If you’re looking to learn and network with business owners in the area, I’ll be hosting Social Media Summit on Tuesday, January 27, 2014 at Laptop Lounge in Walnut Creek from 5:30-9:30pm.

We’ll have dinner and drinks, be amazed by our keynote speaker, and learn from our diverse panel of online marketers, bloggers, and social media managers. This event coming up will be our second annual event. If you’d like to peek at our first one , head over there.

For updates and discounts to this event, subscribe to my newsletter.

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Social Media Marketing Resources for Newbies