FB, Coursera to launch social media marketing professional certificate

Facebook has partnered with online learning platform Coursera to help learners of all backgrounds enter the growing field of social media marketing.

With half the world's population using social media, companies are making significant investments in social media marketing. By the end of 2020, advertising spend on social networks is expected to reach more than 43 billion dollars.

Social media marketing roles also pay well with global median salaries starting at 70,000 dollars (about Rs 50 lakh) per year.

The certificate is designed for learners with no prior experience to become ready for social media marketing jobs within a few months, said Coursera Chief Executive Officer Jeff Maggioncalda.

"We look forward to working with Facebook to launch more certificates in the future and bring job-relevant learning to aspiring marketers everywhere," he said.

In the five-course programme, learners will explore social media marketing basics for various social platforms, in and outside of the Facebook ecosystem. The topics include creating impactful content, identifying the right platform for campaigns, measuring campaign effectiveness, and protecting user data.

The professional certificate is self-paced and designed to be completed within 20 weeks at five hours per week.

Judy Toland, Facebook's Vice President and Head of Scaled Solutions, said while it is clear that no single organisation is going to solve the global skills gap alone, partnerships like this can make a true impact, building a foundation for success for years to come.

"We are proud to be partnering with Coursera to address the challenge of reskilling a global workforce while building a pathway for stable employment amid digital disruption," he said in a statement.

Coursera has 65 million learners, including 8.7 million in India, and more than 4,000 courses from the world's top universities and industry educators.