Social Media Marketing Content Syllabus

Course Description

Please be aware that this course was developed by LDSBC faculty in partnership with BYU-I 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-I with a qualified BYU-I 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-I throughout the course.

SMM 130 will teach you how to create high-quality content aimed at different social media platforms. Understanding how to create and produce great content for all of the various marketing channels will become one of your greatest skills. You will learn how to identify and create great content through copy, pictures, videos, infographics, etc. You will also learn the balance between content about yourself/your company vs. content about the customer's true needs and interests. In addition, this class will help you begin to learn the power of content-driven customer advocacy and how to drive measurable results.

Prerequisites

None.

Required Materials

All weekly materials are contained in the course 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 weekly 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-I 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

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 an account, you will want to create one by going to Facebook. You will be expected to do this as part of the course setup activity in Week 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. To access this support, go to Facebook help.

In addition to using Facebook for the purposes of this course, you will 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 130. Use the group page to ask questions of your instructor (or other classmates). 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

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 by going to Twitter sign-up. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of sharing content. Eventually, you will share content based on a predetermined schedule that you set for posting 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. To access this support, go to Twitter help.

Linkedin

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 company and personal profiles to promote skills, brands, and job experience to other professional networks. Interactions commonly involve endorsing skills, sharing, and following company posts as well as industry influencers. You will create a LinkedIn account, if you do not currently have one, in the Course Setup activity of Week 01 of the course. You will use this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of sharing content. However, in Week 09 of the course, you will be required to use LinkedIn to publish one of two written blogs on a topic related to social media content. To create an account, go to LinkedIn sign-up.

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. To access this support, go to LinkedIn help.

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 company and personal YouTube channels. Because of the popularity of video marketing, YouTube is widely used for attracting customers to brands and engaging them fairly quickly. You will create a YouTube account and channel by going to YouTube sign-up. You will be expected to complete this in the Course Setup activity in week 01 of the course. You will use this resource extensively in Weeks 03–05 as you create mobile videos and share them on your YouTube channel.

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 (1) YouTube Help Center and (2) YouTube help.

Instagram

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, if you do not currently have one, by going to Instagram sign-up. You will be expected to do this in the Course Setup activity of week 01 of the course. You will utilize this tool at various stages of the course, mostly for the purpose of sharing content. The majority of your use of Instagram will take place in Weeks 03–04 of the course where you will be working with mobile photography.

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 Instagram help.

Medium

Medium is an online publishing platform that is primarily used to write and share "stories" or blog articles. Readers connected to the platform community can follow and engage with these articles. The platform comes with word processing and editing capabilities, so writers can write directly on the platform as well as add photos and videos to create a more design-focused blog than other platforms offer. To sign up for Medium, go to Medium sign-up. Medium will primarily be utilized in Week 09 of the course where students will be asked to write and publish a blog on the platform for readers to follow.

If students have questions or concerns with how to use Medium, they should contact their instructor immediately. Students may also refer to the Medium Help Center for support and guidance on how to use the tool by going to Medium help. Medium also provides instructions when writing a draft for the first time, including how to edit text, add media, include content from other sites, mention community members in blog, share with individuals for peer review, and publish to the community.

Periscope

Periscope is a Twitter-owned live video streaming mobile application. It is becoming widely used by companies and speakers to go live by recording the user in real time and allowing the footage to be shared through Twitter. To sign up and download the Periscope application to your mobile device, go to Periscope sign-up. Periscope will primarily be utilized in Week 07 of the course where students will be asked to create a video blog and to live stream a story for followers to view.

If you have questions or concerns about how to use Periscope, contact your instructor immediately. Periscope also provides training as needed. If you need additional help in managing an account, understanding the different features, as well as how to broadcast, you may go to Periscope help.

Snapseed (optional)

Snapseed is a Google-owned, photo editing mobile application that allows users to edit photos and apply various digital filters. It is available on iOS and Android devices. This will be an optional photo editing application for students in Weeks 03–04 as they capture and edit photos on their mobile devices. Students are encouraged to use this tool as desired and needed. However, they may also use any other photo editing apps that they prefer or currently have on their devices. The focus is more on the skills and less on the specific tools used. You may locate the application "Snapseed" on your mobile device's application store ("App Store" for iOS and "Google Play" for Android).

Students may refer to the Snapseed Help Center for support and guidance on how to use the tool by going to Snapseed Help Center. Because there is no risk in editing photos, students are also encouraged to test the application by trying various filters and becoming familiar with features as they take pictures on their phones.

VSCO (optional)

VSCO is a photo editing mobile application that allows users to edit photos and apply various digital filters. It is available on iOS and Android devices. One of its distinguishing features is that it also allows users to share their images on the VSCO community, as well as directly to other social media platforms, for other users to view. This will be an optional photo editing and sharing application for students in Weeks 03–04 as they capture and edit photos on their mobile devices. Students are encouraged to use this tool as desired and needed. However, they may also use any other photo editing apps that they prefer or currently have on their devices. The focus is more on the skills and less on the specific tools used. To download the application to your mobile device, go to VSCO download.

Students may refer to the VSCO Help Center for support and guidance on how to use the tool by going to VSCO help. Because there is no risk in editing photos, students are also encouraged to test the application by trying various filters and becoming familiar with features as they take pictures on their phones.

Photoshop Express (optional)

Photoshop Express is a photo editing mobile application that allows users to edit photos and apply various digital filters. It is available on iOS and Android devices. This will be an optional photo editing and sharing application for students in Weeks 03–04 as they capture and edit photos on their mobile devices. Students are encouraged to use this tool as desired and needed. However, they may also use any other photo editing apps that they prefer or currently have on their devices. The focus is more on the skills and less on the specific tools used. To download the application to your mobile device, go to Photoshop download.

Students may refer to the Adobe Help Center for support by going to Photoshop help. Students are also encouraged to look on YouTube using the search term "Adobe Photoshop Express Tutorials." There are numerous video tutorials for Apple and Android devices. Because there is no risk in editing photos, students are also encouraged to test the application by trying various filters and becoming familiar with features as they take pictures on their phone.

Quik (optional)

Quik is a video and music editing application owned by GoPro. It syncs directly with photos and video clips on your mobile device. This will be an optional video editing application for students in Weeks 05–07 as they capture and edit video clips on their mobile devices. They are encouraged to use this tool as desired and needed. However, they may also use any other video editing apps that they prefer or currently have on their devices. The focus is more on the skills and less on the specific tools used. Students can download the app to their mobile device by going to Quik download.

Students may refer to the Quik GoPro Help Center for support and guidance on how to use the tool by going to Quik help. Within this resource are various tutorials ranging from selecting video clips, editing in the timeline, syncing with music, and sharing your video. Because there is no risk in editing videos, students are also encouraged to test the application to become familiar with features as they take videos on their phones.

Adobe Premiere Clip (optional)

Adobe Premiere Clip is a video editing application owned by Adobe. It syncs directly with photos and video clips on your mobile device and utilizes several features of the desktop version of Adobe Premiere Pro, allowing users to apply various edits such as lighting, syncing with music, title cards, and sharing across social platforms. This will be an optional video editing application for students in Weeks 05–07 as they capture and edit video clips on their mobile devices. They are encouraged to use this tool as desired and needed. However, they may also use any other video editing apps that they prefer or currently have on their devices. The focus is more on the skills and less on the specific tools used. To download the app to your mobile device, go to Adobe Premiere Clip download.

Students may refer to the Adobe Creative Cloud Mobile App tutorials for support and guidance on how to use the tool by going to Adobe Premiere Clip Help. Within this resource are tutorials ranging from selecting video clips, editing in the timeline, syncing with music, and sharing your video. Because there is no risk in editing videos, students and instructors are also encouraged to test the application become familiar with features as they take videos on their phones.

Canva (optional)

Canva is an online graphic design software that allows users to create simple graphic designs, infographics, banners, and thumbnails and to share them on various social platforms. Canva will be utilized as an optional resource to help students create thumbnails for their YouTube video channels in Week 06 of the course. To sign up, go to Canva sign-up.

Students can learn to use it by going to Canva help. This resource allows them to practice within a design canvas and provides a brief three-step tutorial of how to use the tool and publish it.

Required Technology

  1. 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.
  2. Download the Microsoft Office Suite, if you do not already have it on your computer.
    1. Here is the Microsoft Office 365 download for LDSBC students. Use your school email address and password to log in. Then you will see the option to install Office on your personal computer.
    2. If you are a BYU-I 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.

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

  1. Confirm personal testimony in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
  2. Collaborate with others using interpersonal skills in an honest, ethical, and Christ-like manner.
  3. Communicate effectively using written and verbal presentation principles.
  4. Construct new knowledge using technology and information resource tools.
  5. Comprehend and think critically to solve problems.
  6. Cultivate a strong, professional work ethic and lifelong learning opportunities.

Social Media Marketing Program Compentency Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate the ability to manage the social media marketing departments of small to mid-sized companies.
  2. Strategically develop marketing campaigns based on a company’s vision, goals, target market, research, analytics, budget, and scope.
  3. Create a highly-engaged social community of empowered brand advocates.
  4. Maneuver current tools, platforms, and data centers to optimize research, reach, revenues, referrals, and retention.
  5. Prove the return on investment (ROI) of campaigns and marketing initiatives.
  6. Create relevant and engaging content in the form of copy, pictures, videos, infographics, etc.
  7. Assess their own understanding of marketing principles, strategies, and tactics—and how to apply them to real life situations.
  8. Establish and analyze the various learning resources that will help their knowledge remain current with the changing technologies, best practices, and trends.

SMM 130 Course Specific Outcomes

  1. Create content designed for major social platforms (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIn, Vine, Tumblr, Snapchat, etc.)
  2. Analyze content marketing strategies and tactics created by today's leading social brands.
  3. Demonstrate the different uses and best platforms for copy, links, photos, videos, and social content.
  4. Identify and demonstrate the balance between content focused on a company vs. the consumer.
  5. Develop skills and comprehension of engaging content created by small budget tools (iPhones, GoPro cameras, iMovie, etc.)
  6. Distinguish between mediocre content and great content that drives advocacy and conversion.

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.

  1. To succeed in this course, you should complete preparation activities (overview, readings, and quiz) by the midweek deadline.
  2. The SMM program has a "no late work" policy. Your instructor may reserve the right to accept late work in justified situations, but any work turned in late cannot receive more than half of the earned grade.
  3. For face to face classes, if a student is unable to come to class, the instructor must be notified by email message (using the College email account or by contacting the instructor or the College by phone before class is scheduled to start. In the workplace, if an employee is unable to be at work, he/she has an obligation to notify his/her employer. If the instructor is notified in advance, the instructor may allow assigned work to be turned in on the day they return to class.
  4. In the case of illness or another reason that is beyond a student’s control, a student should contact the instructor by phone or email before class is missed if possible. In this case, the instructor may allow a preparation assignment or project to be turned in when the student returns to class. In the case of emergency, the instructor should be notified within 24 hours in order to qualify for special accommodation.

Note: Depending on the week, 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, midweek, 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.

  1. Teach One Another activities 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.
  2. Your first comments to the Insight Sharing activities will be due midweek.
  3. 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.
  4. Teach One Another activities are designed to build upon assigned concepts studied before coming to class (for face to face classes). Please be in class on time, prepared to actively participate in order to teach others and also to learn from others through in-class activities.
  5. Team Teach One Another Activities are normally completed in class and are due by the end of class (for face to face classes). If a team is allowed to finish an incomplete activity outside of class, each member of the team must schedule a time outside of class when all team members are available to work together. To earn full points for an activity, each team member must be in class for the full class period (not late) and must participate whenever a scheduled meeting is set by the team to complete a team activity outside of class.

Ponder

You are expected to ponder ways to apply course concepts.

  1. You will be asked to ponder at various times throughout the course. The main emphasis on Ponder occurs in the Ponder and Apply activities. Before participating in the discussion, you will review what you have learned and consider how to apply that learning.
  2. After students have completed preparation activities and Team Teach One Another activities, they will ponder what they have learned. This should review and provide authentic applications of concepts learned. That would constitute pondering.

Prove

You are expected to prove your level of mastery of the course outcomes by completing course assignments.

  1. The Weekly Project assignment is where you will demonstrate your mastery of the course outcomes. These assignments focus on creating various content and are usually due by the end-of-week deadline. Most of these assignments will build on earlier assignments.
  2. The Grow Your Audience assignment (beginning in Week 03) is a daily (Monday–Friday) goal to post content on a chosen social media platform. This is a critical part of the course where you actually apply the principles learned in the readings and weekly projects. You will account for your efforts each week in an Accountability Check (quiz).
  3. At certain points in the course there will also be major assignments due.
  4. 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.
  5. The opportunity to prove mastery of module concepts will be accomplished by completing quizzes, assignments, and a project.
  6. No late work is accepted in this course, unless otherwise determined by the instructor.

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

Percentage Range Letter Grade
100% – 94% A
93% – 90%   A-
89% – 87%   B+
86% – 84% B
83% – 80%   B-
79% – 77%   C+
76% – 74% C
73% – 70%   C-
69% – 67%   D+
66% – 64% D
63% – 60%   D-
<60% F

The BYU-I grading system describes each letter grade as follows:

Grading Components

Learning Activities Points

Prepare: Recurring Readings and Quiz in each week. These are usually auto-graded and are typically worth 5 points each. Accountability Checks at the end of each week are also, typically, worth 5 points each.

140
Teach One Another: Recurring Share with Others and Ponder and Apply discussions in each week. Grade evaluated by instructor. Share with Others discussion are typically worth 15 points each. Ponder and Apply discussion are typically worth 10 points each. 335

Prove: Recurring Weekly Project assignments and Grow Your Audience activities. Grade evaluated by instructor. Points possible dependent on size of assignment, from 20–50 points.

690

Course Policies

Late Work

  1. 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.
  2. Due to the number of assignments due in this course, many of which are contingent upon completion of prior assignments, this class has a no late work policy.
  3. 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.
  4. There are no extra credit or make-up assignments.

Credit Hours and Study Time

LDSBC and BYU-I 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-I Honor Code, BYU-I Disability Services, sexual harassment, complaints, and grievances policies.

Official college messages to all students will be sent through University/School email accounts. Students are responsible for all information received through their LDSBC or BYUI email account. Students are expected to regularly check their LDSBC or BYUI email accounts for official information from the college and their course instructors. This policy is to ensure that important communication is received in a timely and consistent manner.

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.