MKTG 316: Social Media Marketing Strategy Master Syllabus
Representative Syllabus
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Course Description
The emphasis of this course is on understanding consumers’ social interactions, examining the various social media channels available to marketers, learning how to build social media marketing strategies, and practicing how to track their effectiveness.
This course provides a guide to creating targeted, platform-specific social media marketing strategy. It is designed to help you learn how to tailor your marketing efforts based on different social media platforms. You will also learn to identify a target market and create personas. You will practice creating a content and distribution strategy, optimizing social media networks, and determining resources, roles, and responsibilities. It will equip you with the relevant knowledge, perspectives, and practical skills required to develop marketing strategies that leverage the opportunities inherent in social media and consumer-to-consumer social interactions for achieving business and marketing goals.
Course Materials
This course requires a package of an e-textbook for the Essentials of Social Marketing, by Michell Charello, and the use of the Social Media Simternship (simulation) can be purchased and accessed from the Stukent.com website.
To purchase the package, you can either directly with Stukent or go through the Bookstore. Please use the Stukent link in Canvas.
When you click on the Stukent link in Canvas for the first time you will be prompted to type in your proof of purchase from the Bookstore called an Access code or you can type in your Debit Card or Credit Card to purchase directly through Stukent.
Please always log in using a laptop or a desktop instead of tablets or mobile devices and use Google Chrome or a Google Chrome Incognito window as your web browser.
If you have any questions or issues registering for the course or logging into your Stukent account, or if you have any Stukent-related questions at all please Always contact Stukent directly by calling 1-855-788-5368 or by emailing them at support@stukent.com. You can email the Stukent Support Team 7 days a week or you can call them Monday-Friday. See the Stukent landing page with the hours of operation.
If there is a delay in getting your access code from the bookstore then please use the course invite link and create your Stukent account first and join the course and then when you get to the last page where you are prompted for the access code from the bookstore then you can email support@stukent.com and ask for temporary free access for 14 days.
Course Objectives
- How social media has disrupted traditional marketing
- The benefits of and why social media marketing is important
- How to develop their personal brands
- How to create a social media marketing strategy
- Creating and optimizing business profiles on each social network
- Implementing a social media content strategy on each social network
- The benefits of and how to market with blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and webinars
- How to launch a social media marketing campaign
- How to create a social media influencer marketing strategy
- Creating an employee advocacy program
- Social media policies and crisis response plans
- Social media advertising on each social network
- Social selling
- Social media analytics and measuring
By the end of the course, students will know how to implement a successful content strategy for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Course Learning Outcomes
This course provides the following learning outcomes:
- Introduce students to the terminology and tools used for social media marketing and market-driven decision-making.
- Span the contexts of social media marketing in a variety of platforms and settings
- Discover innovative uses of social media in a variety of business areas and processes.
- Build social media marketing application skills.
- Develop a social media marketing plan.
Class Structure
The course incorporates basic elements of distance learning – learning of key concepts.
Your learning will be evaluated in several ways:
- Quizzes. There are ten quizzes based on chapter readings
- A simulation. Successfully run individually 12 rounds of Social Media Simternship Simulation
- A markerting plan. Team assignment to develop a social media marketing plan
Grades
You may earn up to 1000 points by the end of the course. Your grade will be determined by the total points you earn. Points may be earned as follows:
| Quizzes (8 x 50 points each) - Individual | 400 points |
| Social Media Simternship simulation (12 rounds) - Individual | 300 points |
| Social Media Marketing Plan - Team | 300 points |
| TOTAL POINTS TO BE EARNED | 1000 points |
| Points | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 980 – 1000 points | A+ |
| 930 - 979 points | A |
| 900 – 939 points | A- |
| 870 – 899 points | B+ |
| 830 – 869 points | B |
| 800 – 829 points | B- |
| 770 – 799 points | C+ |
| 700 – 769 points | C |
| 600 – 699 points | D |
| Below 600 points | F |
There is no rounding up.
Quizzes and Exams
There are 8 quizzes you need to complete individually. These quizzes are worth 40% of the total grade. Each quiz is worth 50 points or 5% of the total grade. Please refer to the course schedule for the due dates for these quizzes. There is a separate document providing the quiz instructions, format, topics on the Canvas.
The quizzes will be testing you of your knowledge and application in digital marketing situations from the chapter readings of the previous week. They will be in multiple choice question format. All quizzes are conducted online based on Washington DC or Eastern Standard time (EST).
Make sure all your electronic and computer devices are fully operational beforehand and that you have reliable internet access. Also, make sure that you will not be interrupted during the entire quiz as you have limited time to complete it in one sitting. This means that once you start the quiz, the time of the quiz will start and finish automatically by a designated time. More information will be provided on the Canvas and announcements regarding the quizzes over the duration of the course.
The Social Media Simternship simulation Rounds (Individual Assignment)
This simulation is worth 300 points or 30% of the total grade.
As deliverables, you will run 12 simulation rounds individually, and your individual marks will be calculated in the cumulative performance of the 12 rounds. All decisions are due on Sundays for each round/week. More details are provided in the document called “Social Media Simternship Simulation” on the Canvas.
- Round 1: Organic Social Posts
- Round 2: Organic Social Posts
- Round 3: Organic Social Posts
- Round 4: Paid Social Posts
- Round 5: Paid Social Posts
- Round 6: Paid Social Posts
- Round 7: Social Media Influencers
- Round 8: Social Media Influencers
- Round 9: Social Media Influencers
- Round 10: Social Media
- Round 11: Social Media
- Round 12: Social Media
The individual information and experience in the Social Media Simternship simulation, collectively as a team, will dovetail the development of the team based social media marketing plan.
Social Media Marketing Plan (Team Project)
The Social Media Marketing Plan is worth 300 points or 30% of the total grade.
You will be assigned to the same team of 5 students for Social Media Simternship simulation. As deliverables, your team will develop and deliver 4 milestones and a final report for the social media marketing plan. The due dates for the milestones and the final report are listed in the course schedule of the syllabus starting from p. 10.
More details are provided in the document called “Social Media Marketing Plan Description and Overview” on the Canvas, along with special document for the submission of each milestone and the final report.
Milestone 1:
Step 1: Identify Market Target and Create Personas
Step 2: Conduct a Social Media Audit
Milestone 2:
Step 3: Establish Goals, Objectives, and Metrics
Step 4: Determine Resources, Roles, and Responsibilities
Step 5: Establish a Tone of Voice
Milestone 3:
Step 6: Platform Selection
Step 7: Create and Optimize Social Media Networks
Step 8: Create a Distribution and Content Strategy
Milestone 4:
Step 9: Create a Social Media Content Calendar and Schedule Posts
Step 10: Track, Analyze, and Tone
Final report:
Deliver a social media marketing plan by incorporating the feedback for all 4 milestones, putting the finishing touch, and turning it into a final report
Schedule
| Date | Chapter Topics | Quiz Due | Simulations Rounds Due | Social Media Marketing Plan Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |
Course Overview Chap 1 Introduction to Social Media Marketing Chap 2 Develop Your Personal Brand |
Register for textbook by Aug 28, Wed Register for Social Media Simternship By Aug 28, Wed Familiarize yourself with the Social Media Simternship Simulation |
Assign team by Aug 28, Wed Meet with your group to complete the team contract and discuss about the Social Media Marketing Plan Team contract due by Sept 1, Sun |
|
| Week 2 |
Labor Day – no class – University closed Chap 3 Social Media Marketing Strategy |
Round 1: Organic Posts Due Sept 8, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 1: Identify Market Target and Create Personas | |
| Week 3 |
Chap 4 Marketing with Facebook Chap 5 Marketing with Instagram |
Quiz 1 – Chap 1,2, 3 on Sept 15, Sun | Round 2: Organic Posts Due Sept 15, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 2: Conduct a Social Media Audit Marketing Plan Milestone 1: Steps 1 and 2 Due on Sept 15, Sun |
| Week 4 |
Chap 6 Marketing with Twitter (X) Chap 7 Marketing with Snapchat Chap 8 Marketing with Pinterest |
Quiz 2 – Chap 4,5 on Sept 22, Sun | Round 3: Organic Posts Due Sept 22, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 3: Establish Goals, Objectives, and Metrics |
| Week 5 |
Chap 9 Marketing with LinkedIn Chap 10 Marketing with YouTube Chap 11 Marketing with TikTok |
Quiz 3 – Chap 6, 7, and 8 on Sept 29, Sun | Round 4: Paid Social Posts Due Sept 29, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 4: Determine Resources, Roles, and Responsibilities |
| Week 6 | Chap 12 Blogs, Vlogs, Podcasts, and Webinars | Round 5: Paid Social Posts Due Oct 6, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 5: Establish a Tone of Voice Marketing Plan Milestone 2: Steps 3, 4, and 5 due On Oct 6, Sun |
|
| Week 7 | Chap 13 Social Media Marketing Campaigns | Quiz 4 – Chap 9, 10, and 11 on Oct 13, Sun | Round 6: Paid Social Posts Due Oct 13, Sun | Work on Marketing Plan Step 6: Platform Selection |
| Week 8 | Fall Break | |||
| Week 9 | Midterm exam (Quiz 5) | Quiz 5 – Chap 12 and 13 on Oct 27, Sun | Round 7: Social Media Influencers Due Oct 27, Sun | Work on Marketing Plan Step 7: Create and Optimize Social Media Networks |
| Week 10 | Chap 14 Influencer Marketing with Social Media | Round 8: Social Media Influencers Due Nov 3, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 8: Create a Distribution and Content Strategy Marketing Plan Milestone 3: Steps 6, 7, and 8 due On Nov 3, Sun |
|
| Week 11 |
Chap 15 Employee Advocacy Chap 16 Social Media Policies and Crisis Response Plan |
Quiz 6 – Chap 14 on Nov 10, Sun | Round 9: Social Media Influencers Due Nov 10, Sun | Work on Marketing Plan Step 9: Create a Social Media Content Calendar and Schedule Posts |
| Week 12 | Chap 17 Social Selling | Quiz 7: Chap 15 and 16 on Nov 17, Sun | Round 10: Social Media Due Nov 17, Sun |
Work on Marketing Plan Step 10: Track, Analyze, and Tone Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Milestone 4: Steps 9 and 10 due On Nov 17, Sun |
| Week 13 | Chap 18 Social Media Analytics and Measuring ROI | Quiz 8 - Chap 17 and 18 on Nov 24 Sun | Round 11: Social Media Due Nov 24, Sun | |
| Week 14 | Thanksgiving | |||
| Week 15 | Complete final round and social media marketing plan | Round 12: Social Media Due Dec 8, Sun | Social Media Marketing Plan including collective team evaluation Due on Dec 8, Sun |
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