SMM 105 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Please be aware that this course was developed by LDSBC faculty in partnership with BYU-Idaho curriculum designers. The course follows the LDSBC Learning Pattern and aligns with the outcomes of the LDSBC campus course. This online course is being offered by BYU-Idaho with a qualified BYU-Idaho instructor. The course functionality and your student experience should be much the same as you would expect in any other course; however, you will see references to both LDSBC and BYU-Idaho throughout the course.
This introductory course will give you an overview of the evolution and purpose of Social Media and why it is a disruptive wave of innovation. In addition, you will learn how it affects your personal and professional life, including the importance of personal branding and how these principles can be applied in the professional world. You will learn about the history, purpose, anatomy, best practices, current trends, and pros & cons of the top eight social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Snapchat, and blogs. In addition, this course will help you build foundational knowledge and professional skills on these nine social media platforms. You will learn how to research, use strategy and tactics, create engaging content, establish a following, and understand legal issues that confront social media. You will gain a high-level understanding of key marketing principles and strategies, as well as how companies use social media for marketing, analytics, customer service and more. You will have the opportunity to create a marketing campaign for an organization, pitch it, and effectively execute and evaluate it. You will also evaluate the future of social media for businesses and how it affects you personally and professionally.
PREREQUISITES
None.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
To successfully complete this course, you will be required to purchase the electronic (online) textbook for this course: Social Media Marketing: Principles and Strategies. The remaining course materials are free and can be accessed online or are obtained through free website accounts (see below). You will be provided with links to the materials and informed when to create the pertinent accounts. The information below is solely for informational purposes; please do not set up social media accounts until you are instructed to do so in the lesson materials.
MICROSOFT OFFICE
Microsoft Office is a suite of applications dedicated to word processing, data spreadsheets, presentations, and annotation/note-taking. You will be using this tool extensively (particularly Excel and Word) to complete and submit assignments. Students should download the latest version of Microsoft Word (if they do not already have this program), before they begin the course, onto their local computer for writing assignments.
If you are an LDSBC student, access the link above and log in with your LDSBC email address and password. You may then download and install Microsoft Office 2013 to your computer.
If you are a BYU-Idaho student, visit the University Store's Technology Downloads page. Follow the instructions to download the suite. Scroll down on that page to access Help & Tutorials, as needed.
Facebook is a social media platform aimed at sharing and receiving various forms of content (text, photos, videos). It allows users to communicate via shared interests, groups, events, relationships, etc. It also allows businesses to share and advertise content to attract customers to their respective brands. If you do not currently have a Facebook account, you will want to create one. You will be expected to do this as part of the course setup activity in Lesson 01.
If you have questions or concerns about how to use Facebook, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the Facebook Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account.
In addition to using Facebook for the purposes of this course, you also use it as a means to share information and communicate with others. Your instructor will add you to a private Facebook group created for this section of SMM 105. Use the group page to ask your instructor (or other classmates) questions. The Facebook group will replace the Questions & Conversations boards in the course. Remember to set an example of respectful communication to foster a positive learning environment.
Twitter is a social media platform commonly utilized by individuals, businesses, and social media influencers for sharing short, mostly text-based, posts/tweets with followers. You will create a Twitter account. If you do not currently have one, you will want to create one. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Lesson 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of sharing content.
If you have questions or concerns about how to use Twitter, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the Twitter Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform used by professionals across industries. It is recognized as the main social platform for building professional networks for job development/acquisition purposes. It is used mainly to build
If you have questions or concerns about how to use LinkedIn, please contact your instructor immediately. In addition, you may also refer to the LinkedIn Help Center for questions related to creating/managing your account.
YOUTUBE
YouTube is the largest video sharing and viewing platform in the world. It is commonly utilized in social media marketing to share videos on
If you have questions or concerns about how to use YouTube, please contact your instructor immediately. YouTube and Google also provide training as needed. If students need help in creating/managing a YouTube account, or in more technical aspects of managing their YouTube channels, they may go to these two resources. (1) YouTube Help Center, and (2) YouTube Help.
Instagram is an online, mobile photo/video sharing, social network. It acts mainly as a tool for users to share photos and videos with other users and followers. You will create an Instagram account and download the mobile application. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Lesson 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of sharing content.
If you have questions or concerns about how to use Instagram, contact your instructor immediately. Instagram also provides training as needed. If you need additional help in creating/managing an account, you may go to the Instagram Help Center.
CANVA (OPTIONAL)
Canva is an online graphic design software that allows users to create simple graphic designs, infographics, banners, and thumbnails and
Students can learn to use it by going to
REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY
- It is preferred that you have your own computer, but you must have regular access to a computer with a reliable internet connection. Review the Systems Requirements page to ensure your computer is adequate for this course.
- Download the Microsoft Office Suite, if you do not already have it on your computer.
- Here is the Microsoft Office 365 download for LDSBC students. Use your school email address and password to
login . Then you will see the option to install Office on your personal computer. - If you are a BYU-Idaho student, visit the University Store's Technology Downloads page. Follow the instructions to download the suite. Scroll down on that page to access Help & Tutorials, as needed.
- Here is the Microsoft Office 365 download for LDSBC students. Use your school email address and password to
LEARNING OUTCOMES
LDSBC cultivates a nurturing environment where practical skills are learned and discipleship is strengthened.
There are three types of learning outcomes guiding curriculum and authentic learning experiences at LDSBC. Students demonstrate the 1) College-Wide Outcomes, 2) Program Competency Outcomes, and 3) Course-Specific Outcomes through the Learning Pattern as they Prepare, Teach One Another, Ponder, and Prove their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Through this process, all LDSBC graduates are prepared to contribute in their homes, communities, the Lord’s church, and in future employment.
LDSBC COLLEGE-WIDE OUTCOMES
- Confirm personal testimony in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Collaborate with others using interpersonal skills in an honest, ethical, and Christ-like manner.
- Communicate effectively using written and verbal presentation principles.
- Construct new knowledge using technology and information resource tools.
- Comprehend and think critically to solve problems.
- Cultivate a strong, professional work ethic and lifelong learning opportunities.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PROGRAM COMPETENCY OUTCOMES
- Demonstrate the ability to manage the social media marketing departments of small to mid-sized companies.
- Strategically develop marketing campaigns based on a company’s vision, goals, target market, research, analytics, budget, and scope.
- Create a highly-engaged social community of empowered brand advocates.
- Maneuver current tools,
platforms and data centers to optimize research, reach, revenues, referrals, and retention. - Prove the return on investment (ROI) of campaigns and marketing initiatives.
- Create relevant and engaging content in the form of copy, pictures, videos, infographics, etc.
- Assess their own understanding of marketing principles, strategies, and tactics—and how to apply them to real life situations.
- Establish and analyze the various learning resources that will help their knowledge remain current with the changing technologies, best practices, and trends.
SMM 105 COURSE SPECIFIC OUTCOMES
- Understand the history and evolution of Social Media, why it is a disruptive wave of innovation and how it has changed the face of marketing.
- Identify and use key social media terms.
- Demonstrate the importance of personal and business branding and its role in social media marketing.
- Discover and maneuver the landscape and purposes of the top nine social media platforms.
- Produce a high-level comprehension and integration of key marketing principles and strategies.
- Prove how companies benefit from using social media for marketing, analytics, customer service and more.
- Demonstrate how to research information, use strategy and tactics, create engaging content, establish a following, & understand legal issues that confront social media.
- Strategically develop and assess a social media marketing campaign for a small business or organization based on the company's vision, goals, target market, research, analytics, budget, and scope.
- Lead an intelligent and informed conversation about the personal and business impacts of social media and be prepared for the next courses in the Social Media Marketing Program at LDSBC.
LEARNING PATTERNS
This course functions upon the LDSBC Learning Pattern, including the principles of Prepare, Teach One Another, Ponder, and Prove.
PREPARE
You are expected to complete your prepare activities early in the week by study and by faith.
- To succeed in this course, you should complete preparation activities (Overview, Readings/Quiz) by the designated deadline.
(Note: Depending on the lesson, there may be multiple Readings/Quiz activities—each with a different due date. Each Reading/Quiz activity will be due at different times to help you manage your time. E.g. Beginning-of-week, Mid-week, or End-of-week).
TEACH ONE ANOTHER
You are expected to use charity and respect as you increase your capacity to learn by teaching one another.
- Teach One Another activities (e.g. class discussions) are designed to build upon assigned concepts from the Prepare activities. Please studiously complete the Prepare activities so that you can actively participate in teaching and learning from others.
- Your comments to the weekly discussions will usually be due by mid-week.
- Your comments in the Respond to Others activities, which generally are designated times to respond to your peers' comments in the weekly discussions, will be due by end-of-week.
PONDER
You are expected to ponder ways to apply course concepts.
- You will be asked to "ponder" throughout the course. The main emphasis on ponder occurs in the Ponder Journal activities. These will be due by end-of-week.
PROVE
You are expected to prove your level of mastery of the course outcomes by completing course assignments.
- The weekly assignments are where you will demonstrate your mastery of the course outcomes. These assignments focus on various applications in social media. The number of assignments will vary by week with some placing a greater emphasis on these over other course activities. Because of this, due dates will also vary.
- At certain points in the
course there will also be major assignments due. - The Social Media Application exercises require that you engage in some exercise on a designated social media platform. These further help you achieve course outcomes by becoming familiar with various social media tools and platforms. These are usually due by the end-of-week deadline.
- At the end of the semester, the Final Project Report will be due. This is a summative assignment that will be worth a certain portion of your final grade.
GRADING POLICIES
The minimum grade you can earn in this course without needing to repeat the course is a "C." Your grade will be determined by dividing the number of points you earn by the total points possible.
GRADING SCALE
| Grade Range | Score | Grade | Score | Grade | Score | Grade |
| A | 100–94% | A | 93–90% | A- | ||
| B | 89–87% | B+ | 86–84% | B | 83–80% | B- |
| C | 79–77% | C+ | 76–74% | C | 73–70% | C- |
| D | 69–67% | D+ | 66–64% | D | 63–60% | D- |
| F | <60% |
The BYU-Idaho grading system describes each letter grade as follows:
- “A” represents outstanding understanding, application, and integration of subject material and extensive evidence of original thinking, skillful use of concepts, and ability to analyze and solve complex problems. Demonstrates diligent application of Learning Model principles, including
initiative in serving other students. - “B” represents considerable/significant understanding, application, and incorporation of the material that would prepare a student to be successful in next level courses, graduate school, or employment. The student participates in the Learning Model as applied in the course.
- "C” represents sufficient understanding of subject matter. The student demonstrates minimal initiative to be prepared for class. Sequenced courses could be attempted, but mastering new materials might prove challenging. The student participates only marginally in the Learning Model.
- “D” represents poor performance and initiative to learn, understand, and apply course materials. Retaking a course or remediation may be necessary to prepare for additional instruction in this subject matter.
- “F” represents
failure in the course.
GRADING COMPONENTS
| Learning Activities | Points | |
|
|
140 | |
| Teach One Another: Recurring topic discussions and Respond to Others discussions in each lesson. Grade evaluated by the instructor. Topic discussions are worth 10 points each. Respond to Other discussions are worth 5 points each. | 145 | |
| Ponder/Prove: Recurring, weekly assignments. Grade evaluated by |
1195 |
COURSE POLICIES
LATE WORK
- You are expected to submit your work on time as a student just as your employer will expect your duties to be completed on time.
- Due to the number of assignments due in this course, many of which or contingent upon completion of prior assignments, no late work will receive a passing grade.
- In the rare occurrence that you are unable to submit work by the deadline due to a natural disaster, birth or death of a family member, hospitalization, or serious accident you should contact your instructor before the next deadline if possible, but at least within 24 hours of the next deadline.
- There are no extra credit or make-up assignments.
Note: Your instructor has the right to implement a different late work policy. He or she will notify you during the first week of the semester if their policy is different than what is stated here.
CREDIT HOURS AND STUDY TIME
LDSBC and BYU-Idaho measure academic credit in credit hours. In accordance with federal regulation, a credit hour at the college is the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than three hours of student work for each credit. Therefore, you can expect to spend at least nine hours per week to study and complete your coursework. This time estimate represents the average student who is appropriately prepared; more time may be required to achieve excellence.
COPYRIGHT
The course materials used in this class may be protected by copyright laws. You are expected to make a good-faith effort to respect the rights of copyright holders. If you disregard the policy, you may be in violation of the Church Education System Honor Code, you may place yourself at risk for possible legal action, and you may incur personal liability.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Refer to the University Policies page in the Resource module of the course for full details regarding the BYU-Idaho Honor Code, BYU-Idaho Disability Services, sexual harassment, complaints, and grievances policies.
DISCLAIMERS
The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus at any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. If there is a discrepancy between this syllabus and I-Learn, consider the I-Learn information to be correct.