Social Media Skills for Success

AAU Academy Personal Advancement Course

Date

14 October 2021

Course Description

Whether you are a freelancer, a nonprofit organization, or a small business owner, your social media presence can make or break your career. Social Media Skills for Success is a one-day crash course designed to support busy professionals advance themselves or their organization using social media.  

This on-site class allows participants the opportunity to ask questions, get feedback in real time, and get a learning experience customized to their specific social media needs. If participants have a real-world task that they’re grappling with, they are encouraged to bring it here to work out in a safe, immersive, and accessible learning environment. 

Let your inner influencer loose!

Learning Outcomes

  • A strong understanding of what are the different social media platforms and which platforms are best for every type of professional or personal social media user
  • The foundations of copywriting for different social media platforms, the importance of writing for SEO, and an intermediate level of knowledge on how to do both 
  • A basic understanding of visual presentation using Canva for graphics and smartphone tools for vertical video storytelling. 
  • Strong knowledge of how to use Facebook and Instagram
  • Myths about social media and mistakes to avoid

Participants will also be given a free handbook with creative prompts for boosting social media engagement, a guide for social media accessibility, and a PDF of all the slides. Participants are entitled to one free social media assessment for their company or individual Instagram account that includes an analysis of their engagement, impressions, audience demographics, audience interests, and more. 

Methodology

This workshop combines lecture sessions, discussions, and exercises. There will be no exam. Participants will be assessed based on their ability to apply the classroom skills to real-time situations taken from their own experiences. 

The morning session will consist of presentations and discussions that lay the foundation for the afternoon session, which will be hands-on learning. No tools are necessary, but smart phones and laptops are encouraged.

Schedule and Course Content

For a detailed course schedule and content, please download the Course Outline.

Outline

Morning Session Content (3 hours)

  • Social media platforms
  • Copywriting for social media
  • How to use Canva to create eye-catching visuals
  • How to use your smartphone for visual storytelling

Afternoon Session Content (3 hours)

  • Facebook and Instagram Boot Camp
  • The last 30 minutes of class will be reserved to do one LIVE social media assessment in front of the class.
  • Opportunities to schedule the remaining assessments will be available via email.

Materials

Handouts will be shared at the start of class.

Lunch Break

Provided for all participants at Café des Taxis.

Your Instructor

Christopher Sebastian
AAU Academy Instructor, Personal Advancement Courses

Christopher Sebastian is a journalist, technical writer, and social media marketing manager. He has five years of experience with social media management for companies. He has taught about digital and social media tools for political organizing at Columbia University, Cornell University, and Oxford University. He specializes in the use of advertising and marketing strategies for organizations and individuals using new media.